Sandeep Navale Lakshman Rao

100 Wise Tips To Feel Better Fast: | Rejuvenation Lounge

2010-12-07T17:55:00.000+05:30

100 wise tips to feel better naturally:

1: Give your intuition a louder voice: Don’t let other people’s opinions and judgments drown out your own voice. Stay true to you and strengthen your connection to your inner wise voice.

* 8 ways to strengthen your intuition:

2: De-stress: Place both hands on your heart. Breath in and out from your heart for 10 seconds. This will get you out of your head and back into your body and allow you to come back to your center.

3: My personal top 5 health tips: Breath into your belly, drink plenty of water, move, eat for energy and meditate.

4: Yoga detox tea: 1/4 tsp coriander seeds, 1/4 tsp of cummin seeds and 1/4tsp of fennel seeds. Mix with 1.5 litres of hot water. Sip throughout the day. (Note: This recipe was given to me by my Ayurvedic practitioner. I make this tea in my thermos each morning, so I can carry it everywhere with me)

5: Focus on relaxing all parts of your head: It will trigger the rest of your body to follow. Soften and relax your forehead, eyeballs, teeth, cheek muscles, tongue and jaw. Read: The lazy way to dissolve your fatigue

6: Cancel a complaining thought: Each time you catch yourself complaining, spend thirty seconds focusing on the opposite and increase your ratio between helpful and unhelpful thoughts.

7: Sleep Better: Let your bedroom breathe. Simplify with less busyness, less furniture, less storage, less ornaments & less nick knacks

8: A natural de-stressor:

“Chew your vegetables. It releases four times more serotonin” David Wolfe

9: Slow yourself down: Start listening to your thoughts in slow motion.

10: Stop wasting energy on other people’s business: Remember Byron Katie’s rule – There are 3 types of business. Your business, other peoples business and god’s business. Stick to your own business.

11: Sip hot water: It removes toxins, has a hormone balancing effect and warms your digestive organs.

12: Tension buster: Take a deep breath in, open your mouth, stick out your tongue, now ‘let it all go” by saying aaaah! Feel the release from your jaw, neck and face muscles.

13: Take a chill pill: Close and soften your eyes, relax your tongue, unlock your jaw, now cup your hands over your ears, and listen to the sounds of the ocean playing inside your head.

14: Sedate your nerves with music: Dr. Emoto shares, that by listening to the Blue Danube, it will nourish your central nervous system: Read more about it here:http://tinyurl.com/5uz4gf

15: Soak your tension away: Treat yourself to a healing bath: I cup of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) added to your bath water will relax your nervous system, draw out toxins, relax muscles and even reduce swelling.

16: Un-hunch shoulders: Hunched shoulders block the flow of blood to your brain, hold in stress and can restrict your breathing. Un-hunch your shoulders and feel your neck and spine lengthen.

17: Stop holding stress in your face: Are you frowning, squinting, clenching teeth or have a tense jaw? Then smile, and let all that worry, stress and tension go.

18: Headache buster: Hold this finger yoga posture for 3 – 6 minutes. Join the tips of your thumb, index and middle finger. Fold your ring finger into the base of your thumb. Extend your little finger. Relax hands on top of your knees.

19: De-stress your eyes: Try some Chinese acupressure. Place your thumb and first finger, either side of the top of your nose, where your eye brows start. Close your eyes and hold firm pressure for a few minutes.

20: Calm yourself before bed: Dab the essential oil “vetiver’ onto the souls of your feet. Vetiver has a grounding and soothing effect on your nervous system.

21: Eat your water: Fruit is 90% water. Grapes and oranges can be as high as 98% water content.

22: Natures sports drink: Watermelon, cucumber, honeydew and cantaloupe are an excellent sources of water, sugar and electrolytes. Alternately here’s a homemade organic sports drink recipe from Dr Nicole Sundene

23: Add a slice of lemon: In case you get bored with the taste of water add a slice of lemon or lime. Studies have shown that children drink 45% more water when flavoured.

24: Is your stuff draining your energy? Your stuff can be a burden, suck your time, money, energy and consume your focus (more than you think). Less is best.

25: Check in with your body: If you are too busy living “in your head” you can easily forget about the basic needs of your body. Stop, breath and ask your body if its thirty, hungry, needs a stretch or walk.

26: Dehydration facts: A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy thinking. Lack of water is the number one reason for day time fatigue.

27: The power of water: Water is essential for carrying waste material out of the body. It’s involved in nearly every bodily process including digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion. It’s vital in transporting nutrients throughout the body.

28: Boost the Qi in your home: Cleanse arguments, sickness and stagnant energy with a sage smudge stick. (Note: I have personally used white sage now successfully for over 20 years)

29: Suffering from overeating. Kneel in-between your heels with hands on your lap for 10 minutes. This yoga pose is called virasana. Use a blanket to sit on or for your knees, if you need too.

30: Carry a water bottle: One of the simplest ways to keep a fresh supply of water flowing throughout your muscles, blood, brain and bones is to carry a water bottle everywhere with you.

31: A Simple Meditation: Breath in through your nose and tell your mind to stay focused on your breath.

32: Is your back aching? Try a yoga pose called, legs-up-wall, for 10 minutes. Its also great if you have been standing for too long: http://tinyurl.com/5b8rma

33: Lose the frown: All it takes is less than 30 seconds to turn a frown into a smile.

34: Touch is healing: Ayurvedic medicine believes a daily self massage offers many well-being benefits to your body and mind. Read more: You deserve a daily self massage.

35: Start with an easy meditation style: Try the very enjoyable walking meditation.

36: Tests have shown that meditation can be more effective than a nap in improving performance and concentration.

37: Strengthen Your Focus: A daily meditation break, sharpens your concentration powers. Focus on your breath, a word or mantra for 5 minutes and notice the difference.

38: Remember to breath: On an average we have 26,000 breaths a day. How many are you aware of ?

39: “Time a stick of incense. Once you know how long it takes to burn, you can use it to determine the lengths of your meditation sessions” Helen Tworkov

40: Chinese acupressure tip for constipation: Massage your index finger from its tip right down to the base. If you have diarrhea then massage from its base up to the tip: (Note:You are stimulating the meridans by using your fingers. A positive effect should be felt after several minutes)

41: Try the Bon Jovi Yoga chant: Sanskrit chants are awesome but this one is so full of joy and fun http://tinyurl…

42: Have your feet touched grass today? Many people feeling scattered have not touched any grass, earth or sand in days with their feet – only concrete and floors.

43. Strengthen your immune system: Laughter really is the best medicine. Visit the Mumbai yoga laughter club just for a minute. http://tinyurl.com/3a9bkq

44. Flick off other peoples stresses: Carry a piece of the crystal smoky quartz in your pocket or handbag. It will help absorb negativity.

45. Hand Yoga for Patience: Place the tip of the middle finger onto the tip of the thumb. It creates a flow of energy which promotes patience.

46. Eating water is better than drinking it: Water content of most fruit and vegetables is over 90%. Grapes and oranges can be as high as 98%

47. Stress Relief: It’s proven scientifically, playing the Blue Danube will nourish your central nervous system:http://tinyurl…

48. Conscious Breathing: Breathing in “I am calm”, breathing out “I soften” Repeat to the rhythm of your breath.

49. Instant Chilling Out: Inhale for 3-5 seconds then exhale for 3-5 seconds through your nose. Drop your shoulders then open your heart. Allow.

50. Enter your day consciously while still lying in bed and set the tone for your day. Try some wake up yoga in bed:http://tinyurl.com/5z6m9s

51: Reduce caffeine intake: Swap one cup of tea or coffee a day for a delicious mug of miso soup. It is highly nutritious and can be made in an instant.

52: “Life is like a mirror, you get the best results when you smile at it” Unknown

53: Strengthen your boundaries: Love yourself enough to say no to others’ demands on your time and energy. Stop, step back & reassess the situation.

54: Appreciate your hands: Your hands are a mirror for your body. Massage your fingers, joints, palms and back of hand for 5 minutes and your organs and body will benefit.

55: It’s time to turn your back to the world: Rest your heart, dissolve your worries and calm your nervous system with this simple yoga pose.http://tinyurl.com/6gcegc

56: Deep breathers tend to live longer: They are generally healthier and more relaxed. Take three deep, gentle slow breaths right now. Never force.

57: Breath is the movement of thought: Relaxed breathing equals calm thoughts. Short quick breathing equals busy thoughts.

58: Four great reasons to eat kiwi fruit: More potassium than a banana, 240% of daily recommended intake of Vitamin C, potent source of Vitamin E and low in fat

59: There are 11 different kinds of breathing: Noisy/quiet, fast/slow, regular/irregular, jerky/smooth, deep/shallow, mouth/nose, forced/effortless, high/middle/low etc.

60. Be kinder to yourself: Think kinder thoughts about yourself. Eat foods that are kinder to your body. Allow yourself to rest.

61. Invite serenity: Make a fist with your hands, wrap fingers over thumbs. The tighter you squeeze your thumbs the deeper & calmer your breath will be and the quieter your mind will become.

62. ” Smile, breathe and go slowly” by Thich Nhat Hanh

63. Breathing wisdom: Don’t pull your stomach in when you inhale as it reduces your oxygen intake. Your abdomen should expand and soften with each inhale.

64. “Everything has its beauty but not everyone sees it” Confucius

65. Is the way you are breathing making you sick or stealing your energy? Take afree breathing test now:

66. Quality belly breathing: Gently place hands on your belly. You should be able to feel it soften, rise and expand with each inhale.

67. Improve your sleep: Clear the clutter from under your bed, remove all electrical gadgets, computers, exercise equipment and work papers.

68. Inspirational quote: “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life” Confucius

69. Smile into your organs. It’s very healing to smile into your heart, then smile into your liver, kidneys and lungs.

70. Dissolve anger: Breathe into your liver and feel the anger dissolve anger with each exhale.

71: Adjust the speed of your day: Take some time out and notice if you are rushing. Go for a walk or use your breath to slow yourself down.

72: Do nothing for 30 seconds. Put some space between you and your hectic schedule

73: Tranquilize yourself: Slow your breathing down. Breathing deeply into your belly, through your nose will calm your nervous system. Your breath is a great tool for relaxation:

74: Zen eating: Enjoy the benefits of eating sitting down in a quiet space.. Walk away from your computer, turn off the TV and don’t read or talk. Feel the difference.

75: Stop regularly and notice the bigger picture of life. Pause, breath, feel your body and observe what you see, hear, touch, taste and smell around you.

76: Reward your body: Five minutes in a relaxing and very easy yoga pose will reduce fatigue, tension and lower blood pressure: http://tinyurl.com/54v6t3 All you need is a floor, blanket and an eye bag

77: Calm yourself down: Close your eyes. The eyes are linked to your nervous system. By softening your eyes you can trigger the relaxation of your entire body.

78: Push away negativity and stress: Spend longer on your exhales and give yourself some much needed space.

79: Swap the butter on your toast for tahini, avocado or nut paste. I mix my tahini with local bush honey. Tahini is sesame seed paste packed with lots of good stuff

80: Are you stressed? Check your face. Are you frowning, squinting, clenching teeth, jaw or pursing lips? Smile, breath and relax your face muscles.

81: Start 3 green habits today: Switch your plastic coat hangers to bamboo, switch plastic storage containers for glass and switch plastic pegs for wooden.

82: Push away the flu: Repeat the mantra: “Every cell in my body is loved and healthy”. Feed your body with healthy thoughts not fear.

83: Have you been way too serious lately? Go ahead, be spontaneous? Start skipping, eat ice cream for breakfast or hug the next person you see.

84: Notice your full breath cycle: Experience the slight pause at the end of each exhale and before your next inhale begins.

85: Be kinder to your sleep. Your bedroom is not a multi purpose room. Calm, relax and de-stress its energy http://tinyurl.com/5t9qlq

86: Be kinder to your nervous system: Calm your nervous system regular by allowing 2 minute “priority you” time every hour. Stop, breath and rest.

87: Be kinder to your eyes: Don’t stare for hours at a screen. Give your eyes healthy doses of natural light, sunshine and movement(other than staring). Also treat your eyes to deep rest with a yoga eye pillow.

88: Stop holding your breath: It reduces oxygen flow to your body and tightens your chest, face, jaw and throat. Remember to breath.

89: Invite more pleasure: Treat yourself to a chocolate facial. Organic cacao powder is extremely high in magnesium which an excellent stress protector.

90: Protect yourself from other people’s stresses: Pop a piece of smoky quartz or black tourmaline in your bra: http://tinyurl.com/5be5gt

91: Hug therapy: 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance, 12 hugs a day for growth:

92: Toe hugs are “in”. Whilst at your computer, grab your foot & place your fingers in between your toes. Now hug, stretch and wiggle your toes and foot.

93: Get unstuck: Always keep a copy of your favorite inspirational book close by. Open randomly and read a few paragraphs to bring relief to your current situation

94: Hug wisdom: Hugs lasting over 20 seconds create more trust.

95: Slow yourself down: Focus your mind on just one thing/object for the next 30 seconds. A calm mind can focus, a rushed mind cannot.

96: Avoid toxic people: Do your best to limit yourself to people who love drama and gossip, particularly when you are feeling fragile and exhausted.

97: Lift your worries with a Buddhist kindness prayer: “May I be free of worry, May I be well, May I feel safe and at ease, May I be at peace”

98: Linger longer in a hug. A hug fuels your heart with all the good stuff and nourishes your sense of touch. Feel the healing power of a hug.

99: Buy a tongue scraper: Scrape tongue 6 times first thing in the morning to remove the toxins and bacteria that has formed on your tongue overnight.

100: “T he more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” Confucius

7 Powerful Reasons Why You Should Write Things Down

2010-10-26T11:20:00.001+05:30

7 Powerful Reasons Why You Should Write Things Down: "

Image by mezone (license).

“When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools.”

Michael Leboeuf

“Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.”

Francis Bacon, Sr.

One of the simplest but most powerful habits I have established in my life in the past few years is to write things down. Why is it so important?

1. If your memory is anything like mine it’s like a leaking bucket.

Since I’ve started to write things down more often I have also noticed when reviewing old notes how much my memory can leak. The memory isn’t very reliable. Every time we remember something we recreate what happened rather than just replay a film from our mental archives. The recreation is directed by a number of things such our beliefs, our emotional state at the time and our self-image.

What you remember about an event may differ quite a bit from what someone else remembers. There is a wide variety of interpretations of reality. And then when you try to remember that interpretation of an event later on it can change even more. So we need some kind of system outside of ourselves.

2. Ideas don’t stay for long.

Fine or awesome ideas can pop up at the strangest times but they tend to not stay for long in your head. So you need to capture them fast or they are gone in the wind.

3. Written goals are very important.

One thing a lot of very successful self improvement writers – Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar and so on – go on and on about is the importance of having written goals. A written goal brings clarity and focus. It gives you a direction. And by rewriting your goals you not only reaffirm what your goals are.You may also find new insights that bring more clarity and focus to your goal and life.

A written goal is also a powerful reminder that you can use to keep yourself on the right track when you feel stressed and may consider making hasty decisions.

4. To remind yourself of what to focus on. Often we get caught up in our everyday business and lose track of what is most important. To keep yourself on track – instead of just keeping yourself busy with low-priority tasks – simply write down a reminder that can stop your thoughts when you see it and guide you back on track again. It can for example be your current major goal. I also like reminders like: “is this useful?” and “what is the most important thing I can do right now?” Write down your reminder and put that reminder where you can’t avoid seeing throughout your day.

