Sav's Book Club

7 Keys of Charisma by Joanna Kozubska

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Wed, 07 May 2014 11:01:00 +0000

This work sets out to find what makes a good leader, and what makes a leader remarkable and charismatic. Joanna Kozubska examines the theories and concepts of charisma before taking the reader on a journey of self-discovery to find out how charismatic they are and how to become more charismatic.

Joanna Kozubska identifies seven key traits which make up a charismatic personality -

Confidence
Vision
Communication
Bags of style
Visibility
The ability to get things done
Mystery & Enigma

First Key - THE CONFIDENCE KEY

Daniel Goleman, in his book Emotional Intelligence quotes a report by Dr. T Berry Brazelton, an eminent Harvard paediatrician, in which confidence is listed as one of the ingredients of a child's crucial capacity to learn. - "Confidence - A sense of control and mastery of one's body, behavior and world; the child's sense that he is more likely than not to succeed at what he undertakes and that adults will be helpful."

Confidence comes from belief in oneself, from knowledge, experience and expertise. If we have confidence we can behave confidently!

The core of confidence is Self-esteem and what we believe about ourselves - the Believing and Knowing Oneself.

Building Self -Esteem

1. THE VISIONING TECHNIQUE -

The majority of athletes use visionary techniques to help them achieve their goals. They run through the event in question, imagining the actual physical experience of the competition and finally "feeling" what it would be like to win, experiencing the roar of the crowd and the excitement of the medal ceremony. This programmes the brain positively, maximizing the potential for success.

In his book, In Pursuit of Excellence - David Hemery describes a series of interviews with achievers from all walks of life - "Visualization was considered to be the most important aspect these achievers had in common. They sensed with the greatest possible clarity the successful performance of their ambition. At times this involved using all their senses; they would imagine the sound, sight, touch, taste and smell of the coming challenge and its successful outcome. It is important that the action is as close to perfection as one's mind can perceive."

Hemery believes that this approach has a number of advantages. It allows the individual to have "been there" before the event and therefore, some of the element of fear of the unknown can be resolved and perhaps most importantly, the individual is convincing him or herself that successful action is possible. This means that one is working on an improved self-image which can increase one's self confidence; and confidence is all important in performing well under stressful conditions. He believes that visualization is the mind's way of rehearsing personal control of successful actions.

2. ACHIEVEMENT BANKS -

Another way of building self-esteem is to create a visual bank for achievements. Collect the records of your achievements and keep it in one place and keep going through them to inspire and motivate you when low.

3. FEAR OF FAILURE OR LEARNING FROM MISTAKES?

"Half the failures in life arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping."

Having a go, not being frightened to get it wrong or to be refused, together with the ability to continuously learn from mistakes - these are characteristics of truly charismatic individuals.

"IF YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL VISION THEN YOU WILL HAVE EXTRAORDINARY ENERGY ABOUT IT."

"NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR WITHOUT YOUR OWN CONSENT" - ELEANOR ROOSEVOLT.

"RECOGNIZING AND ACKNOWLEDGING OUR OWN ABILITY IS VERY IMPORTANT WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING OUR OWN CONFIDENCE."

Jeffrey Archer's explanation as to why there are more "paupers in the world than princess" -

"If you have talent and energy you can become a KING.
If you have no talent but you have energy you can become a PRINCE.
If you have talent but no energy you will be a PAUPER."

So therefore, it is very important for you to take of your HEALTH and SPIRIT.

Accept and Believe honest feedback - positive or negative.
Visualize Success.
Find the courage to "have a go".
Learn from mistakes.
Gain EXPERIENCE and EXPERTISE.
Recognize personal CAPABILITIES and LIMITATIONS.
Set achievable GOALS but strive to exceed these.
Behave Confidently.
Above all, "KNOW WHO YOU ARE".
The secret ingredients are - ENERGY, MOTIVATION & DRIVE.

Second Key - THE VISION KEY

Visualize what you want to be and get the picture clear in your mind.

Set out on the journey of SELF AWARENESS.
Identify personal values and beliefs.
Assess these against natural principles.
Write your own obituary to give you guidance on what you want to achieve in your life.
Draw up a personal mission statement.

Third Key - THE COMMUNICATION KEY

It is extremely important to have the right communication skills to express your self completely and confidently.

Communicate with passion, feelings, enthusiasm and emotion.
Develop the ability to use your sixth sense - your instinct.
Recognize and project your chosen image.
Use humor with care.
Develop excellent presentation skills.

Fourth Key - THE STYLE KEY

To be true to others it is first important to be true to your self and BE YOURSELF.

Develop curiosity.
Learn to play again.
Become a "superbaby".
Observe style and excellence and learn from examples.
Develop a passion for learning.
Feel and visualize.
Love What You Do.
Be Courageous.
Develop your own style with pride.

Fifth Key - THE MOVING AND SHAKING KEY

Work at what you want to.
Verbalize and share your dream and vision.
Develop and sustain focus.
Sharpen your team skills.
Develop the ability to move along the leadership - management continuum with ease.
Develop planning and control skills.
Always set excellent examples.

