Be Happy – Maintain a Balance between Friendship and Business (Part One)

Friendship is considered to be closer than all other associations even developed within your personal relationships. Business can be an occupation, profession, or trade adopted for economic gains. To have better results in our business activities, we often mix up both activities. Bringing friends into our business activities sometime proves very beneficial but this action needs a harmonious balancing. A small friction can swindle you to irreversible losses. Though all lasting business is built on friendship, Alfred A. Montapert says, “Business is business, profit has precedence over personal considerations.”

At your work, you develop a set of friends to socialize with or confide at, because this quality is perhaps in-built in our human nature. Having good friends in your office, work place or business point makes the work more enjoyable and maximizes even your own productivity. However, that requires very tactful handling as otherwise it can cause negative repercussions.

Our first set of friends is made up of those persons who were residing within our residential vicinity during our growing up years. Thicker bonds take place when we venture into our school and college lives respectively, if they become our class mates. If fortunately, this association continues in our times of earning, it becomes our valuable asset for the life long. Apart from these persons, we find some other persons too at our work place – whether that is our office, work place or our own business set up. It is quite natural that in course of time, we develop a kind of understanding with them, share a special bond of common interests and camaraderie.

A friend at our work keeps us informed about the developments taking place within the organization and outside which may affect our interests or boost up our progress as well. He can apprise us of our performance in a particular field and at times, he helps us in our emergencies. He suggests ways of improvement and fostering levels of productivity even by providing necessary tools which may be available within his capacity.

Experts believe that when like minded people work together, the team exerts more productivity. Good organizations must always encourage employees’ bonding and healthy relationships inter se. Buddy programs, team outings, celebrations at work place etc. provide a platform for people to come together and make friendships more swiftly. Big business associations organize business meets to provide opportunities to meet dealers, manufacturers at one place to develop friendship amongst the persons having business activities in a particular area. But there is a flipside too in this working. Friends look for favors from each other or might get into conflicts due to various reasons and it may result into the soar relationship and the friends convert into enemies.

It is a tricky question how to handle friends who become clients to make sure friendship stays solid and yet have the client relationship remain businesslike. This issue applies with business partners (e.g. one of my business partners is a long-time friend; another is a cousin), vendors, etc. You will have to be explicit about when you are being a friend/family member and when you are being a business partner/client/vendor. Avoid mixing the two by being explicit and saying:

“I’m your friend, but right now I’m talking to you as your consultant”
or
You are my friend, yes.
You are my cousin, yes.
But in my business, I do not know you.

This is something that must be remembered when incorporating a business. Many people make the mistake of bringing their friends on board by offering them 5 or 10% of the shares, purely because of their friendship – not because of any business reason (such as an investor). Friends really have no place in your organization unless what they offer is going to increase its value. Business and friendship can be a very volatile combination if you're not careful.

Once, I became involved with a female business partner in one of my ventures. Earlier, she was one of my good friends and we had developed the relationship to such a great height that we had started to think to get married soon. But unfortunately, there had been some set-backs in business activities. The business relationship destroyed our romantic relationship, after which hard feelings infected and killed the business.

Having taken a couple of family and friends’ projects (after constant nagging to help), I can also say that you should never do this unless you REALLY need the money. Meetings are long and drawn out, calls for advice or comments are frequent and unnecessary, and the whole process becomes frustrating.

I never take a job from a personal contact unless they extend (i.e. it’s in my best interest). These days, if any opportunity comes to me that I should contact one of friends, I ask someone else to do so to utilize the opportunity.

On the other side of the coin, my wife and I have been in business for almost 18 years (and married for 23 years) and it’s never really been a problem for us. I guess it helps that we both have the same philosophy with regards to business so we never really have many disagreements in that department. Here, friendship has relationship too within its fold. As for doing work for friends – I haven’t done it, but I expect it could be troublesome. Probably they would try to squeeze every last thing out of you.

However, if some persons were clients/partners first and then became friends, then you would probably not have any problems. They already understand that you have a business and that your relationship is professional when doing business. They understand that they must pay you and not get special favors. If their whole angle is to get special favors, then they really should not be classified as a friend.

On the other hand, if they were friends first and then later became friends/partners, you could either have someone who supports you and respects you as a businessperson, or you could have someone who thinks that they deserve special treatment because they are your friend. Friends who think they should get special treatment or get constant freebies can be the problem, especially if they never return the favor. Scratching each other’s back can be a good thing where appropriate, but a leech is not so good.

So go ahead and be friends with your customers. You will get a lot of repeat business that way and you may find you have someone who is there when you need them. And the leeches? Well, don’t let them suck you dry.

Also, it may be worth your while to actually look and see if your so-called-friends are really friends. You don’t necessarily have to get rid of them, but it would be good to know who is really there for you and who is out for themselves.

Very frankly, friendship and business need to be kept separate. Because in business you have to make a lot of logical decisions which do not do friends a lot of good, since most friendships are based on lot of emotional based decisions. Unless one of friends has personality problem, this would be an advantage rather than disadvantage. Good friends know that they won’t be cheated, and they can come together anytime and discuss business. They should clearly define each other’s roles to avoid disagreements: One of them makes the final decision , while the other only make suggestions etc.

In another venture with Jone, I have been in business together, going on six years now. Not to say there haven’t been occasional hurdles to overcome, but easily by and large our arrangement works for a few key reasons:
1)We are both utterly loyal to each other, and as such we trust each other (essential in any partnership)
2) We met each other before starting the business, so knew each other well enough to know our strengths and weaknesses, and our mutual willingness to compromise when needed.
3) We both REALLY want to make the business a success.

You may have business with your friends but you must tell them that both relationships should be kept separate. How? We may discuss in our next post.

Be Happy – Maintain a Balance between Friendship and Business.

Be happy – Share Your Workload

It is my personal experience that sometime we feel that we are overworked. We do not get enough time to enjoy with our family or square up our long outstanding jobs. One day, you had made out a list of your priorities with determination to spare some time for your family. But at the end of the day working, you find that still you have a lot of work. When you have a re-look over the list of the jobs finished that day, you may find that some jobs were not stipulated for the day but they came in and you had to attend them. When this is happening for a week long, you must review your pattern of preparing priority list as during the process, you may be forgetting the contingencies also.

This is routine case for those who do not chalk out their program with strong determination resulting into seeping lesser important jobs into the more important ones and they are not able to complete both. To enjoy your workload, you must think over effective delegation of work. It is a crucial management tool to help not only to yourself but you may find efficient second line managers out of your hitherto poor employees.

You are not a good boss if you wish to do every thing yourself. You must make categories of your work and keep the most important part of the work for you and the supervision over other jobs. If you do, you may have sufficient spare time to make advancements for the team. An effective boss is able to retrieve the best out of a frugal team, extend their potential to deliver greater performance and in shorter time frame and most importantly – empowers without a conspicuous probe at each step of the delivery.

A boss is not expected to do every thing on his own but delegates responsibilities judiciously amongst the team members and ensure that they deliver well and on time. It means that too much delegation is also not good. Delegation must be judicious in terms of the individual capabilities of the team members. You can frame up sub-teams for a mission. If you do delegation unbalanced, you may not be able to exercise proper supervision to extract the output.

While delegating some of your workload, you must keep care that delegation is the assignment of authority and responsibility to another person by you normally to a subordinate to carry out specific activities. However, you must under that you, delegating the work, would remain accountable for the outcome of the delegated work. Delegation empowers a subordinate to make decisions, i.e. it is a shift of decision-making authority from one organizational level to a lower one. Delegation, if properly done, is not abdication. The opposite of effective delegation is micromanagement, where a manager provides too much input, direction, and review of delegated work. In general, delegation is good and can save money and time, help in building skills, and motivate people. Poor delegation, on the other hand, might cause frustration, and confusion to all the involved parties.

