Be Happy – Redefine Yourself at Your Workplace.

In the earlier times, there had been categorization of the work in our society –in a family set up, man was supposed to look after the outside work mainly earning and gathering necessities for rearing the family and woman used to look after the family members. But the time has changed. Both are now on competition to take over the seat of other. We find that even on those places where due to physical differences woman was not supposed to be there, they are not only doing well but excelling.

Though the facts as on date can not be ignored, some societies are still not ready to accept the female capacity at par with the male. It creates some problem of balancing home and workplace and it may continue till the time the primary responsibility of taking care of the family resides with women. Even in advanced societies, the triple pressure on the women of being a wife, a mother and a worker is experienced. The solution lies in having the right attitude and mindset in the society.

Now, we have been observing some change for recent past with the emergence of two trends – one, there is a growing empathy within organizations towards the challenges being faced by women and many innovative steps are being taken in this direction. Secondly, emerging technologies are making it easier for people to more flexibly and conveniently. Woman should become more aware of these facilities if they exist within their organizations and make most of it.

As a man, you will have to change your attitude towards your female colleague with the consideration that if your wife too might be working somewhere, how she should be treated. As a woman, you need to have equal sense of responsibility with your male colleague. It is true that challenges exist for both, men and women at work, a woman’s responsibilities towards her family can make the matters worse if she has to spend long hours at the workplace of if the work is very much demanding. To overcome these problems, a woman should be able to nurture and derive advantages from an external support system. Being transparent and straightforward may help overcome many of the challenges.

It is known fact that women workers are very good at multi-tasking. They are also more empathetic and good listeners. Today, technology and effective time management tools have made it possible for them to manage home and workplace more efficiently. If they get supportive family and team at workplace, they excel even their male counterparts everywhere, even in those jobs which require extensive touring and a high degree of responsibilities.

Though the organizations on their end must ensure equal opportunity at work to the females, the onus lies on them that they should place their priorities over their family matters and workplace responsibilities. We must not expect every time that the woman must give preference to the family matters. Her husband is equally responsible for proper management of family affairs. If the job is more demanding, the husbands are supposed to co-operate them in shouldering the family responsibilities and flexibly rearranging their roles both sides.

Discipline and time management are the basic tools to creating the right balance between family and home. Of course, there are times when one needs to give late hours at work. None of us can prevent an unforeseen crisis. Sometime, one needs to compromise on the family front but if you have a loving family who respects your professional life, it does not seem touch at all. Similarly, it’s right to miss an official meeting if there is a family emergency but in either of cases, a clear communication is the key to striking a balance. In case it is done and we redefine ourselves at our workplace and even at home, the differences on account of the workload can be curtailed within the families and we can lead our life happily.

Be Happy – Redefine yourself at your workplace.

Be Happy – True Place Of Worship Is Within Yourself.

In the history, we find two examples of instant dawn of enlightenments. One is of Lord Buddha on seeing sufferings and the other is of great Indian poet Tulsidas who was awakened by a mere taunting from his wife. In the most other cases, spiritual awakening has been seen as a slow process – one step leading to other to win over oneself.

Majority of the persons who aspired for progress towards this ultimate were required to gain victory over themselves by self control. You can determine through your spirits but after a few moments or some time, your body may not accept. A hint on the right approach is given in the Bible (Mathew 26.41), “The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak”. Determination to progress further towards your objectives and spirituality may not be of any avail if you do not take care of your physical health, energy, exuberance and sustaining power.

Centuries ago, another great Indian poet, Kalidas mentioned in his “Kumarasambhavam” that the body comes first for ensuring all kinds of attainments. For a happy life, Patanjali, the compiler of the Yoga Sutras lists eight stages dealing with the postures and breath-regulation before other stages involving more of the mind – concentration, meditation etc.

In short, the body is the route to all the mental refinement. The reason for this is that if your body is healthy, you can afford and regulate your all activities through your will power. If the body is weak, that will need cure first and you won’t be able to do anything before putting your body in order. In Sikhism too, the followers are advised to keep their bodies well cared for.

If you are maintaining yourself high-spirited and your body well, you can prepare your mind to fulfil your determination on the priority levels. With a weak body, you can not walk well even to your temple, mosque, church or any other place of worship you choice for.

Done with awareness and spontaneous delight which physical involvement should generate, the carry over to the mind can be tangible and instant. Experience the gentleness and joy all over as you go for a walk, feel the water trickling down as you shower, cleansing your body and mind, attending a religious meeting or some social gathering – it will give you heavenly enjoyments.

Hence, you will appreciate that your body is a place of worship by itself, to be well maintained – it is a doorway to mental refinement and spiritual progress. It is the true place of worship and that lies within yourself. If you are able to keep your self fit, you can visit any other place with cool mind and carry on the activities with deep concentration and confidence.

Be Happy – True Place Of Worship Is Within Yourself.

Be Happy – Plan and Enjoy The Events.

For the time immemorial, man has been celebrating events of different kinds. In the early ages, he had plenty of time to plan and enjoy the events but today with the acute shortage of time, we need someone else to handle the events, someone who might have acquired some specialization or past experience so that the host is able to concentrate on the other relevant matters.

Event can be of celebrating your marriage ceremony or your birth day. On collective basis, you can organize the gathering on account of some festival, conferences or meetings and event management can be said as application of project management skills to organizing such events. This has now become an industry and professionals work in form of big companies just to hold the events. You can too organize events. Events can be classified into four broad categories based on their purpose and objective:

1. Leisure events like leisure sport, music, recreation.
2. Cultural events like ceremonial, religious, art, heritage, and folklore.
3. Personal events like weddings, birthdays, anniversaries.
4. Organizational events like commercial, political, charitable, sales, product launch, expo, meetings, conferences, seminars, convocation, conventions etc.

Event management involves studying every intricacy of the purpose, devising the event concept, identifying the people to be invited, planning the logistics and coordinating the technical aspects before actually executing the modalities. Post-event analysis and ensuring a return on investment have become significant drivers for the event industry.

The recent growth of conferences at the large scale, popularity of continental festivals and conducting games around the world means that their conducting can no longer be carried on ad hoc. Events and festivals, such as the Asian, Olympics, Common Wealth Games and other regional and international competition, have a large impact on their communities and, in some cases, the whole country. They need professional touch.

The industry now includes events of all sizes from the Olympics down to a breakfast meeting for ten business people. Many industries, charitable organizations, and interest groups hold events of some size in order to market themselves, build business relationships, raise money or celebrate.

Event management is considered one of the strategic marketing and communication tools by companies of all sizes. From product launches to press conferences, companies create promotional events to help them communicate with clients and potential clients. They might target their audience by using the news media, hoping to generate media coverage which will reach thousands or millions of people. They can also invite their audience to their events and reach them at the actual event.