Sixth Key - THE VISIBILITY KEY

Stand up and be counted.
Express your views assertively.
Seek visibility and manage the consequences.
Always treat others with respect, courtesy and care.

Seventh Key - THE MYSTERIOUS AND ENIGMATIC KEY

Identify the source of your charisma.
Listen twice as much as you speak.
Recognize & avoid threats to your mysterious and enigmatic aura.

Here are the Seven Keys of Charisma laid by Joanna Kozubska.

A very interesting and helpful book that guides you well on how to unleash your full potential and be successful.

Confusion de Confusiones by Joseph de la Vega

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 10:18:00 +0000

STOCK MARKET

A place of paradoxes.

The most fairest & the most deceitful.

The finest & the most vulgar on earth.

Quintessence of academic learning & a paragon of fraudulence

A touchstone for the intelligent & a tombstone for the audacious.

A treasury of usefulness & a source of disaster.

This is how Joseph de la Vega describes the most enigmatic & dynamic business of stocks in his book Confusion de Confusiones.This seventeenth century masterpiece is the oldest book ever written on the stock exchange business. Taking the form of a dialogue between a philosopher, a merchant and a shareholder, it describes the workings, the mechanisms and the participants of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, the first stock exchange ever created in the world. The book is based on the dealings in a single security, the stock of the Dutch East India Company and its crash of 1688 and the furore created by the false rumors of war and a tax hike to fund an increased defense budget.

The author describes the three classes of people associated with the stock exchange business -

1st Class - The Princes of business, 2nd - Merchants and 3rd - Speculators which translated in today's modern times means - 1st - Investors, 2nd - Short - term traders and 3rd Speculators, the definition of which remains the same be it any century, the people who eat, drink, sleep, breathe shares and are the main contributors to the dynamic nature of stock markets. He has further divided the speculators into two classes who are always colliding with each other - Bulls and Bears. Bulls or liefhebberen (the later meaning "lovers" in Flemish) start their operations by purchases, and Bears or the Contremine ( a name which is explained by the fact that India is considered to be a mine and that this faction strives to exhaust this mine) start their operations by sales. He has mentioned about call and put options, forwards contract and many other things which existed then and are pretty much prevalent today as well. He has mentioned about the three main factors that influenced the rise and fall of prices - the conditions in India, European politics and opinion on the stock exchange itself. Well same applies today as well - global factors, Indian economy and politics and opinion on the stock exchange and you can add up the influence of media, mainly business channels which greatly influence the retail investors i.e., the lay public. It is interesting to note when you read the book that nothing much has changed in terms of the basic nature of the business, nature and type of people associated and the rationale behind their workings over the years but instead has been an improvement and a build up from then to now in terms of technology and a few more things added that makes it more refined and sophisticated based on the foundation laid then.

The Author shares his perceptions based on his experiences and observations, which you can easily term them as his golden principles -

In his words,

The first principle [in speculation] - Never give anyone the advice to buy or sell shares, because, where perspicacity is weakened, the most benevolent piece of advice can turn out badly.

The second principle - Take every gain without showing remorse about missed profits, because an eel may escape sooner than you think. It is wise to enjoy that which is possible without hoping for the continuance of a favorable conjuncture and the persistence of good luck.

The third principle - Profits on the exchange are the treasures of goblins. At one time they may be carbuncle stones, then coals, then diamonds, then flint-stones, then morning dew, then tears.

The fourth principle - Whoever wishes to win in this game must have patience and money, since the values are so little constant and the rumors so little founded on truth. He who knows how to endure blows without being terrified by the misfortune resembles the lion who answers the thunder with a roar, and is unlike the hind who, stunned by the thunder tries to flee. It is certain that he who does not give up hope will win, and will secure money adequate for the operations that he envisaged at the start. Owing to the vicissitudes, many people make themselves ridiculous because some speculators are guided by dreams, others by prophecies, these by illusions, those by moods, and innumerable men by chimeras.

Era's change, way of dressing and doing things change, there are changes in technology but emotions which govern human behavior and influence their decisions will always remain the same and therefore his advice is still applicable to a T even in today's times.

A must read for anyone and everyone connected to the stock market business.

Message In A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Do you believe in Love?

If you believe in God, you will definitely believe in love. He has made someone special for everyone and will show his presence through that someone.

If you believe in true love, you will get it. There will be a day in your life when someone will make you understand the meaning of "WE".... Its not about you and I....Its about "WE" that makes all the difference.

LOVE is a sacred bond between two people, the most purest and sweetest emotion which has the power to heal the deepest wound, wash away all your pain and make you feel alive once again.

Message in a bottle is the tragic story of a journalist Theresa Obsorne who works for Boston Times and writes columns on parenting. Deeply hurt by her ex-husband who shattered her trust, she is wary of true love, trailing through life shuttling between her work and her 12 year old son, who take up all her time and keep her occupied with barely any time left for herself. She is persuaded by her boss who is also her best friend to take a trip with her to Cape Cod so that she gets a chance to discover herself once again and come out of the grief and pick up life once again while her son is vacationing with his father and his new wife.