All extremes are always harmful. Likewise, too much delegation means no work left for the boss and he/she may not be able to stay abreast of the developments taking place through the efforts of his/her team members. It may result into the responsibility fragmentation in case of any failure.Too less delegation means the team members becoming burden over the head of the boss and the team members would waste the time in just awaiting for the decisions of the boss at every stage of the work. To make a balance, right amount of delegation is required to take place.

Delegation must be effectuated with a well thought plan. Mindless delegation can take place when the boss does not apply his/her mind as if he/she is incompetent. Then, the onus of success falls over the team and it is not a welcome stage of working. If someone is promoted to act as Boss or leader or captain, whatsoever you may name, of the team, he/she must take into account the capability of each member of the team and accordingly, the delegation should take place.

Effective delegation rests on three pillars – competence, conformity and congruence. By effective delegation, a boss is ensuring the growth of the individual and in the process, also building of tomorrow for the organization. It is the boss who assumes a critical role there.

Kindly ensure that
1. The delegated tasks are specific, measurable, agreed, realistic, time-bound, ethical and recorded.
2. You must define the task and confirm in your own mind that the task is suitable to be delegated. Does it meet the criteria for delegating?
3. You must select the individual or team. What are your reasons for delegating to this person or team? What are they going to get by delegating?
4. You must assess ability and training needs. Is the other person or team of people capable of doing the task? Do they understand what needs to be done. If not, you should not delegate.
5. You must explain the reasons why the job or responsibility is being delegated and why to that person or people? What is its importance and relevance? Where does it fit in the overall scheme of things?
6. You must quantify the required results. What must be achieved? Clarify understanding by getting feedback from the other person. How will the task be measured? Make sure they know how you intend to decide that the job is being successfully done.
7. You must consider resources required. Please discuss and agree what is required to get the job done. You must consider people, location, premises, equipment, money, materials, other related activities and services.
8. You must stipulate and agree deadlines. When must the job be finished? Or if an ongoing duty, when are the review dates? When are the reports due? And if the task is complex and has parts or stages, what are the priorities? At this point you may need to confirm understanding with the other person of your points, getting ideas and interpretation. They must be showing that the job can be done, this helps to reinforce commitment. Methods of checking and controlling must be agreed with the other person. Failing to agree this in advance will cause this monitoring to seem like interference or lack of trust.
9. You must support and communicate. Delegation does not mean that once delegated, you should not care for. You must think about who else needs to know what's going on, and inform them. Involve the other person in considering this so they can see beyond the issue at hand. Do not leave the person to inform your own peers of their new responsibility. Warn the person about any awkward matters of politics or protocol. Inform your own boss if the task is important, and of sufficient profile.
10. You must have feedback on results. It is essential to let the person know how they are doing, and whether they have achieved their aims. If not, you must review with them why things did not go to plan, and deal with the problems. You must absorb the consequences of failure, and pass on the credit for success.

Therefore, if you wish to be an effective boss, you must share your work-load, you must concentrate on delegation of the work according to the competence of the team. In case you do it effectively, you will reach to the top.

Be happy – Share Your Workload.

Be Happy – You Can Continue Your Love Affairs while Working.

Love is an emotional offspring. You can not dictate someone to love you or you can not be done with so. Sometime, it happens that you see someone and find that he/she is so attractive that you wish to talk, see closer and do not get bore if meeting time goes on increasing. That person can be an outsider or one amongst your colleagues.

Luckily, if he/she is one amongst your colleagues having working post just nearby to you, you may find that understanding your mutual work lives can deepen your relationship. And instead of rushing home each evening, you may be willing to work late, especially if you can do it alongside your beloved. It can be beneficial even to your employer if you devote your time more sincerely, side-by-side enjoying the company of the person you love.

No doubt, having love affairs at the work place do have merits and demerits as well. Be careful if your love affairs go sour, there may no escape but a lot of disgust and loss of mental peace affecting your productivity and perhaps, risk of shunting you off the job as you may still have to see and interact with that person daily. A failed workplace romance can also hurt your career and reputation.

If your love affairs remain sweet, other people may view your well earned promotion or raise as favoritism. And even if the relationship works out, it can be tough to work with your lover. You may get sick of each other if due to work, your spouse is posted at some more distance than earlier.

Whether you should or should not invite someone at the office isn't always a clear-cut decision. It depends on your situation and personality. But if you decide to make the leap, tread carefully over these issues.

Before going ahead in love affairs within the office, you must make sure that you can afford the brunt of failure also.

If you decide to go ahead in love affairs by frequently meeting somebody in your office, you must not tell to any other one or act in such a way that some other one is able to guess as he/she would always be there to watch your proceeding ahead and make it news in the office. From then on, the two of you will be under the microscope. It's even dangerous if the two of you are peers. For example, if you're seen helping your sweetie out with work, someone else who also needs your help may go to the boss and complain you're playing favorites. Thereafter, the other people may start to keep watch and apprise your Boss of the developments. Your boss will start to see the productivity from your end and your beloved one’s end. If there is some reduction, he can comment to make the relationship sour. At your end, if it doesn't work out, you still have to face that person every day. You will have to make sure that you can tolerate all the unsolicited comments from the concerned and unconcerned persons.


You Need To Be Very Much Smart by not opening your book in any stage before finally positive working out the relationship.

You should not expose your entire life to become an open book. Before you ask the person you love for a drink, you must ascertain that he/she isn't the type to share your innermost secrets to any third person for any reason. Better, you should not disclose unless you mature your relationship.

Love Affairs with a Junior must not come to limelight.

If due to some happening, you feel love for a junior, try to ensure that your emotions do not come to limelight. Your relationship can be misconstrued as a power play - "Attend me, or you won't get that promotion." If you do not find yourself able to control yourself, you must change the office/posting.

If some senior fellow is there, you must handle the affairs very carefully. If things go beyond your control or he/she misuses, you could get hit with a lawsuit for sexual harassment, even if the relationship was mutual. Some companies require managers to report workplace romances and both parties to sign an agreement stating they willingly entered the relationship.

You must prefer for the work over the display of your love within the corridors of office.

Good people keep workplace romances a secret. But secrets can cause issues among coworkers. The key is to be discreet. Don't hold closed-door meetings, don't make overt displays of affection in the office and stay focused on work. You must prefer for the work within the corridors of the office so that none can hit you for any fault.

It's important not to spend every waking hour with your lover and your work. That's not good for any relationship. You must make a separate line for both. Pursue other interests together and individually. And make sure you have more in common than your jobs.


You Must Be Honest with Your Prospective Partner.

Honesty is the best policy and even in your love affairs, you must be honest with your prospective partner. It is more important if your partner is working within your office. If you're only looking for a quick fling, you shouldn't make long-term-relationship noises in your efforts to seduce. That candor is always important, but especially so in the workplace.

You Must Think Twice Before Starting a Relationship with Your Boss.

In some workplaces, this is strictly forbidden, but even if it is permissible, you must be alert. If later on, you dump your boss, he/she may retaliate through every opportunity for torturing you.

In fairness, sometimes a relationship with a boss can yield special privileges, like a corner office. Even if the boss decides to end the relationship, he may give you a promotion or another perk to reduce the risk that you'll file a grievance. One study found that 64 percent of women who had a romantic relationship with their boss reported that, as a result, their work situation improved.

Love affairs with your senior are also risky even if the relationship is working well. For example, your honey begs you for a plum assignment that, from a business perspective, you believe should go to someone else. But you feel forced to say yes to your special friend. And if you break off the relationship, you're really in danger: Your former beloved could claim you abused your power. You could end up losing your job.


