In Pursuit of Life

Creative Thinking

2015-03-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

I came across this beautiful article of Creative thinking... I wanna share this with all my friends. Enjoy reading...

Einstein once said, Every child is born a genius. But the reason why most people do not function at genius levels is because they are not aware of how creative and smart they really are.

I call it the Schwarzenegger effect. No one would look at a person such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and think how lucky he is to have been born with such tremendous muscles. Everyone knows that he, and people like him, have worked many thousands of hours to build up their bodies so they can compete and win in bodybuilding competitions. Your creative capabilities are just the same. They actually grow as they are used. But you dont need to spend thousands of hours to increase your creative-thinking abilities. By practicing a few simple exercises and applications, you can start your creative juices flowing, and you may even amaze yourself at the quality and quantity of good ideas that you come up with.

Lets start off with the definition of creativity. In my estimation, after years of research on this subject, the very best definition of creativity is, simply, improvement. You dont have to be a rocket scientist or an artist in order to be creative. All you have to do is develop the ability to improve your situation, wherever you are and whatever you are doing. All great fortunes were started with ideas for improving something in some way. In fact, an improvement needs to be only 10 percent new or different to launch you on the way to fame and riches.

It has been estimated that each year, driving to and from work, the average person has about four ideas for improvement, any one of which could make him or her a millionaire. The problem is not that you dont have the ideas you need to accomplish anything you want but, rather, that you fail to act on those ideas. Most people dismiss their own ideas because they think that those ideas cannot be very valuable if they were the ones who thought of them.

Thomas Edison, arguably the most successful creative genius in human history, once said that creativity is 99 percent perspiration and only 1 percent inspiration. Extensive research on creativity tends to bear him out.

There are four generally accepted parts of the creative process: There is preparation, where much of the work is done. There is cerebration or rumination, where you turn the matter over to your subconscious mind. There is realization, where the idea or ideas come to you. And finally, there is application, where you work out the creative idea and turn it into something worthwhile. Of the four, preparation seems to be the most important, and it involves gathering the right data and asking the right questions.

Your success in life will be determined largely by the quantity of ideas that you generate. It seems that the quality of ideas is secondary to the quantity and that if you have enough ideas, one or more of them will turn out to be prizewinners. You can begin building your creative muscles with focused questions. Some that you might think of are the following: What are we trying to do? How are we trying to do it? What are our assumptions? What if our assumptions are wrong? All improvements begin with questioning the current, existing circumstances. If you are not making progress for any reason, stop and think, and begin asking yourself the hard questions that will stimulate your mind to consider other possibilities.

When they were doing the research to land a man on the moon, scientists were stumped for months and even years. They could not figure how to send a rocket to the moon with enough fuel to land on the moon, blast off, break the moons gravity and come back to earth. The problem was that if the rocket had that much fuel to start with, it would be too heavy to take off from the earth in the first place. Finally, they began to question the assumption that the lunar rocket ship had to land on the moon. When they questioned that assumption, the scientists concluded that a main rocket could orbit around the moon while a smaller module dropped to the surface of the moon and then rejoined the orbiting rocket for the trip back to earth. The mental logjam was broken, and the rest is history.

Asking focused questions-hard questions that penetrate to the core of the matter-is the real art of the creative person. The next step is to have the courage to deal with all the possible answers. Once you have come up with a possible solution, ask yourself, What else could be the solution? If your current method of operation were completely wrong, what would be your backup plan? What else would you or could you do? What if your current procedure or plan turned out to be a complete failure? Then what would you do? And what would you do after that? All of those questions will force you to think further and come up with better answers.
The second way to build your mental muscles is with intensely desired goals. The more you want something and the clearer you are about it, the more likely it is that you will generate ideas that will help you to move toward it. That is why the need for clearly written goals and plans for their accomplishment is repeated over and over. Any intense emotion, such as desire, stimulates creativity and ideas to fulfill that desire. And the more you write down your goals and plans, and review them, the more likely it is that you will see all kinds of possibilities for achieving those goals.

The third generator of creative-thinking muscles is pressing problems. A good question to ask is What are the three biggest problems that I am facing in my life today? Write the answer to this question quickly, in less than 30 seconds. When you write the answer to a question in less than 30 seconds, your subconscious mind will sort out all extraneous answers and give you the three most important ones.When you have your three most pressing problems, ask yourself, What is the worst possible thing that can happen as a result of each of these problems? Then ask yourself, What are all the things that I can do, right now, to alleviate each problem? If you have a problem that is worrying you for any reason, think about what you could do immediately to begin alleviating that concern. This is a prime use of your creative powers.

So a key to success in creative thinking is clarity. Take the time to think through, discuss and ask questions that help you to clarify exactly what you are trying to accomplish and exactly what problems you are facing at the present moment. Just as fuzzy thinking leads to fuzzy answers, clear thinking leads to clear answers.
A second key is concentration. Put everything else aside, and concentrate single-mindedly on focusing all your mental powers on solving one single problem, overcoming one particular obstacle or achieving one important goal. The ability to concentrate on a single subject without diversion or distraction is a hallmark of the superior thinker.

A third key is an open mind. The average person tends to be rigid and fixed in his thinking about getting from where he is to where he wants to go. The creative thinker, however, tends to remain very flexible and open to a variety of ways of approaching the problem. The average person has a tendency to leap to conclusions and determine that there is only one way to achieve a particular goal. The superior thinker, on the other hand, tends to be more patient and willing to consider a variety of options before moving toward a conclusion.

There is one other creative concept that can be very helpful when it is used in combination with what we have already discussed, and it is called the limiting step.
Between you and any goal that you want to achieve or any problem that you want to solve, there is almost invariably a limiting step or a choke point that determines the speed with which you move from where you are to your destination. This limiting step may be another person, a particular obstacle, a specific difficulty, or even a lack of some information or skill. Invariably, there is a particular factor that determines how fast you get there. Your job is to think about it and decide what it is, and then go to work to remove it. For example, if you are in sales, your limiting step may be the number of prospects you have. If this is the case, then your job is to do everything possible and to use all your creative capacities to increase your number of prospects until it is no longer a problem. Then, of course, there will be another limiting step, and your job is to go to work on that.

If you have a business, your limiting step may be the number of qualified people who are responding to your advertising. If this is the choke point that hinders the amount you sell and the speed at which your company grows, it behooves you to concentrate your mental powers on relieving that bottleneck. You must concentrate the very best thinking abilities of yourself and others on increasing the number of qualified prospects that your advertising and promotional efforts attract.
In relationships and misunderstandings between people, there is almost invariably a sticking point or subject area that needs to be resolved in order to bring about harmony again. Your job is, first, to identify this limiting step and then, second, to find a way to alleviate the difficulty to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

You are a genius, and you were born with the potential for exceptional creativity. But creative abilities are latent. They are like muscles that grow with use. You can increase your creative powers by using them, over and over, in every situation, deliberately and specifically, until creativity and a creative response to life is as natural to you as breathing in and out is. There are very few things that you can do that can have a more powerful positive impact on your entire life than becoming excellent in creative thinking. You Can if you think You Can.

Admitting you are wrong.... Swallowing your Pride

2015-01-22T22:30:00.000-06:00

Recently I came across this beautiful sensitive article.... I wanted this to be shared among my friends.... Hope you enjoy and start thinking after reading it.

In a relationship, there is a time for all things. There is a time to stand your ground, a time to say you are sorry…and unfortunately, a time to admit you are wrong. The first step in correction to the wrongdoing, not pointing out about wrong doing. Mistakes come in all shapes and sizes. Some are serious, while most others such as telling a white lie, - seem small and insignificant.

For many people, they can apologize – but they cannot admit that what they did is wrong. What this normally translates to is that they are sorry for being caught – but not necessarily convinced that what they did is wrong. And so, how the other supposed to feel assured that the consequences of having to apologize and lose face are high enough for the wrong, to not do it again. It is similar to a child being caught with their hand in the cookie jar. They may apologize, but until they can understand WHY their hand shouldn’t be in there, they will likely continue to do it.

Admitting you are wrong does take a bit of pride swallowing. Yet remember, that love is not proud and when it comes to you and your partner – the two of you should be naked in terms of whom you are. There should be no judgment and only unconditional love.