While strolling on the beach, she stumbles upon a bottle which has a letter rolled in it. She removes the letter from the bottle and is deeply moved by the desperate message that a man has written for his wife. She publishes this letter and comes across two more letters written by the same man for his wife. She gets very curious and wants to know more about this man Garrett and Catherine and wants to know what pulled them apart. Her quest to know more about him leads her in search of him and from this begins an episode which changes her life completely. Garrett and she fall for each other but their love is hindered by many confrontations with real life difficulties setting in like they being from completely different backgrounds and the distance but the main conflict was Garrett still being unable to overcome his dead wife Catherine whom he loved very deeply. Garrett wondered if one could be in love with two people at the same time. This was one of the main dilemma that their relationship faced. All this while he was unaware about his letters with Theresa and when he came across them accidentally, he was furious and left Theresa hurt and accused her of setting up all this and calling their relationship a sham but when Theresa explains him everything, he feels sorry but by then Theresa leaves him and a year later she gets a call from his father and gets to know about Garrett's death. One week later she receives a letter from him where he tells her that his biggest mistake was not letting go of Catherine and that he realized that they were fated to meet and now wants to spend all his life with her and is going to be with her soon but.... destiny had other plans.....

Very touching....

We suffer when we don't accept reality and see only what we want to see and trap ourself in our own perceptions and restrain ourself from receiving what life has to offer.....

Emma by Jane Austen

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:35:00 +0000

I just love reading classics. The plot, the characters, the backdrop is almost always so amazing, there is so much substance that when you finish reading the novel, you end up craving for more and wish the story never ended. Jane Austen's Emma is no exception in this regard. Very entertaining, Emma is the story of Emma Woodhouse, a rich girl, who is very imaginative, loves doing match making of her friends but herself is not interested in matrimony. Her passion for match making proves to be fatal at one point and she ends up making so many blunders and messes up herself and the people around her in this process. Funny and full of rich irony, Emma was refreshing, after reading some heavy stuff. Just loved it.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:36:00 +0000

'Nothing can cure your soul but your senses and nothing can cure your senses but your soul.'

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is the story of a boy who sells his soul for his youth.

Dorian Gray is a young boy whose life changes due to two people - the artist who makes his portrait, Basil Hallward & his friend Lord Henry. Basil worships Dorian, he makes him conscious of his beautiful youth. Dorian is introduced to Lord Henry via Basil who eventually influences him greatly into a sinful life. For Lord Henry, Conscience and Cowardice are the same thing. When the portrait is complete, Dorian becomes terribly sad, he feels that this picture will mock him when he grows old and make him sorry for his lost youth and in that moment he says a prayer in which he is ready to trade his soul for his youth. His wish gets fulfilled. Dorian leads a double life and seeks great pleasure in doing the most gravest acts. The burden of all his sins is borne by the picture, the man in the picture becomes old, ugly and wrinkled after every sin that he commits while his youth remains intact in real. Even at the age of 40 he looks like how he looked when the portrait was made. He hides the portrait from the world as he is scared to reveal the darkside of his soul. The innocence on his face, makes it impossible for anyone to believe that he is capable of doing all those hideous acts. But when he has a close call with death, he starts feeling terrorised by his acts and guilty too.
You can run away from the entire world but you cannot runaway from yourself. There is no escape. There is no refuge. The most difficult thing in the world is to face your inner self which you may call your conscience. Every human soul consists of God and Devil. The conscience is the representative of the God.
When he dies, Dorian's staff fails to recognize him because the face of the dead man lying beneath the portrait of their master is all wrinkled and old, unlike the young Dorian in the picture.
By the way, it will be so cool if you could be young all your life

Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 12:28:00 +0000

"He who knows the 'why' for his existence, will be able to bear almost any 'how'."

Internationally renowned pyschiatrist Viktor E. Frankl, through his book, Man's Search For Meaning has shared his personal experiences and of others. It is the inside story of a concentration camp which deals with the sufferings of the common prisoners in small camps where they were stripped of literally everything and left with their naked existence and whose existence was just a number.

According to Frankl, everything can be taken from a man but one thing: to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. Man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind even in such terrible conditions of pyschic and physical stress. If there is a meaning in life at all, there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.

Man's inner strength may raise him above his outward fate. The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity even under the most difficult circumstances - to add a deeper meaning to his life. It may remain brave, dignified and unselfish. Or in the bitter fight for self-preservation he may forget his human dignity and become no more than an animal. Here lies the chance for a man either to make use of or to forgo the opportunities of attaining the moral values that a difficult situation may afford him. And this decides whether he is worthy of his suffering or not.
Attitude was what made the difference between the prisoners who survived and the prisoners who perished.
I can tell you from personal experience that you don't need to be in a concentration camp to experience that sought of mental torment, sometimes in life even though everything seems absolutely normal on the surface but there may be some constraints, not necessarily physical which can lead you to question about your existence and a phase where you feel absolutely blank and stuck and don't know what to do.
Well I'm a strong believer of karma and I know that whatever good and bad experiences that we go through in life depends on our karma but we all have the freewill to choose what what we want to make of our life in spite of being trapped in the cirlce of karma and this is what even the author is trying to convey through this highly inspirational book.
AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ.