If You Decide to Go for It, Be Professional.

If you do decide to pursue a work-related relationship, inform management, because chances are they already know. If you keep it a secret and they find out, it can lead to distrust.

But keep work on priority. Don't come in and set up camp at a table for six hours while your boyfriend is working his shift. We can't mirror two schedules all the time because you would like to work as a couple. Business needs must come first.

Love is as essential to the life as the bread is. If you are not able to serve your emotions well, what are you working for?

Be Happy – You Can Continue Your Love Affairs while Working.

Be Happy – Get the Salary You Wish

As on date, our economic activities are divided into four quadrants – first one is occupied by those who work for others and get salary. Second belongs to those who are self employed, third one is covered by the businessman who develops systems and the system works for him. The fourth quadrant has investors. Majority of us are working for others and for our work, we get salary – it can be monthly, hourly or measured in some other units of time. When we get work based income, that can be called as wages or piecemeal labor charges. Since piecemeal labor work ensure quantity, this system does not give the consistent quality at large if mechanical work is not involved in larger proportion.

Those who have got caliber but do not have sufficient funds or resources to start their own venture, production or business enterprises, have to search out job under some one who have all such facilities. Sometime you get the job desired but you are not given the salary you wanted. You have to compromise if you need the job badly. A tight job market has already taken away some jobseekers' leverage in a salary negotiation, but that doesn't mean they should roll over and accept the first offer.

Getting the desired salary in the face of tough competition is really a tough job itself. But you must have sufficient confidence to sell out yourself on the best terms and conditions. Kindly don’t mind, I used the word, “Sell Out Yourself”. Working under someone against some salary to be paid after a definite spell of time means you have sold out your time to that employer. During that time, you can’t do anything else than you had already been allotted – you do not have your own wish, that means you sell out yourself for that period. However, don’t get disappointed. To get the top compensation possible for the period you have agreed upon to work, you can take some of the following steps, without putting a sour taste in your potential employer's mouth.
1. Before Going To Attend An Interview, You Must Do Some Research Work On The Employer.

Some time ago, it was really difficult to find out what other professionals in your desired industry get paid. But now, several resources have attempted to opened that black box. They can give salary ranges to expect based on a job seeker's position, location, and experience. Employees at the actual company you're applying to might have also posted their salaries when advertising for the vacancy..
2. You Must Avoid To Give To The Proposed New Employer, Details Of Your Existing Salary.

Surely, you'll be pressured to disclose your existing income through the application process asking "What's your salary requirement?" "What salary range are you looking for?" "What do you get paid now?" Whatever you do, you must try your best not to give out the details. If your answer is too high, you might not make it to the next stage. Too low, and an employer will either think you're not qualified or desperate. So, if possible, write "NA" on applications. Let them come out with their proposal. If you find that to your satisfaction, say Yes.

If you're pressured to say how much you make during the interview process, try giving your "total compensation," which many large employers will break out for you on the company's internal human resources website. If your current employer doesn't do that, just spell out your salary, benefits, bonuses, and anything else your current employer offers. If the new company doesn't offer some of similar benefits, the HR manager will know that your new salary would have to be bumped up to reflect that.

If the interviewer still presses for a required salary, try giving a range of $15,000 rather than a specific number.The low amount should be the minimum you'd be happy with and the high amount should be what would make you happy.
3. You Must Try To Give True Information Only.

It's very much easy to get someone in HR to verify a salary, even if they're not supposed to. Even if you make it to a job offer, the false salary could come out during a background check, which could result in an outright retraction of the offer or at least upset an employee's new boss. And from that point onward, you might face trouble in negotiations not just with your new employer, but with everyone in your industry who has heard. Word gets around.
4. You Must Avoid The First Offer.

Most employers expect candidates to try to negotiate. So they leave room in the first offer for a raise.If possible, try to arrange a face-to-face meeting with the hiring manager rather than someone in human resources. The hiring manager is more likely to be flexible.

Say that you're flattered to have an offer and really want to join the team, but that there are a couple specific items that you're sure you could resolve if you put your heads together. Despite the pressure on salaries during the downturn, a good rule of thumb is to ask for a 10% higher salary with the change of your employer.

If the hiring manager says budget restrictions keep him from going as high as you'd like, it might be that the position is "graded" to be within a certain salary band by HR. It's worth asking if the boss can ask the appropriate person for the job to be re-graded. The worst he can say is no.

5. Once Salary Is Decided, You May Go For Other Benefits.

Despite what you might have heard, many benefit packages aren't flexible. So, while it's worth asking, it might be difficult to modify the health plan. Your success in getting more vacation days depends on the employer. Your potential boss might be hesitant to give you more days if it will make other employees think they're being treated unfairly. Instead, focus on things that are easy for the employer to provide, such as a work-from-home arrangement for one day a week, if the employer has made such arrangements in the past. If you still feel your package is too low, ask if it can be reviewed again in six months. That way, you can show them that you're worth the money.
6. You Must Ask For The Additional Salary If You Are Given Charge Of Another Post In Addition To Your Present One.
It is not bad if you ask for the additional salary if you are given charge of another post in addition to your present one because it will double the responsibility of the jobs. Be frank and ask for the addition to the salary if your employer gives you the charge of another post for a period of one week or more. Additional charge for 2-3 days should not be figured out.
7. Your Presentation Must be Creating Your Need In the Organization.

When you are going to attend an interview, you must prepare yourself so much that your presentation may make the proposed employer see in you as an urgent need for his organization. Once you are able to create such impression, you can get good start, jump and revision of the salary.

Be Happy – Get the Salary You Wish

Be Happy – We Must Be Thankful to God for Our Lives.

When after our birth we open our eyes, we find a beautiful earth to live on, affectionate arms to get in lovingly and enjoy the time ahead. We do not think who created all these before our coming into existence. We never think about the person who took all the pains to provide us such a beautiful environment. Who is that person? After growing up, we do have pride of knowledge, power and wealth. We pose ourselves that we are superior to others in many ways, unless we are put to our truth.

Most of the religions, being practised in different parts of the world, say that God is the Creator. We can name Him anyway but it is accepted by majority of us that all the creation is by Him that the entire universe came into being. We are but small specks in the entire scheme of creation. If we examine our thoughts, how many times do we thank Him for our life?

Few people go through their day-to-day lives remembering Him and thanking Him for His gifts. True, we do mechanical prayers either at paces of worship. We remember when we want Him to save us from a calamity or from serious illness. But most of the time we hardly give Him a thought. Some even deny His existence. Scientists removed God from their view of the universe because he could not be verified by scientific instrumentation.

There are some enlightened scientists who have begun to question how such a perfectly designed universe ad such a complex, well-planned organism as a human being could come about through chance. Those who delve into the intricacies of nature and are in awe of it have the humility to recognise there is some higher power responsible for this universe.

Pride of knowledge come through the traps laid by the mind. When our soul enters the body, it works in this world through the mind. The brain is a complex organ that receives sense impressions from the world. Our culture makes us interpret these impressions in a certain way. Besides receiving and interpreting impressions, the brain is a vehicle by which we can communicate with the world through language, to make out thoughts known to others. There are many involuntary actins controlled by the brain – breathing, heart-beat and the release of hormones that regulate body functions.

Many think that the brain is the seat of thought. But there is a difference between the mind and the brain. The brain is like a computer which performs many functions. But it is the mind that controls the brain. The mind is a product of the causal plane of creation, a mixture of spirit and matter, with the mind in control, many of our decisions and actions are mind’s desire and wishes. Because the object of the mind is to keep us enslaved to the world, it controls us. The soul, having forgotten itself, goes along with the mind.