Most of the time people lie in a marriage because they feel that their partner will judge them. They lie because they know that their partner has a belief system that is different from their own; and feel wrath will be placed upon them for following their own beliefs. The problem with this, is that when you do make a mistake and try to hide it; you truly will not believe that what you did was an error. And then admitting you are wrong becomes something you just say and don’t really mean. This is why it is important for you to be honest, completely honest with your partner.

No one said you had to agree on everything – or even half of the things in life…but you should be able to be honest. If you cannot, you may want to take a little marital inventory. One thing about admitting you’re wrong to begin with that you may not realize, is that it is the easiest way to gain back some credibility with your partner. Self-justification and placing blame on others, quickly leads to arrogance, which is not attractive in any relation.

You have to wonder, why it is so difficult for people to admit that they are wrong?
Well, the truth is that it has something to do with the human psyche. Our minds are constantly programmed to find applicable reasons for why we do what we do. So even if we are making a mistake, we have developed some sort of thought process that makes us feel right in our doing. For some people, this cognitive dissonance is so strong – that they are inherently unable to admit that they are wrong.

If you look back through history, you can learn a tremendous amount about admitting you are wrong in a marriage from the actions of President Kennedy. Instead of deflecting attention AWAY from a wrong – he candidly and emphatically admitted his mistakes and ownership. He believed that it was important to be candid about errors and did so. Even though the situation could have meant a catastrophic political career for him, by admitting he was wrong – his popularity directly after the event increased tenfold.

You may want to be aware that cognitive dissonance exists in every human to some degree. When you notice yourself apologizing for something without admitting you are wrong, perhaps you need to think about why it is so hard to admit you were wrong in the first place. Review the reasons that you made the decision to do what you did; and try to find something in the mistake that we can grow from. As a society, we are far too concerned with labeling mistakes or errors in life as strictly negative; when the truth is there is much that can be gained from making them.

In many relationships, the ability to apologize or admit that you were wrong is lopsided. One-half of the while may be willing and able to admit their mistakes, while the other cannot. When this occurs – the person normally forms a strong and valid point of disconnect, that shuts down normal communication in most facets of the relationship. This can be very difficult to recover from, especially after many years. The point is not to say you were wrong, (which anyone can do) but to understand like the kid with the hand in the cookie jar – why your actions were wrong or hurtful! When you and your partner can admit you are wrong to one another and can discuss calculated efforts to move forward, you relationship will not just be stronger and more honest – but more meaningful as well.

Positive Words

2014-02-14T21:30:00.000-06:00

I remember reading the power of language at a very young age. I not only understood that specific words affect our mental pictures, but positive words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.

One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high.

My older cousin, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Her mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, "Hold on tight." So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.
I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, "Be Careful, don't fall!" and she did fall.

My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for her to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tight.

This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal. You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that. For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my high school team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a catch, "Don't drop it!" Naturally, I dropped the ball.

Psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism.

Ask yourself how many compliments you give daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction.
Let's start not only thinking positive, but even talking and acting will help self and people around us to move forward.

Are you Happy......

2013-08-01T04:00:00.000-05:00

It’s easy to complain when you’re riddled with anger, when you have so many feelings and so many feelings about those feelings you’re consumed by a maddening confusion. It’s easy when you can wax about disappointment and heartbreak; when you’re overflowing with emotional things to say; It’s easy when you can lay everything out in terms of “existential” and “crisis”

But it’s not so easy to complain when you’re happy. Not because you have less feelings, or because your happy feelings are any less worthy of being shown out in public than your sad feelings, but simply because being happy makes you want to do rather than respond. Being happy makes you want to go out and enjoy your happiness — there’s just no incentive for you to be crouching in half darkness over your notebook or laptop, muttering sinisterly for days on end without showering when you’re happy. Not that I’ve ever done any of that, I mean, I totally shower every day and stuff.

When you’re sad, one of your first instincts will often be analysis — why do I feel this way? What is actually happening here? How can I make myself feel better? Why doesn’t he/ she like me? Why can’t I get that dream job? OMG DO YOU ACTUALLY EXPECT ME TO GO TO THE SHOP TO BUY MORE ICE CREAM IN THIS STATE I’M IN? And in turn this analysis becomes your fingers tap-tap-tapping on the keyboard, which would eventually endup on social media.

Writing about bad feelings on social media is cathartic. Moreover, going back and reading your rants can often lead you to see JUST HOW SILLY YOU ARE BEING. You can get lots of sympathy from people who feel the same way, which makes you feel less alone and totally justified. Moreover, you are passionate in these moments, foolhardy and reckless with your words.

Whatever it is that’s making you happy, you just want to enjoy it — you certainly don’t want to hole yourself up in a dank, windowless room writing moving things about your feelings, you want to be out FEELING THEM. You don’t want to talk; you want to do. You don’t want to reflect; you want to be. So it’s harder, much harder, to write when you’re happy.

You know people want to read about your happiness, that yes, people will relate, just as they relate to your sadness. And you know that when you’re happy, you’ll rush through whatever it is you’re writing anyway, because you just want to thrust open a window looking down over a busy street and sing out to the crowd before you race down into the throng to embrace whatever it is that is making you so deliriously, distractingly, overwhelmingly happy.

Its not easy to keep happy or unhappy, pleasent or angry moods all around the time. We go through both these emotions and everyday. We will have emotional swings. Speaking up, writing your concerns in life when you are happy makes more sense at the point of time and also in future. The words you choose while being happy will make a lot of difference in the life of the person listening or reading.

Excess Body Heat

2013-07-31T04:00:00.000-05:00

The normal body temperature of humans is approximately 98.6F, with slight variations that are acceptable. This measurement of internal temperature is maintained irrespective of external weather conditions and is necessary for the normal functioning of the body. In case, a person’s internal temperature falls too low or rises too high (which may be due to a number of reasons), it can lead to damage of the internal organs resulting in poor health. The problem of excessive body heat affects both men and women. It can result in higher body temperatures during the day and during sleep and can cause a number of unpleasant and worrying symptoms like, but not limited to.....

Stomach ulcers
Burning sensation in the eyes
Excessive perspiration
Weakness
Heat cramps
Heat Stroke
Disturbed sleep
Skin rashes and boils
Acidity and heartburn
Headaches
Rapid heartbeat

If you experience any of these without significant know reason, then the reason you might have to think could be regarding body heat. The reasons which would cause the changes in bodily heat coud be,...

Hot or humid climate that does not allow for the proper regulation of internal body temperature through sweating
Wearing tight or synthetic clothing may trap moisture and lead to ineffective loss of heat
Illnesses such as fever or infections
An increased activity of the thyroid that raises the metabolic activity in the body and causes excess heat to be produced
Strenuous exercise or physical activity
Medical conditions such as seizures and muscular agitation
Certain drugs or stimulants such as amphetamines
Neurological disorders can lead to excessive body heat even when sleeping
Excessive exposure to the sun and sunburn can also cause excessive body heat

The Following are some remidies for controlling the excessive bodily heat and prevent damage.

Avoid hot and spicy foods regularly.
Avoid oily and fried foods (only once in a while)
Stay away from caffeine and alcohol ( No Comments.... I am a coffe addict)
Follow a low sodium diet.
Swap sesame, almond, and corn oil for coconut and olive oils
Remove nuts from your diet as they are highly acidic and may result in the production of more body heat
Try and follow a vegetarian diet or cut down on your consumption of red meats
Certain yoga poses can help lower body heat as well.
Drink a glass of fresh pomegranate juice mixed with a few drops of almond oil
and drink it every morning.
Soak your feet in a basin of cold water to help reduce excessive body heat
Eat a small handful of poppy seeds before you sleep to ensure a good night’s rest and the proper regulation of body temperature. However, be warned that poppy seeds are considered opiates and should not be consumed in large quantities or given to children.
A simple home remedy to reduce body heat is to eat a spoonful of fenugreek seeds daily.
Add a spoonful of honey to a glass of cold milk and drink this daily for fast results.
Apply a paste of sandalwood and water to the forehead, back and chest to bring down body temperature and cool the skin. You could also add a few drops of rosewater to the paste for a greater cooling effect.
Vegetables rich in vitamin C and other citrus fruits are good foods to reduce body heat as vitamin C naturally reduces the heat of the body.

One of the easiest ways to stay hydrated and control your body heat is by eating the right kinds of foods. Some natural foods that help cool down your body include:

Watermelon - Watermelon has 95 percent water content that helps reduce body heat in no time.