The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Based on the life of Paul Gauguin, a leading Post-Impressionist painter,
The Moon and Sixpence is W. Somerset Maugham's ode to the powerful forces behind creative genius.

Charles Strickland is a staid banker, a man of wealth and privilege. He is also a man possessed of an unquenchable desire to create art. As Strickland pursues his artistic vision, he leaves London for Paris and Tahiti, and in his quest makes sacrifices that leave the lives of those closest to him in tatters. Through Maugham's sympathetic eye Strickland's tortured and cruel soul becomes a symbol of the blessing and the curse of transcendent artistic genius, and the cost in human lives it sometimes demands.

Maugham's this novel is nothing less than a piece of art itself, written so simply but with so much depth in it. The way he has etched his characters to present his take on life, ideal love, beauty, happiness, spirituality, human nature, ego, society and relationships is simply brilliant. He has shown what ideal love should be. I got really confused in the part when Charles's wife can forgive him for infidelity but cannot forgive him for the fact that he left her because he wanted to paint. I couldn't understand the logic at first but realized that she could forgive him for his deceit because then that would increase her pride and self-importance.

Love should not be a bondage but a bond between two people with enough space and freedom to fulfill one's aspirations and help each other in being what one wants to be.

A delight to read, this novel was just unputdownable.

The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:22:00 +0000

Love is a disease no wants to get rid of. Those who catch it never try to get better and those who suffer do not wish to be cured.

I have realized one thing after reading this book that Paulo Coelho's books need to be re-read to really understand the depth hidden in those words. He is simply brilliant. I had read this book I guess a year or two before but this time the experience was enriching.
The Zahir is the story of a renowned author, who one day discovers that his wife, a war correspondent, has disappeared leaving no trace. Though time brings more success and new love, he remains mystified and increasingly fascinated by her absence. Was she kidnapped, blackmailed or simply bored with their marriage? The unrest she causes is as strong as the attraction she exerts. He wants to know why she left him and this thought becomes an obsession and then begins a journey where his search for her takes him from South America to Spain, France, Croatia and eventually, the bleakly beautiful landscape of Central Asia. More than that, it leads him into a new understanding of the nature of love, the power of destiny and what it really means to follow your heart.
In his search, he realizes that his past would always move along with him like a shadow but the more he freed himself from facts and concentrated on emotions, there will always be space in the present to be filled up with more love and with more of life's joy. Suffering occurs when we want other people to love us in the way we imagine we want to be loved and not in the way that love should manifest: itself - free and untrammeled, guiding us with its force and driving us on.
The journey makes him realize what mistakes he made in the past; in his life and with his relations. He understands what led him to that situation and by the end of the journey, he ends up discovering the truth of his own life and learns to love himself.

Ping:A Frog in Search of a New Pond by Stuart Avery Gold

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:30:00 +0000

"To live a life of grace beyond gravity, you have two things - First, you have to have a strong desire to live your best life & second, you have to have the will & willingness to live it each and everyday."

Ping is a simple and inspiring tale of a frog called Ping, who goes in search of a new pond, preferably one good for long-distance jumping. Along the way, he meets an owl who guides him with his wisdom to reach new heights. Ping is a metaphor for all of us who at some point of time in our life get either stuck or saturated with where we are at that point of time in our life, where life becomes static with no opportunity for growth and then we have two options, option 1. to go on living the same dull life or option 2. to venture out in search of new opportunities to accomplish more and reach great heights. But when we bring a change in our life or do something new, we come across obstacles like Ping did but with the Owl's help and motivation Ping achieved what he wanted. "If the path you travel has no obstacles, it leads nowhere."
The Owl says to Ping, "To live an intentional life, belief & will are what it takes. With these two things, all is possible. To live an intentional life is to learn how to swim with an existence that flows. Go with the flow, because the flow knows where to go. To see where you need to go, you need only to go inside yourself, clearing away the confusion of your mind so that it can hear the promptings of your own heart. Only your own heart has the power to guide you. You must rely on yourself over any other offering. Born of the heart, hewn by the spirit, the path to the magic life cannot be taught - it must be taken."

Moral - When we follow are nature, we give full expression to our souls, our talents, our gifts, our passion, our power, our deepest sense of who we are & how we wish to be. When we flow in complete accord with our own correct path, a lot of wonderful truths suddenly become evident. Our joy to the magical life was with us all along, waiting only to be recognized for the fundamental force it is.

About the Author
Stuart Avery Gold is a zentrepreneur, author, future-finder and both imagineer and champion of imagineers. His latest book an international best seller is, Ping: A Frog in Search of a New Pond. Titles of his other highly acclaimed books include, Success at Life, Dragon Spirit, Tiger Heart Tiger Mind, Wowisms, and The Zentrepreneur’s Idea Log and Workbook. Translated into languages around the world, Stuart's books have been lauded by Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Al Ries, Jeffrey Fox, Cheryl Richardson, and Melinda Davis, and described by Newsweek as “a blend of business advice and spiritual teachings for the 21st century entrepreneur.”