We go to school and gain knowledge of this physical universe. We are bombarded by sense impressions at every moment. Our brain has the capacity to take in billions of bits of information, store and retrieve them, much like a computer. Words can be combined in billions of ways to create new stories, books, ideas, new inventions. The notes of the musical scale can be combined in billions of ways to create a wide variety of music. The mind can keep us occupied and involved in this world for aeon and aeons.

The mind has forgotten that the colours of the palette it uses to paint have been created by God Himself. The notes of the scale that it uses to compose songs are of God’s own making. The brain it uses to communicate with the world is also a creation of God. We must be thankful to God for our Lives because we got from Him. Our science has no doubt made marvellous advances to make our lives comfortable but that too are no inventions but discoveries or conversion of the properties for which God had already provided raw material, sources and brain power to us. Our brain feels the need and then, attempts to identify the source and create the supply by making necessary changes. We may imagine if God had not done it, how we could survive further.

We must be thankful to God for creating us, for giving us such a beautiful life with all such resources to enjoy. We can express our thankful by helping those who still need the essentials and are not able to gather them at their own. We can express our thankful by taking out our share only with full sincerity without encroaching over others’ rights. We can express our thankful by dealing with other people with honesty.

Be Happy – We Must Be Thankful to God for Our Lives.

Be Happy – Our Destiny is Designed by Our Working Only (Part 2)

On 24th February, 2009, I had put up some thoughts over destiny. Normally, we attach our destiny to our luck saying it was not in our luck to achieve this and this. In every event of our grievances, we grade our destiny as a curse to us. No, it is not so. Our personal attitude and approach towards life and values decide our destiny.

Most of us think that luck is something that is purely random, unpredictable and beyond their control. That is because they do not know what luck really is. When you are able to know the true definition of luck, you can learn the whole science behind this phenomena and gain control over it.

Luck is nothing but another aspect of your reality and perhaps the most powerful and important one. The more conscious and aware you become of the elements of your reality, the more of a conscious and powerful creator you will be.

Psychologically, your luck is your resonance with the environment you are in. Like everything else, luck is a kind of energy. It is something that is quantifiable not in physical but in nonphysical ways. You can quantify it physically only in terms of its physical manifestations in your life. Luck is dependent on time, place and your own consciousness. When you are lucky, you are in mental and emotional resonance with your surroundings. When you are unlucky, it is the opposite. The level of resonance is the level of your luck.

Luck is also a feeling or emotion because emotion is also a kind of energy in motion. When you are lucky, you are also feeling lucky. Your feeling is your vibration and therefore you are vibrating luck and feeling it. You feel and experience that everything is working for you when you are lucky.

You feel that everything is working against you when you aren't lucky. A state of vibration-harmony or disharmony with your environment is the whole explanation for this. You either feel that things are in a flow or things are disrupted.

Your energy level determines your luck vibration. At times when you are feeling low of energy, that is also when your luck vibration is at a low point. You are more likely to make careless mistakes, become more accident prone and flop up in some way. When you are feeling high of energy, that is also when your luck vibration is in a high state. You are sharper, clearer and more in the zone. You seem to be able to do amazing things in ways that baffle others to the point that makes you seem very skillful or lucky.

Actually luck and skill- both elements are not same but they are one. The more in energetic resonance you are with your environment, the more your skill will work and the luckier you'll seem. You can always observe that when the best are in action, they always seem to have both their skill and the situation working for them. You can never separate luck from skill because after all, they are both part of the same thing called psychokinetic resonance with the environment. Your skill is your capability of handling the situation which depends on luck.

Once you know that luck is a kind of energy, you can depend on it in that manner. You cannot depend on luck that is considered to be random chance occurrence. You can't depend on such things because they do not exist. A non existent thing cannot be depended upon. Everything that exists is a part of consciousness and can be controlled by consciousness. Therefore luck exists and is fully under your control. Knowing this, you never have to fear of bad luck because you can make all things work in your favor.

Since luck is dependent on energy, you have to pay attention to your level of energy in every moment and take charge of it. When you notice that your energy level is low, be more careful with the things you do especially if they are important. You may make mistakes that usually never happen, and wonder how you could be so unlucky or stupid.

You may realize that every time you have made careless or stupid mistakes that seem to be like bad luck, it was when your energy level was indeed at a low point.

Lack of focus and lack of being adequately present minded also creates bad luck. Do you notice that when you make stupid mistakes in situations, you felt that you were not ready? What do you mean by not being ready? You mean that you weren't focusing properly or fully enough, and you weren't being adequately present minded. The first step to controlling luck is to be present minded. If you want to be lucky, you must put your focus in the activity you are doing. Or else you'd create bad luck and mistakes.

Your level of focus and placing your mind in the present determines your psychokinetic resonance with the environment. Focusing is how you channel energy towards a particular time and place. When your focus is here, your energy is channeled here and you experience luck here. Where you focus is where you generate luck in. That is why the secret of success is focus. Successful people are lucky people because they have more focus than the unsuccessful and unlucky ones. Focus to be a lucky one.

Seek to maintain a high level of energy or vibration at all times. People who experience their luck going up and down throughout the day allow their energy to go up and down. People who experience their luck being consistently high all the time maintain their energy and vibration at a high level. At times when your energy is low, seek to increase it to a higher level again. Do not continue doing any work at a low level of energy because you will tend to make mistakes. Recharge your energy first, and then work.

Be aware of negative thoughts and feelings that will bring your level of energy or vibration lower. Positive thoughts and feelings bring your energy level and vibrations higher. Therefore choose to think positive thoughts and feel positive emotions, and you will experience more luck and success in your life. You can also increase your luck when you are more intent of succeeding in a certain situation. Your energy of intent will energize you with the luck you need, and that is why willful intent bends the world to you.

Be Happy – Our Destiny is Designed by Our Working Only.

Be Happy – Take Every Step Very Carefully.

I have worked with many successful people; people who have achieved the kinds of lives they have dreamed about. I have also worked with many people who are not anywhere near where they want to be in life. Many times those who are not successful resent those who are and believe that somehow success was handed to those who have achieved much.

What I have found however is that actually the reverse is true. Those who have achieved much have worked much harder than those who are not successful. You wouldn't believe the stories of struggle that I hear from those who now appear to on "top of the heap."

Yes, they are successful, but no, it wasn't handed to them! And I find that most of the unsuccessful people who come to me actually haven't been tenacious at all. I find that with many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of success simply haven't persevered and been tenacious.

When I ask them questions I usually get excuses. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I find this to be almost universally true.

If you are one who finds yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking at someone who "has it made," I would ask you to take a long, deep look inward and at your life to find whether or not you have actually been tenacious in pursuit of your dreams.

How long have you gone for it? Many people who achieve much go for YEARS before they achieve what their hearts long for? How hard have you gone for it? Most people who achieve much have given up much. They have sacrificed much. They strive valiantly for what it is that resides deep in their dreams.

So what are the principles of tenacity? What do you need to know in order to take your turn at the tenacious? Here are some thoughts to start your fire and get you going!

1. Sometimes you just have to outlast the others.

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." -- William Feather. I have found that many people start on their dreams but most never finish. Then those who stop resent those who make it. The truth is that most people who become successful have simply mastered the art of keeping on keeping on! I myself can remember early on in my career when I would get discouraged and I literally said to myself, "One more week. Just give it one more week."