Cardamom - According to the ancient practice of Ayurveda, cardamom is an excellent way to reduce body heat naturally. You can add cardamom to your tea or add it as a flavoring for both sweet and savory dishes.

Peaches - Excessive body heat affects the skin and often results in rashes and skin irritation. Peaches are great sources of vitamins A and B2 along with potassium that are essential for good skin health. Dried peaches also help regulate the balance of heat in the body.

Apricot - Drink a glass of apricot juice mixed with honey to cool down your body and quench your thirst.

Buttermilk - During the summer months, drink buttermilk to supply your body with necessary probiotics, minerals and vitamins that may be depleted due to excessive perspiration.

Coconut water - Rehydrate your body with a glass of coconut water as it helps naturally balance out electrolytes and regulate body temperature.

Sabja seeds are the best known substance that reduces body heat. These seeds are soaked in water for sometime and added to milk with rose syrup. This is a good drink to cool down your system instantly.

Massage your body with herbal oil is good for keeping your body cool. It will also increase blood circulation well.

Musk melon is good for keeping your body cool. Include more grains, beans and starchy foods in your diet. These are effective things for reducing body heat. Musk melon juice with a spoon of sugar also can be had.

Judging People.

2013-02-16T22:00:00.000-06:00

Every person in this world makes mistakes. What ever size and shape of the mistake its there in our life in every turn. You can see the mistakes in every person and everyone around you.

Do you know your mistakes.. Don't Mistake me... I am saying this because you cannot find mistake in your self unless you dislike the situation you are in.

When you really love some one .. you never find the mistakes, even the big one effecting your life.I vow not to talk about the faults of others.

What an undertaking! I can't speak for you, but I find this very difficult. I have an old habit of talking about the faults of others. In fact, it's so habitual that sometimes I don't realize I've done it until afterwards.

What lies behind this tendency to put others down? One of my teachers, used to say, "You get together with a friend and talk about the faults of this person and the misdeeds of that one. Then you go on to discuss others' mistakes and negative qualities. In the end, the two of you feel good because you've agreed you're the two best people in the world."

When I look inside, I have to acknowledge that's right. Fueled by insecurity, I mistakenly think that if others are wrong, bad, or fault-ridden, then in comparison I must be right, good, and capable. Does the strategy of putting others down to build up my own self-esteem work? Hardly.

Another situation in which we speak about others' faults is when we're angry with them. Here we may talk about their faults for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's to win other people over to our side. "If I tell these other people about the argument and I had and convince them that the person is wrong and I'm right before they can here about the argument, then they'll side with me." Underlying that is the thought, "If others think I'm right, then I must be." It's a weak attempt to convince ourselves we're okay when we haven't spent the time honestly evaluating our own motivations and actions.

At other times, we may talk about others' faults because we're jealous of them. We want to be respected and appreciated as much as they are. In the back of our minds, there's the thought, "If others see the bad qualities of the people I think are better than me, then instead of honoring and helping them, they'll praise and assist me." Or we think, "If the boss thinks that person is unqualified, she'll promote me instead." Does this strategy win others' respect and appreciation? Hardly.

Some people "psychoanalyze" others, using their half-baked knowledge of pop-psychology to put someone down. Comments such as "he's possesive" or "she's stubborn" make it sound as if we have authoritative insight into someone's internal workings, when in reality we disdain their faults because our ego was affronted. Casually psychoanalyzing others can be especially harmful, for it may unfairly cause a third party to be biased or suspicious.

The Results

What are the results of speaking of others' faults? First, we become known as a busybody. Others won't want to confide in us because they're afraid we'll tell others, adding our own judgments to make them look bad. I am cautious of people who chronically complain about others. I figure that if they speak that way about one person, they will probably speak that way about me, given the right conditions. In other words, I don't trust people who continuously criticize others.

Second, we have to deal with the person whose mistakes we publicized when they find out what we said, which, by the time they hear it, has been amplified in intensity. That person may tell others our faults in order to retaliate, not an exceptionally mature action, but one in keeping with our own actions.

Third, some people get stirred up when they hear about others' faults. For example, if one person at an office or factory talks behind the back of another, everyone in the work place may get angry and gang up on the person who has been criticized. This can set off backbiting throughout the workplace and cause factions to form. Is this conducive for a harmonious work environment? Hardly.

Fourth, are we happy when our mind picks faults in others? Hardly. When we focus on negativities or mistakes, our own mind isn't very happy. Thoughts such as, "SHe has a hot temper. They bungled the job. He is incompetent. She is unreliable," aren't conducive for our own mental happiness.

Fifth, by speaking badly of others, we create the cause for others to speak badly of us. This may occur immidiately in this life if the person we have criticized puts us down, or it may happen in future when we find ourselves unjustly blamed or scapegoated. When we are the recipients of others' harsh speech, we need to recall that this is a result of our own actions: we created the cause; now the result comes. We put negativity in the universe and in our own mindstream; now it is coming back to us. There's no sense being angry and blaming anyone else if we were the ones who created the principal cause of our problem.

In order to stop pointing out others' faults, we have to work on our underlying mental habit of judging others. Even if we don't say anything to or about them, as long as we are mentally tearing someone down, it's likely we'll communicate that through giving someone a condescending look, ignoring him in a social situation, or rolling our eyes when his name is brought up in conversation.

The opposite of judging and criticizing others is regarding their good qualities and kindness. This is a matter of training our minds to look at what is positive in others rather than what doesn't meet our approval. Such training makes the difference between our being happy, open, and loving or depressed, disconnected, and bitter.

We need to try to cultivate the habit of noticing what is beautiful, endearing, vulnerable, brave, struggling, hopeful, kind, and inspiring in others. If we pay attention to that, we won't be focusing on their faults. Our joyful attitude and tolerant speech that result from this will enrich those around us and will nourish contentment, happiness and love within ourselves. The quality of our own lives thus depends on whether we find fault with our experience or see what is beautiful in it.

Seeing the faults of others is about missing opportunities to love. It's also about not having the skills to properly nourish ourselves with heart-warming interpretations as opposed to feeding ourselves a mental diet of poison. When we are habituated with mentally picking out the faults of others, we tend to do this with ourselves as well. This can lead us to devalue our entire lives. What a tragedy it is when we overlook the preciousness and opportunity of our lives and our Buddha potential.

Thus we must lighten up, cut ourselves some slack, and accept ourselves as we are in this moment while we simultaneously try to become better human beings in the future. This doesn't mean we ignore our mistakes, but that we are not so pejorative about them. We appreciate our own humanness; we have confidence in our potential and in the heart-warming qualities we have developed so far.

What are these qualities? Let's keep things simple: they are our ability to listen, to smile, to forgive, to help out in small ways. Nowadays we have lost sight of what is really valuable on a personal level and instead tend to look to what publicly brings acclaim. We need to come back to appreciating ordinary beauty and stop our infatuation with the high-achieving, the polished, and the famous.

Everyone wants to be loved - to have his or her positive aspects noticed and acknowledged, to be cared for and treated with respect. Almost everyone is afraid of being judged, criticized, and rejected as unworthy. Cultivating the mental habit that sees our own and others' beauty brings happiness to ourselves and others; it enables us to feel and to extend love. Leaving aside the mental habit that finds faults prevents suffering for ourselves and others. This should be the heart of our spiritual practice.

For this reason, His Holiness the Dalai Lama said, "My religion is kindness."

We may still see our own and others' imperfections, but our mind is gentler, more accepting and spacious. People don't care so much if we see their faults, when they are confident that we care for them and appreciate what is admirable in them.

New adictions

2013-02-02T23:28:00.000-06:00

Now a days people are becoming solitary beings... growing social media and electronics are making lives easy, at the same time they are making people disconnected. One might say "What are you talking... I have 500+ in my FB friends and I am connected to them daily at least few hours a day with spotlight (some times leaving the spotlight only for few hours a day)."

Are you really connected to all these people you call friends? Do you call this a way to stay connected to people... I think otherwise.

Do you remember these phones,, are the mobile which we used for communication these actually helped mankind in lot of ways... made communication easy, accessible at times

Then came the smart phones & tablets... These made work and personal lifes so tangled that diffentiating them at times is difficult. Now a days these playa major role in persons life.