Six Frames: For Thinking About Information by Edward De Bono

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:29:00 +0000

Attention is a key part of thinking clearly and productively, and yet we pay very little attention to attention itself. If you see someone lying injured in the middle of the road, for example, your attention would go to that person but, if a bright pink dog wandered past at the same time, your attention would automatically stray to the dog. That is precisely the weakness of attention - it is pulled to the unusual. How much attention do we pay to the usual? So, what can we do about it? Instead of waiting for attention to be pulled towards something unusual, we can set out frameworks for 'directing' our attention in a conscious manner.Just as we can decide to look north, west or even south-east, so we can set up a framework for directing our attention, and that's where Edward de Bono's 'six frames' come in. Each frame is a direction or method in/with which to look, based on a different shape - triangle, circle, heart, square, diamond, slab. Today we are literally surrounded by information and it has never been so easy to obtain. Yet, information itself is not enough; it's how we look at it that really counts. Using the 'six frames' technique is the key to extracting real value from the masses of facts and figures out there and, like all de Bono's techniques, it is simple, effective and will utterly change the way you interpret information.

About the Author
Edward de Bono studied at Christ Church, Oxford (as a Rhodes Scholar), where he gained an honours degree in psychology and physiology and then a DPhil in medicine. He also holds a PhD from Cambridge and an MD from the University of Malta. He has held appointments at the universities of Oxford, London, Cambridge and Harvard. In 1967, de Bono invented the now commonly-used term 'lateral thinking' and, for many millions of people worldwide, his name has since become a symbol of creativity and new thinking. He has written numerous books, which have been translated into 40 languages, and his advice is sought by Nobel laureates and world leaders alike.

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:35:00 +0000

Jude Deveraux's A Knight in Shining Armor is a romantic fantasy with lots of history on Elizabethan era. This book was recommended to me by my best friend. She said that this book made her cry, well, it didn't make me cry but laugh surely.
A Knight in Shining Armor is the story of an American girl called Dougless Montgomery, who has been jilted and abandoned by her lover Robert and his spoiled teenage daughter in a church in England near the tomb of Nicholas Stafford, an earl who died in 1564. She is weeping when suddenly a tall, broad shouldered man in silver and gold armor stands in front of her. This man is Nicholas himself who has come to change history, which is possible with Dougless's help. Dougless and Nicholas eventually fall in love. With so much time swapping, where the 1564 hero arrives in twentieth century and then Dougless's stint in 1560, Deveraux shows the contrast between the two eras and also on the status of women. The author's painstaking research and the way she has presented the historical facts, makes it an interesting and entertaining read.

The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution by P.D. Ouspensky

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:51:00 +0000

The psychology Ouspensky sets forth in these introductory lectures has existed in one form or another for thousands of years and, unlike modern psychology, studies man from the point of view of what he may become. Once a man realizes how little control he has over his reactions to external circumstances and internal stimuli, he may wish to find a way to become free of this mechanical way of living. Ouspensky describes how a man must work simultaneously on his knowledge and his being to find inner unity and why although his development depends on his own efforts.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:31:00 +0000

Finally after three months, I finished this novel. The experience of reading this novel was like watching a television soap, full drama. Awesome. In fact its been a week since I have finished it and I'm getting a strong craving to read something so absorbing.

Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina written in 1870's, is a masterpiece, which is sometimes colorful and at other times boring and depressing but something you can't get rid off. A magnificent drama of vengeance, infidelity, and retribution, Anna Karenina portrays the moving story of people whose emotions conflict with the dominant social mores of their time. Set against the tragic love of Anna and Vronsky, the plight of the melancholy nobleman Constantine Levin unfolds.
Anna, a very sensuous, beautiful, educated and intelligent married woman falls deeply in love with the handsome Vronsky. Her husband is twenty years older to her. She's trapped in a loveless marriage. Anna is an honest and a passionate woman, unlike other women of her high society, who indulge in casual affairs without breaking their marital ties. Anna refuses to live a double and deceitful life and takes the bold step of following her heart's desire and leaves her husband to be with her love Vronsky. She refuses to take a divorce so as to punish herself for being parted with her son. But even after following her heart, she does not feel happy, instead she goes through a vortex of emotions and is in an turmoil where she feels trapped and isolated with guilt, insecurity, frustration, anger and desperation. The character of Anna is such that you can neither love her nor hate her but feel sorry for her.
The co-protagonist, Levin's track is very boring initially but as the novel progresses it becomes interesting, especially after his marriage. The character of Constantine Levin is like a child, who has so many doubts and questions regarding life and its meaning. He is going through a spiritual crisis where he has problems with his faith and his belief in God. He gets suicidal thoughts even after getting all that he wanted. But in the end he finds peace through self realization and not through those books on philosophy in which he tried to find answers to his questions. The novel ends on a happy note with Levin living happily married with his wife Kitty.