5. Unloading your mental RAM. When you don’t occupy your mind with having to remember every little thing – like how much milk to get – you become less stressed and it becomes easier to think clearly. This is, in my opinion, one of the most important reasons to write things down. Feeling calmer and more relaxed does not only improves your health but also makes life easier and more smooth and effective.

6. Clearer thinking. You can’t hold that many thoughts in your head at once. If you want to solve a problem it can be helpful to write down your thoughts, facts and feelings about it. Then you don’t have to use your for mind for remembering, you can instead use it to think more clearly. Having it all written down gives you an overview and makes it easier to find new connections that can help you solve the problem.

7. Get to know yourself and your life better and improve long-term focus on what’s important. You can use a journal as a way to keep an overview of your thinking over a longer time span and to recognize both positives and negatives in your thinking and actions.

You may, for example, think of yourself as a healthy person but realize when you read through your journal that you have only been out running four times this month. Or perhaps you have an image of your life going pretty well but discover when reading through your notes for the last month that you are negative about your job or a relationship in almost every entry.

By writing things down you can help yourself to spot trouble and get yourself back on track and keep yourself there within a larger timeframe. Or your journal may tell you something that you haven’t really paid much attention to about yourself and/or about your life. And so this can bring clarity.

So those are seven of the most important reasons why I write everything down. How to capture your thoughts? Well, that’s up to you.

15 Clever Things To Know About Your Breathing

2010-08-26T17:47:00.001+05:30

15 Clever Things To Know About Your Breathing:

“The True Man breathes with his heels; the mass of men breathe with their throats” By Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu

I’ve got some awesome news for you. Your breath is a potent healing and rejuvenation tool that responds in an instant to your personal command.

You can easily, and I mean easily, invite more pockets of relaxation into your day simply by checking in with the flow of your breath. Too easy.

Photo by transguyhay’s

The following 15 tips are drawn from all the tai chi, yoga, huna, qi gong and other energy classes I have taken over the past 20 years.

In addition there are a couple of great books I’ve been thoroughly absorbing myself in over the past month:

1 – The Tao of Natural Breathing: By Dennis Lewis:

2 – Free Your Breath, Free Your Life: By Dennis Lewis.

Both books have been an awesome wealth of additional wisdom on breathing.

15 clever things to know about your breathing:

Your breath is the first thing to respond in your body: Your breath will respond and adjust according to what you are thinking, feeling, observing, hearing, tasting, touching, sensing or experiencing at the time. It is intimately connected to your physical, emotional and spiritual state.

Check the depth of your inhale: Does your normal inhale only reach the middle or upper area of your chest? Or is your normal inhale even shorter stopping around your shoulder, neck and throat area? This is a great place to start developing a greater understanding of your breath by focusing on the depth of your inhale. A full inhale should fill your lungs and expand your abdomen. Place your hands onto either side of your lower ribs … feel them expand with each inhale. Then place your hands onto your belly and feel it rise and fall with each breath.
Let it go and move on with a releasing exhale: An extended exhale in times of stress pushes any drama, confusion and upset away from you. Short, quick, shallow breathes will bring any stress and drama closer to you. By slowing and deepening your breath, you create a healthy distance between you and whatever is going on around you. A deep releasing exhale will support you letting it go and moving on. Yeah!

70% of waste is eliminated through your lungs: I thought I knew quite allot about the basics of the human body. It wasn’t until I started reading the Tao Of Breathing by Dennis Lewis that I discovered something I did not know. 70% of our body’s waste products are eliminated via our lungs and the rest through the urine, skin and feces. When the efficiency of our lungs is reduced due to poor breathing less oxygen is available to our cells, it slows down the flow of blood which carries wastes from the kidneys and lungs. Our lymphatic system which fights off viral and bacterial invaders is weakened along with a slower digestive process.

Your breathing habits influence the flow of your day: Jerky, shallow, fast, constricted or tight breathing reflects that you live your days in a constantstressed out – push and pull state. You tend to overreact to that which is happening around you and waste your precious energy unnecessarily. Your days are rushed, and time is always an issue. You have forgotten how to relax, be still and receive. Reverse your breathing habits to experience a different flow to your day.

Quality breathing can release fear, anger and sadness: Your breath will become disturbed when experiencing stressful emotions. To prevent these unwanted emotions from being pushed down and trapped in your body, simply breathe into your organs. When I studied Qi Gong we were taught to breathe into our organs. This, I must say was a life changing moment for me. I received enormous benefits almost immediately. Breathe into your lungs to remove sadness and grief. Breathe into your kidneys to dissolve fear. Breathe into your liver to dissolve anger. Breathe into your heart to open yourself up to more loving experiences. Breathe in gently and deeply (never forced) to invite healthy energy into your organs, now consciously feel the stressful emotion flow out of your body with each exhale.

Your nose is for breathing and the mouth for eating: Whether I’m doingyoga, tai chi or qi gong all my teachers have recommended to breathe in and outthrough my nose. After spending the past few months researching breath in greater depth I have not come across anyone suggesting otherwise. One important reason which many experts share is that nose breathing corrects the balance of oxygen and dioxide in our blood.

Your breath activates your nervous system: When the sympathetic nervous system is activated you are living life with the “accelerator” on full throttle all the time. You are in “fight or flight” mode and constantly releasing stress into your body. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system is like putting the “brake on” to life. It helps slow your body down which in turn allows restoration and rejuvenation. The key to activating your parasympathetic nervous system is to place your full attention onto your breath. Close your eyes and allow your breath to slow down relax and become gentle. Let your whole body absorb your now gentle breath. Another great way to activate your parasympathetic nervous system is to practice a little restorative yoga for as little as 5 minutes withchilds pose or legs up the wall.

Experience the pause after your exhale: Take time to marinate with your breath. Don’t force anything or rush straight into your next breath. Notice the very natural stillness and slight pause after each exhale. Infuse gentleness into your breathing. Marinate for a moment with its nourishing flow. Don’t push your next breath into the future, particularly if you haven’t even got there yourself. Become present, live in the now and experience the pause after your next exhale. There is a pocket of peace to be found in that pause.

Your body can’t relax if your mind and breath are racing: Your thoughts are directly linked to the quality of your breathing. Busy, overactive thinking often means short, shallow and quick breathes. By focusing on calming your mind you will automatically be calming your breath and in turn relaxing your body. Meditation is an awesome way to calm your mind. Another option is to turn your back to the world for a few minutes. This very simple yoga pose that forces your mind to surrender. Your breath and thoughts have no choice, but to slow down.

A conscious exhale removes toxins from your body: Spending longer on your exhale through your nose will remove old, stuck or stagnant carbon dioxide from the very bottom of your lungs, along with toxic bi-products the body has produced. In addition, a deep sign (strong exhale) is often a release of worries and heavy thoughts. A good exhale can help you let it go emotionally and physically.

Experience a yogic breath: Anyone who practices yoga with be familiar with the 3 main stages of yogic breathing. Lying comfortably on your back or sitting up in a chair inhale. Firstly notice your collar bones and upper part of your chest expand, then follow the inhale down by placing a hand on either side of your ribs and feel them expand. Lastly place your hands gently on your belly/abdomen area and notice the rise and fall of your tummy

Pulling your stomach in reduces your oxygen intake: One of the main benefits of breathing of course is to invite loads of oxygen into your body. Restricting your oxygen intake comprises the health of your body. To invite oxygen deep into your abdomen, diaphragm area keep your belly soft, relaxed and open. Touch and massage it frequently as your belly is the very centre of your breath. Many ancient traditions such as Taoism believe we can accumulate and store energy in our belly area. It is often known as our seat of power.

Breathing is not just for your lungs its for your whole body: You can consciously choose to direct the flow of your breath into absolutely any part of your body, for whatever purpose. Improve energy flow, dissolve tension, release a build up of pressure in your head area, ground you, energerzie you, de-stress you or to simply send smiles into all your organs. I ‘m prone to being vague and spacey. To ground myself I often imagine my breathe flowing down into my legs, feet, toes and then into the ground. It helps me come back into my body.

Shallow breathing causes memory loss: The Taoists believe that loss of oxygen though shallow breathing ie. your inhale only goes as deep as your throat or top of your lungs, is the primary cause of memory loss in the elderly. Not sure how true this is, and I can’t even remember where I read it but, nevertheless I included it anyway as it certainly got me thinking. Worth exploring.

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2010-07-04T18:18:00.000+05:30

50 Lifehacks to Help You Live Longer and Healthier

by Kyle Tuttle

Photo by mikebaird

With all the work that’s put into fitness and health, it’s a wonder how some people manage to have lives outside of work and exercise.

A healthy lifestyle can be a pretty hard thing to achieve. There seems to be so much micromanaging involved, from scheduling your workouts to tracking your diet for calories, carbs, proteins, and fats.

That’s what lifehacks are for. Lifehacks act as your own personal shortcuts to a healthier lifestyle. These simple, out-of-the-box methods for improving the quality of your life are everywhere; you just have to know where to look. Here are 50 such lifehacks designed to keep you in tip-top shape, as well as improve your emotional and mental health:

Diet and Nutrition

Fifteen Negative Calorie Foods — You’d be surprised to know that some foods actually burn more calories than they contain. If you’re watching your weight and need to manage your calories, you’ll be glad to know that you can do so while snacking. These negative calorie foods, such as celery, apples, and watermelons, can be found in just about every grocery, making dieting easy and delicious.
Get the Most out of Carrots by Cooking Them Whole — Research has proven that carrots are rich in nutrients like vitamin A. Research also shows that cooking carrots whole, rather than chopped or diced, preserves more of the nutrients locked within. Cooking them whole also allows them to keep more of their flavour, making them good for both your health and your taste buds.
Eating Slowly can Help You Lose Weight, among Other Things — It can take a bit of a while for your brain to register the sensation of being full, so eating at a slow and steady pace helps make sure that your brain and stomach are on the same page, reducing the chances of overeating. And that’s just one of the many benefits taking your time while eating can bring you.
Enjoy the Benefits of Wine without the Alcohol — Red wine has long been touted as a healthy beverage when drunk in moderation. However, we all know it’s pretty tough to drink a good bottle of wine in moderation. Thankfully, good old red grape juice can provide most of the health benefits of red wine, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while keeping alcohol out of your system.
Tea is Healthier than Water — Speaking of drinks, research has shown that tea can actually be healthier than water. While water is great at replenishing your body’s fluids, tea does the same job while adding in some antioxidants to boot. While some people might argue that the caffeine in tea gives it dehydrating properties, experts agree that the net gain of fluids is more than substantial enough despite the caffeine.
Five Essential Weight Loss Foods — The easiest way to lose weight is to cut down on how much you eat. However, starvation diets are for the most part incredibly unhealthy. The proper way to lose weight is through a proper, balanced diet and exercise. These five foods provide ample nutrition even as you trim your portions.
The 33 Healthiest Foods on Earth — You know the old adage — “you are what you eat”. If you’re looking to be really healthy, then, it’s a good idea to load up on some really healthy food. Included in the list of the 33 healthiest foods on the planet are asparagus, butternut squash, and papaya. Incorporating these foods into your diet will not only make you feel better, but you’ll probably live longer, too.
The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating — A lot of nutritionists seem to recommend the same foods, and with good reason — these recommendations are based on years of scientific research for their nutritional value. However, a few gems, like beets and sardines, are often overlooked despite their numerous health benefits. Get the low-down on these foods that are low in popularity, but high in health.
12 Tips to Drink 8 Cups a Day — Doctors recommend drinking at least 8 cups of water a day to maintain optimum health. However, this is often easier said than done. Some people lose track of how much they drink, others don’t really drink that much in a single day, while others still just don’t like water. Here are 12 tips to help you get your daily dose of H2O with ease.
Making Healthier Choices with Fast Food — Some people would say that fast food is unavoidable; few individuals can resist the call of all those delicious, empty carbs. While you can’t make fast food healthy per se, you can at least make healthier choices with the fast food you eat. A few tips on how to pick more healthful items on fast food menus will help reduce the guilt while giving you that same satisfying feeling.

Fitness and Exercise

Recording Yourself Helps Increase Your Reps — Exercise is half mental — you’ve got to stay focused and dedicated to your workout if you want any results. For most people, the hardest part of working out is the motivation; people get lazy doing reps. You can trick yourself into doing a few extra reps by filming yourself as you work out. We all have a tendency to over-perform when we know we’re on camera, and the same follows as we exercise.
Hindu Push-up — Have many times have you thought to yourself, “wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to combine yoga with push-ups?” Maybe never, but this variation on the push-up does just that. It mixes up the great upper body workout provided by a push-up with the excellent muscle stretching of a yoga pose. Beginners should be careful — this exercise may be a little bit harder to pull off than it looks.
NEAT Activities to Burn Calories — Short for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, NEAT activities do exactly what they sound like — help you burn calories without really exercising. Calories are, in the most basic terms, what your body uses for energy. By using up the excess energy with simple movements, you end up burning off some calories. By increasing the number of times you do little gestures like tapping your fingers or wiggling your feet, you can burn up to 350 calories a day!
Fight Off Carpal Tunnel with a Few Simple Desk Exercises — Most office workers today spend a lot of time at their computers, increasing the risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome. With a few simple exercises, though, you can reduce the strain on your carpals and lessen the chances of developing the condition. The exercises are easy enough to do at your desk, and can be done while on the job.
Add More to Your Squats by Using a Pillow — If you think about it, exercises work by increasing the strain on your body. The only way to get stronger muscles is to give them a hard time. You can make your squats a little more difficult (which makes them a little more effective at the same time) by standing on a pillow and throwing your balance off.
Learn What Your Foot Type is Before Buying Running Shoes — The speed and distance you run can be significantly affected by how comfortable your feet are. After all, it’s pretty hard to keep pace when you feel like you’re dying from the ankle down. Before you spend your hard-earned cash on some high-tech running shoes, remember that not all feet are made the same; some people are flat-footed, while some have high arches. Different shoes are just made to fit better with different types of feet, and getting the right type of running shoes can mean a world of difference when it comes to comfort.
Watching TV can Help You Lose Weight — Television gets a bad rap for getting people out of shape. After all, most individuals just sit in front of it all day without getting a minute of exercise. You can use TV’s ability to mesmerize you to your fitness advantage by watching your favourite shows as you’re exercising. TV provides a great distraction to the aches and pains of your workout, and may even make it seem a little fun.
13 Tips to Actually Enjoy Exercising — Who said workouts have to feel like work? Boost your motivation by applying these simple tips to make exercise fun for a change. As long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing, the all-consuming desire to getting off the treadmill and resume a state of vegetation seems to fly away.
Ditch the Crunches; Do Push-ups Instead — As anyone who’s ever done a lot of crunches will tell you — they give you a lot of back pain. The human body just wasn’t meant to move like that. Instead of risking long-term back injury in your quest for washboard abs, try upping the amount of push-ups you do instead. The position your body is in as you do push-ups puts a little bit of strain on your abdominal muscles, too, giving them a substantial workout.
Getting Fit with Minimal Equipment — Going to the gym is a great way to stay fit, but it can be both bothersome and expensive. Unfortunately, you probably find yourself going there because you just don’t have the right equipment for your workouts. These exercises will help you stay in shape with little to no use of equipment at all.
Five Quick Exercises You can Do at Your Desk — It’s a pretty common excuse: “I don’t go to the gym because I don’t have the time.” Of course, for some of those who say it, it’s a valid excuse. If you’re one of those unfortunate enough to have their exercise time swallowed alive by work, here are a few exercises that are simple and easy enough to do right at your desk.
Improve Muscle Tone with 10 Minutes of Exercise a Day — It’s a busy, busy world these days, and the quest for the all-mighty dollar has people scrambling for time. Between work, sleep, and recreational time, there’s not much space left for exercise. However, with a few guidelines and some basic exercises, you can squeeze a quality workout into ten minutes’ time.