Quite frankly, this is what got me through a couple of years of my work early on. I hung on as others let go. It is easy to get disheartened. Ask those who have achieved success if they ever got disheartened and you will find some of the most amazing stories you have ever heard. Give it a try: Go to the most successful person you know and ask them if they ever thought about quitting. Ask them how they kept on going. You will be amazed at what you hear.
2. Sometimes you just have to hold on at the end.

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." -- Franklin Roosevelt. I wonder how many people have quit just as they would have begun their entrance into success? Sure there are many who quit at the first sign of hard work, but what about those who, after the tenth time of trial then give up, just as fate would have seen them go through one last hurdle and then into the promised land?

How many people were on their last hurdle and decided not to jump? How many people had just one more mountain pass to go? Or just one more river to cross?

Of course we will never know, but certainly some of the people who quit are doing so on what would have been their last trial, right?

So what does this mean for you? For me it means I do not quit because I would hate to find out later that all I needed was just one last effort and I would have achieved my goal. What if it isn't my last trial? That's okay because as long as I keep going, eventually I will get to my last trial, I will overcome it, and I will enter the Winner's Circle.

3. Sometimes the most beautiful results come from dull things under pressure.

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." -- Malcolm Forbes If coal wasn't an inanimate object it would certainly scream, "Stop! I want out!" But that coal, when facing incredible pressure, is turned into one of earth's most precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed into beautiful diamonds.

Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, get tenacious and see them as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. See it as your opportunity to learn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very things that will enable you to have the life that dream of! Trials will surely come. Life will get hard. You will want to quit.

Then you will have a choice: Will you give up? Or will you take your turn at tenacious. The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.

You must take your turn at tenacious. You will become stronger and you will end up living the life you dream of!

Be Happy – Take Every Step Very Carefully.

Be Happy – Do Your Best Always.

Whenever you find yourself unsuccessful in any of your mission, you may study the whole working from the very beginning to the end and you will find that somewhere you did not do your best and you could not succeed. If so, you need to change yourself before attempting upon new job.

You may start today to commit to giving your absolute best to every task which comes your way. Rather than seeing things as a burden or menial tasks you must remind yourself that each job is preparing you for the eventual larger opportunities and happiness which lay in store for you.

You can't just start at the top, it's as though life is making sure you can handle the smaller tasks that are required of you, before you're given the responsibility of having to deal with the bigger ones.You may to prove that you can work through the smaller things that are asked of you and before you know it, you'll attract greater opportunity, along with the greater life rewards that come with being able to work through them.

Goals give you a purpose for taking life on. People who live without goals have no purpose, and it is obvious even in their body language. They are on permanent "Idle," they slouch; they list from side to side. Their conversations dawdle. They telephone you: "Hey, I'm just calling. I wasn't doing anything, so I thought I'd call you." Well, don't call me. I've got things to do. Many people just muddle through life. They don't read informational material; they don't even pay attention when they watch television. If you ask them what they are watching, they mumble-mouth, "Nothing'. I'm just passing time."

What are your goals for your career? For your relationships? For your spiritual life? Develop a schedule for the next month, the next six months, the next year, five years and 10 years. Write it all out.

Let's take one of the most common goals: You want to make more money. If that is your goal, then take some practical steps toward realizing it.

First, determine specifically how much money you want to make. Then double that amount and make that your goal. Even if you don't reach the higher amount, you will probably still find yourself making more than your original goal.

Second, decide the amount of energy you are willing to expend to reach your goal. How many hours are you willing to work a day? How many jobs are you willing to hold down? What sort of work are you willing to do?

A third step in this process is to develop a practical plan of action and to get started immediately. Chart out where you want to be in relation to your goal in the next month, six months, one year, five years and 10 years.

Get started today. Go apply for that second job now! Go enroll in that career training program now! Ask for that raise now! And, finally, make sure that you have all of this written down so that you can review it every morning and every night and envision yourself taking these steps, doing them and succeeding!

Be Happy – Do Your Best Always.

Be Happy – Combat Your Failures to Gain Success

Have you had a challenging day or week? Feel a little tired or discouraged with a current situation? You take the disappointment as your failure. Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. It may be construed as an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful; lack of success, nonperformance of something due, required, or expected: a failure to do what one has promised, a subnormal quantity or quality; an insufficiency, deterioration or decay, esp. of vigor, strength, etc., a condition of being bankrupt by reason of insolvency etc.

Don't worry. It's very normal to go through times of such feeling that something in life stinks and all there is to see and feel is the current mess. You know Abraham Lincoln had faced a number of failures in his life before becoming President of US. If I am correct, once I got an opportunity an article about his failures like:
Failed in business 1831
Defeated for legislature 1832
Failed in business again 1833
Elected to legislature 1834
Sweetheart died 1835
Nervous breakdown 1836
Defeated for speaker 1838
Defeated for land officer 1843
Defeated for congress 1843
Elected to congress 1846
Defeated for re-election 1848
Defeated for senate 1855
Defeated for vice president 1856
Defeated for senate 1858

Finally he was elected President in 1860. It was his patience and perseverance for the cause he was fighting for during the whole life. It is a testament to how humans can learn and grow and win despite the losses and defeats.

He was a simple, uneducated, country boy who refused to allow his uncongenial circumstances to stop him. He refused to be a victim. He refused to accept failure. He refused to listen to people who told him he was crazy. He refused to stay down when he felt like nothing was going his way. Simply put, he picked himself up no matter what and kept on going after his dream. He educated himself and did whatever it took to keep moving in the direction of his passions.


If you reflect back on your life, you can find patterns of the times you grew the most. Many of those times were probably a result of some kind of previous 'failure,' maybe even a series of them.

We must remember that children don't fail when they are learning to walk. They fall down over and over again. It is the falling that teaches them and strengthens them. Can we not go back in those hours of our childhood?

Each failure is a learning experience. And the faster people pick themselves up, reflect on the past occurrence and go again, the faster they can achieve their goals and dreams.

So with this in mind, choose the one thing that may not be going exactly as you wish right now and do one thing to move you closer to achieving the result you want. And remember, life is about learning and growing.

Be Happy – Combat Your Failures to gain Success

Be Happy - Think Big for the Success (Part 3)

Are you less successful than you would like to be? Do you have the money you want? Do you have the family you want? Do you have the job that you want? Do you have the education appropriate to your dreams?

If you answere "no" to any of the questions above, then you may want to take a look at your attitude, because so much depends on it! Attitude is fundamental to the success or failure that we experience in our life and therefore, to make yourself BIG, you will have to think, examine and see about your own attitude towards a specific problem and general, what kind of attitude you apply to one and all problems and circumstances.

Your attitude means your manner, disposition, and feeling position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, esp. of your mind. One of the first and foremost things to do to change your life is to change your attitude.

For being a successful person in business, profession and society, you will have to change your thinking method. You will have to feel that you need to become BIG and Bigger than you are at present. You will have to get a New Attitude altogether.

"Life is 10 percent what you make it and 90 percent how you take it," says Irving Berlin. It is true. Now don't get me wrong, that 10 percent is M-A-J-O-R, but even bigger than that is what your attitude is. So, do everything that you can -- action wise -- to make your life an absolute success.

But when you are done acting, you will only have what you have. It may be big and it may be little. But it is what you have to live with. Now the biggest key will be what your attitude is toward what your actions have brought to you.

One person will work and be happy with it. Another will work, achieve the same thing, and have a terrible attitude about it. Who will achieve the most successful life? My bet is on the one with the best attitude.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven." It is all in what value you give to it! You see, you may look at one thing and say "That's terrible," while another person may say, "That's great!" A simple example would be a half a ham sandwich. Now, if you are used to filet mignon, you are going to think, "A measly old ham sandwich? Is n’t it?" But a starving person would have a very different viewpoint! They would think, "I won the lunch lottery!"