The Warren Buffett Way by Robert Hagstrom

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:19:00 +0000

Warren Buffett is the living legend of the stock market world.
Warren Edward Buffet was born on August 30, 1930, in Omaha, Nebraska. His grandfather owned a grocery store, his father was a local stockbroker. His fascination for numbers started when he was a young boy. At age eight, he began reading his father's books on the stock market, at age eleven, he marked the board at the brokerage house where his father worked. At age twenty five, he started his investment partnership in 1956 with $100, and his personal net worth is in billions today.

In the Warren Buffet Way, Robert Hagstrom traces Buffett's career and presents examples of his investment technique and methods evolved as well as the important individuals who have influenced him and who have been associated with him in that process. The book also details the key investment decisions that produced Buffett's unmatched record of performance. A must read for every investor.

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:52:00 +0000

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is the story of a young man called Gregor Samsa who, transformed overnight into a giant beetlelike insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man.
Written in a simple manner, Kafka reflects on human emotions through his characters. The novel begins with Gregor waking up realizing that he has turned into a monster. Gregor is a young guy who is the sole breadwinner of the family which consists of his parents and a younger sister. He is working with a firm to fulfill his father's debt obligations. When he is left to his own resources, he reflects on his life and thinks of changing it as soon as he is back to normal. He has been living all this while solely to fend his family, ignoring his own life. The way Kafka presents the plight of the family when they have to literally go through so much ordeal and how things change is very touching. Its so strange that the people who were totally dependent on Gregor, now find him burdensome. The novel ends with Gregor's death but a new beginning for the rest as their lives also changes with Gregor's metamorphosis.

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:30:00 +0000

Terrific. This the first Archer that I have read and I simply loved it. The book will keep you hooked till the end. The most interesting part of the novel is that you will find that the way the story progresses is predictable but somehow he brings in a twist here and there and makes it all the more engaging.
A Prisoner of Birth is the story of Danny Cartwright, an illiterate garage mechanic, who gets sentenced for twenty-two years and sent to Belmarsh prison, the highest security jail in the land, from where no inmate has ever escaped, for a crime that he has not committed, which is the murder of his best friend. If Danny Cartwright had proposed to Beth Wilson the day before, or the day after, he would not have been arrested and charged with the murder of his best friend. And when the four prosecution witnesses are a barrister, a popular actor, an aristocrat and the youngest partner in an established firm's history, who is going to believe his side of the story? But Spencer Craig, Lawrence Davenport, Gerald Payne and Toby Mortimer all underestimate Danny's determination to seek revenge and Beth's relentless quest to win justice, which forces all four protagonists to fight for their lives.
His experiences at the prison, his friendship with the inmates and especially his co mates with whom he shares the cell, Nicholas and Big Al, where he learns to read and write with the help of Nicholas and also improves his mannerisms are really interesting. Then his escape from Belmarsh and the courtroom scene makes the novel very entertaining.
This story is inspired from Alexandre Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo.
It seems that this novel is Jeffrey Archer's most powerful novel since Kane & Abel so I guess I have to grab a copy of that too.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:30:00 +0000

In our life, not everything is perfect and I feel, life should not be perfect because if it is perfect and you get everything you wanted and desired, then I feel life becomes stagnant and boring with no space for growth, which can be related to material or emotional aspects of life. It is that missing element in life which paves the way for hope, desire, dreams and aspirations which makes life worth living.
But in case you want that perfect perfect life, then Rhonda Byrne's book The Secret, an interesting book, will show you how to have that perfect life that you want.
In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life - money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.
The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers - men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.
So what is the Secret? It is a thought. You create your life through your thoughts. What you are thinking now is creating your future life. What you think about the most or focus on the most, is what will appear as your life. Whatever you sow, you reap! Your thoughts are seeds, and the harvest you reap will depend on the seeds you plant. Your whole life is a manifestation of the thoughts that go on in your head. The creative process of using the secret helps you create what you want in the three simple steps: ask, believe, and receive.

"All that we are is a result of what we have thought." Buddha

I strongly believe in the power of thoughts, after all this world was created on the basis of a thought and it is a thought that makes all the difference. Think about it.

Identity by Milan Kundera

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:49:00 +0000

" Sometimes - perhaps only for an instant - we fail to recognize a companion; for a moment their identity ceases to exist, and thus we come to doubt our own. The effect is at its most acute in a couple, where our existence is given meaning by our perception of a lover, and theirs of us".

I'm not revealing the plot because the entire essence of reading the novel will get spoilt.

Mind boggling and surely not an easy read but brilliant. Reading this novel was like your mind is going through a roller coaster ride, very complicated; confusing at times and profound at other times; where it becomes difficult to differentiate between reality and imagination.

A word of caution: don't read it if you are going through some tension in your life because it will make you feel worse.

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:36:00 +0000

The Prophet is a timeless classic written by Kahlil Gibran. It is believed to be a semi-autobiographical compilation of 26 poetic discourses and has since been translated into more than 20 languages. Kahlil Gibran, a great philosopher, poet and artist was born in Lebanon in 1883. He died of a liver disease in New York in April 1931.