Mental Wellness

Boost Your Brain’s Health with Loud Music — Sure, our mothers might have gotten on our backs once or twice before for having our earphones on too loud, but you’d be surprised to learn that loud music can actually be good for your brain. Music at a certain decibel level helps stimulate areas of the brain that release endorphins. Not only is your brain increasing its activity, but you’re getting a dose of some feel-good hormones too! (Just don’t go too loud, or you risk damaging your hearing)
Play Tetris to Avoid Trauma — Researchers have found that playing Tetris immediately after a bad experience helps to block it out of your memory. The intense brain power needed to play the game diverts the energy from keeping bad memories stored, reducing any emotional scarring that might have formed. So, the next time your grandmother tells you about how she and Gramps consummated their marriage, whip out the old Gameboy and play a game. Or ten.
Napping Improves Your Memory — A study has shown that napping may actually improve a person’s sophisticated memory. Deep sleep can improve an individual’s ability to learn new skills, store information in their memories, and to extrapolate on existing information. So the next time you’re caught sleeping in class or at a meeting, you can always say that you’re just trying to “commit things to memory.”
Internet Use is Good for Your Brain — Researchers have found that regular Internet use helps keep the brain stimulated and healthy. Surfing is more often than not a cognitive endeavour, and so doing it on a regular basis is comparable to putting your brain on a basic exercise regimen. If you want to stay sharp, keep doing what you’re doing right now and surf the web.
Physical Exercise is Brain Exercise, Too — While brain teasers do help in keeping your mind sharp, they’re not as effective as physical exercise. Working out helps improve your mind’s processing speed, response speed, and your working memory. Not only that, but physical exercise has also been found to reduce the risk of dementia. When it comes to mental exercises, jogging might actually be better than a crossword puzzle.

Emotional Wellness

Ease Your Mind and Leave Diagnosis to the Professionals — The term for it is cyberchondria — the tendency for individuals to fear the worst when diagnosing themselves over the Internet. Many times, people tend to get their symptoms wrong, or when they do, the first result on the search page is the worst case scenario. Research has shown that self-diagnosis via health websites often leads to a lot of unnecessary anxiety on the patient’s part. Do yourself and your emotions a favour and consult a doctor instead.
11 Mood-Lifting Foods — The food you eat can have a profound effect on your mood. For example, foods with selenium, such as Brazil nuts, help against depression. Foods rich in vitamin C, on the other hand, can help alleviate stress. The next time you’re feeling down, try snacking on these foods. You might just feel a little lighter afterwards.
Create a Happier Inner Life — It’s pretty easy to mess up your own life. A wrong move here, a misunderstanding there, and you suddenly feel like your whole world’s falling apart. However, most of the trouble seems to come from within. With tips like “Take no notice of your internal critic” and “Don’t let others use you to avoid being responsible for their own decisions”, you’ll eventually find that all-elusive inner peace.
3 Keys to True Happiness — Every individual has his own definition of happiness. To some people, it might mean contentment; to others, happiness is a Jaguar. Although there’s no concrete universal way to achieve true happiness, three are three basic keys to finding that sought-after state of mind: knowing what give you real satisfaction, studying yourself, and taking control of your life.

Health and Cleanliness

Use Mouthwash to Get Rid of Dandruff, and Other Benefits — Mouthwash isn’t just for giving you minty-fresh breath anymore. A mixture of witch-hazel, water, and mouthwash creates a spray that helps rid your scalp of those pesky little flakes. And that’s just one of the many great alternative uses for this multi-tasking liquid.
Prolonged Sitting Promotes Disease — Fitness trainers say it all the time — get up off your butt! Research has shown that a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. On the flipside, simply standing up more can improve your health and even double the speed your metabolism. A healthier lifestyle, then, can be reached just by getting off the couch.
Remove Toenail Fungus with Vicks VapoRub — Toenail fungus can be an embarrassing problem. The good news is that you can get rid of it with something found in most medicine cabinets — Vicks VapoRub. While it’s used mainly for respiratory relief, the compound has been proven to reduce and eventually eliminate toenail fungus. The secret is in the Thymol found in the rub, which effectively fights off the infection.
Heal Warts with Duct Tape — Warts are nasty little viral infections that cluster underneath the surface of your skin. Traditional methods to get rid of them include acid, freezing, burning, and even lasers. What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that the simplest treatment can be found right in their toolbox. Duct tape is an effective, yet strangely non-prescribed, method of removing warts. Periodic soaking and wrapping the wart in duct tape will make it completely vanish in a couple of months.
Clean Flu Fostering Places — When flu season hits, there’s not much you can do to escape it. You’re bound to run into someone who’s caught the bug. You can, however, minimize the risk of catching it by turning your home and belongings into flu-free sanctuaries. Proper cleaning of the areas and items most prone to harbouring the flu virus will dramatically improve your chances of walking away from flu season completely unaffected.

Vanity

Getting Rid of Puffy Eye Circles without the Use of Cucumbers — Most people know about the old “cucumber slices on your eyes” trick to get rid of those dark, puffy circles that seem to grow around your eyes after a poor night’s sleep. If you’re iffy about having food on your face, there are many other ways to get rid of them, like using a damp washcloth or wiping them with a wet, frozen cotton swab.
Quick and Easy Fix to Greasy Hair — It always pays to look your best, but greasy hair will keep you short-changed. Few things are as unattractive on a person than a damp-looking, filthy mess on his head. A quick and easy solution to this problem involves running through your hair with a comb and some baby powder.
Five Foods to Fight Bad Breath — It doesn’t matter what you look like — if your breath stinks, you’re not going to be attractive. While mints and sprays are the most popular solutions to a case of halitosis, certain foods can also act as mouth deodorant. The next time you plan on having a lot of garlic on your pasta, remember to have these foods to munch on, too.
Whiten Your Teeth with Strawberries — Who would have thought that a juicy red strawberry could actually help make your teeth whiter? A crushed strawberry mixed with a little bit of baking soda helps create malic acid, an astringent that breaks down discoloration in the teeth. Be careful not to use too much of it, though, as excessive amounts of the acid might damage the enamel of your teeth.
Exfoliate with Baking Soda — Those who care about their skin know the importance of exfoliation. It smoothens the skin, promotes the growth of healthy new skin cells, and controls the growth of acne. If you’ve run out of your usual exfoliating product, you can whip up a pretty good substitute with some baking soda and water.

Other

Five Ways to Boost Your Energy without Caffeine — A lot of people depend on that extra zing that caffeine brings for that much-needed energy to get through the day. In fact, coffee has almost become synonymous with breakfast for the average office worker. Unfortunately, caffeine does bring a few health risks with it. Try out these five ways to stay perky without something in the percolator.
Keep the Bugs Away with Homemade Insect Repellent — Insects can bring a host of dangerous diseases with them, so it’s a good idea to keep them as far away from you as possible. You can make your very own insect repellent with a little bit of aloe vera juice, olive oil, vodka, and your choice of essential oil. Some essential oils are more effective on certain bugs than others, so decide which creepy crawly you’d want to get rid of most before brewing your repellent.
Sleep with Proper Posture to Reduce Aches and Pains — Sometimes, a good night’s sleep can leading to a painful awakening. Those muscle and back pains you get early in the morning are probably due to your posture as you sleep. Sleeping in the proper position ensures that all your muscles and joints are in good positions, allowing you to wake up to a good, and painless, morning.
Bacon is Good for Hangovers — Although it might just seem like an excuse to binge on bacon after a long night’s drinking, research has shown that eating a bacon sandwich actually does help a person get over a hangover. The amino acids form this protein-rich food help replenish the neurotransmitters lost during inebriation.
Make Your Own Sports Drink — Sports drinks like Gatorade are fantastic ways to replenish lost fluids and electrolytes. They’re also a get way to empty your wallet if you’re going to be drinking them on a regular basis. Make your own sports drink, and make it as tasty as you like, with this simple recipe.
Growing Your Own Fresh Air — Fresh, healthy air can be pretty tough to come by, especially if you live in the city. If you don’t feel like heading out into the great outdoors every time you want to take a breath, you can grow these three plants to filter the air you breathe and boost the amount of oxygen in it. Not only is it easier than travelling, but it’s also a lot cheaper than those complicated ionizers and other air freshening machines.
Itchy es? Use Ben ayGBug Bit — While it’s great for providing relief for aching muscles, Ben Gay has another, more clever use — it stops itching from insect bites. A small dab on the affected area will provide almost instantaneous relief. This tip is invaluable on trips to areas where it seems like the mosquitoes are half-vampire.
11 Odd Ways to Improve Your Health — Did you know that brushing your skin can help you detoxify your system? This simple activity stimulates your lymph system and helps clear away the toxins that collect in the lymph glands. These tips help show you that there are quirkier, but just as effective, ways to hack your health.
11 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism — Ever wonder how some people can get away with eating whatever they want, yet still stay skinny? In many cases, they have their speedy metabolisms to thank for that. Fortunately for the rest of us with average metabolisms, there are 11 easy ways to make our bodies’ furnaces burn faster.

Classic Programming Quotes | Storm Development Blog

2010-06-24T23:03:00.000+05:30

Classic Programming Quotes | Storm Development Blog

Anatomy of a stress addict, Body,Times Wellness Online

2010-06-24T10:34:00.000+05:30

Anatomy of a stress addict, Body,Times Wellness Online

How to Have a Great Day ... Every Day! - by Dr. Alan Zimmerman

2009-12-17T11:08:00.000+05:30

How to Have a Great Day ... Every Day! - by Dr. Alan Zimmerman

Yes, ICantSeeYou: 100 Very Cool Facts About The Human Body

2009-12-03T21:22:00.000+05:30

Yes, ICantSeeYou: 100 Very Cool Facts About The Human Body: "100 Very Cool Facts About The Human Body
The human body is an incredibly complex and intricate system, one that still baffles doctors and researchers on a regular basis despite thousands of years of medical knowledge. As a result, it shouldn’t be any surprise that even body parts and functions we deal with every day have bizarre or unexpected facts and explanations behind them. From sneezes to fingernail growth, here are 100 weird, wacky, and interesting facts about the human body.

The Brain

The human brain is the most complex and least understood part of the human anatomy. There may be a lot we don’t know, but here are a few interesting facts that we’ve got covered.

1. Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per hour. Ever wonder how you can react so fast to things around you or why that stubbed toe hurts right away? It’s due to the super-speedy movement of nerve impulses from your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa, bringing reactions at the speed of a high powered luxury sports car.
2. The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-watt light bulb. The cartoon image of a light bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn’t too far off the mark. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb even when you’re sleeping.
3. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much information as the Encyclopedia Britannica. Or any other encyclopedia for that matter. Scientists have yet to settle on a definitive amount, but the storage capacity of the brain in electronic terms is thought to be between 3 or even 1,000 terabytes. The National Archives of Britain, containing over 900 years of history, only takes up 70 terabytes, making your brain’s memory power pretty darn impressive.
4. Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your bloodstream. The brain only makes up about 2% of our body mass, yet consumes more oxygen than any other organ in the body, making it extremely susceptible to damage related to oxygen deprivation. So breathe deep to keep your brain happy and swimming in oxygenated cells.
5. The brain is much more active at night than during the day. Logically, you would think that all the moving around, complicated calculations and tasks and general interaction we do on a daily basis during our working hours would take a lot more brain power than, say, lying in bed. Turns out, the opposite is true. When you turn off your brain turns on. Scientists don’t yet know why this is but you can thank the hard work of your brain while you sleep for all those pleasant dreams.
6. Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you dream. While this may be true, don’t take it as a sign you’re mentally lacking if you can’t recall your dreams. Most of us don’t remember many of our dreams and the average length of most dreams is only 2-3 seconds–barely long enough to register.
7. Neurons continue to grow throughout human life. For years scientists and doctors thought that brain and neural tissue couldn’t grow or regenerate. While it doesn’t act in the same manner as tissues in many other parts of the body, neurons can and do grow throughout your life, adding a whole new dimension to the study of the brain and the illnesses that affect it.
8. Information travels at different speeds within different types of neurons. Not all neurons are the same. There are a few different types within the body and transmission along these different kinds can be as slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec.
9. The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be the pain center when you cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain. That doesn’t mean your head can’t hurt. The brain is surrounded by loads of tissues, nerves and blood vessels that are plenty receptive to pain and can give you a pounding headache.
10. 80% of the brain is water. Your brain isn’t the firm, gray mass you’ve seen on TV. Living brain tissue is a squishy, pink and jelly-like organ thanks to the loads of blood and high water content of the tissue. So the next time you’re feeling dehydrated get a drink to keep your brain hydrated.

Hair and Nails

While they’re not a living part of your body, most people spend a good amount of time caring for their hair and nails. The next time you’re heading in for a haircut or manicure, think of these facts.

11. Facial hair grows faster than any other hair on the body. If you’ve ever had a covering of stubble on your face as you’re clocking out at 5 o’clock you’re probably pretty familiar with this. In fact, if the average man never shaved his beard it would grow to over 30 feet during his lifetime, longer than a killer whale.
12. Every day the average person loses 60-100 strands of hair. Unless you’re already bald, chances are good that you’re shedding pretty heavily on a daily basis. Your hair loss will vary in accordance with the season, pregnancy, illness, diet and age.
13. Women’s hair is about half the diameter of men’s hair. While it might sound strange, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that men’s hair should be coarser than that of women. Hair diameter also varies on average between races, making hair plugs on some men look especially obvious.
14. One human hair can support 3.5 ounces. That’s about the weight of two full size candy bars, and with hundreds of thousands of hairs on the human head, makes the tale of Rapunzel much more plausible.
15. The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. And the nail on the middle finger of your dominant hand will grow the fastest of all. Why is not entirely known, but nail growth is related to the length of the finger, with the longest fingers growing nails the fastest and shortest the slowest.
16. There are as many hairs per square inch on your body as a chimpanzee. Humans are not quite the naked apes that we’re made out to be. We have lots of hair, but on most of us it’s not obvious as a majority of the hairs are too fine or light to be seen.
17. Blondes have more hair. They’re said to have more fun, and they definitely have more hair. Hair color determines how dense the hair on your head is. The average human has 100,000 hair follicles, each of which is capable of producing 20 individual hairs during a person’s lifetime. Blondes average 146,000 follicles while people with black hair tend to have about 110,000 follicles. Those with brown hair fit the average with 100,000 follicles and redheads have the least dense hair, with about 86,000 follicles.
18. Fingernails grow nearly 4 times faster than toenails. If you notice that you’re trimming your fingernails much more frequently than your toenails you’re not just imagining it. The nails that get the most exposure and are used most frequently grow the fastest. On average, nails on both the toes and fingers grow about one-tenth of an inch each month.
19. The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average. While you quite a few hairs each day, your hairs actually have a pretty long life providing they aren’t subject to any trauma. Your hairs will likely get to see several different haircuts, styles, and even possibly decades before they fall out on their own.
20. You must lose over 50% of your scalp hairs before it is apparent to anyone. You lose hundreds of hairs a day but you’ll have to lose a lot more before you or anyone else will notice. Half of the hairs on your pretty little head will have to disappear before your impending baldness will become obvious to all those around you.
21. Human hair is virtually indestructible. Aside from it’s flammability, human hair decays at such a slow rate that it is practically non-disintegrative. If you’ve ever wondered how your how clogs up your pipes so quick consider this: hair cannot be destroyed by cold, change of climate, water, or other natural forces and it is resistant to many kinds of acids and corrosive chemicals.