Now a days generations are getting addicted to the applications online which are not adding any value to our lives.These are not making just the younger generations but has effected people across generations.

No one can imagie our life without these atleast a day. I have came across people in my life who are so addicted to these applications, they forgot to talk to persons across the table.

Being social is good, getting addicted to is hamful.

Pointing People around

2013-01-29T22:32:00.000-06:00

Do not point a person's mistake. What's the use of pointing out a mistake committed? By doing this, you will only make them feel more guilty, defensive or resentful and this will only create more distance. You should only point out the mistake of a person who does not know, but who wants to know. Do not point out the mistake of a person who knows but doesn't want you to know. Often people know the mistakes that they have committed, but they do not want you to tell them.

Think of the usefulness of your comments. Before pointing out the mistake of a person, see whether your comments in any way will help to improve the situation, foster love or bring harmony. A magnanimous person would not pick on the mistakes of others and make them feel guilty. However, they would correct them with compassion and care, not through words but through attitudes.

I agree with the others who feel that the act provides a false sense/status of superiority. In addition, I see a higher frequency lately, online and offline, of people using behaviors and speech that is degrading, diminishing, and profane to the level of filth. At the same time, many of these persons correct "mistakes" by supplying horrid misinformation.

Gossip is rampant everwhere and increasing numbers of unknowledgeble/untrained people are diagnosing Severe Mental Health Disorders without the right or license to do so.The impact of all this negativity is that it catches the attention and creates an image of people as wanting other peope to suffer badly and die in general.

Most people who like to point out the mistakes of others make many mistakes themselves. It makes them feel better about themselves to point out when others fail. That way, they can pat themselves on the back thinking for once it was not them.

I think some people will point out mistakes in a nice way to genuinely help another. But yes, there are others who do it because it gives them some weird sense of superiority - which in reality they don't have. People have tendency to point out mistakes of others just to dominate others. They are just arrogant and obnoxious!

Helpful tips for success @ work

2013-01-12T04:00:00.000-06:00

In an attempt to function in this increasingly complex world, organizations are becoming increasingly complex themselves. They are built on collaborative partnerships, dotted lines and matrices, all of which mean more and more of your work depends on the work of someone else. When a colleague is making mistakes, this interconnectedness can feel like a major pitfall.

Yet a job where you don't interact with others is nearly impossible to find, not to mention somewhat boring. So, you need to figure out how to make relationships work. Every management expert would agree that positive working relationships are essential to getting things done. So what do you do when a colleague is not doing their part and it's affecting your work? Fortunately, handling your colleague's mistakes in a productive way cannot only help remove barriers but may also help your colleague, and you, gain new skills.

The type of mistakes you might be affected by vary greatly. A colleague may miss deadlines, not produce the work required, make errors in calculations or even provide you with misinformation. These may all be innocent mistakes fueled by lack of knowledge, experience, or awareness, but without more information you can't be sure and won't be able to act.

Diagnose the Issue

The first step in addressing your colleague's behavior is to understand what's really going on. Try to determine if the problem is short-term, such as a personal issue at home, a particularly heavy workload, or a health problem — or long-term, such as a lack of skill or a poor cultural fit with the organization.

Approach Your Colleague Directly

The best approach is to go to the source — speak with your colleague directly. This conversation should take place in an informal, private setting and you should always follow good feedback rules. Don't accuse or blame your colleague. Use concrete examples to explain what you are seeing and its impact on you.

We tend to attribute what's going wrong to an individual and specifically to something dispositional about them. This is dangerous because you are then attacking a person — not their behavior. Most importantly, to establish a common ground with your colleague, discuss the issue in context of mutual goals. You want to ask 'What can we do to achieve our goals?' not 'You screwed up again'.

Don't assume you know exactly why the colleague is making mistakes. You need to be open to learning that you're wrong about the situation. Use an inquiry mode and ask questions like "What's going on?" and "Am I misreading or misunderstanding the situation?" In fact, you may discover that your colleague wasn't aware of the mistakes or how her actions appeared to others.

Offer Help and Support

If a short-term issue is causing the mistakes, such as a difficult time at home or an illness in the family, you should offer to help. You may even consider covering for the person as a way to build a positive relationship. This world is all about connections and not only do you not want to jeopardize the relationship, but you want to build it. Covering may mean picking up extra work, spending time double checking their work or offering to explain to other colleagues what is going on. Covering doesn't mean that you should lie on behalf of your colleague, nor does it mean a permanent shift in job responsibilities. You should only cover when you have an explicit agreement that the situation is temporary until circumstances change.

If you find that the source of the mistakes is a longer term issue, such as a lack of skill, you can offer to help brainstorm solutions. Perhaps your colleague can find a course that will help build up their skills, or go to their manager to ask for assistance.

It is rarely a good idea to let your colleague continue to make mistakes. In very competitive organizations, the temptation is to let people die on their own swords. But in those environments, it's even more appreciated when you don't let them die. By being generous now, you are incurring the obligation of your colleague to help you in the future. This reciprocity is often what strong professional relationships are built on.

Protect Yourself

It's possible that you'll discover your colleague is intentionally making mistakes to undermine you or take credit for your work. These political situations are far messier to deal with. Fortunately they are far rarer as well. We only meet a handful people throughout his career that are "true snakes." It should be your last assumption that the colleague is making mistakes deliberately.

If we come across such a situation, You can try to confront the person directly, hoping that may make him or her back down. If that doesn't work you can use the following tactics:

- Make your work visible. Avoid bragging.
- Use the active voice instead of the passive voice. For example, try saying "I prepared these analyses that show where we should be investing resources" rather than "These analyses show where we should be investing resources."

- Offer to lead a presentation when joint work is being shared. People often think of the person in the front of the room as the leader, or at least one of the more active participants in a project.

- Take credit where credit is due. This doesn't mean you brag. Instead, showcase your involvement or let your manager know exactly what part of the project is the result of your efforts.

- In these political situations, don't resort to badmouthing your colleague. Negative comments often reflect as badly on you as they do on the person you are speaking about.

Despite all your efforts and care in handling the situation, it is possible that the mistakes will continue. This isn't only an inconvenience, it could hinder your career. The experts suggest you take a few approaches to preserving your reputation. If possible, avoid working with that person in the future. If that's not possible you can employ some of the same tactics listed above if the person were undermining you. Also, you should consider approaching your manager. Explain what you've done to date and ask for advice. Be clear you are not asking to intervene.

The experts agree that things would need to be very serious, e.g. the project you're working on is headed for failure, before you approach your colleague's manager. There is a major risk that you could alienate your colleague and permanently damage the relationship. In many organizational cultures, talking to a person's manager can be coded as not being "a team player."

Remember to........
Do:

Keep in mind that relationships matter
Be direct and honest with your colleague about how the mistakes are affecting you
Offer help if the colleague is struggling with a short-term issue such as a heavy workload or a personal issue

Don't:

Badmouth your colleague to anyone in the organization
Assume your colleague is aware of the mistakes
Go to your colleague's manager without first talking to your colleague and your manager

Fussy Babies....

2013-01-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

Some moms use TV to soothe squirmy, fussy babies, but excess TV viewing in early life has been linked to weight problems and developmental delays in preschool.

Although doctors say babies should not watch television, some mothers may use the tube as a way to calm fussy infants, a new study suggests.

The results show that infants who were perceived , they squirmed a lot or fussier by their mothers were exposed to more TV each day compared with infants who were seen as less fussy.

Infants were especially likely to watch more TV if their mothers were obese or did not graduate from high school. Both factors are associated with more TV viewing.

Previous studies have found that infants with tempers are at greater risk for obesity later in childhood, and the new study offers a possible reason why. "Mothers use the TV to soothe and/or entertain them," the researchers wrote in the Jan. 7 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Excess TV viewing early in life is a concern because the habit has been linked to weight problems and developmental delays in preschool kids, the researchers said. In addition, the TV viewing habits of young children appear to continue into later childhood and the teen years.

The findings suggest that one way to reduce TV exposure early in life is to give parents alternative strategies to help them calm fussy infants, said the researchers, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages TV watching in children younger than 2, citing evidence that it does not provide an educational benefit, and may have adverse health effects.

-------------- A read from popular news site.