A Prophet who has been living in a foreign city for twelve years is now leaving that city and is preparing to board a home bound ship, when the people of that foreign city surround him to ask questions of the heart. He then imparts his wisdom on various aspects of life related to human existence and survival. He has covered all spheres of life, from the basic needs of a person such as the housing, clothing, eating and drinking, work; to emotional needs and relationships such as joy and sorrow, love, marriage, children, friendship, pain, giving, prayer, pleasure, reason and passion, talking, self-knowledge, death; to social aspects such as law, freedom, buying and selling, crime and punishment, time, beauty, good and evil, teaching, religion.

He says-

On Marriage

You were born together, and together you shall be for evermore.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness,

And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.

Love one another but make not a bond of love:

Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

On Children

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you,

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

On Giving

You give but little when you give of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

On Freedom

You can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of freedom as a goal and a fulfilment.

Verily all things move within your being in constant half embrace, the desired and the dreaded, the repugnant and the cherishes, the pursued and that you would escape.

These things move within you as lights and shadows in pairs that cling.

And when the shadow fades and is no more, the light that lingers becomes a shadow to another light.

And thus your freedom when it loses its fetters becomes itself the fetter of a greater freedom.

On Reason and Passion

Your soul is oftentimes a battlefield, upon which your reason and judgement wage war against passion and your appetite.

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.

If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.

For reason, ruling alone is a force confining; and passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.

Therefore let your soul exalt your reason to the height of passion; that it may sing;

And let it direct your passion with reason, that your passion may live through its own daily resurrection, and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes.

On Self-Knowledge

The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed.

The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

I'm sure by now after reading the above verses, you know what to expect from the book.

This is not just another ordinary book, but one where you can find a solution to all your doubts, confusion, problems and dilemma, if any. Keep it always close to you.

Brida by Paulo Coelho

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Mon, 26 May 2008 11:18:00 +0000

Here I am, blogging after a month, as was stuck with some important things and some not so important things, missed bloggng. Anyway, Paulo is back with a new novel called Brida.

A moving tale of love, passion, mystery and spirituality, this is the story of Brida, a beautiful young Irish girl, and her quest for knowledge. On her journey she meets a wise man called Magus who teaches her about overcoming her fears, and a woman called Wicca, who teaches her how to dance to the hidden music of the world. They see in her a gift, but must let her make her own voyage of discovery. As Brida seeks her destiny, she struggles to find a balance between her relatonships and her desire to transform herself.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:19:00 +0000

Mario Puzo's novel the Godfather is a real masterpiece.

The story revolves around an Italian immigrant family, the Corleone family settled in America. The head of the family is a mafia leader Don Vito Corleone, a powerful man who gives a lot of importance to friendship.

The best part about the novel is that the way the characters go through transformation due to the sudden situations, is simply brilliant.

This is a novel which will definitely leave an impact on you. After you finish reading the novel, follow it up by watching the movie Godfather-1, believe me, you will love it.

Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits and Other Writings......by Philip A. Fisher

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:16:00 +0000

Philip Fisher was one of the most influential investors, whose investing philosophy till date has great importance and value for every investor. Born in San Francisco, California in 1907, he began his 1928 as a security analyst with the Anglo-London Bank. He was a dropout of Stanford Business School. His career spanned for 74 years and he died in 2004.

Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits, the first book that he wrote, was published in 1958.

It will teach you the true basics of fundamentals of investing.

This book has been a part of the curriculum in the investment class at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Philip A. Fisher, has suggested fifteen points on the basis of which your decision on making investments in common stocks should be based.

Does the company have products or services with sufficient market potential to make possible a sizable increase in sales for at least several years?
Does the management have a determination to continue to develop products or processes that will still further increase total sales potentials when the growth potentials of currently attractive product lines have largely been exploited?
How effective are the company's research and development efforts in relation to its size?
Does the company have an above-average sales organization?
Does the company have a worthwhile profit margin?
What is the company doing to maintain or improve profit margins?
Does the company have outstanding labor and personnel relations?
Does the company have outstanding executive relations?
Does the company have depth to its management?
How good are the company's cost analysis and accounting controls?
Are there other aspects of the business, somewhat peculiar to the industry involved, which will give the investor important clues as to how outstanding the company may be in relation to its competition?
Does the company have a short-range or long-range outlook in regard to profits?
In the foreseeable future will the growth of the company require sufficient equity financing so that the larger number of shares then outstanding will largely cancel the existing stockholder's benefit from this anticipated growth?
Does the management talk freely to investors about its affairs when things are going well but "clam up" when troubles and disappointments occur?
Does the company have a management of unquestionable integrity?

In the words of Kenneth L. Fisher (son of Philip Fisher) "It is a little investing bible- a book that is meant to be read multiple times & whose usefulness does not end with the last page."

Almost every leading investment practitioner and financial expert swear by this book.

A must have for anyone who wants to make money in the stock market.