Since demand of conducting events through experts has increased drastically, event management has become an industry in which companies and organizations service a variety of areas including corporate events (product launches, press conferences, corporate meetings and conferences), marketing programs (road shows, grand opening events), and special corporate hospitality events like concerts, award ceremonies, film premieres, launch/release parties, fashion shows, commercial events, private (personal) events such as weddings and bar mitzvahs. Clients hire event management companies to handle a specific scope of services for the given event, which at its maximum may include all creative, technical and logistical elements of the event depending upon the budget.

Event Management is a multi-million dollar industry, growing rapidly, with mega shows and events hosted regularly. Surprisingly, there is no formalized research conducted to assess the growth of this industry. The industry includes fields such as the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions), conferences and seminars as well as live music and sporting events. The logistics side of the industry is paid less than the sales/sponsorship side, though some may say that these are two different industries.

You Too Can Become Event Manager!

You can become an event manager if you have garnered your quality to plan and execute the events of different kinds. There are an increasing number of universities which offer courses in event management, including diplomas and graduate degrees. In addition to these academic courses, there are many associations and societies that provide courses on the various aspects of the industry.

Study includes organizational skills, technical knowledge, P.R., marketing, advertising, catering, logistics, decor, glamour identity, human relations, study of law and licenses, risk management, budgeting, study of allied industries like television, other media and several other areas.

Certification can be acquired from various sources to obtain designations such as Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM), Certified Manager of Exhibits (CME), Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM), Global Certification in Meeting Management (CMM) and Certified Meeting Professional (CMP).

Event managers and their teams often remain behind-the-screen to run the event. Event managers may also be involved in more than just the planning and execution of the event, but also brand building, marketing and communication strategy. The event manager is an expert at the creative, technical and logistical elements that help an event succeed. This includes event design, audio-visual production, scriptwriting, logistics, budgeting, negotiation and, of course, client service. It is a multi-dimensional profession.

Now, Event management software companies provide event planners with software tools to handle many common activities such as delegate registration, hotel booking, travel booking or allocation of exhibition floor-space.

The event manager may become involved at the early initiation stages of the event. The management of events calls, largely for coordination, from stage one. The first thing required is to get the orders for the event. This process is also known as pitching for an event. Usually, whether it is for small time events (birthday parties and weddings), or then for the larger ones assigned by companies (exhibitions and trade fairs), or then the international concerts; the event manager/company is asked to submit a project report, with the finances involved. On the basis of this is the assignment given to them.

Event planning is one of the more creative and exciting aspects of being an administrative assistant, but it can also be one of the most unnerving. When your company is throwing a big bash and you're suddenly put in charge of the details, it can be difficult to avoid a run-in with Murphy's Law.

"I would say that the number one most important thing is to keep every detail about the event in one place," says Shawn O'Gallagher, a publicist at Random House in New York City. When O'Gallagher is in charge of planning book signings or readings, he sends the venue (i.e., bookstore) an event confirmation, including the date, time, address, book title, author, event contact and his contact information. He saves both a hard copy and a soft copy.

"If we need to reference it quickly, we have everything in one page, and not a batch of paper-clipped scrap papers in a lump" says O'Gallagher.

If your event has many bits and pieces that won't fit comfortably on one page, make a "scheduler," or binder, that covers every aspect of the event.

The scheduler should be divided into categories with a section for every aspect of the event -- from caterers, to contracts, to seating charts, to guest lists, to emails of authorization and proposals from different vendors. And the first page of every scheduler should be an emergency contact sheet with the contact information of everyone who is involved in the event.

You shouldn't only rely on one form of documentation. When there's a crisis on the night of the event, you may not be able to go back to your computer and hunt through your files. Your best bet is to keep both a scheduler and an electronic record of all event details. I always suggest people use specifically designed event software when storing event information electronically.

If you can't get either of these programs, you can do it the old-fashioned way by creating an Excel spreadsheet with all the details, including site selection, entertainment, decor, catering, audiovisual services, volunteer list, staff list, task-management list, etc.

No matter how you keep track of all the details, take the time to be organized and make sure everything on your lists is accurate. Be sure to spell-check and update your event information frequently, particularly if you're producing events on a regular basis. Lastly, even in the heat of a crisis, take that extra minute or two to check your records before you react.

If the event manager has budget responsibilities at this early stage they may be termed an event or production executive. To brief you again, I find that in management of the events, the various stages include:

• Getting brief of the event from the client.

• Site surveying and design

• Budget drafting and getting list of the guests

• functions to be performed.

• Cash flow management

• Supply chain identification

• Procurement

• Scheduling

• Technical design

• Health & Safety including crowd management

• Logistics

• Sound and Video

• Light

After you determine to become an Event Manager, you get openings in the areas of :

• Event Management Consultancy

• Hotel, travel and hospitality Industries

• Advertising Agencies

• Public Relations Firms

• Corporations

• News Media

• Non-profit organization

• Integrated Marketing & Communications

• Event Budgeting and Accounting

There are a number of companies hosting and organizing events on a regular basis. These range from the small time private events to the large-scale international events. Yes, the large scales one do happen far rarer, but then the amount of returns they churn out is far beyond expectations. However, in the past there have been events that have also resulted in losses to the hosts and sponsors for varied reasons. But then, all said and done, event management is about organization and execution, and that is precisely where the money lies. Those in the field are paid for their these services.

Today, there a number of people, who have entered the field because they realize the potential of the market where demand and supply is concerned. In fact, the most profitable aspect of this field is the need for creativity. And that is how and where one earns.

Fortunately, with a little organization and the following tips from experts, planning your next event will be not only stress-free, but also successful.

Be Happy – Plan and Enjoy The Events.

Be Happy – Acquire Appropriate Education.

Today, we mean education as a means to get a job. Actually, this definition of education has been etched in our brains since our childhood. Even while studying, children start aiming for a job. Parents too educate children only so that after finishing their education, they may get a good job to ensure secured income every month to lead a carefree life.

With ever growing population all over the world, the chances of getting job have been reducing drastically and today, even developed countries face the problem of unemployment in the youth section of the society. Millions of students complete their education every year but do not get proper employment due to lack of skills and unavailability of the matching jobs. We observe that with the vacancy falling for one or two persons, there are hundreds of applicants on the door. Naturally, after filling in, the employer has to turn out the rest. To keep themselves busy, they carry on their education or compromise with lower salary on account of the inferior job they have to accept and ultimately get frustrated.