Sugar... Sweet bad thing in Life

2012-11-30T02:00:00.000-06:00

We all heard eating Sweets (Sugar) is bad to health. We might have heard this from our elders or teaching it to our toddlers.... Now the SIX biggest risks of consuming sugar in large quantities reveled...

1 Sugary Drinks May Increase Your Risk of Diabetes

   Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, iced tea, and sports drinks, may increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. A recent study published in the journal Diabetes Care examined more than 310,000 patients and found that those who drank 1 to 2 servings of the sweet stuff a day were 26% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank it once a month or not at all.
   The reason is twofold: Loading up on sugar-sweetened beverages tends to lead to weight gain, which is a risk factor for diabetes. Previous studies have found that those who toss back high-calorie drinks tend not to cut calories elsewhere from their meals. Second, sugar-loaded drinks deliver a quick rush of sugars to your body, which over time can lead to insulin resistance and inflammation.

2 Following a High-Glycemic Diet May Cause Acne

   While dermatologists and other experts have debated whether greasy french fries and chocolate cause breakouts, some truth has been found that backs the old wives’ tale. In study’s researchers measured the effects of high- and low-glycemic diets on the skin of teenage boys. The glycemic index of a food defines how quickly it’s broken down into glucose by the body. High-glycemic foods, such as refined carbs, sugary drinks, and even certain fruits high in natural sugars, cause large spikes in blood sugar when eaten. Low-glycemic foods, such as whole grains, are broken down into sugars more slowly, so they do not cause spikes in blood sugar.
The researchers found that those who were on the low-glycemic diet experienced a 50% reduction in acne, while those who ate the high-glycemic diet experienced a 14% increase. Researchers speculate that insulin resistance—commonly associated with eating a high-glycemic diet—may fuel inflammation and the production of the acne-causing oil sebum.

3 A Diet Rich in Sugar Can Hurt Your Heart

Eating an excessive amount of fat isn’t the only thing that increases your risk of heart disease. Mounting evidence suggests that sugar plays a direct role on the health of your ticker. A study published in the Journal found that people who took in more than 17.5% of their calories from added sugars were 20 to 30% more likely to have high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat that’s found in your blood.
When you consume more sugar than you need for energy, the excess sugars form triglycerides, which are then stored in fat cells. The same study found that people who got 25% or more of their calories from added sugars were more than 3 times more likely to have low levels of HDL (the good cholesterol that helps prevent plaque buildup by carrying cholesterol from your arteries to your liver where it is then excreted) than those whose diets included less than 5% sugar. Both high triglycerides and low HDL levels contribute to atherosclerosis—the hardening of your arteries—a condition that increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

The case against sugar is so compelling that, in 2009, the AHA released guidelines suggesting people limit intake. Women should eat less than 6 teaspoons a day; men are to keep their intake to 9 teaspoons.

4 Sugar Can Increase Your Chances of Depression.

Eating sugar and carbs can give you a temporary mood boost—it triggers your body to release the feel-good hormone serotonin—but overloading your system with sugar seems to have the reverse effect, says Teitelbaum. In fact, researchers found a correlation between sugar consumption and the annual rate of depression in six countries.

Moreover, research published found that people who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and ate a sugar-heavy diet were more likely to be hospitalized in a 2-year follow-up period. “Behavioral disorders, in general, are affected by massive swings in sugar,”. “When you eat a lot of sugar , your blood sugar levels shoot way up and then go way low. These fluctuations drive your metabolism and mood nuts.

5 High Blood Sugar Can Increase Your Risk of Yeast Infection

Yeast grows by feeding on sugar, so if you drink a 48-ounce Big Gulp every day, your body is going to be a fermentation tank. Yeast infections—both down there and in your mouth (also known as oral thrush)—are typically caused by an overgrowth of the bacteria Candida. These bacteria exist naturally in your body, but are usually held in check by your immune system. However, when your blood sugar is particularly high, the extra sugars in your saliva and urine provide a perfect breeding ground for the bacteria.

6 Sugar May Increase Your Risk of Cancer

The sugar-cancer connection is compelling and scary, pointing to in vitro studies that show cancer cells feed on sugar to fuel their growth and proliferation. Researchers call them ‘glucose guzzlers.’ While it’s not proven that sugar fuels cancer growth in the body, we do know that obesity—a likely effect of eating too much sugar—increases your risk of developing a number of cancers, and that both sugar and insulin fuel cancer-cell growth.

A number of studies indicate a strong relationship between sugar consumption and an increased risk of cancer. Researchers looked at more than 60,000 patients over 14 years and found that people who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Researchers also found that diabetic women had a 39% increased risk of developing breast cancer over those with a fasting glucose level below 100 mg/dl. That is, women with the highest blood sugar levels were much more likely to have breast cancer than those with the lowest levels.

Do pass the information to your loved one's .... Live life to the fullest without pain...   Take care

Cinnamon and Honey

2012-11-04T21:30:00.000-06:00

DO You Know.....

Honey is the only food on the planet that will not spoil or rot. It will do what some call turning to sugar. In reality honey is always honey. However, when left in a cool dark place for a long time it will do what I rather call "crystallizing" When this happens I loosen the lid, boil some water, and sit the honey container in the hot water, turn off the heat and let it liquefy. It is then as good as it ever was. Never boil honey or put it in a microwave. To do so will kill the enzymes in the honey.

Cinnamon and Honey
Bet the drug companies won't like this one getting around. Facts on Honey and Cinnamon: It is found that a mixture of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also accept honey as a 'very effective' medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients. Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada , in its issue dated 17 January,1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by honey and cinnamon as researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, instead of jelly and jam, and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also, those who have already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack.. Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada , various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as you age, the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and veins.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week, out of the 200 people so treated, practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain, and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder..

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol is cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and clear the sinuses.

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS:
According to the studies done in India and Japan , it is revealed that if Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacterial andviral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA:
A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ' Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY:
Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Take four spoons of honey, one spoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans also increase and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old..

PIMPLES:
Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:
Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:
Daily in the morning one half hour before breakfast on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. If taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month three times a day.

FATIGUE:
Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts, are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH:
First thing in the morning, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water, so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing. Remember when we were kids? We had toast with real butter and cinnamon sprinkled on it!

You might want to share this information with a friend, kinfolks and loved ones. Everyone needs healthy help information

You think You are observant...... Think again.

2012-10-31T21:00:00.000-05:00

Do you know how our eyes can play tricks on us, whether we realize it or not. Our eyes aren't always as reliable as we think, and sometimes the consequences can be serious.

How does this happen? How do intelligent, conscientious people miss what's right in front of them?

It has to do with the way our brains process information.
It all comes down to the fact that, at any given time, our brains are bombarded by all kinds of sights, sounds and smells, many happening all at the same time, and it's impossible to consciously think about them all at once. So the brain is designed to filter out the information it thinks is unnecessary for the task at hand.

But sometimes there's an error in that filtering process.

It happens to all of us at one time or another. Think it couldn't happen to you? Don't be so sure.

It has to do with our emotional brains that really, it turns out, run a lot more of our behavior than we like to acknowledge. We're pretty irrational, there are many ways our brains can play tricks on us.

First, we have them look at some photos. It's a test to see if they'll see what's truly in front of them, or will their brains trick them?

What do you think about this one? Take a good look at this picture. What do you see? Hmm.. immediately thought it was a woman's hip, but -- and just as soon as I thought that, my mind tried to see it as something else. It looks like she's coming out of the shower and she has, like, velvet pants that she's pulling on. So what are we really looking at?

It's a famous shoe ad. This is the Via Uno sandals. That's just two feet side by side. Those are the heels.
So why do we see something titillating when it's just part of a foot? it's because the brain is always on the lookout for something it can easily recognize.

So the way the brain works is that we have models in our brain of the way the world is , and then, as the data comes in, we force it to fit the model.

What do you see when you look at this? thought I was looking at maybe an man / Woman's Face. Do you know what it really is?

Grilled cheese sandwich . You can't help but not see the face. Because to see a face you only need three data points: the eyes, the nose and the mouth. And even a grilled cheese sandwich -- which, by the way, sold for $28,000 on eBay. It is now in a Las Vegas casino. You can go see it. I've seen it. It's under glass.

For instance, what if someone wanted to exploit our tendency to see patterns for religious purposes? What do you see in this image?