Another reason to keep in mind that our attitude is so very important is because oftentimes the attitude we demonstrate is exactly what we will get back. The great Earl Nightingale said, "Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude toward us." Think about it. You walk into a store and say to the clerk, "Hey lady, do you think you could get off your duff and tell me where I can find the milk?"

What kind of attitude do you think you will get back? Instead, we should go in and say, "Excuse me, but would you be so kind as to tell me where I could find the milk?" You will get a good attitude back from that! The same is true in every area of our lives.

Do you find that others have a bad attitude toward you? Then maybe you have a bad attitude toward them. The old saying is true that you reap what you sow; if you are reaping bad attitudes, you are probably sowing bad attitudes. Take a closer look, and you may find the key to turning your life around. "There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative." - W. Clement Stone.

Let's face it; there is little difference in people physically or intellectually. But what does make the difference is the attitude. You can take two people of similar background, education, skill and intelligence and find that one is the kind of person you are looking for because of a positive attitude, while the other is a complete dud -- the eternal pessimist! Your attitude is the big difference. What is your attitude? Is it positive or negative? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I guarantee you, no matter what your attitude is, it is affecting you -- and your success.

Take this test: Purposefully upgrade your attitude for 90 days and see if life doesn't begin to change for you! Pick a few areas where you can make a change. For example, begin to trust people and believe the best in them and see if your relationships begin to change! If you're stuck or if you just want to go to the next level of success, it's time to "Get a New Attitude!"

Be Happy - Think Big for the Success By Changing Your Attitude.

Be Happy - Think Big for the Success (Part 2).

It is true that you won’t be able to get what you ask for. If you have determined to get what you wish for and you are putting in the desired level of efforts and resources, you can expect to achieve the target subject to the condition that all those circumstances which are beyond your control are also taking place as you envisage at the start of your attempts. All favorable happenings can make you BIGG. How can you make the happenings favorable to you? You may like to take some steps.

B - Believe in yourself
I - Inspiration from Others
G - Goal Setting
G - Go For it

The first step is to Believe in yourself.

A lot of people want to make more money, they want to be in a great relationship, they want to have a great career, they want to enjoy life - but they really don't believe they can.

Believing and wishing for something are two different things. Believing means you absolutely know that you can and will succeed. Wishing for something means that you are yearning - you want something to fill a void, it's a good starting point - but you need to go from wishing to believing.

When you believe you basically tell your subconscious mind that you're ready for success and that you expect nothing less than success. It's not about saying I will - instead, believe that you are succeeding and getting what you wish (for filling that void).

Your next step is to get Inspiration from others.

Draw inspiration from others. If they can succeed - so can you. You can do anything that they can do and you may even be able to do it better. Learn from them but be inspired - there are new achievements being made everyday.

We saw in sports, records are being crushed. New records are coming up. Those athletes believe in themselves, and they draw inspiration from their predecessors.

When you're inspired you basically light up your subconscious mind you give it some extra energy and extra drive - it realizes that what you want is important and begins to work harder for you.

When you see somebody succeed - praise them and be inspired - because you're next. It's a message your subconscious mind picks up and drives you to succeed.

As Step 3, you must do Goal Setting and Go for it.

Believe it or not this is where a lot of people fail. They don't set clear goals, they don't know what they want, and they don't have measurable goals. So set a goal - be clear and be specific. Understand why you want this goal - the why helps you be clear and stay motivated. Make sure you can measure your success - otherwise you won't know if you're making any progress. Then check your progress and make adjustments.

When you have clear goals, you can stay focused - when you're focused on something and repeatedly give it attention you begin to draw the positive people who will help you succeed.

Your subconscious mind sees this as a clear instruction - it needs to get this done. Your goal needs to be achieved. Your subconscious says - this is so important we have to make this happen.

At this point your subconscious begins to work overtime to help you achieve your goal. But success won't happen without the final component.

After setting the goal, you have to go for it. You have to take action. You can't sit around and wait for everything to come to you. That's not how you succeed. Successful athletes train everyday for years... their success didn't come overnight.

They keep going for it - even when they were tired, when they had setbacks, when they got sick or injured - they kept going. You have to keep going after it. You have to keep pursuing your goal because the minute you give up - you fail - and that's a certainty.

However, when you keep pursuing your goal, when you believe in yourself, when you draw inspiration from others, when you set clear goals and you go for it - your active mind and your subconscious mind.

They realize that this is something that must happen and they have to make it happen for you. You're doing everything you can to succeed and they have no choice but to help you.

For making yourself a BIGG personality, you may have to change yourself too. For example, you may :

1. Take the stairs more often instead of the elevator.
2. Cut down on sweets and chocolates.
3. Invest in a pair of running shoes.
4. Meditate for 20 minutes every day.
5. Play more often with your dog, if you have.
6. Do not work weekends.
7. Give up fried foods.
8. Control your diabetes.
9. Keep yourself cool while driving.
10. Quit smoking.
11. Smile more often.
12. Use less oil in your cooking.
13. Walk in the park every day.
14. Eat more fruit and vegetables.
15. Check your blood pressure regularly.
16. Take up yoga.
17. Check your cholesterol regularly.
18. Get enough sleep.
19. Give yourself a vacation.

Start thinking BIGG today. Start achieving your goals today. When you think BIGG you succeed.

When you direct the full power of your mind and subconscious mind you enjoy success sooner and it becomes a habit - so you succeed and achieve your goals more and more often.

Think of it as a way of programming yourself to get what more of what you want. Right now you're probably programmed to not get what you want or get less of what you want. It's time to change the way your mind and subconscious mind work. Begin applying a new thought process. Begin seeing things differently and begin directing your mind and subconscious mind to create more of what you want.

If you go through the above lines deeply, some of them may help you for improving/maintaining your health and social status as well. It would definitely help you to make yourself BIGG.

Be Happy – Think Big and Do Big.

Be Happy - Think Big for the success (Part 1).

When we locate out meaning of the word “BIG”, we find a number of meanings like when we use it as an adjective; it shows large, as in size, height, width, or amount: a big house; a big quantity. It defines as of major concern, importance, gravity, or the like: a big problem. It communicates as outstanding for a specified quality: a big liar; a big success. If we say someone to be big, that means that person is an important personality, as in influence, standing, or wealth: a big man in his field. Big boy means grown-up; mature: big enough to know better. We can refer big as our elder: my big sister.

In business, we use the word “Big” to say that he is doing business or conducting on a large scale; major in size or importance: big group consisting of the largest or most influential companies in an industry: Big steel wants to lower prices, but the smaller mills don't. If we refer to the goodwill of someone informally, we can construe it like known or used widely; popular: Peter became big in the 1970s. It indicates the quality like magnanimous; generous; kindly: big enough to forgive, boastful; pompous; pretentious; haughty as a big talker, putting up your proposal loud; making a big voice.

When we use this word in reference of clothing or a clothing design made of or distinguished by voluminous fabric that is loosely or softly shaped and fitted, we can say that design as a big shirt or anything giving the big look. Big wine means having more than average flavor, body, and alcoholic content. Big eyes can be used to indicate your eyes filled with tears. In South Midland and Southern U.S. chiefly, a pregnant woman is referred to as a Big Woman in local language. If something or some system seems to be very strong; powerful, we had used this term for long. To be big on means to have a special liking or enthusiasm for: Mother is big on family get-togethers, or with child. We can say any word as huge, immense; bulky, massive; capacious, voluminous; extensive just to express the size/volume of the matter we refer to.