The biggest problem of such frustrated people is the mental dissatisfaction. While they dream for a senior position in some government department, they do not get even a respectful job in a private office for the reason that they are not well qualified or the appropriate jobs are limited. The present education system does not teach them to acquire new skills which may help them to lead a good life at their own if they are not able to get any suitable job. It is an irony that in spite of the all the experiences in their personal life, the parents do not feel responsible to get their children equipped with some technical knowledge so that on maturity, their children may be able to face the complex problem of not getting the proper employment. Inferiority complex engulfs them and they feel suffocated. For most of their energyful time, they chase a mirage and after getting old, they are forced to face frustration. This is the problem of not one or two individuals but the society at large mostly in developing and underdeveloped countries.

In the childhood, the body and the mind are not developed enough for a child to think after earning a living. But that is time when one is required to focus on developing strength of the body and increasing mental ability. In this direction, proper education is required from the very beginning. But that should not be initiated with the sole aim of getting some job. At that time, it must be of prime importance how independence in earning and leading a good life is ensured in due course of time for a child.

Today, cottage sector offers a lot of scope for development of skills almost in every country if that is technically updated from time to time and proper financial and market support is extended to the entrepreneurs. It is true that with the industrialization, the production of every item goes on in bulk quantity but that destroys the opportunities of the employment of the mass on the floor in addition to the involvement of heavy capital costs in machinery, land, building and other infrastructure. Interests on loans, and breakages, thefts, damages etc. also add up to the costs which can be avoided through the development of cottage sector. Where precision is required, we can set up common facilities centres at cluster levels.

In the name of business, primarily all that is done is to put up a shop to sell manufactured items. This process can not provide solution to the unemployment on the large scale, as sales do provide employment to very small numbers of people whereas development of strong production base through cottage sector gives opportunity to the larger section. One thousand shops in a town can provide employment to a group of two thousand persons – one employer and one employee per shop. But one thousand factories can provide employment to the millions.

In addition to the cottage industry, agriculture and animal husbandry are two such industries where you can go in with lower investment. Now-a-days, carpentry and blacksmithing provides a lot of scope to develop. For sometime, we have been observing an upsurge in manufacturing of bricks and tiles to meet the demand of construction industry.

In old times, education was rendered in some ashrams, like hostels of the modern age and where bookish knowledge was lesser than the practical knowledge. Bookish knowledge gives you insights of theory but action upon such education is possible through only practical working. I appeal to those personalities who frame education policy, that they must review the syllabus of all classes and drop those topics which are never implemented in the real life. We find that in the crammed curriculum followed in the schools, many important topics get left out while lots of futile nonsense gets stuffed in the brains of the youngsters. What is learnt and taught should be useful even if one does not get a job.

So far we have been concentrating over the economic purposes of the getting education. An appropriate education cultivates the skills of getting economic freedom. But education has another important role in our life – that is character building. Resolution of complexities in personal and social life should be accomplished through education. It should nurture the qualities of good social life in the students so that they should be a civilized citizen of tomorrow.

The land where one is born and brought up is akin to one’s mother. Just how one serves the mother, it is also a duty to serve one’s motherland. Surely there are numerous sources of livelihood where one is born. Cities are becoming costlier, dirtier, more unhygienic and centres of evil intentions. If villagers remain settled in their villages, they can improve their position there itself. Migration of educated people from motherland to other places means brain drain and it is not true service to your motherland or I may say true service to your own mother who gave you birth.

You must acquire appropriate education for you, if you still wish to get and/or for your children :

1. which may ensure financial independence,

2. which may ensure character building,

3. which may teach why and how to love the motherland,

4. which may build up character,

5. which may give a chance to live in a hostel for some time to explore out maturity in the young age and give practical experience of life.

Be Happy – Acquire Appropriate Education.

Be Happy – Be Sure God Is Within And Around You.

As a theist, I believe that God is there. He is within us and around us. We need to feel His presence. What is the proof of my statement? Quite simply God is the entire Universe and everything contained within the Universe, existing in the form of pure Energy; consciously, we live and move and have our Being; thus we live in the presence of God.

I believe that this Divine Energy is "God". If we say that God is just an imagination, it shall be wrong. We can not reply why we exist, how we came about and where we go. Something is there who gives us the life, who operates the system of life and who destroys it ultimately to give space to the fresh ones. Who had started all such activities before we were born?

God created the Universe by literally "thinking" it into existence, and we therefore live in the presence of God as "thought-forms", individuated Energy fields in the great energy field. Quanta only become observable under the influence of the Mind. In the physical world scientists have already observed this when they noticed that the only time Quanta ever manifest as particles is when they are being observed.

God created the Universe, the Macrocosm in the same way that we all create our own realities, the Microcosm, by the power of thought. When we focus on the object of a desire, we create a vibration of the Energy that corresponds to our desire in the form of an image that represents our desire, until, vibrates in harmony with our desire thereby enabling our desire to manifest into our experiential existence. Until we vibrate in harmony with our desire, we cannot experience it. This where most people struggle to attract their desires; they are simply not vibrating the Energy of the Universe in harmony with the desire they have in Mind. With the power of the Mind and its correct focus, there is truly nothing that you cannot be, do or have.

So we live in the eternal presence of God, but Who exactly is God and what is our relationship with God? It is true that we are made in the Image of God, but not the personified image, the deity in human form of the dogmatic religions, but rather we are "made", or thought into existence in the Spiritual image of God. God is pure Energy and so too are we as human beings pure Energy made in the "imagination" or image of God, and we are always in the eternal presence of God, Who is in us, through us and Is us.

We all exist as "images" or "ideas" in the Mind and presence of God. However, we are very complex images comprising countless Quanta of Energy, each with our own unique characteristics while at the same time sharing a particular Energy "configuration" that makes us uniquely "human". Our Energy configuration includes a part of the individuated "consciousness" or "Spirit" of God, and that is which animates us and makes us who we are.

So having discussed "who is God" and the fact we are God, how do we actually differ from God? The first thing we must always keep in mind is that as well as being "made" as individuated images of God, we still all share, as does everything in the Universe, the same ultimate Energy. There is no separation in the Universe. All apparent separation is nothing but an illusion brought about by the tricks of the five physical senses which perceives and "decodes" the Energy in such a way as to cause the illusion of separation. It is this widely perpetuated illusion that contributes to so much misery in the world today with the individual egos of people always working only for what they perceive as "themselves". In fact we are all one, and as such whatever we do, think or imagine immediately affects the entire Universe and everyone and everything within the entire Universe. What we do, think and imagine is therefore a huge responsibility, and a lesson that needs to be learned by all of humanity. "God" is perfect in His/Her thinking, and as a result the Universe is perfect.

So we all exist as unique "individuations" of God made in the Spiritual image of God, always living in the presence of God but how do we differ from God? The answer is "Perfection". God, the Universe is Perfection in every way. Nothing can be added to, subtracted from our modified from God to make God more perfect. God is total perfection and manages the Universe with immutable Perfection with one major force in particular, the most powerful force in the Universe, Unconditional Love.