Internal Organs

Though we may not give them much thought unless they’re bothering us, our internal organs are what allow us to go on eating, breathing and walking around. Here are some things to consider the next time you hear your stomach growl.

22. The largest internal organ is the small intestine. Despite being called the smaller of the two intestines, your small intestine is actually four times as long as the average adult is tall. If it weren’t looped back and forth upon itself it wouldn’t fit inside the abdominal cavity.
23. The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet. No wonder you can feel your heartbeat so easily. Pumping blood through your body quickly and efficiently takes quite a bit of pressure resulting in the strong contractions of the heart and the thick walls of the ventricles which push blood to the body.
24. The acid in your stomach is strong enough to dissolve razorblades. While you certainly shouldn’t test the fortitude of your stomach by eating a razorblade or any other metal object for that matter, the acids that digest the food you eat aren’t to be taken lightly. Hydrochloric acid, the type found in your stomach, is not only good at dissolving the pizza you had for dinner but can also eat through many types of metal.
25. The human body is estimated to have 60,000 miles of blood vessels. To put that in perspective, the distance around the earth is about 25,000 miles, making the distance your blood vessels could travel if laid end to end more than two times around the earth.
26. You get a new stomach lining every three to four days. The mucus-like cells lining the walls of the stomach would soon dissolve due to the strong digestive acids in your stomach if they weren’t constantly replaced. Those with ulcers know how painful it can be when stomach acid takes its toll on the lining of your stomach.
27. The surface area of a human lung is equal to a tennis court. In order to more efficiently oxygenate the blood, the lungs are filled with thousands of branching bronchi and tiny, grape-like alveoli. These are filled with microscopic capillaries which oxygen and carbon dioxide. The large amount of surface area makes it easier for this exchange to take place, and makes sure you stay properly oxygenated at all times.
28. Women’s hearts beat faster than men’s.The main reason for this is simply that on average women tend to be smaller than men and have less mass to pump blood to. But women’s and men’s hearts can actually act quite differently, especially when experiencing trauma like a heart attack, and many treatments that work for men must be adjusted or changed entirely to work for women.
29. Scientists have counted over 500 different liver functions. You may not think much about your liver except after a long night of drinking, but the liver is one of the body’s hardest working, largest and busiest organs. Some of the functions your liver performs are: production of bile, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, and detoxification.
30. The aorta is nearly the diameter of a garden hose. The average adult heart is about the size of two fists, making the size of the aorta quite impressive. The artery needs to be so large as it is the main supplier of rich, oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
31. Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart. For most people, if they were asked to draw a picture of what the lungs look like they would draw both looking roughly the same size. While the lungs are fairly similar in size, the human heart, though located fairly centrally, is tilted slightly to the left making it take up more room on that side of the body and crowding out that poor left lung.
32. You could remove a large part of your internal organs and survive. The human body may appear fragile but it’s possible to survive even with the removal of the stomach, the spleen, 75 percent of the liver, 80 percent of the intestines, one kidney, one lung, and virtually every organ from the pelvic and groin area. You might not feel too great, but the missing organs wouldn’t kill you.
33. The adrenal glands change size throughout life. The adrenal glands, lying right above the kidneys, are responsible for releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. In the seventh month of a fetus’ development, the glands are roughly the same size as the kidneys. At birth, the glands have shrunk slightly and will continue to do so throughout life. In fact, by the time a person reaches old age, the glands are so small they can hardly be seen.

Bodily Functions

We may not always like to talk about them, but everyone has to deal with bodily functions on a daily basis. These are a few facts about the involuntary and sometimes unpleasant actions of our bodies.

34. Sneezes regularly exceed 100 mph. There’s a good reason why you can’t keep your eyes open when you sneeze–that sneeze is rocketing out of your body at close to 100 mph. This is, of course, a good reason to cover your mouth when you sneeze.
35. Coughs clock in at about 60 mph. Viruses and colds get spread around the office and the classroom quickly during cold and flu season. With 60 mph coughs spraying germs far and wide, it’s no wonder.
36. Women blink twice as many times as men do. That’s a lot of blinking every day. The average person, man or woman, blinks about 13 times a minute.
37. A full bladder is roughly the size of a soft ball. No wonder you have to run to bathroom when you feel the call of the wild. The average bladder holds about 400-800 cc of fluid but most people will feel the urge to go long before that at 250 to 300 cc.
38. Approximately 75% of human waste is made of water. While we might typically think that urine is the liquid part of human waste products, the truth is that what we consider solid waste is actually mostly water as well. You should be thankful that most waste is fairly water-filled, as drier harder stools are what cause constipation and are much harder and sometimes painful to pass.
39. Feet have 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a day. With that kind of sweat-producing power it’s no wonder that your gym shoes have a stench that can peel paint. Additionally, men usually have much more active sweat glands than women.
40. During your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill two swimming pools. Saliva plays an important part in beginning the digestive process and keeping the mouth lubricated, and your mouth produces quite a bit of it on a daily basis.
41. The average person expels flatulence 14 times each day. Even if you’d like to think you’re too dignified to pass gas, the reality is that almost everyone will at least a few times a day. Digestion causes the body to release gases which can be painful if trapped in the abdomen and not released.
42. Earwax production is necessary for good ear health. While many people find earwax to be disgusting, it’s actually a very important part of your ear’s defense system. It protects the delicate inner ear from bacteria, fungus, dirt and even insects. It also cleans and lubricates the ear canal.

Sex and Reproduction

As taboo as it may be in some places, sex is an important part of human life as a facet of relationships and the means to reproduce. Here are a few things you might not have known.

43. On any given day, sexual intercourse takes place 120 million times on earth. Humans are a quickly proliferating species, and with about 4% of the world’s population having sex on any given day, it’s no wonder that birth rates continue to increase in many places all over the world.
44. The largest cell in the human body is the female egg and the smallest is the male sperm. While you can’t see skin cells or muscle cells, the ovum is typically large enough to be seen with the naked eye with a diameter of about a millimeter. The sperm cell, on the other hand, is tiny, consisting of little more than nucleus.
45. The three things pregnant women dream most of during their first trimester are frogs, worms and potted plants. Pregnancy hormones can cause mood swings, cravings and many other unexpected changes. Oddly enough, hormones can often affect the types of dreams women have and their vividness. The most common are these three types, but many women also dream of water, giving birth or even have violent or sexually charged dreams.
46. Your teeth start growing 6 months before you are born. While few babies are born with teeth in place, the teeth that will eventually push through the gums of young children are formed long before the child even leaves the womb. At 9 to 12 weeks the fetus starts to form the teeth buds that will turn into baby teeth.
47. Babies are always born with blue eyes. The color of your eyes depends on the genes you get from your parents, but at birth most babies appear to have blue eyes. The reason behind this is the pigment melanin. The melanin in a newborn’s eyes often needs time after birth to be fully deposited or to be darkened by exposure to ultraviolet light, later revealing the baby’s true eye color.
48. Babies are, pound for pound, stronger than an ox. While a baby certainly couldn’t pull a covered wagon at its present size, if the child were the size of an oxen it just might very well be able to. Babies have especially strong and powerful legs for such tiny creatures, so watch out for those kicks.
49. One out of every 2,000 newborn infants has a tooth when they are born. Nursing mothers may cringe at this fact. Sometimes the tooth is a regular baby tooth that has already erupted and sometimes it is an extra tooth that will fall out before the other set of choppers comes in.
50. A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months. When only a small fraction of the way through its development, a fetus will have already developed one of the most unique human traits: fingerprints. At only 6-13 weeks of development, the whorls of what will be fingerprints have already developed. Oddly enough, those fingerprints will not change throughout the person’s life and will be one of the last things to disappear after death.
51. Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell. All life has to begin somewhere, and even the largest humans spent a short part of their lives as a single celled organism when sperm and egg cells first combine. Shortly afterward, the cells begin rapidly dividing and begin forming the components of a tiny embryo.
52. Most men have erections every hour to hour and a half during sleep. Most people’s bodies and minds are much more active when they’re sleeping than they think. The combination of blood circulation and testosterone production can cause erections during sleep and they’re often a normal and necessary part of REM sleep.

Senses

The primary means by which we interact with the world around us is through our senses. Here are some interesting facts about these five sensory abilities.

53. After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp. If you’re heading to a concert or a musical after a big meal you may be doing yourself a disservice. Try eating a smaller meal if you need to keep your hearing pitch perfect.
54. About one third of the human race has 20-20 vision. Glasses and contact wearers are hardly alone in a world where two thirds of the population have less than perfect vision. The amount of people with perfect vision decreases further as they age.
55. If saliva cannot dissolve something, you cannot taste it. In order for foods, or anything else, to have a taste, chemicals from the substance must be dissolved by saliva. If you don’t believe it, try drying off your tongue before tasting something.
56. Women are born better smellers than men and remain better smellers over life. Studies have shown that women are more able to correctly pinpoint just what a smell is. Women were better able to identify citrus, vanilla, cinnamon and coffee smells. While women are overall better smellers, there is an unfortunate 2% of the population with no sense of smell at all.
57. Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents. While a bloodhound’s nose may be a million times more sensitive than a human’s, that doesn’t mean that the human sense of smell is useless. Humans can identify a wide variety of scents and many are strongly tied to memories.
58. Even small noises cause the pupils of the eyes to dilate. It is believed that this is why surgeons, watchmakers and others who perform delicate manual operations are so bothered by uninvited noise. The sound causes their pupils to change focus and blur their vision, making it harder to do their job well.
59. Everyone has a unique smell, except for identical twins. Newborns are able to recognize the smell of their mothers and many of us can pinpoint the smell of our significant others and those we are close to. Part of that smell is determined by genetics, but it’s also largely do to environment, diet and personal hygiene products that create a unique chemistry for each person.

Aging and Death

From the very young to the very old, aging is a necessary and unavoidable part of life. Learn about the process with these interesting, if somewhat strange facts.

60. The ashes of a cremated person average about 9 pounds. A big part of what gives the human body weight is the water trapped in our cells. Once cremated, that water and a majority of our tissues are destroyed, leaving little behind.
61. Nails and hair do not continue to grow after we die. They do appear longer when we die, however, as the skin dehydrates and pulls back from the nail beds and scalp.
62. By the age of 60, most people will have lost about half their taste buds. Perhaps you shouldn’t trust your grandma’s cooking as much as you do. Older individuals tend to lose their ability to taste, and many find that they need much more intense flavoring in order to be able to fully appreciate a dish.
63. Your eyes are always the same size from birth but your nose and ears never stop growing. When babies look up at you with those big eyes, they’re the same size that they’ll be carrying around in their bodies for the rest of their lives. Their ears and nose, however, will grow throughout their lives and research has shown that growth peaks in seven year cycles.
64. By 60 years of age, 60-percent of men and 40-percent of women will snore. If you’ve ever been kept awake by a snoring loved one you know the sound can be deafening. Normal snores average around 60 decibels, the noise level of normal speech, intense snores can reach more than 80 decibels, the approximate level caused by a jackhammer breaking up concrete.
65. A baby’s head is one-quarter of it’s total length, but by age 25 will only be one-eighth of its total length. As it turns out, our adorably oversized baby heads won’t change size as drastically as the rest of our body. The legs and torso will lengthen, but the head won’t get much longer.

Disease and Injury

Most of us will get injured or sick at some point in our lives. Here are some facts on how the human body reacts to the stresses and dangers from the outside world.

66. Monday is the day of the week when the risk of heart attack is greatest. Yet another reason to loathe Mondays! A ten year study in Scotland found that 20% more people die of heart attacks on Mondays than any other day of the week. Researchers theorize that it’s a combination of too much fun over the weekend with the stress of going back to work that causes the increase.
67. Humans can make do longer without food than sleep. While you might feel better prepared to stay up all night partying than to give up eating, that feeling will be relatively short lived. Provided there is water, the average human could survive a month to two months without food depending on their body fat and other factors. Sleep deprived people, however, start experiencing radical personality and psychological changes after only a few sleepless days. The longest recorded time anyone has ever gone without sleep is 11 days, at the end of which the experimenter was awake, but stumbled over words, hallucinated and frequently forgot what he was doing.
68. A simple, moderately severe sunburn damages the blood vessels extensively. How extensively? Studies have shown that it can take four to fifteen months for them to return to their normal condition. Consider that the next time you’re feeling too lazy to apply sunscreen before heading outside.
69. Over 90% of diseases are caused or complicated by stress. That high stress job you have could be doing more than just wearing you down each day. It could also be increasing your chances of having a variety of serious medical conditions like depression, high blood pressure and heart disease.
70. A human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it is been decapitated. While it might be gross to think about, the blood in the head may be enough to keep someone alive and conscious for a few seconds after the head has been separated from the body, though reports as to the accuracy of this are widely varying.

Muscles and Bones

Muscles and Bones provide the framework for our bodies and allow us to jump, run or just lie on the couch. Here are a few facts to ponder the next time you’re lying around.

71. It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. Unless you’re trying to give your face a bit of a workout, smiling is a much easier option for most of us. Anyone who’s ever scowled, squinted or frowned for a long period of time knows how it tires out the face which doesn’t do a thing to improve your mood.
72. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood the number is reduced to 206. The reason for this is that many of the bones of children are composed of smaller component bones that are not yet fused like those in the skull. This makes it easier for the baby to pass through the birth canal. The bones harden and fuse as the children grow.
73. We are about 1 cm taller in the morning than in the evening. The cartilage between our bones gets compressed by standing, sitting and other daily activities as the day goes on, making us just a little shorter at the end of the day than at the beginning.
74. The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. While you may not be able to bench press much with your tongue, it is in fact the strongest muscle in your body in proportion to its size. If you think about it, every time you eat, swallow or talk you use your tongue, ensuring it gets quite a workout throughout the day.
75. The hardest bone in the human body is the jawbone. The next time someone suggests you take it on the chin, you might be well advised to take their advice as the jawbone is one of the most durable and hard to break bones in the body.
76. You use 200 muscles to take one step. Depending on how you divide up muscle groups, just to take a single step you use somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 muscles. That’s a lot of work for the muscles considering most of us take about 10,000 steps a day.
77. The tooth is the only part of the human body that can’t repair itself. If you’ve ever chipped a tooth you know just how sadly true this one is. The outer layer of the tooth is enamel which is not a living tissue. Since it’s not alive, it can’t repair itself, leaving your dentist to do the work instead.
78. It takes twice as long to lose new muscle if you stop working out than it did to gain it. Lazy people out there shouldn’t use this as motivation to not work out, however. It’s relatively easy to build new muscle tissue and get your muscles in shape, so if anything, this fact should be motivation to get off the couch and get moving.
79. Bone is stronger than some steel. This doesn’t mean your bones can’t break of course, as they are much less dense than steel. Bone has been found to have a tensile strength of 20,000 psi while steel is much higher at 70,000 psi. Steel is much heavier than bone, however, and pound for pound bone is the stronger material.
80. The feet account for one quarter of all the human body’s bones. You may not give your feet much thought but they are home to more bones than any other part of your body. How many? Of the two hundred or so bones in the body, the feet contain a whopping 52 of them.