Here, I do also mean BIG in reference to our targets. If we add ‘G’, this word will become BIGG. BIGG means something bigger than BIG. it's a simple process that may lead to success all the time. Most people don't think BIGG... they just think and wonder why their lives never change or get better. Thinking BIGG is simple... you're probably wondering what BIGG is or what's the BIGG deal.

Let me tell you when you think BIGG and stay on track you'll succeed - no matter what your goals are. Here's what thinking BIGG Really means :

B - Believe in yourself
I - Inspiration from Others
G - Goal Setting
G - Go For it

There is a process that you need to apply in order to make thinking BIGG work for you - and today I'll show you exactly how to apply the process of thinking BIGG so that you get the results you want. You can get the results you want. How?

Just, Get Out of Your Comfy Chair

As humans, this is a place we love. We look for, strive for and have created products and even entire industries to help find and maintain high levels of comfort. You'll find this desire for the comfort zone in all areas of life - physically, mentally, emotionally and more; face it, we are hard wired to seek comfort. If I suggest you to get out of your comfortable zone, this suggestion may seem so counter to what we all want?

Because like many things in life there is a difference between want we want and what we need. We all, at differing levels of fervor, want the comfort zone (it is, after all, comfortable). Yet what we need to reach our goals is likely in direct conflict with the desire for the comfort zone. There are many reasons why I am emphasizing because:

Discomfort allows growth.

Whether you are talking physically (it`s hard to become more fit while comfortably sitting in your favorite chair, and especially when you first begin exercising, you will feel real discomfort!), mentally (thinking about new things, concepts and ideas requires energy), emotionally (doing something different can be hard), you cannot grow until you push the envelope of your comfort zone.

If you want more of anything in your life - from healthy relationships to a healthy body weight to a healthy bank account (and everything in between) - you must grow in knowledge, skills, habits and more. You must grow, and all true growth occurs outside the comfort zone.

Discomfort builds confidence.

Ever noticed that the more you do something successfully the more confident you become? How do you get better at something - by doing it exactly like you did it before? Probably not. Confidence comes in part from competence, which comes from practicing and trying new things in order to improve. See the connection? It is hard to build confidence sitting comfortably in the easy chair.

Discomfort promotes creativity.

Creativity is borne of necessity. People create new things, ideas, concepts and products when they have a problem - or in some way are outside their comfort zone. Often creativity is tapped to help regain comfort, which is great. The point is that when you feel or notice some discomfort or lack of satisfaction with your situation, you will likely be driven to innovate and be creative to find a remedy. If you want to be more creative, look for your discomfort.
Discomfort overcomes resistance to change.

When we are comfortable, we are less likely to want to change – almost by definition. When we have a lack of satisfaction or have become uncomfortable with the way things are we are far more open to change. Change, of course, to create a new situation that is better and ultimately creates a higher level of comfort.

Discomfort facilitates goal achievement.

This is the culmination of the other four points. If you want more learning, growth, promotion, profits, etc., you must consciously get outside of your comfort zone. Ask yourself this question: "Do you want your goals enough to put up with a bit of discomfort, or even fear?" Especially when you realize that the very discomfort will help drive you to your goals. If so, great. You know what to do.

If not, go ahead and sit back in your comfy place. Just don`t be surprised when you don`t create a better future for yourself. You`ve traded it for all that comfort. Do you want to improve; do you want to grow; do you want to advance for yourself, your team and your organization? If so you must stretch past your comfort zone and become comfortable with being uncomfortable. When you think BIGG you get your subconscious mind focused on bringing you the people, situations and circumstances that will help you succeed.

Thinking BIGG is more than just having a few thoughts and big ideas. I may discuss it in my next post.

Be Happy - Think Big for the success.

Be Happy – Protect Your Environment.

The most alarming of all man’s assaults upon the environment is the contamination of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even lethal materials. This pollution is for the most part irrecoverable; the chain of evil it initiates not only in the world that must support life but in living tissues is for the most part irreversible. In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world - the very nature of its life.

John McConnell, founder of International Earth Day advises "Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure."

Every 5th June, we observe World Environment Day to create awareness of the better environment on the earth for its inhabitants, for that we organize some programs to enhance political attention and public action for the purpose since a variety of environmental problems now affect our entire world. As globalization continues, the earth's natural processes transform local problems into international issues.

Why should we await for an annual day on the subject. As an individual we can observe it daily and take a few steps ourselves with the hope that our youngsters may copy us, our friends may like to join us and our seniors may quote about us to others. And our efforts in this direction may bear fruits one day and we may be able to gift a good environment to our next generations. It is also certain that if only every one of us decides to take necessary steps to curb pollution in water and air, maintain wildlife balancing, avoid soil erosion, use ground water judiciously with making necessary harvesting, we can lead a healthy environment and leave behind a sound legacy.

What may be those steps which may help us to improve our environment, can be summed up:

When we are in our Home, we can conserve energy by:

1. Turning off unneeded lights even when leaving a room or space for a short time.
2. Setting our refrigerator temperature at 36 to 38 and the freezer at 0 to 5.
3. Unplugging seldom used appliances.
4. Using a microwave whenever we can, instead of a conventional oven or stove.
5. Purchasing appliances and office equipments with the Energy Saving Star Labels.
6. Using CFL bulbs to save money and energy.
7. Insulating our homes as best as we can.
8. Planting trees to shade our home.
9. Shading outside air conditioning units by trees or other means.
10. Using air conditioners very sparingly.
11. Cooking on low flame fires.

We can reduce toxicity by taking the following actions in our home:

1. Using only those household cleaning items which do not use hazardous chemicals.
2. Reading labels of household cleaners we are using. We may consider alternatives like baking soda, souring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.
3. Using traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers, cedar chips or aromatic herbs instead of mothballs.
4. Using recycled wood chips as mulch to keep weeds down, retaining moisture and preventing erosion.
5. Using only the required amount of fertilizers, minimizing pesticides use and creating a wildlife habitat in our yards.
6. Preparing compost fertilizer with the vegetable scraps and dried leaves instead of burning or throwing them away.

We can take the following steps in our office:

1. Copying and printing on both sides of paper, reusing items like envelops, folders and paper clips.
2. Using mailer sheets for interoffice mails instead of envelops.
3. Setting up a bulletin board for memos instead of sending a copy to each employee.
4. Using e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
5. Using recycled paper and discarded paper for packing etc. in place of scrap paper.
6. Encouraging use of soy-based inks to print the documents. Soy-based inks are less toxic.
7. Using ceramic mugs instead of disposable cups.
8. Refilling printer cartridges.
9. Reporting smoking vehicles to the local pollution control authorities.
10. Avoiding slow burning, smoldering fires, they produce heavy amount of pollution.
11. Burning seasoned woods only if required, instead of a green wood. Seasoned woods burn cleaner.
12. Painting with brushes or rollers instead of using spray paints to minimize harmful emissions.
13. Walking or using bicycle/bike instead of driving 4-wheelers. If 4-wheelers drive is necessary, we may form pool of the passengers.

We can reduce the use of water by:

1. Checking water leaks very frequently and fixing on priority.
2. Installing water saving devices on our faucets and toilets.
3. Not washing dishes with the running water continuously. We should wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.
4. Following our community’s water use restrictions and guidelines strictly.
5. Installing a low-flow shower head.
6. Replacing old styled toilets with new styled toilets which use lesser water.
7. Turning off washing machine’s water supply to prevent leaks.
8. No longer keeping the water running when shaving.
9. Carrying out re-vegetation or mulching on the disturbed soil as early as possible.
10. Having our septic tanks pumped and system inspected regularly.