We only differ from God therefore in terms of our own individual state of perfection. It is therefore at the core of our very Soul and Spirit and who we "are" to be as "God" by evolving to the same state of perfection as God, until finally, if we choose to do so, we can achieve Unity with God at which point our consciousness is Unified with "The All" and All becomes known. This is the true meaning of Life: to evolve back to The First Cause, The Source, God. So again, when asking the question "who is God", it should be readily apparent by now that we are God.

As we achieve higher states of perfection through experience, the vibration of our individual Spiritual body increases, and as this happens we "migrate" inwards in the direction of The Source, and as we do so we become aware of ever more glorious realms of life that are far beyond the remotest comprehension of Earthly humans. This is one motivation we have to pursue perfection and evolution, the prospect and certainty that as we progress, the more "heavenly", magnificent and glorious will be our life and reality.

We evolve back to God in the process of perfection. Humans of the planet Earth are just starting out on the sacred path back to God. Earth is the "kindergarten" of the Universe, and it is here that everyone begins the journey on the great and sacred path by learning fundamental lessons that can only be learned in a physical environment, mixing with a wide range of people and circumstances that do not exist in the Astral worlds and beyond. This is why people choose to incarnate time and again in order to learn the necessary lessons of progression on the path to perfection and therefore God.

Finally we must all keep in mind the ultimate and sacred truth that we are all one and whatever we do affects everything in creation. Whatever we do will always return to us by the immutable Law of Cause and Effect. It is in understanding these Universal Laws that we progress, and become less and less "separate", the "inner" Beings always assisting the "outer" beings less progressed along the path in their own evolution, ever driven by Unconditional Love.

Who is God? Where is God?

The true God is not tyrannical, benevolent or vengeful, and does not exhibit petty human characteristics such as jealousy, caprice or anger. The true God does not need or desire to be worshipped or to receive offerings, and is most certainly not influenced by flattery or praise. He is neither demanding, vengeful or vindictive, and does not rule the Universe from high places as if He/She were a monarchy with the human race as subjects, casting down judgments and punishments at will for perceived transgressions.

We are all "God", perpetually living in the presence of God. God never punishes Him/Herself because it is through us, as expressions of God that God continues to evolve through our individuated experiences however "good", "evil" or indifferent they might be. The true God does not punish people for failing to believe in Him/Her, for failing to attend a church, temple or mosque, or failing to accept "Him/Her" as their "saviour".

This same true God does not in any way require intermediaries or "go betweens" to be positioned in the physical world between Him/Herself and "common man" in order to interpret, represent and convey the "will" of God. No such intermediary has, has ever had or ever can or will have the ear of God, or indeed possess any other sort of special connections or relationship with God.

No such self-appointed representative of God can possibly know "God's will" or accordingly convey such "will" to the people, and neither can such intermediaries convey the wishes of the people back to God. As aspects of God, in the Mind of God, God already knows our every wish, need and desire the very moment we think it.

Above all God is neither separate from the Universe or from anyone or anything within the Universe. God is at once Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent; every human being, all life and everything within the entire Universe has its being within the infinite Mind of God, and God is within every human being, all life and everything in the entire Universe.

Everyone is a totally equal and integral aspect of God, living in the presence of God, the Supreme Universal Consciousness, The Source, The Prime Creator, The First Cause, Who in turn is the same absolute, total and complete perfection every single human being is striving to achieve during the course of the journey of evolution along the Divine path back to God from whence we all originated, of Whom we are all an integral and equal aspect and to Whom we are all destined to return.

Everyone without exception is the master of their own destiny. We all create our own realities and we are all always governed by the very same immutable Universal laws existing to maintain the perfect order of the glories, splendors and magnificence of the multi-dimensional Universe of Consciousness in which we have our being. The true God ultimately sustains everything in creation with the most powerful force, vibration, Energy of all within the Universe, in all spheres of life and reality; Pure Unconditional Love.

Finally, when considering the question "Who is God, even religions symbolically recognize the great truth that we are all as one and are all inseparable aspects of God:

Christianity: "The kingdom of heaven is within you"

Islam: "Those who know themselves know their God"

Buddhism: "Look within, thou art Buddha"

Vedanta, part of Hinduism: "Atman and Brahman are one"

(Note: Atman is individual consciousness, the Microcosm and Brahman is Universal consciousness, the Macrocosm)

Upanishads, part of Hinduism: "By understanding the self, all this Universe is known"

Yoga, part of Hinduism: "God dwells within you as you".

And finally a quote from the Christian bible which highlights this truth very well: "On that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" - John 14:20"

God is within us and around us. Just we need to witness it and that can be done through our own acts only. If we are pure at our heart, we can do it easily.

Now, with the above lines in mind, we may assure ourselves that God, whatsoever the name we may assign to Him/Her is within us and around us. That is the Energy responsible for our survival. Thus, an important duty cast upon us is that we must think that we live in the presence of God and should do our best to keep every other one happy with all the sincerity, equinity and genuineness. God will be happy with us! Otherwise, we may face the curse in form of tsunami, earth quakes, storms, floods etc. if we continue to play with the nature for our own selfishness, without caring for the balancing actions required.

Be Happy – Be Sure God Is Within And Around You.

Be Happy – Maintain Balanced Life.

With the advancement of civilization, we moved to materialism believing that abundant availability of materials for our enjoyment would be the ultimate truth of life. But it was not so. To gather materials we forgot the element of purity in our process and by hook and crook, went on to get every thing without taking into account whether we were doing it rightfully or not. We lost peace of our mind. Decades ago, the west ran to the east in search of the peace but at that time, the east had been thinking that the west was enjoying the life. What a good dilemma!

Through regulating all aspects of our personality, we can obtain the clarity and resolution of all the conflicts for obtaining harmony, fulfilment, authenticity and inner power to ensure our spiritual growth, restore our mental peace and maintain our balanced life. The balanced life means having every thing in right proportion to our needs. This state of harmony can be defined as a state of freedom from contradicting or conflicting forces which acting as they do within at cross purposes would not damage any tangible progress but ensure the pleasure inside also to accomplish your dreams without hurting anyone else.

Harmonious working of such forces on the other hand confers the needed sense of direction. Like a river bubbling along its path knowing where it goes, the person concerned also through this process knows where he is headed to, is clear in his objectives, wants, needs and priorities. It happens through one’s own evolved self within, whereby all the base and retarding tendencies are weakened. You need to carry on planning, organizing, controlling and reviewing for obtaining benefits and returns that would indeed improve even further with passage of time.