Chariots Of The Gods by Erich Von Daniken

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:14:00 +0000

Chariots of the God written by Erich Von Daniken examines scientific evidence from five continents that proves that earth has been visited repeatedly by advanced aliens from other worlds. They left their mark in ancient ruins, lost cities and spaceports, and most amazingly of all, on your own face in the mirror: for von Daniken's most startling conclusion is that we ourselves are descendents of these alien astronauts!

A lot of questioning, a lot of facts (well some of them just went above my head) and a lot of reasoning.

Well if you like reading sci-fi stuff, then go ahead and read the book.

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:16:00 +0000

"Your thinking is like a camel driver and you are the camel: it drives you in every direction under its bitter control." - Rumi
I have often experienced this, that when I'm working on some thing or doing some activity, my mind gets distracted with fluttering thoughts. Thoughts that either take me back in time or probably, I start imagining hypothetical situations which mostly, make me happy, since I'm a die hard optimist and sometimes sad. I tend to loose focus on what I'm doing at present and then start experiencing anxiety and excitement and then start wishing that time should just fly away and the situation that I'm thinking about takes place immediately and this feeling leaves me disturbed and restless.

Or you must have experienced this, at least I have, that when you get something what you wanted, you suddenly feel that you like that thing just for a moment or a very short time and your joy of having it fades away and then you start aspiring for something else instead of enjoying what you have got. Rumi, the great Sufi poet, has something to say for such a situation "Man craves winter in summer, and when winter comes, he likes it not, For he is never content with any state [of things], neither with poverty not with a life of plenty. May man be killed! How ungrateful he is! Whenever he obtains guidance, he spurns it.

Well, when I read this book called "The Power of Now", I understood the reasons behind this thought process, which I guess, most of us experience.

The Power of Now, written by Eckhart Tolle, a contemporary spiritual teacher, is written in a question and answer format and believe me you will find an answer to every doubt you have in your mind related to this concept.

Are you a hostage to your past? or Are you obsessed with your future?

Does the past take up a great deal of your attention? Do you frequently talk and think about it, either positively or negatively? Are your thought processes creating guilt, pride, resentment, anger, regret, or self-pity?

"One day I'll make it." Is your goal taking up so much of your attention that you reduce the present moment to a means to an end? Is it taking the joy out of your doing? Are you waiting to start living?

According to Tolle, we either live in our past or are mind is obsessed with the future as an escape from the unsatisfactory present. We don't live in our Now which is the root of most of our problems.

What is the Power of Now? & Why is Now the most precious thing?

The Power of Now is none other than the power of your presence, your consciousness liberated from thought forms.

Now is the most precious thing because, firstly, it is the only thing. It's all there is. The eternal present is the space within which your whole life unfolds, the one factor that remains constant. Life is now. Secondly, the Now is the only point that can take you beyond the limited confines of the mind. It is your only point of access into the timeless and formless realm of being.

Past & future have no reality of their own. Just as the moon has no light of its own, but can only reflect the light of the sun, so are past & future only pale reflections of the light, power & reality of the eternal present. Their reality is borrowed from the Now. In the Now, in the absence of time, all your problems dissolve. Suffering needs time, it cannot survive in the Now.

To wrap it up, in the words of Rumi, "Be careful not to regret the past. Be a Sufi, don't talk of the past. You are the son of the moment, you are young, you have vanquished time. This short present moment must not be wasted."

It's a life changing book and I'm sure after reading this book, you will literally start 'living' your life every moment.

If you want to know more about the author and other books written by him, you can visit his website http://www.eckharttolle.com/.

Screw It, Let's Do It by Richard Branson

noreply@blogger.com (Saveen Kaur) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 09:03:00 +0000

Richard Branson, a flamboyant entrepreneur, who lives life king-size, literally and not just for the sake of saying. A man who lives life on the edge and one who is completely passionate about life and believes in living every minute of his life to its fullest. He has broken so many records and performed some extraordinary venturesome stunts in life. From running a number of businesses successfully to flying in a balloon and breaking world records, he has done it all. In fact the press has coined a term, 'Mavericks in Paradise' describing him and his partners at Virgin. Branson's entrepreneurial journey started when he was sixteen years old with a student magazine and today his business encircles an entire gamut of lifestyle related ventures which include airlines, fitness clubs, trains, music, books, holidays, megastores, credit cards, space ventures, luxury game reserves, telecom, and now it seems he is also going to show his mettle in films as well. Branson also owns a private island called Necker Island, located in the British Virgin Islands.

In Screw It, Let's Do It, Richard Branson has shared his experiences and a few lessons that he has learnt over the years.

Richard Branson says-

Believe It Can Be Done

Have Goals

Live Life to the full

Never give up

Prepare well

Have faith in yourself

Have Fun, Work Hard and Money will come

Have a Positive outlook in life

Don't waste time - grab your chances

Believe in yourself

Calculate the Risks and Take Them

Have No Regrets

Aim high, try new things, always try

Challenge yourself

Chase your dreams but live in the real world

Rely on yourself

Make every second count

Make a difference

Just do it

A quick read, I'm sure you will enjoy it.