Did you see a distorted Mother Teresa . Atleast Once I point out that it looks like Mother Teresa , most of us sees it, too. It's a cinnamon bun . It's a cinnamon bun discovered by a Tennessee baker in 1996 , who has since put it on a T-shirt. You can get the T-shirt of it. And so it -- that -- but a lot of people flocked to his bakery shop. This was in the news. It was a big story for a while.

here are some of the other pictures which could be misleading by the brain

And if we're able to fool ourselves, it should be no surprise that others can fool us, too.

This is how con artists operate. That's how we get suckered into things. We're just talked into seeing the world in a different way. Go!

It has nothing to do with intelligence and smarts and education. It has to do with our emotional brains that really, it turns out, run a lot more of our behavior than we like to acknowledge. We're pretty irrational.

lets see how our brain can be so focused on one task, it will block out what's right in front of us.Watch the following Video.. There are four players dressed in white shirts and four in black shirts. count the number of passes of the four white-shirted team players, and you're going to count them out loud.

So how many did you count? 18. Twenty five? Twenty six? Yeah, okay, great.

we were so busy counting passes, most missed something right before their eyes.

Did anybody see anything unusual in the middle of this scene? So would it surprise you to learn that there was a gorilla who walked right across the middle, spun around and waved to you all?

It's inattentional blindness research. It's important research because what it shows is that our brains are finely tuned. When you're instructed to do so, to focus on one thing, you're likely then to miss something really obvious.

And what happens when you're so focused on texting or talking on the phone while you're driving? You miss the big picture.

And there are many ways you can miss the big picture. It's all about how our brains focus. Consider this: A driver crashes into a cyclist and swears they never saw, even though the cyclist was clearly visible. The driver's focus was on avoiding other cars; since she wasn't expecting to see a Cycle, brain blocked it out.

The take-home message from this kinda research is that we really need to be pretty skeptical and cautious about what we think is true because, often, we are deceived and even self-deceived by the way our belief systems work. So as we make our way through the world, observing what's around us…Remember our brains can be sending us wrong information.

So the next time you're positive about what you think you saw, take a moment to reconsider, what you think you see is not always what you get.

much of the research into the phenomenon of change blindness and inattentional blindness was developed by pyschologist, Daniel Simons. To learn more, here is a link to Simons' and Christopher Chabris' book: www.theinvisiblegorilla.com

Sucess is made by Bold Hearted

2012-10-24T15:23:00.000-05:00

Every person in their life hit a situation " I lost a presious thing in life" ............ " I lost ...." most people take their life forward thinking of what they have lost in the past...

It' true and necessary to remember the path which we walked through the life, but dwelling on it will not bring it back....

Each and every person passes through a painful situation of losing something in life, it could be a person you love or a carrer path which you often dream of or even the life achievements you loose during the course.
When ever we come across such situations we keep on dwelling over them instead of moving forward and achieve great heights in life.

When You move forward considering whats left not thinking about what you have lost will make you inspiring and successful. One such success story I came across these days is about a successful emerging personality is "Alex Zanardi"

Alex Zanardi born in 1966 had a great life and successful career as Formula one racer.

He begun his career as a kart racer winning many major competitions till 1990. He had been a successful Formula one racing career from 1991 until year 2001

In the year 2001 at a most competitive race Alex met with an unfortunate and terrible accident which apparently looked like an end of the world to many who watched Alex.

Every thing which seem perfect till that day was shattered. In the accident he lost both his legs above the knee and barely survived after loosing three-quarters of his blood volume.

The Life before the accident was picture perfect which seem to come to an end until he return with renewed strength in heart and his new pair of Prosthetic legs just two years after the crash.




He competed in professional Touring car championships and then took up a career as a hand biking athlete. Winning a GOLD medal in para Olympics in London 2012 is his recent achievement.





Proving the life has more in store than whats been lost... Life doesn't come without failures ... Every one have their failures and losses.... Picking up from the point and moving FORWARD is LIFE....

Have a great life.. Face your challenges and Losses with Bold heart.

Choice....

2012-10-16T03:00:00.000-05:00

Not liking the food you have daily????.....How about some pizza?

No??? Ok....... Pasta?
No?? .. How about Taco?

Not in taco mood today? ... ok.. Trying this Mexican Food?
No again? No probs.. we have more choice..
Hmmmmmmm.. chinise???????
Burgersssssss????????

Ok.. lets try Indian.. J South Indian Food?
Naaaaa??? North Indian?
Junk food mood?
...

...

You can have any of these... or try out little from all... But.. They have No choice..

They just need some food to survive...

Think of them next time you throw the cafeteria food saying, its not tasty!!

Think of them next time you say ... Roti here is too hard to eat..

Please DO NOT WASTE food... Its not a Joke

When you have some more spare time... check this link for more information on Food Scarcity Research Material

Religious ritual help feeding homeles and orphans

2012-10-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

I found this rather educating editorial in a Local News paper....

Hair offered to gods by Indian women end up as 3,000 pounds extensions in UK...
Temple hair, which are offered by thousands of Indian women and men every day as a gift to Lord Venkateswara - the presiding deity, has already found its way to hundreds of British salons where it is sold in the form of real hair extensions costing up to 3,000 pounds a time.

The Hindu temple of Tirumala Venkateswara on the coastal state of Andhra Pradesh where, Hindu devotes offer their hair, is is also the starting place and principal provider for an astonishing industry, one that has seduced celebrities in Europe and America, and those rich enough to follow them. Temple officials argue that, unless they sell the hair, they would simply dispose of it. The profit from the hair collected at the temples, last year an estimated 70 million pounds, is spent on orphanages and hospitals.

The trade in human hair is booming. One leading manufacturer boasts that horde of celebrities, including Mischa Barton, Eva Longoria and Frankie Sandford of The Saturdays, have used its products. Fans of extensions, the appeal of human hair is obvious - it both looks and feels better than the synthetic additions made famous by stars such as Jordan and Britney Spears. Moreover, the quality of Indian hair, which is strong and has for the most part never been subjected to Western shampoos, is known to be unusually good. It is safe to say that the temple makes millions from the piles of thick black locks. Yet the women who once possessed the hair - many of them peasants - receive not a penny, donating their hair, instead, as a religious sacrifice.

The shaving ceremony and the sale of hair is not limited to this one holy site, but Tirumala Venkateswara attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims in a single day and is by far the dominant temple in the trade. There are 18 shaving halls, all of them vast, and so big are the crowds that women and young girls can wait in the queue for up to five hours. 650 barbers sit in lines on concrete floor, deftly tying up into ponytails the hair of women seated in front of them. Small children being carried by their mothers can be heard whimpering. They too are candidates for tonsuring - the shaving of the head as a sign of religious devotion. With a few expert sweeps of a razor, each head is shaved smooth and is then doused with water, washing away any blood caused by nicks from the razor.

The average woman's head yields about 10oz of hair, which is worth about 210 pounds Most of the women seemed stunned, their hands patting at a scalp that minutes before had been covered in glossylocks. Then in a flash they are ushered away and the next candidate sits down. Often, as they wait for their turn, the women's faces are impassive, their lips pressed shut, as though trying not to cry.

"For poor rural women, their hair is their only vanity. They have saved up to make a once-in-a-lifetime journey. Thousands have made an oath to their gods - they may have asked to be blessed with a child or for a good harvest," the Daily Mail quoted Mayoor Balsara, chief executive of India's largest exporter of human hair, Sona Devi Trading Company, as saying. "Should their wish be fulfilled, they offer their most precious possession as a sign of gratitude," Balsara said. It is not just rural women who offer their hair to Hindu gods. The trend has been customised for well-educated, professional women from cities too. Instead of submitting to a full tonsure, they can donate a mere three strands to the temple.

Baskets filled with hair are collected every six hours and stored in a vast warehouse where it is piled knee deep. The hair, strong and healthy, has never been dyed or subjected to anything more abrasive than coconut oil and herbal soap. Sometimes it has never been cut. The temple then auctions off the hair - even taking online bids - to exporters around the globe. Mayoor Balsara transports the hair in fibre sacks by truck to Bengaluru, 150 miles away. "We buy hair in metric tons.A ton represents 3,000 women," Balsara said.