Once you harmonize all the factors of your living with the circumstances prevailing and the goals you fix for your life with firm determination, you will find that your approach, attitude, opinions, life style and habits will undergo the needed changes. Factually, this is the state where in view of the peace, harmony, fulfilment, inner strength and flow obtained, you won’t work with your impulses, whims or instincts but you will do your job with more logics in your mind and victory over your emotions, needs of food and rest. Perhaps you may not need food, drinks or sleep as escapism or tranquillisers or mad diversions as if from one’s own emptiness. Yoga is not for those who eats or sleeps too much or too little but only for those who lead the life balanced in all respects.

How would you harmonize the factors of your life? It is not a difficult question. Just you need to evaluate your minimum requirements and your goals. Then, take account of your resources available and those which you can explore within your capacity with pure means. Make a time bound plan, take action and review your working from time to time if you are going according to your basic plan. If it is so, you can lead a balanced life. If somewhere you exceed your limits, it is possible that it may disturb your working more. Crossing the limit does not mean that you should not take any risk. You may take risk but after due calculations and positive mind.

Be Happy – Maintain Balanced Life.

Be Happy - Reinvent Your Work.

Today, the time has changed. If you have got a good job, it does not mean that you have got sufficient liberty to express yourself. You are to do what you are asked to do – if your employer notes any deviation, he may kick you out any moment. If there is any legislation to ensure uninterrupted job to you, you may have to move the wheels of court when your employer dismisses you on any account. In intervening period, what will you do?

Good job means that your employer has got a good person to pursue his aims, not yours. You can get satisfaction to the extent of 50% if your employer gets 150% out of your remuneration. Not only this, even if you are employed with a specific job description and set hours, today your employer expects you to be entrepreneurial. You are always expected to come up with ideas and take initiative to enhance his profits. You need to come out of the comfort zone you might have built up around you with the time passing by while working in a company.

You must always assume that once you join a new job, your job is dead after some time. You will have to reinvent what new you can do in the interest of your employer. Otherwise, it will become a tiring one – you put in your time and you get paid at the pleasure of your employer. Some time back, we had thought that jobs were for life – you acquired, performed and got paid until you were retired. It is no longer valid. Globalization has increased competition. US youth is being warned of Indian capture of the job prospects whereas world markets are being flooded with cheap Chinese goods. We can avert such things if we reinvent ourselves – what new we can do to our life, to our working and increase our productivity for a longer period.

We may have to change our expectations and prepare ourselves for a new world. If we ask a bright graduate from a world-renowned institute to earn a decent living but without undertaking a full time job, it would be out of imagination. Why? He is not prepared to do addition to his own wealth but ready to do so to add to some other’s wealth. He is not willing to take risk, he is not sure whether the results out of his calibre attained in that institute will bring out would be sufficient to make him lead a decent life. Why are you depending upon some one else? On the other hand, please set up a retail counter for the young who could not be able to complete even his 8th standard education due to having joined his father to collect the payments from the customers when they visit his retail shop to purchase consumables. He will run the retail counter more profitably and lead a more decent life than the bright graduate from a business school. It happens because the son of a retail outlet owner learns the basics of the business more speedily due to his real exposure to the practical working. We need to reinvent our education system.

This 21st century needs the people who are useful, not just employable. Companies and the government departments/agencies are becoming flexible and agile by concentrating on their core activities and outsourcing the rest. It is like building up a web site where you put up what you can do the best and for the rest, you provide links. Organizations are in demand of specialized partners who are open in their fields and are able t collaborate and co-create innovative outcomes.

Today, work whether you are in a company as an employee or outside as a self-employed, demands more creativity and mastery than traditional jobs. Just, getting yourself fit in the company environment and, delivering incremental improvements year by year are no longer enough. A study shows that more than half of the employees working in UK Companies are not traditional employees. This trend is going to continue all over the world.

In the past, a mere degree from a reputed college was likely to guarantee life long success. Now this has become an entry permit only, not a green card. Professionals and managers must put up challenges constantly before their subordinate to deliver more and more with less and less costs. They too are themselves required to ensure better results. They are required to keep themselves responsible not only for the outputs but outcomes also.

We need to recognize that in spite of tremendous industrial development the world over, still major portion of the labour comes from agricultural sector. We need to empower them, to enable them to reinvent their working methods by inspiring them to carry out self-teaching so that they may try to come out of their comfort zones. For them, we need to make the rural economy as self sustaining by creating a complex of having many interdependent units to take up the raw materials and convert them into value added products.

Secondly, educational and research institution need to focus on creating and supporting designers and innovators for appropriate technologies and energy sources. The focus needs to be shifted from giving degrees to making them technically sound entrepreneurs.

Thirdly, we need to reorient our banking system to identify the entrepreneurship amongst the promising persons and employers to provide on-job training to those employees who are committed to innovation and creation of new methods of working. Banking system can promote local front end organizations to providing financial, accounting, costing and other logistical support to small business and their coordination with the large scale industries.

Since this century is likely to see massive shift in the nature of corporations and the work culture world over, we will have to forget the industrial age in which our seniors spent their life with dull working environment. Today, the work force may like to enjoy working. That is possible only when we reinvent our work and make it possible enjoyable for all. We will have to re-fix up our priorities – our duties to our family, our society and our own economic needs must be classified and dealt with accordingly. We must redefine for what purpose we are working and what should be done to accomplish our dreams without hurting others too.

Be Happy – Reinvent your work.

Be Happy – Develop Your Convincing Power.

It is really important for you to develop your convincing power. Your progress very much depends upon your attempts to convince other people that you are going to do something right. If you are able to do so, you can achieve your targets easily. Sometime, it does not happen that in spite of your best efforts, you find yourself unable to convince the target people and you fail in your goals. You feel that someone has brainwashed him or her and that is the reason that in spite of your persuasion, you are not able to get what you wish to do.

Kindly do not get disappointed. If someone has already brainwashed your target people against you, you can overturn the tables by making more effective and anti-brainwashing efforts. You are to diagnose the weak nerves of your target people.

Actually, brainwashing is a term perceived in a negative way. That is why I used anti-brainwashing efforts. If we take this particular term into affirmative sense, we know that sometime brainwashing is required to remove the clutter gathered against someone due to some misunderstanding which can take shape either through the efforts of some vested interests or some confusion not cleared by the affected persons in time.

If we take it without any pre-determination, we find that everyone comes into this world with a clear mind, and a belief that everything is possible. All is positive and well. Remember as a child, you could do and become everything, without any boundaries! At that time, you did not know that a live electric wire can be harmful to you if you touched it knowingly or unknowingly. But once you face a shock, you will take all the precautions.