Microscopic Level

Much of what takes place in our bodies happens at a level that we simply can’t see with the naked eye. These facts will show you that sometimes that might be for the best.

81. About 32 million bacteria call every inch of your skin home. Germaphobes don’t need to worry however, as a majority of these are entirely harmless and some are even helpful in maintaining a healthy body.
82. Humans shed and regrow outer skin cells about every 27 days. Skin protects your delicate internal organs from the elements and as such, dries and flakes off completely about once a month so that it can maintain its strength. Chances are that last month’s skin is still hanging around your house in the form of the dust on your bookshelf or under the couch.
83. Three hundred million cells die in the human body every minute. While that sounds like a lot, it’s really just a small fraction of the cells that are in the human body. Estimates have placed the total number of cells in the body at 10-50 trillion so you can afford to lose a few hundred million without a hitch.
84. Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour. You may not think much about losing skin if yours isn’t dry or flaky or peeling from a sunburn, but your skin is constantly renewing itself and shedding dead cells.
85. Every day an adult body produces 300 billion new cells. Your body not only needs energy to keep your organs up and running but also to constantly repair and build new cells to form the building blocks of your body itself.
86. Every tongue print is unique. If you’re planning on committing a crime, don’t think you’ll get away with leaving a tongue print behind. Each tongue is different and yours could be unique enough to finger you as the culprit.
87. Your body has enough iron in it to make a nail 3 inches long. Anyone who has ever tasted blood knows that it has a slightly metallic taste. This is due to the high levels of iron in the blood. If you were to take all of this iron out of the body, you’d have enough to make a small nail and very severe anemia.
88. The most common blood type in the world is Type O. Blood banks find it valuable as it can be given to those with both type A and B blood. The rarest blood type, A-H or Bombay blood due to the location of its discovery, has been found in less than hundred people since it was discovered.
89. Human lips have a reddish color because of the great concentration of tiny capillaries just below the skin. The blood in these capillaries is normally highly oxygenated and therefore quite red. This explains why the lips appear pale when a person is anemic or has lost a great deal of blood. It also explains why the lips turn blue in very cold weather. Cold causes the capillaries to constrict, and the blood loses oxygen and changes to a darker color.

Miscellaneous

Here are a few things you might not have known about all different parts of your anatomy.

90. The colder the room you sleep in, the better the chances are that you’ll have a bad dream. It isn’t entirely clear to scientists why this is the case, but if you are opposed to having nightmares you might want to keep yourself a little toastier at night.
91. Tears and mucus contain an enzyme (lysozyme) that breaks down the cell wall of many bacteria. This is to your advantage, as the mucus that lines your nose and throat, as well as the tears that wet your eyes are helping to prevent bacteria from infecting those areas and making you sick.
92. Your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil. If you’ve seen the Matrix you are aware of the energy potentially generated by the human body. Our bodies expend a large amount of calories keeping us at a steady 98.6 degrees, enough to boil water or even cook pasta.
93. Your ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren’t. The chemicals and hormones released when you are afraid could be having unseen effects on your body in the form of earwax. Studies have suggested that fear causes the ears to produce more of the sticky substance, though the reasons are not yet clear.
94. It is not possible to tickle yourself. Even the most ticklish among us do not have the ability to tickle ourselves. The reason behind this is that your brain predicts the tickle from information it already has, like how your fingers are moving. Because it knows and can feel where the tickle is coming from, your brain doesn’t respond in the same way as it would if someone else was doing the tickling.
95. The width of your armspan stretched out is the length of your whole body. While not exact down to the last millimeter, your armspan is a pretty good estimator of your height.
96. Humans are the only animals to produce emotional tears. In the animal world, humans are the biggest crybabies, being the only animals who cry because they’ve had a bad day, lost a loved one, or just don’t feel good.
97. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do. This doesn’t have a genetic basis, but is largely due to the fact that a majority of the machines and tools we use on a daily basis are designed for those who are right handed, making them somewhat dangerous for lefties to use and resulting in thousands of accidents and deaths each year.
98. Women burn fat more slowly than men, by a rate of about 50 calories a day. Most men have a much easier time burning fat than women. Women, because of their reproductive role, generally require a higher basic body fat proportion than men, and as a result their bodies don’t get rid of excess fat at the same rate as men.
99. Koalas and primates are the only animals with unique fingerprints. Humans, apes and koalas are unique in the animal kingdom due to the tiny prints on the fingers of their hands. Studies on primates have suggested that even cloned individuals have unique fingerprints.
100. The indentation in the middle of the area between the nose and the upper lip has a name. It is called the philtrum. Scientists have yet to figure out what purpose this indentation serves, though the ancient Greeks thought it to be one of the most erogenous places on the body"

Yes, ICantSeeYou: 100 Very Cool Facts About The Human Body

2009-12-03T21:21:00.000+05:30

Tips to keep your mind sharp - Health - Health & Fitness - Life - The Times of India

2009-11-25T15:01:00.000+05:30

Tips to keep your mind sharp - Health - Health & Fitness - Life - The Times of India: "Here are simple lifestyle changes that will help you stay sharp as the years go by.

In the 30s
Floss every day: What do loving licorice and hating the idea of flossing have in common? Both can contribute to plaque on your teeth, which is surprisingly bad for your brain. “The plaque between teeth can cause an immune reaction that attacks arteries, which then can’t deliver vital nutrients to brain cells,” says Michael Roizen, MD, co-author of YOU—The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger. Solution? Floss every day. Can’t remember? Keep the floss where you store your morning makeup.

Go fish: Look to the sea for healthy ways to feed your brain. DHA, a type of omega-3 fatty acid found in salmon, trout, and some fortified foods such as yogurt, is a super saver for your memory. “DHA decreases arterial inflammation and improves repair of the protective sheath around nerves,” Dr. Roizen says. “The result is less age-related memory loss, less Alzheimer’s disease, less depression, and a quicker mind.”

In the 40s
Steal your kids’ toys: There’s a new version of that Rubik’s Cube that you loved as kid. It’s the 3-D-like Rubik’s 360, and it’s probably good for brains of any age, because it sharpens flexible problem-solving skills, says neuropsychologist Karen Spangenberg Postal, PhD, president of the Massachusetts Psychological Association. The key: As you play, you’re working on your memory, strategy, and spatial skills – all required for improving brain health – at the same time. What if you always found the Cube endlessly frustrating? No worries: Any game that stretches your thinking is helpful.

Just do it: Elevating your heart rate three times a week for 20 minutes, even just by walking, bathes your brain in oxygen and helps it grow new cells. “Aerobic exercise is two to three times as effective as any known brain-training activity,” says Sam Wang, PhD, associate professor of neuroscience at Princeton University and co-author of Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget How to Drive and Other Puzzles of Everyday Life. If you have no time for the gym during the week, that’s OK: Recent research shows moderate to vigorous exercise even just once a week (say, a weekend jog) makes you 30 percent more likely to maintain your cognitive function as you age.

Start a bridge club: If book clubs bore you and dinner parties leave you exhausted, then maybe a brisk game of bridge is just what the doctor ordered. The combination of strategy and memory in bridge challenges the brain to learn new information and exercises cells so they don’t die, Dr. Postal says. Plus, socializing while playing cards adds a level of unpredictability that gives your brain a charge, something solo games don’t offer. Bridge is definitely on the comeback, so you can learn to play through a community college or continuing education program, or hire a private instructor for lessons.

In the 50s and onwards
Use chopsticks: “Studies show that engaging the concentrated areas of nerve cells in your fingertips directly stimulates your brain,” says Maoshing Ni, PhD, author of Second Spring: Dr. Mao’s Hundreds of Natural Secrets for Women to Revitalize and Regenerate at Any Age. Truth is any fingertip activity, using chopsticks, knitting, or even rolling a pen or pencil between your fingers, also helps your brain by boosting your circulation. And good circulation helps eliminate waste products that can prevent nutrients from reaching your brain.

Play electronic games: No, you’re not too old for a Wii or one of the new handheld brain-exercise games. And it may even be good for you, since simply trying something new gets your brain juiced, says neuropsychologist Reon Baird, PhD, of the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. “When that something new is a video game, you’ll stimulate different parts of the brain that you don’t normally use on a day-to-day basis,” she says. Try Brain Challenge for the Wii or Brain Age for the Nintendo DS. If that’s too techy for you, play along with Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy! on TV, Dr. Baird says. Challenge your know-it-all spouse to make it more fun.

Be careful with meds: If you ache every time you work out and never sleep well due to night sweats, there’s a pill for that. But be careful: Research in Clinical Interventions in Aging reveals that nonprescription sleep aids may cause some “cognitive impairment”, like confusion, in older adults. How much is unknown, but you’re probably familiar with the next-day grogginess. And the medicine known as diphenhydramine (found in many allergy medications and nighttime pain pills) has an “anticholinergic” effect; it blocks communication between nerve cells. Talk with your doctor about other remedies like relaxation or cognitive therapy for sleep problems."

100 Quotes from "The Secret"

2009-11-21T17:49:00.000+05:30

100 Quotes from "The Secret": "100 Quotes from 'The Secret'

1. We all work with one infinite power

2. The Secret is the Law of Attraction (LOA)

3. Whatever is going on in your mind is what you are attracting

4. We are like magnets - like attract like. You become AND attract what you think

5. Every thought has a frequency. Thoughts send out a magnetic energy

6. People think about what they don't want and attract more of the same

7. Thought = creation. If these thoughts are attached to powerful emotions (good or bad) that speeds the creation

8. You attract your dominant thoughts

9. Those who speak most of illness have illness, those who speak most of prosperity have it..etc..

10. It's not 'wishful' thinking.

11. You can't have a universe without the mind entering into it

12. Choose your thoughts carefully .. you are a masterpiece of your life

13. It's OK that thoughts don't manifest into reality immediately (if we saw a picture of an elephant and it instantly appeared, that would be too soon)

14. EVERYTHING in your life you have attracted .. accept that fact .. it's true.

15. Your thoughts cause your feelings

16. We don't need to complicate all the 'reasons' behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.

17. Thoughts that bring about good feelings mean you are on the right track. Thoughts that bring about bad feelings means you are not on the right track.

18. Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming

19. You get exactly what you are FEELING

20. Happy feelings will attract more happy circumstances

21. You can begin feeling whatever you want (even if it's not there).. the universe will correspond to the nature of your song

22. What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience

23. What you think and what you feel and what actually manifests is ALWAYS a match - no exception

24. Shift your awareness

25. 'You create your own universe as you go along' Winston Churchill

26. It's important to feel good ( ( ( (((good))) ) ) )

27. You can change your emotion immediately .. by thinking of something joyful, or singing a song, or remembering a happy experience

28. When you get the hang of this, before you know it you will KNOW you are the creator

29. Life can and should be phenomenal .. and it will be when you consciously apply the Law of Attraction

30. Universe will re-arrange itself accordingly

31. Start by using this sentence for all of your wants: 'I'm so happy and grateful now that.... '

32. You don't need to know HOW the universe is going to rearrange itself

33. LOA is simply figuring out for yourself what will generate the positive feelings of having it NOW

34. You might get an inspired thought or idea to help you move towards what you want faster

35. The universe likes SPEED. Don't delay, don't second-guess, don't doubt..

36. When the opportunity or impulse is there .. ACT

37. You will attract everything you require - money, people, connections.. PAY ATTENTION to what's being set in front of you

38. You can start with nothing .. and out of nothing or no way - a WAY will be provided.

39. HOW LONG??? No rules on time .. the more aligned you are with positive feelings the quicker things happen

40. Size is nothing to the universe (unlimited abundance if that's what you wish) We make the rules on size and time

41. No rules according to the universe .. you provide the feelings of having it now and the universe will respond

42. Most people offer the majority of their thought in response to what they are observing (bills in the mail, being late, having bad luck...etc..)

43. You have to find a different approach to what is through a different vantage point

44. 'All that we are is a result of what we have thought' - Buddha

45. What can you do right now to turn your life around?? Gratitude

46. Gratitude will bring more into our lives immediately

47. What we think about and THANK about is what we bring about

48. What are the things you are grateful for?? Feel the gratitude.. focus on what you have right now that you are grateful for

49. Play the picture in your mind - focus on the end result

50. VISUALIZE!!! Rehearse your future

51. VISUALIZE!!! See it, feel it! This is where action begins

52. Feel the joy .. feel the happiness)

53. An affirmative thought is 100 times more powerful than a negative one

54. 'What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists.' Alexander Graham Bell

55. Our job is not to worry about the 'How'. The 'How' will show up out of the commitment and belief in the 'what'

56. The Hows are the domain of the universe. It always knows the quickest, fastest, most harmonious way between you and your dream

57. If you turn it over to the universe, you will be surprised and dazzled by what is delivered .. this is where magic and miracles happen

58. Turn it over to the universe daily.. but it should never be a chore.

59. Feel exhilarated by the whole process .. high, happy, in tune

60. The only difference between people who are really living this way is they have habituated ways of being.

61. They remember to do it all the time

62. Create a Vision Board .. pictures of what you want to attract .. every day look at it and get into the feeling state of already having acquired these wants

63. 'Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.' Albert Einstein

64. Decide what you want .. believe you can have it, believe you deserve it, believe it's possible for you

65. Close your eyes and visualize having what you already want - and the feeling of having it already.

66. Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it.

67. 'Whatever the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve' W. Clement Stone

68. Set a goal so big that if you achieved it, it would blow your mind.

69. When you have an inspired thought, you must trust it and act on it.

70. How can you become more prosperous?? INTEND IT!!

71. 'Checks are coming in the mail regularly'... or change your bank statement to whatever balance you want in there... and get behind the feeling of having it.

72. Life is meant to be abundant in ALL areas...

73. Go for the sense of inner joy and peace then all outside things appear

74. We are the creators of our universe

75. Relationships: Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others .. love yourself and you will be loved

76. Healthy respect for yourself

77. For those you work with or interact with regularly .. get a notebook and write down positive aspects of each of those people.

78. Write down the things you like most about them (don't expect change from them). Law of attraction will not put you in the same space together if you frequencies don't match

79. When you realize your potential to feel good, you will ask no one to be different in order for you to feel good.

80. You will free yourself from the cumbersome impossibilities of needing to control the world, your friends, your mate, your children....

81. You are the only one that creates your reality

82. No one else can think or feel for you .. its YOU .. ONLY YOU.

83. Health: thank the universe for your own healing. Laugh, stress free happiness will keep you healthy.

84. Immune system will heal itself

85. Parts of our bodies are replace every day, every week..etc... Within a few years we have a brand new body

86. See yourself living in a new body. Hopeful = recovery. Happy = happier biochemistry. Stress degrades the bod.

87. Remove stress from the body and the body regenerates itself. You can heal yourself

88. Learn to become still .. and take your attention away from what you don't want, and place your attention on what you wish to experience

89. When the voice and vision on the inside become more profound and clear than the opinions on the outside, then you have mastered your life

90. You are not here to try to get the world to be just as you want it. You are here to create the world around you that you choose.