Balsara buys about 50 tons a year and ships it round the world. India exports an estimated 2,000 tons a year. The best - or longest - hair will fetch at least 350 pounds per pound. In his factories the hair is washed by hand in giant baths. Then the hair is laboriously pulled through long beds of spikes by hand to smooth it before being tied into neat bundles of 200 strands each. The hair is then carefully packed into cardboard boxes and flown to Nepi in Italy where the pigment is removed, a process that sees the hair soaked in rows of small white baths for up to 20 days. Great Lengths International, a leading manufacturer, supplies 1,300 salons in Britain alone, selling its products as 'ethical hair extensions' - ethical because the source of the hair is known. After the bundles of hair have been coloured, polymer bonds, which mimic the molecular structure of real hair, are attached to them. The bonds will be used to fix the strands to the customer's head.

"'There are no official global statistics but it's fair to say that hair has become a commodity as precious as gold, diamonds or oil. Some top salons order up to 100,000 pounds worth of hair a year," Philip Sharp, UK managing director of Great Lengths, said. The company said that European hair is too thin in diameter for the process; Chinese hair, meanwhile, is too thick and rigid for use with European clients.

Help on feeding Baby's...

2012-10-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Rights.... Duties... Responsibility.

2012-09-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Now-a-days we here the words

"This is my Fundamental Right"....
"Government is preventing us from our Fundamental Rights"
" Do not ask me to stop *^*&*, This is my fundamental right"

Now... Try asking ourselves "What exactly are our Fundamental Rights?"
..... let me be more clear....

As a citizen of India, residing in India.... "What exactly are our Fundamental Rights?"

Hmmm...... still thinking let me help you

We have SEVEN fundamental rights according to Indian constitution.

1) Right to equality, including equality before law, prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth, and equality of opportunity in matters of employment, abolition of untouchability and abolition of titles.

2) Right to freedom which includes speech and expression, assembly, association or union or cooperatives, movement, residence, and right to practice any profession or occupation (some of these rights are subject to security of the State, friendly relations with foreign countries, public order, decency or morality), right to life and liberty, right to education, protection in respect to conviction in offenses and protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.

3) Right against exploitation, prohibiting all forms of forced labor, child labor and traffic in human beings.

4) Right to freedom of religion, including freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion, freedom to manage religious affairs, freedom from certain taxes and freedom from religious instructions in certain educational institutes.

5) Cultural and Educational rights preserving Right of any section of citizens to conserve their culture, language or script, and right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

6) Right to constitutional remedies for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.

7) Right to education which ensures that children up to the age of 14 get education. It can also be free of cost.

Woow... Beautiful draft of fundamental rights...... so before putting any more strain in understanding our Rights.... we also need to understand that we have some Duties to perform to exercise the right to "Fundamental Rights"

Do you agree..... These duties are also know as "Fundamental Duties".......

OK... I will help you with these too....

These are considered as the duties that must be and should be performed by every citizen of India.: -

To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem;
To safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;
To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;
To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;
To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavor and achievement.

SO as a citizen its our "Fundamental Responsibility" to perform "Fundamental Duties" before we cry out for "Fundamental Rights"

This is How we feel waking up everyday

2012-09-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

Simple way to give life....

2012-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

A blood donation truly is a “gift of life” that a healthy individual can give to others in their community who are sick or injured. In one hour’s time, a person can donate one unit of blood that can be separated into four individual components that could help save multiple lives.

Blood transfusion is not necessarily used for persons involved in accidents. Some of the many occasions where blood transfusions might be necessary like Heart surgeries, during Delivery, Cancer treatments, Kid treatment.... and many more situations

Blood accounts for 8% of the human body weight. The average adult has a blood volume of roughly 5 liters. Human Blood is classified into four groups .. Group A, Group B, Group O and Group AB
each group is divided into +ve and -ve types

Group A:
People with blood group A have a deep-rooted strength that helps them stay calm in a crisis when everyone else is panicking. However, they tend to avoid confrontation and feel very uncomfortable around people. Type A's are shy and sometimes withdrawn. They seek harmony and are very polite, but feel that they never really fit in with others. A types are very responsible. If there is a job to be done, they prefer to take care of it themselves. These people crave success and are perfectionists. They are also very creative, and the most artistic of all the blood types, most likely because of their sensitivity.

In USA:
     About 34 percent of the population has A-positive blood.
    About 6 percent of the population has A-negative blood.

In INDIA:
     About 22 percent of the population has A-positive blood.
    About 1 percent of the population has A-negative blood.

Group B:
People with blood type B are the most practical of the blood groups. They are specialists in what they do. When they start a project, they spend extra time understanding and trying to follow directions than others might. When they are doing something, all of their attention is focused on it. They tend to stick to a goal and follow it through to the end, even if it seems impossible. They tend to be less than cooperative, as they like to follow their own rules and their own ideas. They are individualists. Type-B individuals pay attention to their thoughts a little more than their feelings, and therefore can sometimes seem cold and serious.

In USA:
     About 9 percent of the population has B-positive blood.
    About 2 percent of the population has B-negative blood.

In INDIA:
About 31 percent of the population has B-positive blood.
    About 2 percent of the population has B-negative blood.

Group O:
People with blood type O are outgoing, energetic and social. They are the most flexible of the blood types. They easily start up projects but often have trouble following through because they give up easily. They are flighty and not too dependable. Type-O individuals always say what's on their mind. They value the opinion of others and like to be the center of attention. Also, people with O blood are extremely self-confident.

In USA:
     About 38 percent of the population has O-positive blood.
    About 7 percent of the population has O-negative blood.

In INDIA:
     About 37 percent of the population has O-positive blood.
    About 2 percent of the population has O-negative blood.

Group AB:
People with blood type AB are hard to categorize. They can have characteristics on both ends of the spectrum at the same time. For instance, they are both shy and outgoing. They easily switch from one opposite to another. AB people are trustworthy and responsible, but can't handle it when too much is asked of them. They don't mind doing favors or helping out, as long as it's on their own conditions. People with this blood type are interested in art and metaphysics.
Facts about type-AB donors:

In USA:
    About 3 percent of the population has AB-positive blood.
    About 1 percent of the population has AB-negative blood.

In INDIA:
    About 6 percent of the population has AB-positive blood.
    About 1 percent of the population has AB-negative blood.

In India we have many organizations and groups scheduling Blood donation drives.... some of which I know of where we can go forward to help or seek help.....

1: http://indianbloodbank.com/
2: http://www.bloodbanksindia.com/bloodbanks.aspx
3: http://www.bharatbloodbank.com/

In USA if you are interested to donate you can contact local Hospitals or regional blood centers. There is a certain criteria to meet to donate blood..
First and foremost for us if traveled to India, we are eligible to donate after 12 months.
More info could be found on http://www.giveblood.org/faqs

11 Years ago..

2012-09-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

Recollecting the unforgettable day in American history, the day which changed the lifes globally. Many Americans remember the Tuesday, 11 years ago September 11, 2001 as horrific. Nearly 3,000 people died, many others were injured, and many had to run for their lives. Most Americans, however, experienced September 11 from a safe distance. Even for those (like me) who were not directly touched by death or injury, the trauma was significant.

I dont wanna talk about the group which caused the trouble but want to talk about the survivors and about the people who have lost their loved ones and the mostly about the place which is center of this event.

Ground Zero.... Not only symbolizes whats been lost but also represents what kind of difference can be made with love and compassion. On the anniversary of the 9/11 attack every year people gather around Ground zero and pay their respects to all who have lost their lives on the day. here are some Images I would love to share in remembrance....

Families mourn at ground zero for the lost loved ones.

Ever name of every person who has lost their life on the day have been engraved on the walls..

People taking part of their loved ones to home after 10 years...

Self confidence

2012-09-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment.
He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could
save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a cheque, and pushed it into his
hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today,
and you can pay me back at that time." Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a cheque for $ 500,000, signed by
John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world !

"I can erase my money worries in an instant !" he realized. But instead,
the executive decided to put the uncashed cheque in his safe. Just
knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to
save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of
payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of
debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed
cheque. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. Just as
the executive was about to hand back the cheque and share his success
story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him !" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering
you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's
John D. Rockefeller.", and she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long
he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had
half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that
had turned his life around. It was his new found self-confidence that
gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Moral of the story:
"Never ever let go your self-confidence". It creates the wonders !!!!!!

India’s best preserved secret....

2012-09-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

We were here at this Beautiful place almost 4 years ago.... the city called "Port Blair" capital city of Andaman Islands.