As we grow up however, we pick up beliefs, fears and limitations from our surroundings and peers that gradually form the personality we are today. Unfortunately the most of these beliefs are negative and as we build our lives they limit us in our actions and being. Very often they, therefore, contribute to unhappiness or feeling unfulfilled in our lives and business.

It can be the smallest -- seemingly harmless -- remark from a mother like "just let me handle that, you are no good at that" that can convince you that you are not good at a certain task. A teacher who calls a pupil "the clumsy one" can do more harm with this remark than he realizes when repeated often enough. With every remark the belief is harnessed further in the child that it indeed is clumsy. Even though a remark is said with a smile or with an intention to be funny, it still leaves a legacy in the belief system.

This programming of course doesn’t stop at adulthood, it keeps influencing people in all stages of life. We are being influenced by our parents, kids, partner, friends, colleagues, television, newspapers, magazines and so on. Sometimes positive, but very often in a negative way. No wonder we limit ourselves in so many ways! Belief is the key to your success. If you belief you can do something, you can. If you belief you can’t do something, you will be right too.

However, we can "reprogram" our mind and replace our negative, limiting beliefs for positive contributing ones. You can do positive brainwashing. This can be done by the use of so called "affirmations". An affirmation is a positive self talk statement, stated in the present tense that covers a goal you want to achieve and that ‘overrules’ negative beliefs towards that goal.

An example is "I easily do 10 sales calls a day". Or "I am an excellent negotiator". By stating this positive affirmation regularly during your day, you will achieve the goal you have set for yourself easier. This positive self talk helps your mind to overcome beliefs that you have about yourself, that limit your success and actions. My Guru says me to compare my mind with a computer: when I change the input, the output will change accordingly. This happens.

So if you have the limiting belief that you are not good in public speaking (probably because of negative experiences in the past) you can actually reprogram your mind by stating the following affirmation: " I am an excellent public speaker. I love to speak for huge audiences and people love to hear me talk". By affirming this belief over and over, you actually start to believe it and your mind will find a way to make this statement a reality. At some stage, you might decide to do a course in public speaking, or someone might ask you to speak at some kind of seminar, which forces you to work on your speaking skills. Somehow, this positive affirmation help you to reach the ‘goal’ you have set for yourself, and open doors for you that would normally would have been kept closed. And this works for virtually everything. Belief, and it will happen.

Imagine that you are standing at the bank of a big river. With a heavy stream. You have to cross it, but you don’t think you can actually do it. Your belief is keeping you from crossing, although you physically should be able to do it easily. It just looks too hard! Then someone else comes up from behind you, and without thinking starts crossing the river and gets to the other side. His belief was positive, and he knew he could do it. The interesting thing is that this will probably influence your belief: "if he can do it, I can do it too" and you will then cross the river without any problem at all if you know a little bit of swimming.

So think about your beliefs, and try to discover which one belief is actually holding you back from reaching your full potential in your life. Then, one by one, start eliminating these beliefs from your system. Formulate a positive affirmation that counters your negative belief, and re-affirm it daily. Write them in your diary, on your bathroom mirror, next to your computer; anywhere you see it often and say the affirmation out loud as often as possible. You will be happily surprised by the results!

Therefore, you need to convince yourself first that you can do something without any difficulty. After finishing your job, you can tell others to do the same thing. Since you might have got your experience before hand, you can convince others also.

Be Happy – Develop Your Convincing Power.

Be Happy – Music Can Cure You.

Music affects living beings. That is why we like it, whatever be the source. Music helps recover from an illness. A series of experiments on animals has shown that a stimulating and an enriching environment can significantly enhance recovery from a stroke though little data are available on humans.

The journal Brain quotes scientists from Finland and Canada reporting on the effect of music on patients recovering from stroke occurring in the left or right hemisphere middle cerebral artery region (causing paralysis and speaking difficulties). In the study 60 stroke patients were randomly assigned one of three groups: listening to music, listening to audio books of their choice and no listening. Each day for two months using a portable CD player, patients recovering music therapy, over six months their neurological recovery was monitored. The results were remarkable. Verbal memory (ability to recall a 10 word list) and focused attention (ability to stay alert for long durations) improved significantly in the music group compared to the others. Based on psychological testing, patients in the music group were less depressed and less confused compared with the patients in the no listening group.

There are several possible reasons for such a dramatic improvement. In a healthy person, music listening activates networks of neurons in the brain leading to an enhancement of attention, memory, motor function and emotion processing. While recovering from a stroke when the neuron are plastic and trying to repair themselves, listening to pleasant music enhances the interconnected networks of the sub-cortical and cortical brain regions resulting in improved long term recovery.

Most stroke patients spend over 70 percent of their recovery time in non-therapeutic activities. Adding music in the rehabilitation periods may provide significant improvement as well as pleasure to the recovery process. Music may also help all of us in our daily routine too. Music is a universal language. It influences all levels of human existence. It is a medium for communication, which can be both a pleasant and healing experience.

Modern science and medicine are now rediscovering the healing powers of music. And music therapy -- the specialized use of music in treating persons with special needs in mental and physical health, rehabilitation and special education - is gaining ground. In the West it is now an accepted form of treatment even within orthodox medical practices.

From time immemorial, music has been a part of Indian culture. In the Vedas too, music has an important place. The 'Samveda' is full of music. The doshas like Vata, Pitta and Kapha can be controlled effectively by Music Therapy. Great composers of Indian classical music have attempted music therapy down the years.

It is believed that music stimulates the pituitary gland, whose secretions affect the nervous system and the flow of blood. It is believed that for healing with music, it is necessary to vibrate the cells of the body, for it is through these vibrations that the diseased person's consciousness can be changed effectively to promote health. The right kind of music helps one relax and refresh. Even during the course of working, light music improves efficiency. Listening to music helps control negative aspects of our personalities like worry, bias and anger. In addition, it can help cure headache, abdominal pain and tension. Music therapy is one of the most effective ways of controlling emotions, blood pressure and restoring the functioning of the liver.

It is believed that classical Indian ragas can benefit a whole host of conditions ranging from insomnia, high and low blood pressure to schizophrenia and epilepsy. It is believed that there are other ragas that can help fight ageing and pain, too.

Music is capable of improving happiness, peace, health and concentration. It is however important to know the method and duration for which Music Therapy is to be administered. This knowledge can be obtained through regular experiments and experience. The first step towards this is the correct diagnosis of the disease and then the selection of the precise raga that will be helpful. Procedure, discipline and a systematic method will help achieve this goal.

Raga and Time

Indian music provides for the assignment of definite times of the day and night for performing Raga melodies. It is believed that only in this period the Raga appears to be at the height of its melodic beauty and majestic splendour. There are many Ragas which are very attractive in the early hours of the mornings; others which appeal in the evenings, yet others which spread their fragrance only near the midnight hour.