91. And allow the world as others choose to see it, exist as well

92. People think that if everyone knows the power of the LOA there won't be enough to go around .. This is a lie that's been ingrained in us and makes so many greedy.

93. The truth is there is more than enough love, creative ideas, power, joy, happiness to go around.

94. All of this abundance begins to shine through a mind that is aware of it's own infinite nature. There's enough for everyone. See it. Believe it. it will show up for you.

95. So let the variety of your reality thrill you as you choose all the things you want.. get behind the good feelings of all your wants.

96. Write your script. When you see things you don't want, don't think about them, write about them, talk about them, push against them, or join groups that focus on the don't wants... remove your attention from don't wants.. and place them on do wants

97. We are mass energy. Everything is energy. EVERYTHING.

98. Don't define yourself by your body .. it's the infinite being that's connected to everything in the universe.

99. One energy field. Our bodies have distracted us from our energy. We are the infinite field of unfolding possibilities. The creative force.

100. Are your thoughts worthy of you? If not - NOW is the time to change them. You can begin right were you are right now. Nothing matters but this moment and what you are focusing your attention on."

Here's why you must have sex everyday - Man-Woman - Relationships - Life - The Times of India

2009-11-11T22:35:00.000+05:30

Here's why you must have sex everyday - Man-Woman - Relationships - Life - The Times of India: "Have you ever heard that song called Sexual Healing? It's not just a metaphor. Sex can actually heal. It can heal your body and mind and prevent
Couple
Here's why you must have sex everyday
(Getty Images)
lots of diseases.

Some say it's the first medicine ever known to man and it should be administered daily. Sounds too good to be true? Let's discover the four reasons for which a man should have sex each day.

Great form of exercise
Making love is a form of physical activity. During intercourse, the physiological changes in your body are consistent with a workout. You must have noticed that the respiratory rate rises, which means you get tired. Hence, you burn calories. If you have sex three times a week for 15 minutes (but we know you can do better than that) you'll burn about 7.500 calories in a year. That's the equivalent of jogging 75 miles! Heavy breathing raises the amount of oxygen in your cells, and the testosterone produced during sex keeps your bones and muscles strong.

Pain relief
The 'Honey, not today, I have a headache' cannot be an excuse any more. During sex, both male and female bodies produce endorphins, hormones that act as weak painkillers. A study conducted by Gina Ogden showed that during sexual stimulation and especially during orgasm, we don't feel pain. If she finds another excuse, remind her that sex is good for her entire reproductive system, because it trains the PC muscle, which keeps the reproductive organs in shape. In women, sex can also increase fertility, postpone the menopause and relieve PMS symptoms.

Prostate protection
Most of the fluid you ejaculate is secreted by the prostate gland. If you stop ejaculating, the fluid stays in the gland, which tends to swell, causing lots of problems. Regular ejaculation will wash those fluids out and ensure the well being of your prostate until old age. Problems may also occur when you suddenly change the frequency of ejaculations.

Prevents erectile dysfunctions
Fifty per cent of men older than 40 suffer from erectile dysfunctions and all young men fear the moment when they won't be able to get it up any more. The best medicine against impotence is...sex. An erection keeps the blood flowing through your penile arteries, so the tissue stays healthy. Plus, doctors compare an erection to an athletic reflex: the more you train the more capable you are to perform.

Stress relief
It's a scientific fact: sex can be a very effective way of reducing stress levels. During sex your body produces dopamine, a substance that fights stress hormones, endorphins, aka 'happiness hormones' and oxytocin, a desire-enhancing hormone secreted by the pituitary gland."

Be lucky - it's an easy skill to learn - Telegraph

2009-10-12T16:50:00.000+05:30

Be lucky - it's an easy skill to learn - Telegraph: "A decade ago, I set out to investigate luck. I wanted to examine the impact on people's lives of chance opportunities, lucky breaks and being in the right place at the right time. After many experiments, I believe that I now understand why some people are luckier than others and that it is possible to become luckier.

To launch my study, I placed advertisements in national newspapers and magazines, asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me. Over the years, 400 extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research from all walks of life: the youngest is an 18-year-old student, the oldest an 84-year-old retired accountant.

Related Articles

*
The luck of the Irish - and the Welsh
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1 December 1998: Luck runs out for 'atomic' gambler

Jessica, a 42-year-old forensic scientist, is typical of the lucky group. As she explained: 'I have my dream job, two wonderful children and a great guy whom I love very much. It's amazing; when I look back at my life, I realise I have been lucky in just about every area.'

In contrast, Carolyn, a 34-year-old care assistant, is typical of the unlucky group. She is accident-prone. In one week, she twisted her ankle in a pothole, injured her back in another fall and reversed her car into a tree during a driving lesson. She was also unlucky in love and felt she was always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Over the years, I interviewed these volunteers, asked them to complete diaries, questionnaires and intelligence tests, and invited them to participate in experiments. The findings have revealed that although unlucky people have almost no insight into the real causes of their good and bad luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their fortune.

Take the case of chance opportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not. I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities.

I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside. On average, the unlucky people took about two minutes to count the photographs, whereas the lucky people took just seconds. Why? Because the second page of the newspaper contained the message: 'Stop counting. There are 43 photographs in this newspaper.' This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than 2in high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

For fun, I placed a second large message halfway through the newspaper: 'Stop counting. Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win £250.' Again, the unlucky people missed the opportunity because they were still too busy looking for photographs.

Personality tests revealed that unlucky people are generally much more tense than lucky people, and research has shown that anxiety disrupts people's ability to notice the unexpected. In one experiment, people were asked to watch a moving dot in the centre of a computer screen. Without warning, large dots would occasionally be flashed at the edges of the screen. Nearly all participants noticed these large dots.

The experiment was then repeated with a second group of people, who were offered a large financial reward for accurately watching the centre dot, creating more anxiety. They became focused on the centre dot and more than a third of them missed the large dots when they appeared on the screen. The harder they looked, the less they saw.

And so it is with luck - unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and as a result miss other types of jobs. Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for.

My research revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

I wondered whether these four principles could be used to increase the amount of good luck that people encounter in their lives. To find out, I created a 'luck school' - a simple experiment that examined whether people's luck can be enhanced by getting them to think and behave like a lucky person.

I asked a group of lucky and unlucky volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person. These exercises helped them spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck.

One month later, the volunteers returned and described what had happened. The results were dramatic: 80 per cent of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and, perhaps most important of all, luckier. While lucky people became luckier, the unlucky had become lucky. Take Carolyn, whom I introduced at the start of this article. After graduating from 'luck school', she has passed her driving test after three years of trying, was no longer accident-prone and became more confident.

In the wake of these studies, I think there are three easy techniques that can help to maximise good fortune:

* Unlucky people often fail to follow their intuition when making a choice, whereas lucky people tend to respect hunches. Lucky people are interested in how they both think and feel about the various options, rather than simply looking at the rational side of the situation. I think this helps them because gut feelings act as an alarm bell - a reason to consider a decision carefully.

* Unlucky people tend to be creatures of routine. They tend to take the same route to and from work and talk to the same types of people at parties. In contrast, many lucky people try to introduce variety into their lives. For example, one person described how he thought of a colour before arriving at a party and then introduced himself to people wearing that colour. This kind of behaviour boosts the likelihood of chance opportunities by introducing variety.

* Lucky people tend to see the positive side of their ill fortune. They imagine how things could have been worse. In one interview, a lucky volunteer arrived with his leg in a plaster cast and described how he had fallen down a flight of stairs. I asked him whether he still felt lucky and he cheerfully explained that he felt luckier than before. As he pointed out, he could have broken his neck."

32-bit to 64-bit Migration Considerations

2009-10-03T23:52:00.000+05:30

32-bit to 64-bit Migration Considerations: "32-bit to 64-bit Migration Considerations

This section outlines various portability considerations in moving C programs from 32-bit to 64-bit mode.

* Constants
* Undeclared Functions
* Assignment of Long Types to Integer and Pointers
* Structure Sizes and Alignment
* Bitfields
* Miscellaneous
* Interlanguage Calls with Fortran

Constants
The limits of constants change. This table shows changed items in the limits.h header file, their hexadecimal value, and decimal equivalent. The equation gives an idea of how to construct these values.
Type Hexadecimal Equation Decimal
signed long min (LONG_MIN)

0x8000000000000000L

-(263)

-9,223,372,036,854,775,808

signed long max (LONG_MAX)

0x7FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFL

263-1

(-LONG_MIN-1)

+9,223,372,036,854,775,807

unsigned long max (ULONG_MAX)

0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUL

264-1

+18,446,744,073,709,551,616

In C, type identification of constants follows explicit rules. However, programs that use constants exceeding the limit (relying on a 2's complement representation) will experience unexpected results in the 64-bit mode. This is especially true of hexadecimal constants and unsuffixed constants, which are more likely to be extended into the 64-bit long type.

Problematic behaviors will generally occur at boundary areas such as:

* constant >= UINT_MAX
* constant < INT_MIN
* constant > INT_MAX

Some examples of undesirable boundary side effects are:

Constant assigned to long 32 bit mode 64 bit mode

-2,147,483,649 (INT_MIN-1)

+2,147,483,647

-2,147,483,649

+2,147,483,648 (INT_MAX+1)

-2,147,483,648

+2,147,483,648

+4,294,496,726 (UINT_MAX+1)

0

+4,294,967,296

0xFFFFFFFF (UINT_MAX)

-1

+4,294,496,295

0x100000000 (UINT_MAX+1)

0

+4,294,967,296

0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF (ULONG_MAX)

-1

-1

Currently, the compiler gives out of range warning messages when attempting to assign a value larger than the designated range into a long type. The warning message is:

1506-207 (W) Integer constant 0x100000000 out of range.

This warning message may not appear for every case.

When you bit left-shift a 32-bit constant and assign it into a long type, signed values are sign-extended and unsigned values are zero-extended. The examples in the table below show the effects of performing a bit-shift on both 32- and 64-bit constants, using the following code segment:

long l=constantL<<1;

Initial Constant Value Constant Value after Bit-Shift
32-bit 64-bit
0x7FFFFFFFL (INT_MAX) 0xFFFFFFFE 0xFFFFFFFE
0x80000000L (INT_MIN) 0 0x100000000
0xFFFFFFFFL (UINT_MAX) 0xFFFFFFFE 0x1FFFFFFFE

Unsuffixed constants can lead to type ambiguity that can impact other parts of your program, such as the result of sizeof operations. For example, in 32-bit mode the compiler types a number like 4294967295 (UINT_MAX) as an unsigned long. In 64-bit mode, this same number becomes a signed long. To avoid this possibility, explicitly add a suffix to all constants that have the potential of impacting constant assignment or expression evaluation in other parts of your program. The fix for the above case is to write the number as 4294967295U. This forces the compiler to always see that constant as an unsigned int regardless of compiler mode.

Assignment of Long Variables to Integers and Pointers
Using int and long types in expressions and assignments can lead to implicit conversion through promotions and demotions, or explicit conversions through assignments and argument passing. The following should be avoided:

* Using integer and long types interchangeably, leading to truncation of significant digits or unexpected results.
* Passing long arguments to functions expecting type int
* Exchanging pointers and int types, causing segmentation faults.
* Passing pointers to a function expecting an int type, resulting in truncation.
* Assignment of long types to float, causing possible loss of accuracy.

Assigning a long constant to an integer will cause truncation without warning. For example:

int i;
long l=2147483648; /* INT_MAX+1*/
i=l;

What will be the value of i? INT_MAX+1 is 2147483647+1 (0x80000000), which becomes INT_MIN when assigned into a signed type. Truncation occurs because the highest bit is treated as a sign bit. The rule here is that there will be a loss of significant digits.

Similar problems occur when passing constants directly to functions, and in functions that return long types. Making explicit use of the L and UL suffix will avoid most, but not all, problems. Alternately, you can avoid accidental conversions by using explicit prototyping. Another good practice is to avoid implicit type conversion by using explicit type casting to change types.

Undeclared Functions
Any function that returns a pointer should be explicitly declared when compiling in 64-bit mode. Otherwise, the compiler will assume the function returns an int and truncate the resulting pointer, even if you were to assign it into a valid pointer.

Code such as:

a=(char *) calloc(25);

which used to work in 32-bit mode will in 64-bit mode will now silently get a truncated pointer. Even the type casting will not avoid this because the calloc has already been truncated after the return.

The fix in this case is to include the appropriate header file, which is stdlib.h and not malloc.h.

Structure Sizes and Alignments
Structures may face potential porting problems.

The 64-bit specification changes the size, member and structure alignment of all structures that are recompiled in 64-bit mode. Structures with long types and pointers will generally change size and alignment in 64-bit mode. Some structures may not change in size because they happen to fall on an exact 8-byte boundary even in 32-bit mode.

Sharing data structures between 32- and 64-bit processes is no longer possible unless the structure is devoid of pointer and long types. Unions that attempt to share long and int types, or overlay pointers onto int types will now be aligned differently, or be corrupted. In general, all but the simplest structures must be checked for alignment and size dependencies.

The alignment for -qalign=full, power or natural changes for 64-bit mode. Structure members are aligned on their natural boundaries. Long types and pointer types are word-aligned in 32-bit mode, and doubleword aligned in 64-bit mode. Additional spaces could be used for padding members.

The alignment for -qalign=twobyte and -qalign=mac68k are not supported in 64-bit mode.

Structures are aligned according to the strictest aligned member. This remains unchanged from 32-bit mode. Because of the padding introduced by the member alignment, structure alignment may not be exactly the same as in the 32-bit mode. This is especially important when you have arrays of structures which contain pointer or long types. The member alignment will change, most likely leading to the structure alignment to change to doubleword alignment (if there are no long long types, double types and long double types).

Bitfields
Structure bitfields are limited to 32 bits, and can be of type signed int, unsigned int or plain int. Bit fields are packed into the current word. Adjacent bit fields that cross a word boundary will start at storage unit. This storage unit is a word in power and full alignment, halfword in the mac68k and twobyte alignment, and byte in the packed alignment. 64-bit bitfields are not supported.

In 32-bit mode, non-integer bitfields are tolerated (but not respected) only in the C extended language level.

If you use long bit fields in 64-bit mode, their exact alignment may change in future versions of the compiler, even if the bitfield is under 32 bits in length.

Miscellaneous Issues

* The sizeof operator will now return size_t which is an unsigned long.
* The length of the integer required to hold the difference between two pointers is ptrdiff_t, and is a signed long type.
* Masks will generally lead to different results when compiled in 64-bit mode from their 32-bit mode behavior.
* Many include files have pointers and structures in them, and their inclusion in 64-bit mode will change the size of your data section even if your program does not use structures and pointers explicitly.
* __int64 is a long type in 64-bit mode, but will look like a long long type in 32-bit mode. __int64 types can participate in promotion rules and arithmetic conversion when in 64-bit mode. When in 32-bit mode, these types can not participate in the usual arithmetic conversions.
* In 64-bit mode, member values in a structure passed by value to a va_arg argument may not be accessed properly if the size of the structure is not a multiple of 8-bytes. This is a known limitation of the operating system.
* In 64-bit extended mode, zero-extension from unsigned int to an unsigned long preserves the bit pattern. For example, zero-extending an unsigned int with value 0xFFFF FFFF (large negative value) results in an unsigned long with value 0x0000 0000 FFFF FFFF (large positive value).