This chain of Indian islands is located in the eastern Bay of Bengal – quite far from the Indian mainland and closer to the coasts of southern Burma and Western Thailand.

Located in the Bay of Bengal and measuring 700 kms from North to South is a sprinkling of 572 alluring Islands of which only 36 are inhabited. Part of the Indian Sub- Continent and known as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

After years of isolation, the Government has in the past decade or so begun to allow environmentally conscious tourism in the Andamans. However the Nicobar Islands remain inaccessible and tourists (both Indians & Foreign nationals) are strictly not allowed to visit this group of Islands.

We arrived in Port Blair on a flight from Chennai. we were escorted to a beautiful & pleasant resort. Having arrived towards the end of the tourist season and the beginning of the monsoon rains, we found a quiet tropical paradise.

The highlight of the trip was snorkeling in the warm waters and discovering the coral reefs and tropical fish which are abundant here. Not surprisingly, this is a popular destination for divers. These islands have a rich flora and fauna, and is also the home to six indigenous tribes.

Our guide Raj (Actually he is our chauffeur, Guide and care taker) took us to the most breathtaking locations of the Islands along with the most historic locations on the islands. Its been a great enjoyable and memorable experience visiting the Islands.

Many other places which I breifly remember that we visited are The Cellular Jail, Ross Island, Sippighat, Viper Island, Chidiya Tapu, Madhuban, Chatham Island & Sawmill, Mount Harriet, Havelock Island .... and many more... the week long trip was the most memorable of my life.

The administration is keen on protecting the islands’ biodiversity. Only some of the islands are open to visitors. Foreigners need a special permit which is valid only for certain islands and a maximum period of one month. The permit also clearly states that photographing tribal peoples is a criminal offense.

Being so far east from the Indian mainland but still observing Indian Standard Time, the days have their own rhythm: the sun goes down by 5pm and is up again at 4am the next morning. we also witnessed the onset of the monsoon rains with heavy showers happening mostly in the early mornings. We never thought to experience rain on a holiday and enjoy it, but after an exceptionally long and hot summer, the rain was more than welcome!

Productivity is not Noise making.....

2012-09-02T22:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we forget that the most productive people in an organization aren’t the ones who make the most noise. In fact, it’s often the quiet ones who out-produce everyone else. Here are some reasons I think this is so.

Being quiet strengthens focus. It's hard to focus on the task at hand when you yourself are making so much noise. The other team, who participated in the clamming wars, never took their eye off the prize. Our team, on the other hand, did a happy dance in the sand every time we hit pay dirt. In retrospect, this was probably valuable time wasted.

Being quiet calms others. Quiet people have the ability to calm those around them. For example, when everyone is stressing out because it looks like a team isn’t going to meet their deadlines, it’s usually the quiet people who are able to calm people down and carry them over the finish line.

Being quiet conveys confidence. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone when you are confident. You know you do a good job and you believe that eventually others will take notice.

Being quiet means you think before you speak. Quiet people are usually thoughtful thinkers. They think things through before making a statement. Something you probably wish many of your workers would do before taking up your valuable time.

Being quiet gives you the space to dig deep. Quiet people tend to delve into issues and ideas before moving on to new ones. Compare this to the surface people in your organization, who often move onto other matters without giving thought to the gold that may be sitting right below the surface.

The next time you evaluate team performance, be sure to give credit where credit is due. Remember that at the end of the day, it’s not about the noise one makes, but what one actually gets done

Lonely.... Or Alone........

2012-08-24T21:30:00.000-05:00

Loneliness and aloneness are not the same. Aloneness is a state of being, while loneliness is a state of mind. We all know people who live alone and are perfectly happy. Yet, the opposite is also true. There are people who, despite their families and friends, have a gnawing feeling of loneliness that eats away at them. They feel disconnected from the world and usually suffer in silence.

Loneliness is both pervasive and unavoidable. Loneliness triggered by an event, care must be taken to immediately begin on the road to recovery, even if it takes a year or longer to heal completely. If we do not aggressively attack it, there is the danger of getting mired in chronic loneliness. It is at such a time that we sentence ourselves to solitary confinement.

Some of the many events that can trigger loneliness are: retirement, job loss, a career setback, death of a loved one, a sudden disability or serious illness, substance abuse, discrimination, estrangement, imprisonment, shyness, children leaving home, relocation, divorce or the end of a relationship, obesity, isolation, rejection caused by ones sexuality, mental or physical abuse, real or imagined rejection, homelessness, and the absence of spiritual, religious or life-affirming beliefs.

Loneliness-triggering events for children include, criticism, corporal punishment, sexual abuse, their parents divorce, not enough time spent with working parents, transfer to a new school, and schoolyard bullying. Even the rich, famous, and powerful can suffer from loneliness.

How should we respond when a loneliness-triggering event occurs in our lives? There are only two things we can do. We can allow the event to seize control over our lives, or we can remain in control. If we choose to succumb to loneliness and wallow in self-pity, our negative attitude will drive others away, isolating us, and thereby beginning the dangerous downward spiral that can lead to chronic loneliness. On the other hand, we can recognize that loneliness is a natural and inevitable experience that will defeat some and strengthen others. We can choose to join those who decide to overcome their suffering. Why not become a victor instead of a victim?

Overcoming loneliness
Here are some steps you can take to release yourself from the prison of loneliness.

Be your own best friend. Learn to like yourself. I dont mean that you should become egotistical, but just that you should feel good about yourself. Follow your conscience and you will be proud of yourself and happy to be in your own company. As Wayne Dyer wrote, "You cannot be lonely if you like the person you are alone with." Jean-Paul Sartre reversed the same idea when he wrote, "If you are lonely when you are alone, you are in bad company." So, if you are bad company, improve yourself until you are a pleasure to be around! If low self-esteem is holding you back, dont just whine, pick up a good book on the subject and apply its principles. If you are troubled by psychological pain you experienced in your childhood (criticism, rejection, ridicule, etc.), you can also learn how to heal your wounded child. There are many excellent books on the subject.

Help others. Loneliness drains ones energy. Lonely people may just sit around hoping to be noticed. Instead of focusing on themselves and experiencing their own pain, why dont they look outward and notice the pain of others? Think of all the lonely people in hospitals, for instance. Why stay at home and mope when we can visit hospital patients and relieve their loneliness? If we were to do so, wouldnt our loneliness disappear? Isnt it true that if we wish to have a friend, we must be a friend?

Accept responsibility. Stop blaming and start taking responsibility for the choices you make. Its time to make the right choices. You deserve to be happy. So, take the steps that will pull you out of the gutter of loneliness. Blame is self-defeating. Responsibility is self-actualizing. Live by the precept, "If it is to be, it is up to me."

Journaling. Need someone to talk to? Talk to yourself in a journal. Keeping a journal is cathartic. It will help purge yourself of negativity. Ask yourself questions and sit in silence until you get answers. Record the answers and apply them to your life. Example questions are: What would it be like not to be lonely? How would I act differently? What can I do to change my attitude and behavior? When will I accept responsibility for my own actions? When will I begin to take the steps I know I should take? What can I do now to begin overcoming my loneliness? Journaling is a valuable tool in regaining control over your life. There are several great books on the subject, look into it.

Join Groups. You can meet many people at social groups, clubs, associations, volunteer groups, and adult education classes. While there, dont look for friends, but look for opportunities to befriend others; dont look for someone to heal your loneliness, but look for chances to heal the loneliness of others. For it is in giving that we receive.

Plan in advance. When you know in advance that you will be alone, prepare by renting a hilarious video, borrowing an inspiring biography from the library, or catching up on chores youve been meaning to do.

Focus on the positive. If you dont have any friends, look in the mirror, and what do you see? A smile or a frown? If we walk around with a chip on our shoulder, we drive people away. Conversely, if we are polite and friendly, we attract others to us. If you wish to attract birds, scatter bread crumbs, if you wish to attract friends, scatter seeds of love.

Exercise. Loneliness is a state of passivity. To erase it you need to be active. Get involved in an exercise program. Exercise will make you feel better by improving your health, lifting your spirits, and boosting your confidence. And while doing so, you may make new friends.

There are many other things you can do, such as getting a pet and cultivating hobbies. If you cannot lift yourself out of loneliness unassisted, seek the help of a professional or join a local self-help group.