This connection of time of the day or night, with the Raga or Raginis is based on daily cycle of changes that occur in our own body and mind which are constantly undergoing subtle changes in that different moments of the day arouse and stimulate different moods and emotions.

Each Raga or Ragini is associated with a definite mood or sentiment that nature arouses in human beings. The ancient musicologists were particularly interested in the effects of musical notes, how it effected and enhanced human behavior. Music had the power to cure, to make you feel happy, sad, disgusted and so on. Extensive research was carried out to find out these effects. This formed the basis of time theory as we know it today.

It is believed that the human body is dominated by the three Doshas - Kaph , Pitta and Vata . These elements work in a cyclic order of rise and fall during the 24 hour period. Also, the reaction of these three elements differ with the seasons. Hence it is said that performing or listening to a raga at the proper allotted time can affect the health of human beings.

Raga and Seasons

There are Ragas associated with the rainy season,Varsha (Raga Megha and Raga Malhar), the autumn season,Basant (Raga Basant) and the spring season (Raga Bahar). Seasonal Ragas can be sung and played any time of the day and night during the season allotted to them. The obligation of time in case of such melodies is relaxed.

Spring Season

In this season, increased kapha is liquified by the heat of sun which causes diminished agni (digestive activity) causing diseases.

Summer Season

In this season, Sunrays become powerful. Kapha decreases vata increases day by day

Autumn Season

Sudden exposed to sunlight after cold season aggravates pita.

Accordingly we should afford musical therapy under an expert’s advice.

Be Happy – Music Can Cure You.

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone (Part 7)

We all wish to become leader in some area. Perhaps none of us may ever like to become follower of someone – it is the human psyche. But for becoming a leader, you need to have good communication skills. If you are not able to communicate your programs, your wishes, your targets, you can not get them accomplished through your team. You cannot be a leader without being a good communicator first.

How Communication Helps To A Leader.

Leadership is of two kinds – the first is an inborn quality while the other is when it is thrust upon you. But in either case, if you want to stay on top as a leader, it is very important to learn how to communicate with people. It is only when you talk with them can you get to know their ideas, which can help you immensely in forming your own opinions, and also tell them your decisions and plans. If you, as a leader, are afraid to speak with the people whom you lead, you will not survive for long in that position. And that is true whether you are the leader of a dozen people or a hundred thousand people.

You need communication skills to stamp your importance.

1. As in all other forms of communication, you have to have one thing – confidence. You have to be confident that you can lead these people. When you are confident, you speak straight. You don’t slur. You don’t repeat things. You don’t mince words. People take you as a straightforward speaker and that helps. Lack of confidence comes across very poorly in communication.

People don’t like speaking with people who don’t know what they are trying to say. It is all right even if you have to mentally rehearse what you will say before the occasion. It helps you stay focused on what you have to say. Don’t speak too hastily or too slowly. Speak confidently. If you are confident about yourself as a person, you will find that your speech automatically improves.

2. Be sure of what you will be telling. If you are sure about that, you won’t find it difficult to tell them what you have to.

3. When you have to announce something, it’s not a very good idea to blurt it out right away. Keep at least one or two sentences of introduction to what you are saying. This will make your audience attentive and it will also help you focus on the main topic that you are going to talk about.

4. Keep things interactive. Allow questions and answers. When people talk, the pressure of keeping talking alone isn’t on you. You can even take a moment’s breather from time to time to collect yourself. Listening to others gives you a great break in the conversation where you can reflect on what you have to say further. But, more importantly, it helps you strike a better chord with the others because they feel that you are sensitive to them. Just going on blabbing about yourself doesn’t help you much.

5. Conversations become successful only when you are able to hold the listener’s interest. You might be speaking with ten different people every day. Do you think the same things interest all ten of them? If you can understand what people like and then talk in related realms, it really helps. To be able to do this, you will also need a good memory. You will need to remember what different people like and speak with them accordingly. But it will all pay off in the end.

6. Be friendly with your team. You may think being too friendly is nonproductive, but it actually works. When you are friendly with your team, you aren’t intimidated about speaking with them.

Once you have spoken your first few words, you will find that the speaking process itself isn’t so difficult anymore - you will find that speaking is a really beautiful thing. It is educational, it is entertaining and it brings you closer to people. But you have to start speaking for all of that to happen. You now know how you can begin doing that, whether it is for a date or an autograph. Or, speaking on stage in front of a thousand people!

You need to understand that since maintaining a leadership is a continuous process it pegs on various factors; speaking is just one part of it. You must continue to learn how to talk well with anyone.

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone.

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone (Part 6)

Ever, have you got an opportunity to speak with some famous person all of sudden? How did you feel on such meeting? Your heart-beat can be abnormal then or you can take it smoothly. It depends upon the level of your confidence. There can be some difference in the level also if you are meeting one to one or you are meeting in a crowd.

It can be very nerve-wracking for most people to go up to a celebrity and speak with them. I feel if you consider the following you may perhaps be able to take care:

1. You may keep the realization alive that the person who is the object of your desire is also human, just as you are. They also suffer from the same kinds of emotional upheavals as we do. Probably they want someone to talk to as well. When you think this way, approaching them for a conversation becomes much easier.

2. You must also remember that celebrities love talking. Given half a chance, and if nothing is not occupying their mind currently, they will start talking with you.

3. You begin the conversation by walking up to them, keeping very cool about yourself. Don’t get hyper-excited; most celebrities love this cool approach. It gives them a welcome respite from the screaming and screeching fans that they are usually surrounded with.

4. Open the conversation by mentioning some of the work they have done and what you have liked. Celebrities always like to hear their praise! But be frank, if you want to hear some good words in return. Most celebrities will be able to tell when they are being put on.

5. Ask for an autograph right away. You will probably get one.

6. If you have to deal with a famous person for a longer time such as officially accompany them for an event, even then these rules will apply. The ice-breaker will always be talk about some work they have done. Then you could move on to talking more specific things relating to the event you are both sharing.

Most importantly, remember that celebrities won’t bite your head off and they won’t call security on you all the time as they show in the movies. Even they are interested in what their audience has to say about them and hence they will lend you a good ear. You will be happy to have talked with a celebrity!

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone.

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone (Part 5)

Now-a-days, most of the business activities concentrate upon your way of presentation. That is why it is very important to you to speak with a business client. All you get is a few minutes and you have to impress them in that duration. You have to tackle this, something that seems to be a tall order, whereas the professions differ from business occupations in that they have definite codes of ethics which prescribe and limit the conduct of practitioners in the various contingencies likely to arise.