Interlanguage Calls with Fortran
A significant number of applications use C, C++, and Fortran together, by calling each other or sharing files. Such applications are among the early candidates for porting to 64-bit platforms for its abilities to solve larger mathematical models. Experience shows that it is easier to modify data sizes/types on the C side than the Fortran side of such applications. The following table lists the equivalent Fortran type in the different modes.

C/C++ type 32-bit 64-bit
int INTEGER INTEGER
unsigned int LOGICAL LOGICAL
signed long INTEGER INTEGER*8
unsigned long LOGICAL LOGICAL*8
pointer INTEGER INTEGER*8

A user must not mix XCOFF object formats from different modes. A 32-bit Fortran XCOFF cannot mix with a 64-bit C or C++ XCOFF object and vice versa. Since Fortran77 usually does not have an explicit pointer type, it is common practice to use INTEGER variables to hold C or C++ pointers in 32-bit mode. In 64-bit mode, the user should use INTEGER*8 in Fortran. Fortran90 does have a pointer, but it is unsuitable for conversion to the basic C and C++ types.

In 64-bit mode, Fortran will have a POINTER*8 that is 8 bytes in length as compared to their POINTER which is 4-bytes in length."

Kinds of employees companies want to hire- Features-The Economic Times

2009-09-24T10:33:00.000+05:30

Kinds of employees companies want to hire- Features-The Economic Times: "There are two kinds of employees. Some believe they can make things happen, and the others believe that things happen to them. The first group believes that the outcome of their life and career is more or less in their own hands, and they wouldn't have it any other way. The other group takes more of a Forrest Gump approach: They sit around and wait for a bus to take them somewhere.

This distinguishing feature is captured by something called a 'core self-evaluation.' After more than a decade of research, psychologist Tim Judge has discovered that virtually all superstar employees—from rainmakers in the field to line workers on the floor all the way to big guns in the boardroom—have one thing in common: a high core self-evaluation. Judge describes core self-evaulation as 'a person's fundamental bottom line evaluation of their abilities.'

Judge and his colleagues have shown overwhelmingly that employees who feel like they control the events in their lives more than events control them and generally believe that they can make things turn out in their favor end up doing better on nearly every important measure of work performance. They sell more than other employees do. They give better customer service. They adjust better to foreign assignments. They are more motivated. They bring in an average of 50% to 150% more annual income than people who feel less control over the fate of their careers. Not surprisingly, these employees also like their jobs a lot more than the Gumps do.

BETTER PERFORMERS IN GOOD TIMES AND BAD

In one study, Judge and his team tracked the progress of more than 12,000 people from their teenage years to middle age. He found that core self-evaluations predicted who did and didn't capitalize on the advantages life dealt them. With only a bleak view of their capacity to handle life's challenges and opportunities, even the brightest kids born to executives and engineers failed to reach as high an annual income as their less fortunate classmates.

By contrast, the supremely confident sons and daughters of roofers and plumbers who had only mediocre SAT scores and below average grades earned a 30%-60% higher income than the smart kids with dreary views of their abilities. And those kids with all the advantages of intelligence and pedigree plus a firm belief in their competence earned three times as much money as their otherwise equally blessed peers.

Other BusinessWeek stories

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India: Worries grow about Obama outsourcing policies

à

Tighter US oversight comes to H-1B visa program

à

Microsoft takes aim at Apple in touch computing

à

Factory Slump Puts China on Verge of 'Recession'

It seems that the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful employees has as much to do with an employee's beliefs about her ability as the reality of that ability. Considering that this difference is based as much on illusion as on reality, you might think the employee's performance would take a serious nosedive under challenging circumstances.

After all, if you think you're special, what happens when your superior or your board tells you about the areas in which you're falling short? Worse yet, what happens when the self-described superstar finds himself laid off or responsible for a division with tanking revenues? In other words, what happens when people who believe they are capable of controlling the world find themselves in an economy that is out of control?

It turns out that this is when the true stars shine. Tough times weed out both those with low self-evaluations and those poseurs who only pretend to have a high self-evaluation—the narcissists. Judge finds that only about one in five people with a high core self-evaluation also scores high on measures of narcissism. That's probably why researchers continually find that those with a high self-evaluation do so much better in turbulent times compared with those with a dimmer view of their abilities, and compared with those narcissists with fragile egos."
In a series of studies by different researchers, employees with high self-evaluations have been found to respond better to corrective feedback.

They also experience less stress and burnout than other employees, struggle less with work-life balance, and persevere more when searching for a job. Rather than shattering their beliefs in their abilities, it seems that a high self-evaluation creates a mental toughness that makes these people stronger and more resilient even when the chips are down.

THE CORE OF YOUR RECOVERY STRATEGY

To identify these stars who can take charge of your organization's rebound, you can use Judge's simple 12-question "Core Self-Evaluations Scale." (You can learn more about the scale and download it for free on Tim Judge's Web site.) It would also be a good idea to start keeping an eye out for these positive go-getters already working for you and consider giving them more responsibility and visibility in your recovery efforts. Here is how to spot them:

• "I Think I Can" Attitude: Kindergarten never taught a lesson more supported by empirical evidence than this: People who believe they can overcome challenges are more successful in virtually every sphere of life, including work.

• In Control: Does this employee take control of his work, or does he always point to outside circumstances when his projects go astray?

• Confident, Not Narcissistic: There is an important difference between having a high self-evaluation and being a narcissist. Does the employee pitch in when teammates need help, or bad-mouth co-workers they view as threats? Are they receptive or defensive when you give them feedback?

• Emotionally Stable: Employees who aren't easily discouraged are less likely to succumb to stress and burnout. They solve problems instead of saying, "See, I knew it wouldn't work!"

You could argue that getting these winners and their can-do attitudes on board still can't do much about a dismal economy. After more than a year of watching the economy go the way of the Titanic, nobody would blame you for trying to wait out the hard times. But do you really want to spend the coming months soothing your anxieties with a box of chocolates, and hoping that your bus arrives before the wind picks up?

Nick Tasler is a writer, researcher, and organizational psychologist. Tasler began his career at Andersen Consulting, was director of global research and development for think tank TalentSmart, and has consulted for Fortune 500 companies as well as smaller public and private enterprises. His book The Impulse Factor was named Best Career Book of 2008.

Grad Money Matters: 10 Steps Using Which Even a Lazy Person Can Be a Millionaire

2009-07-15T22:01:00.000+05:30

Grad Money Matters: 10 Steps Using Which Even a Lazy Person Can Be a Millionaire: "A million dollars is a lot of money. And generally the perception is that you have to work very hard to have a million dollars to your name. You need to pick up new degrees, new skill sets and work 100 hours per week. I agree. All that certainly helps. But if you are a content soul that finds life is most enjoyable when you can just go to work in the morning, come back in the evening and hang out with the family or veg out in front of the TV/Internet, then here is some good news for you. Follow the steps below, and you can still be a millionaire without overarching yourself or burning yourself out. All it takes is some patience and some change in everyday habits.

Part 1 has a summary of steps that you can skim through if you are in a hurry. Part 2 has a detailed example that shows it can really be done with as little as $200 per month and practically no effort. By the way, if you are looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, you should probably stop reading now. This here, is an outline of the good old time tested slow-and-steady approach.

Part 1: A quick summary of steps

1. Start early

Put the power of compounding on your side. The earlier you start the more time your money has for compounding. When you can have interest earning interest, you would be surprised by the way in which little amounts of money can turn into large fortunes.

2. Don’t ever turn down free money

Be it your employer offered 401K match, employee stock purchase options that offer immediate 10-15% returns, bonus for using one realtor versus the other when you buy a home, cash back on credit cards etc. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

3. Make savings automatic

We are human and if things were left to us to do everything on our own, we would still all be stuck in the Stone Age. Just as we trust everything else in life to automation, put your savings on auto mode too. Make sure that every month, before your paycheck is delivered to you, a part of it is deposited into a savings account.

4. Invest wisely

If your money sits in your bank, then over the course of time due to inflation, it actually shrinks instead of growing! So choose your investment vehicle wisely, preferable something like the stock market or real estate which can offer you a growth percentage that is much more than the inflation rate. And a quick reminder – don’t get too greedy and gamble away your money on high risk investments.

5. Plan for everyday expenses

Be sure that you have planned for your everyday expenses in such a way that small variations will not force you to abandon your above savings plan. People use all sorts of budgeting with different degrees of granularity. Pick the one that works for you.

6. Be prepared for unexpected expenses and emergencies

The steps above can help you start building a nest egg. But, life has a way of throwing curve balls at you just when you start to get comfortable. And at such occasions, if you have to dip into your nest egg, you wipe out the benefits of compounding and your nest egg will never get a chance to grow exponentially. So make sure you have a separate fund to deal with all sorts of small and large unexpected expenses and emergencies.

7. Live below your means

Make sure you manage to live within your means. This doesn’t mean that you start depriving yourself and not indulge in any of life’s fine things. It just means that you prioritize your indulgences and give into only those whims that offer you the most pleasure and are things you can afford. Before you spend your money think if it is something that will bring you or your family joy or if your are just doing it to show off to your friends and relatives.

8. Avoid consumer debt at all costs

If you have a great offense but your defense sucks, you will still not be able to win many matches. Same thing applies to your financial plan. Unless you beef up your defense against consumer debt such as credit cards debt, auto loans etc., you will find it hard to reach your financial goals.

9. Stop the money leaks

Look at your personal life – do you have any weak spots that are causing money leaks? These could be harmful addictions such smoking, alcohol, drugs etc. or harmless ones such as addiction to buying the latest CDs, books, shoes whatever. If it is something you do compulsively and is draining your bank balance, you should look into plugging them or at least getting them under control so the little leaks don’t turn in to gushing money drains.

10. Build up equity, set up streams of passive income etc.

Finally, in addition to the money you are saving make some provisions for yourself as you retire. Buy only as much home as you can afford and pay towards equity instead of rent, so someday in the future you can have a roof over your head without paying either rent or mortgage. Set up a stream of passive income to help you retire early or enjoy additional indulgences while you get there. While setting up additional income streams will in general need you to do some additional work, there are a few lazy options like investing in dividend yielding stocks or funding an energetic friend’s upcoming startup :)

11. Bonus step: Eat and live healthy

This is really not obvious, but if you don’t take care of your health today, then as you grow older, a lot of that money you are saving will go toward paying your medical bills. Try to eat a balanced diet and incorporate some exercise in your daily routine. If you can go to the gym, great. If not then choose walking instead of driving, stairs instead of the elevators etc. Small changes can pay off huge dividends in the long run – both in your and your bank balance’s ability to live long and healthy lives.

That’s all it takes to make a million dollars. Those of you who are skeptical and don’t believe that you can do it (for any number of reasons), let’s work through an example and see if I can convince you.

Part 2: An Example

Step 1 says start early. Let’s say you start at 25. If you can start earlier – that’s great. If you are starting a little later, make suitable adjustments to the numbers in the following steps (which as you can see have a lot of leeway) and you should still be able to make it.

Step 2 says not to turn down free money. I am sure over your lifetime you will find a zillion different ways to get some free money. But for this calculation here, let’s focus on the 401K match from the employer. For ease of calculation, let’s say you save $100 every month in your 401K and get a match of $100 from your employer. These numbers are obtained assuming a salary of 40,000 a year and an employer match of 3% - if you earn more salary or can get a better match, you should increase your contribution.

Step 3 says make savings automatic. Say you set up an automatic deduction from your paycheck and put away $100 every month towards savings. Remember this is just an example. Depending on how soon or late you start and how your personal financial situation is, you should be able to tune that number to suit your needs.

Step 4 says invest wisely. I don’t want to give out investment advice but if you want a lazy way out, pick a reliable, diversified mutual fund or ETF such as a target retirement fund. These funds are usually a diversified mix of funds with the aggressiveness balanced based on your risk tolerance which in turn is calculated based on how close to retirement you are. Let’s assume that there is no severe recession or gotchas in our lifetime and we can get the average 8% returns over the long run, which is about what the stock market has been able to give over the past 20 years or so.

Using this calculator, you are already at a little over million dollars when you retire at 65! By just saving $200 per month and availing $100 from your employers 401K match you can become a millionaire!

Steps 5 and steps 6 will make sure that you can meet the financial requirements of your every day life without having to dip into the nest egg above that is on its way to a million dollars. Note that the main reason that just $300 per month allows you to become a millionaire is that you allow for the interest to earn interest in a continuous cycle. Having a budget and an emergency account is crucial to let your nest egg snowball into a fortune.

Think of steps 7 through 9 the protective casing they use for selling eggs in the grocery store. Your nest egg is fragile and there are a zillion things out there that can crack it. Living frugally, avoiding debt and plugging money leaks can offer some protection and cushion to make sure there isn’t an unnecessary pressure that will crack your nest egg.

Finally step 10 and the bonus step is that make sure that when you do retire as a millionaire, you can continue to enjoy the life of a millionaire :)

Remember that the example above assumes you can only save $200 per month beyond your everyday obligations and building the emergency account. If can manage to save more, imagine how much money you can have and how much sooner!"

Top 7 Self Confidence Boosters - Self Development

2009-07-02T17:33:00.000+05:30

Top 7 Self Confidence Boosters - Self Development: "Top 7 Self Confidence Boosters

Self-confidence begins in your mind and works its way out into your life. How you feel about yourself on the inside is mirrored back to you in how you’re living life. Self-confidence is that powerful inner knowing that you are in the right place at the right time and doing the right things.

Here are seven powerful tips for boosting self-confidence -

1. Knowing what you want and why you want it.
Call it a goal, a purpose or a mission but knowing what you want is vital to overall self-confidence. Make the time to write out a powerful and self-satisfying vision for the future. Dream big, what do you have to lose?

Ask yourself, “Why do I want the future to be this way? How will I and others benefit from making my vision reality?” If your “why” is powerful enough, you can develop a plan that will take your vision from on paper to real-life. When your “why” is compelling, your confidence to succeed becomes unstoppable.

2. Spending time and effort going for great, not perfect.
Perfectionism not only robs you of self-confidence but it’s a dream stealer. Striving to be perfect means constantly attempting to measure up to an impossibly high standard of excellence. Settling for nothing less than perfect is a no-win situation. Wouldn’t you agree, going for great is far more achievable?

3. Accepting and liking yourself, just the way you are.
Self-acceptance is a tremendous boost to your self-confidence and self-esteem. Self-acceptance begins with appreciating and accepting your many positive traits and talents. Self-confidence is a positive by-product that comes from accepting yourself as a worthy and deserving person.

4. Acknowledging that the past does not equal the future.
Learn from the past and positively head toward the future. The past is the past and you cannot change what’s happened. You can though learn from the lessons and use them to grow stronger and even more empowered.

5. Recognizing that net-worth does not equal self-worth.
You are as rich as your life is full. Your self-esteem and self-worth aren’t tied to your possessions or the amount of money in your checking account.

But, with that said, not worrying about money makes life less stressful. If you’re not where you want to be financially, what can you do to change the situation? Learn new skills, seek the advice of a professional or learn to use money more wisely?

6. Understanding that your voice matters.
You deserve to be heard. Your thoughts, opinions and ideas are important. Speak up for yourself and let your opinions be known. Remember too, the most important words you’ll hear are the ones you say to yourself.