We can reduce the pollution by:

1. Checking our car for oil or other leaks and recycling the motor oil.
2. Buying the items in bulk from loose bins whenever possible to reduce the packaging wasted with the small purchases.
3. Preferring the packing of the items with one or two layers of the packaging materials, more layers create wastage of the packaging materials.
4. Using recyclable packaging only.
5. Maintaining and repairing the durable items instead of throwing away once any defect develops.
6. Using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.
7. Using reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
8. Using reusable containers to store food items instead of aluminum foils and wraps.
9. Shopping with a canvas bag instead of using polythene carry-bags given by the shop keepers.
10. Buying recyclable batteries for devices being used very frequently.
11. Reusing packaging materials and shipping materials. Old newspapers make great packaging materials.
12. We should promote plantation, conservation of energy and water everywhere.

Environment is as essential as our present itself. If our environment is polluted, our present becomes polluted – we doubt to enjoy our future safely and happily. Robert Redford mentioned in 1985 that the environment safety must be put in the category of national security. Defense of the resources is as important as our other defenses. If we do not have livable environment, what kind of life should we deserve for? We must take corrective action as early as possible. We must make it as our hobby and our habit.

Be Happy – Protect Your Environment.

Be Happy – Fight Against Stagnancy Bravely (Part 2)

There are many factors which create stagnancy in our life. Some of them were mentioned in the post yesterday. In sequence thereto, some more factors are being given below which may help you to identify if you cause stagnancy yourself or not:

You’re too stuck in your ways.

You insist on doing things a certain way. You don’t open yourself up to new ideas. Guess what? You’ll remain stuck in your situation, too. You must open yourself to new methods. Experiment. You can only improve if you are willing to try new things.

You do not have enough belief in yourself.

All successful people have enormous self-belief. They know that they have something special to contribute and they are determined to make their mark. This does not mean that they are arrogant, narcissistic or complacent. On the contrary, they are self critical and push themselves hard because they know that they can achieve more. What is it that is special about you? What is the talent that you have not developed? What do you know you are capable of?

You do not measure yourself against written goals.

It is hard to make progress if you have no clear goals for your life. Most of us muddle along from one thing to the next. Successful people define their objectives and measure progress against them. You should set yourself targets in the areas that are important to you e.g. career, wealth, health, relationships and social life. There are many books giving detailed advice on goal setting and they reinforce the point that the most important thing is to write your goals down and track progress. If you do not achieve some of the goals then reset them. You can be flexible and adjust how you move forward but you must keep moving. Do you have written objectives that you track regularly?

On the other hand, even if you are an experienced goal setter, there are times when the goals you set in the past lose their appeal now. It’s normal and it happens to me too. Sometimes we lose touch with our goals, since we are in a different emotional state compared to when we first set them. Sometimes our priorities change and we no longer want to work on those goals anymore. However, we don’t consciously realize this, and what happens is we procrastinate on our goals until it compounds into a serious problem. If that’s the case for you, it’s time to relook into your goals. There’s no point in pursuing goals that no longer inspire you. Trash away your old goals (or just put them aside) and ask yourself what you really want now. Then go for them.

The only way to reach your goals is to set reasonable sub-goals and tackle those as soon as you can. This goes back to the first saying. When we allow ourselves too much time to think about an unpleasant task, we are less and less inclined to actually get ourselves into gear and just do it

You are too comfortable where you are.

It is easy and natural to settle into a rut. Why try something new when you are already doing that you are good at? High achievers go further. They take risks. They move out of their comfort zones. They take on difficult challenges. They push themselves to acquire new skills and to face new examinations of their abilities. This means that they run the risk of failure. Where are you right now – inside your comfort zone or taking risks?

You are not mixing with high achievers.

Let’s face it – your friends and family are really nice people but they are not challenging you to achieve more. Spend more time with high flyers and positive thinkers who understand ambition and achievement. Share some of your thoughts, dreams and challenges with them. They will encourage you and give you the direct advice you need. How much time are you spending with really successful people?

The person who can motivate you, change you and get the most out of you is in the mirror. Build your self-belief. Set yourself clear goals and measure progress against them. Push yourself outside your comfort zone. Take on some difficult challenges even though you risk failure. Significantly increase your work rate. Mix with high achievers. Ask yourself this – do you want a safe, comfortable existence or do you want a life where you achieve something really worthwhile?

Just we may realize that we are not alone.

Everyone stagnates at some point or another. We are not alone in this and more importantly, it’s normal. Realizing we are not alone in this, makes it much easier to deal with this period. By trying to fight it, we’re only fighting ourselves. We must accept this situation, acknowledge it, and tell ourselves it happens in others’ life too. That way, we can then focus on the constructive steps that will really help us.

We must find what inspires us.

Stagnation comes because there isn’t anything that excites you enough to take action. If you don’t have a habit of setting goals, and instead just leave yourself to daily mundanes, it’s not surprising you are experiencing stagnation. What do you want to do if there are no limitations? If you can have whatever you want, what will it be? The answers to these questions will provide the fuel that will drive you forward.

Give yourself a break

When’s the last time you took a real break for yourself? 3 months? 6 months? 1 year? Never? Perhaps it’s time to take a time-out. Prolonged working can cause someone to become disillusioned as they lose sight of who they are and what they want.

Go take some extended leave from work. A few days at bare minimum; a few weeks or months will be great. Some of my ex-colleagues have quit their jobs and took months out to do some self-reflection. Of course, some of us might not have that luxury, so we can stick to a few weeks of leave. Go on a trip elsewhere and get away from your work and your life. Use this chance to get a renewed perspective of life. Think about your life purpose, what you want and what you want to create for your life in the future. These are big questions that require deep thinking over them. It’s not about finding the answers at one go, but about taking the first step to finding the answers.

Shake up your routines

Being in the same environment, doing the same things over and over again and meeting the same people can make us stagnant. This is especially if the people you spend the most time with are stagnant themselves.

Change things around.

Start with simple things, like taking a different route to work and eating something different for breakfast. Have your lunch with different colleagues, colleagues you never talked much with. Work in a different cubicle if your work has free and easy seating. Do something different than your usual for weekday evenings and weekends. Cultivate different habits, like exercising every day, reading a book, etc. The different contexts will give you different stimulus, which will trigger off different thoughts and actions in you.

When I’m in a state of stagnancy, I’ll get a sense of what’s making me stagnate. Sometimes it’s the environment I’m in, sometimes it’s the people I’ve been hanging out with, sometimes it’s my lifestyle. Most of the times, it’s a combination of all these. Changing them helps to stir myself out of the stagnant mode.

Start with a small step

Stagnation also comes from being frozen in fear. Maybe you do want this certain goal, but you aren’t taking action. Are you overwhelmed by the amount of work needed? Are you afraid you will make mistakes? Is the perfectionist in you taking over and paralyzing you?

Let go of the belief that it has to be perfect. Such a belief is a bane, not a boon. It’s precisely from being open to mistakes and errors that you move forward. Break down what’s before you into very very small steps, then take those small steps, a little step at a time. I had a client who had been stagnating for a long period because he was afraid of failing. He didn’t want to make another move where he would make a mistake. However, not wanting to make a mistake has led him to do absolutely nothing for 2-3 years. On the other hand, by doing just something, you would already be making progress, whether it’s a mistake or not. Even if you make a supposed “mistake”, you get feedback to do things differently in the next step. That’s something you would never have known if you never made a move

Don’t Think much, But Do

Although it can be hard, it is this simple phrase but great one for some reason even the simplest task seems too daunting to tackle, I just try to stop thinking all pending jobs together and start doing one by one.

Easier said than done, you may think? Sure, but just give it a try. Often we are so busy finding reasons why we can’t (or don’t) do something, we spend more energy and time than we would just doing it.

Kill stagnancy, fight against stagnancy bravely and be happy.