Sometime, you attend corporate presentations that simply left you cold. Or perhaps you’ve even delivered communications yourself and realized, in retrospect, that you really hadn’t got the measure of your audience and their needs. This is at best frustrating. At worst it is such a huge “turn off” that it can have a negative effect, or even produce an effect that is the exact opposite of the one you had intended.

Whether you need to communicate general day-to-day information or "big news" about major changes in your organization, the best communications start with some good planning.

The first step is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What do they need to know, and want to hear? What’s their preferred way of receiving information? What will stop them listening to what you have to say? And how will you know that they have got the message?

So there’s quite a bit more to good communications than preparing a good memo or presentation! This tool will help you through the preparation steps and so help you create an audience-focused communication plan that’s sure to get your message heard.

Good communication is very much like good marketing. You have a message (product) that you need to 'sell' to your customers. If they are going to 'buy it', you must package the message so that they can understand it and pay attention to it. You must make sure the value and benefit outweigh any downsides (the 'price' you are asking them to pay). And you must reach them through the right communication channels. Then, following the communications (promotion), you must be able to measure the effectiveness and how well the message is 'bought'.

How to Speak with Your Business Clients and Always Win!

It is actually easier to speak with a client than with anyone else because of the fact that the pressure is less since both of you are probably well-versed in your areas and professional people looking for something that can interest both of you, it becomes easier to have the conversation. You can hold better conversations with them. You may consider the following:

1. Remember that clients like to speak a lot about themselves. They will want to tell you what they are looking for, how their business is placed, where you come in, etc. Give them a patient ear. In fact, ask questions to keep them going. It helps you overcome your nervousness in speaking with them and you know more about them, which means you, can review the deal in your mind.

2. Your clients will ask you questions too. Answering them is a good way to open the conversation.

3. Remember that the client probably needs you as much as you need them. You may have competition, but the fact that they have even considered an interview with you means that you have as good a chance as anyone else.

4. When you are speaking with them, speak directly about the business. This is the first thing that a business client likes to hear. The small talk can wait; you can get into that if you see things are warming up.

5. Speak about what you do because that’s what you know best. It also builds your confidence. When you are done, ask them questions that you think they would like to answer.

6. Do not lose your confidence even if the meeting gets rough. Many clients return even after bad meetings. The most important thing is that you keep your chin up and keep answering and asking questions.

7. Talk money afterward. Don’t bring it initially into the picture. When you have fully understood your role in the deal, the talk about money will start.

8. Keep smiling and keep listening to the client. Many times, this is what really works in clinching the deal.

The above suggestions may help to you to deliver and exchange your business talks fruitfully.

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone.

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone (Part 4)

If you are called to lecture a group of people on a subject that you are supposed to be knowledgeable in, there are several things that can come in the way. One of them is the nervousness of having to speak with a crowd. So far you have been feeling yourself very confident whenever you got an opportunity of talking in a family meeting. You knew your audience very well and they knew your nature. They know when to promote you. They can divert your attention without hurting you. But when you are exposed to speak to the gathering of the persons you do not know before hand, you can get nervous. It happens with many persons.

Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners. But it is a nightmare for most people when it is extempore. Things can go very wrong if you aren’t prepared for delivering your views that you have been called for. You can become a laughing stock. That can be improved, just you need to keep yourself ready every time.

In public speaking, we usually find five basic elements:

1. Who is saying?

2. What?

3. To whom ?

4. Using what medium?

5. With what effects?

The purpose of public speaking can range from simply transmitting information, to motivating people to act, to simply telling a story. Good orators change the emotions of their listeners to deliver their message. Public speaking embraces motivational speaking, leadership/personal development, business, customer service, large group communication, and mass communication. It can be a powerful tool to use for purposes such as exerting influence, persuasion, informing, translation, or simply entertaining.

You would be surprised to know that a lot of eminent public speakers still mention about their stage-fright. We are social animals, but when it comes to facing a crowd in a commanding manner, many of us falter. We may take care as follow:

1. The first thing you must do is practice. You must go through the topic you are going to speak about several times over. If you are called to speak on something extempore, this can’t be done, but let us assume you have a notice, however short it is. Rehearse the speech in your mind.

2. While rehearsing, you must actually mentally place yourself on the stage. Don’t think about the empty walls that surround you right now, think about the several eager ears that will be sitting in front of you. This puts new pep into your practicing and actually motivates you to practice more.

3. The first sentence is your ice-breaker here. If you deliver it well, the rest of the speech usually becomes a breeze. Make sure you practice it the most.

4. Now, keep one thing in mind. Your audience is very much interested in hearing what you have to say. They aren’t going to heckle you. In fact, they will encourage you by giving applause or a laugh at the right moment. Understand that your audience is with you – they are probably considering you are superior to them because you are the one talking.

5. Always keep a few great jokes ready, especially to tell them at the start. When you see your audience laughing at what you say, you feel more relaxed. The nervousness tides away.

6. Focus on what you are trying to say, not on your words. This is extremely important. It is all right if you slur some words or if some words come out of your mouth ungrammatically. What’s important is that your message should be conveyed.

7. If you make a mistake or if you have a slip-up, there is no need to be apologetic. Your audience is human; they understand such things. In most cases, people don’t even notice small speech errors.

8. Keep practicing. Don’t let any opportunity to speak to a crowd pass you by. When you speak more, you are able to deliver better.

9. Think of yourself as important and you will be able to do a lot better. For that, you will need confidence; you will need to know your self-worth. Confidence is of paramount importance. In fact, there is no reason why you shouldn’t be confident. When you are speaking to some people, those people are seeking to understand something and they feel that you are the one with the knowledge. Automatically, you are at a more superior pedestal than they are. They trust in you already, to an extent.

10. You should make your stepping over the stage with flair. The audience should know that an important personality, not just another ordinary man, is about to deliver his views, has entered. Dress well and carry yourself with grace. A good stepping marks the beginning of a good speech.

11. Don’t just bombard them with your name. It is a better idea to tell them what you are going to tell them on, give them a few lines of what they should expect to be doing during your speech and then give your name.

12. Speaking of interaction, keep your speech interactive. You will find that you can communicate to a much greater degree that way. Ask them simple things, like their opinion on a particular point, what they would have done if they were in place of the subject and so on. Make them think, make them ponder. That keeps them away from judging you. It keeps them engrossed.

13. Be thorough with what you will be speaking out. You should know your subject inside-out, especially if you are going to allow them to ask questions at the end.

14. It is all right to take pauses in the course of your speaking. In fact, that’s one advantage of keeping your talking interactive. During the short intervals you give them to think, you can take a moment to gather yourself.

15. You may close with confidence too. Summarize all the points of your speech, because your audience will be more alert toward the end than they were during it, and sign off with a smile.

Since public speaking gains a lot, I hope that you will take it more seriously.

Be Happy – Talk Well With Anyone.