7. Believing, without an ounce of doubt, you matter!!!
Self-confidence comes from knowing in your heart of hearts that you have value. Your special gifts and talents should be shared with the world. Hold your head high. Believe and know you are a VIP – very important person!

What have you done today to enhance your self-confidence?"

14 leadership quotes that will blow your mind | Coool-Stuff

2009-07-01T23:49:00.000+05:30

14 leadership quotes that will blow your mind | Coool-Stuff: "Check what ‘big minds’ said about leadership. Those quotes will blow your mind!

“It is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” (Douglas Adams)

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.“ (John Quincy Adams)

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” (Andrew Carnegie)

“Management works in the system. Leadership works on the system.” (Stephen R. Covey)

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him….But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, “We did it ourselves.” (Lao Tzu)

“I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.“ (Talleyrand)

“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.” (Russell H. Ewing)

“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.” (Warren Bennis)

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” (John Fitzgerald Kennedy)

‘The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” (Peter F. Drucker)

“Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” (Thomas Watson)

‘Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men — the other 999 follow women.“ (Groucho Marx)

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head - that’s assault, not leadership.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

And something additional. See the image below and you will find out what can happen without proper sales training, managament or leadership training. Maybe a good project managament or natural born leader will do?

project-management"

Bruce Lee’s Top 7 Fundamentals for Getting Your Life in Shape

2009-06-11T18:29:00.000+05:30

Bruce Lee’s Top 7 Fundamentals for Getting Your Life in Shape: "Bruce Lee’s Top 7 Fundamentals for Getting Your Life in Shape

by Henrik Edberg on March 7, 2008. Print Print

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Bruce Lee’s Top 7 Fundamentals for Getting Your Life in ShapeIf you haven’t been living under a rock for the last 30 years I’m pretty sure you know who Bruce Lee was. :)

If you have, then you may be interested to know that Lee was a very famous martial artist and actor who sparked the first big interest of Chinese martial arts in the West in the 60’s and 70’s.

But besides being an awesome fighter and iconic figure Lee also had some very useful things to say about life.

Here are 7 of my favourite fundamentals from Bruce Lee.

1. What are you really thinking about today?

“As you think, so shall you become.”

Perhaps the most basic statement of how we work. Think about what you are thinking today. What do those thoughts say about you? About your life? And how well do they really match your plans for your life and your image of yourself?

It’s easy to forget about this simple statement in everyday life. It’s easy to be quite incongruent with what you think on an ordinary day compared to how you view yourself and your goals. A simple external reminder such as a post-it with this quote can be helpful to keep you and your thoughts on the right track. An brilliant and beautiful expansion on this thought can be found in James Allen’s As a man thinketh (that can be downloaded for free here).

2. Simplify.

“It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential.”

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.”

If you want to improve your life then it’s tempting to want to add more. One problem with this may be that you don’t really have the time or energy to do more though. And so your efforts to improve become short-lived.

Adding more and more just creates more stress and anxiety. Removing clutter and activities, tasks and thoughts that are not so important frees up time and energy for you to do more of what you really want to do. And as the clutter in your outer world decreases the clutter in your inner world also has a tendency to decrease. This has the added benefit of making it easier to actually enjoy whatever you are doing even more while you are doing it.

Adding more thoughts and thinking things over for the 111:th time may create a sense of security. It’s also a good way to procrastinate and to avoid taking that leap you know you should take. And the more you think, the harder it gets to act. Perhaps because you want to keep that comforting sense of security and avoid the risk of wrecking that feeling.

Thinking has its place. It can help you plan a somewhat realistic route to your goal and help you avoid future pitfalls. Overthinking is however just a habit that will help you waste a lot of time. It’s more useful to replace that habit with the habit of just doing it.

3. Learn about yourself in interactions.

“To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person.”

The one person that is the hardest to get to really know may be yourself. Studying yourself while you are alone may result in some insights. But it’s also likely to produce a lot of made up thought loops and doubts in your mind. A good way to really learn more about yourself is study yourself in interactions with other people. How people react and act in these interaction can over time teach you a lot. And what you think and how you react can perhaps teach you even more.

What you see, feel and hear in other people may be a reflection of you. The things you learn by thinking this way may not always be pleasant, but they can be enlightening. They help you to see yourself and also how you may be fooling yourself. And these powerful insights can be very valuable for your personal growth. So, in interactions with others, try asking yourself: what is reflected?

4. Do not divide.

“Take no thought of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.”

This is a very useful and powerful thought. It is also one that obviously is hard to live by. Why? I believe it’s because the ego loves to divide and find ways to “add more” to itself. It want’s to feel better than someone else. Or more clever. Or prettier. Or cooler. Or wiser.

How can you overcome this way of thinking and feeling?

To me it seems to boil down to not identifying so much with your thoughts or feelings. That doesn’t mean that you stop thinking or feeling. It just means that you realize – and remember in your everyday life – that the thoughts and emotions are just things flowing through you.

You are not them though.

You are the consciousness observing them.

When you realize and remember this it enables you to control the thoughts and feelings instead of the other way around. It also enables you to not take your thoughts too seriously and actually laugh at them or ignore them when you feel that your ego is acting out. When you are not being so identified these things you become more inclined to include things, thoughts and people instead of excluding them. This creates a lot of inner and outer freedom and stillness. Instead of fear, a need to divide your world and a search for conflicts.

To learn more about this I would recommend Eckhart Tolle’s books and signing up for the 10 free and excellent webcasts - available both in video and audio form – that he’s doing with Oprah right now.

5. Avoid a dependency on validation from others.

“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine.”

“Showing off is the fool’s idea of glory.”

The ego wants to add because it thinks it’s not enough. One way of doing that is by craving validation from others. We want to feel smart, pretty, successful and so on. And the validation makes you feel good for a while. But soon you need a new fix.

And the problem with being dependent on validation from other people is that you let other people control how you feel. This creates a rollercoaster of emotion in your life.

To find more emotional stability and to take control of how you feel you need to get your validation from to a more consistent source. Yourself. You can replace the expectations and validation of others by setting your own expectations and by validating yourself.

And so you validate yourself by thinking about how awesome you are. You don’t sell yourself short. You appreciate how far you have come and the positive things you have done. You appreciate your own value in the world. You set goals and you achieve those goals. This builds confidence in yourself and in your abilities. These things will help you to build a habit of inner validation.

Now, showing off. Why do we do that? To get validation from others. However, this need for validation often shines through and that is why a thing like bragging seldom works. Instead of seeing the cool and successful person you are trying to project people just see the insecure and needy person looking for validation. And your bragging falls flat.

6. Be proactive.

“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”

It’s easy to get locked into a reactive mindset. You just follow along with whatever is happening. You do what the people around you do. You react to whatever is going on.

And so you get lost in your circumstances. This way of thinking doesn’t feel too good. You tend to feel powerless and like you are just drifting along.

A more useful and pleasurable way of living is to be proactive. As Bruce says: to create opportunities despite the circumstances around you. This feels better and provides better results. But on the other hand it’s also more difficult. It’s easier to just drift along in the reactive stream of life. And if you want to be proactive then you may have to take the lead quite often. And that can be scary.

Still, living proactively is so much more rewarding and exciting.

7. Be you.

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.”

Just being yourself is a hard thing to do. You may do it sometimes. And other times you may forget or fall back into old thought patterns. Or you may imitate someone else.

And that comes through too. And it may work.

But I believe that being the real you will work better. Because there the genuine you is shining through. Without incongruency, mixed messages or perhaps a sort of phoniness. It’s you to 100%. It’s you with not only your words but you with your voice tonality and body language – which some say is over 90% of communication - on the same wavelength as your words. It’s you coming through on all channels of communication.

So I’m not saying: “yeah man, you should just be yourself because it’s the right thing to do etc.” I’m saying that I think being your authentic self – the one where you do little dividing, the one that needs little validation from others, the one where your ego is not running the show and trying to get something from someone – will give you better results and more satisfaction in your day to day life because you are in alignment with yourself. And because people really like genuine and people really like authenticity."

30 True Things You Need to Know Now | The BridgeMaker

2009-06-11T17:02:00.000+05:30

30 True Things You Need to Know Now | The BridgeMaker: "30 True Things You Need to Know Now

You can bend it and twist it. You can misuse and abuse it. But even God cannot change the Truth. - Michael Levy

It is never too late to bring about lasting change for your life. No matter your present circumstances, not matter what has happened in your past; no matter your age, gender, or socioeconomic status, you are the creator of the life you want to live.

Dr. Gordon Livingston, author of Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, a Vietnam War veteran and practicing psychiatrist has experienced, first hand, the tragedies life can bring upon us. He has also found the necessity to keep joy and comfort alive regardless of the pain endured.

After learning more about Dr. Livingston’s life and the circumstances regarding how he lost his two sons within a thirteen month period, I have been moved by his commitment to preserve hope in a world capable of inflicting such great tragedy. His ability and strength to move forward in spite of the obstacles is inspirational.

Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart provides 30 essential truths to remind us that while we can’t escape who we are or what has happened to us; we are responsible for who we would like to be and where we want to go. I see incredible value in learning and living these truths. Here is how each truth touches my heart; I hope you find hope and value in these, too:

1. If the map doesn’t agree with the ground, the map is wrong. We are given mental maps as children. Our parents and other adults tell us what is right and what is wrong – sometimes they don’t always get it, well, right. Now as adults, when we find the maps we have relied on for so long can get us lost, we need to recalibrate and create more reliable guides based on what we now know to be true and where we want to go.
2. We are what we do. We are not what we think, or what we feel, or what we say, we are what we do. Actions do indeed speak louder than words. If you are unhappy with a particular part of your life, take a strong look at what you are doing to be happier.
3. It is difficult to remove by logic an idea not placed there by logic in the first place. By nature, we are emotional creatures. Often we live and react based on feelings, not logic. Feelings are wonderful, but when we become tied to a particular thought or belief we tend to ignore the fact that change might be necessary. If a negative behavior is driven by an emotion, then we must find a way to still satisfy the emotional need while putting an end to the destructive behavior.
4. The statute of limitations has expired on most of our childhood traumas. For some, childhood was pleasant, almost idyllic. But for others, when there has been serious physical, sexual or emotional abuse it is important to recognize this and process this with a trained professional. No matter your past, change is the essence of life. In order to move forward in life we need to learn to live in the present.
5. Any relationship is under the control of the person who cares the least. When relationships end it is typically because of unmet expectations or one person is not feeling love or cherished by the other. For relationships to grow and last both members have to be equal with the love they give; and both should do it, not because they think they have to do it, but because they want to do it.
6. Feelings follow behavior. No matter how hard we try, we don’t control what we think or what we feel. But, we do know which actions bring us happiness, pleasure and confidence. So, we do the actions that make us feel good. It is the action, the behavior that comes first. Take the next few days to notice how you feel after doing a particular behavior. If you like the feeling, do more of it. If not, change the behavior.
7. Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid. When we step out and claim what we want from the world a wonderful thing happens – the Universe responds.
8. The perfect is the enemy of the good. While it’s important to have control over our lives, it can be counterproductive to attempt to control our lives. The energy spent trying to be perfect can keep us from enjoying and appreciating all the good things that exist right before us.
9. Life’s two most important questions are “Why?” and “Why not?” The trick is knowing which one to ask. Understanding why we do certain things is the first step to change. Until we understand what motivates us, what we get from doing a particular behavior, there is no momentum to begin the change process. Likewise, by asking “Why not?” we begin assessing the risk versus reward aspect which can lead to bringing about productive change in our lives.
10. Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses. One of my biggest strengths as a person is I’m caring, sensitive and emotional – it is also my greatest weakness. While this strength helps me to build and maintain healthy relationships, it can also make me too reactive and less effective when dealing with conflict. This can create a confusing paradox for me from time-to-time, but having the awareness of the thin line between the two better prepares me to either use my strength or be mindful of my weakness.
11. The most secure prisons are those we construct for ourselves. What is your fear of change costing you? Too often what keeps us stuck is the belief we can’t move forward. Our head-trash tells us we are not worthy to have our heart’s desire. This fear; this incarceration, prevents us from breaking free and having the life we desire. Remember this: Before you can do anything, you must be able to imagine it. Imagining who and what you want to be, and then taking action, is the key to begin freeing yourself of what is holding you back.
12. The problems of the elderly are frequently serious but seldom interesting. The thought of our own mortality and demise can be a frightening one. Therefore, our attitude towards the aging can be callous because they are unwanted reminders of what’s ahead for us. However, the elderly can hold great value and wisdom for us. We must remember to show respect and gratitude for those near the end so the cycle can be repeated when it is our turn.
13. Happiness is the ultimate risk. No matter how painful, sometimes what we know is more comfortable than what we don’t know, even if we are depressed and miserable. Our misery can feel safe because it has been a part of us for so long. To seek happiness, to do things to break free of the depression, is a risk because we don’t know what it looks like or feels like to be happy. The antidote for this is hope and faith.
14. True love is the apple of Eden. “When I look back, the Garden is a dream to me. It was beautiful, surpassingly beautiful, enchantingly beautiful; and now it is lost, and I shall never see it any more. The Garden is lost, but I have found him and am content. - from Mark Twain in Eve’s Diary. True love is fair compensation for the obstacles and burdens of being human.
15. Only bad things happen quickly. When we think about the things that can change our lives in an instant we usually think of the negative ones first: accidents, our employer going out of business, or the news of a loved one becoming seriously ill. There is plenty of room; however, for good things to happen too, we just have to be more patient. Losing weight, improving a relationship, or creating a rewarding career all take effort, but the life-long satisfaction these bring can help to fill our souls when they are emptied-out by the bad.
16. Not all who wander are lost. When we were children we were told what to do. In our jobs, we are assigned tasks and projects. Our culture even has expectations of what we should do. It’s OK to step outside of the lines in order to follow what your inner wisdom is suggesting you do with your life. It’s not that you are lost when you wander, it’s just the opposite: You know what you want and you are only attempting to find the best path to your destination.
17. Unrequited love is painful but not romantic. Love is meant to be shared. When you give your heart to someone who is uninterested, it will only result in loneliness and disappointment. Instead find someone who will share love with you. When you do, you will feel the real power of love.
18. There is nothing more pointless, or common, than doing the same things and expecting different results. This truth also provides a very good definition for insanity. When things are not working in your life, try different things. The rub comes when we become so comfortable with the familiar we refuse to try something new. To grow we must also embrace change. The question then becomes what level of fear you are willing to walk through in order to change, grow and create the life you want.
19. We flee from the truth in vain. Somewhere along the way there are truths about ourselves we never allow to see the light of day. Shame, guilt or embarrassment keeps these truths hidden and locked away. But remember, we cannot change or heal what we do not acknowledge.
20. It’s a poor idea to lie to oneself. We may say the words, the words of a lie, but inside we know better; we know the truth. The most damaging lie we can tell ourselves involves making a promise. While good intentions are important, living the truth has far greater value in our life. Do what you say you are going to do, not just to improve the quality of your life, but to be able to live your life with confidence and self-respect
21. We are all prone to the myth of the perfect stranger. Unless you are being victimized by your partner, chances are very good there are plenty of reasons to love your partner or spouse. It takes maturity, patience and trust to look across the fence and know your grass is greener.
22. Love is never lost, not even in death. To lose what means the most to us is the ultimate test of helplessness and survival. I have been very fortunate to not yet experience the death of a close relative. That day, however, will come. When it does, my hope is I can transfer all of the love I have for that person to others still with me. In that way, the love for the person lost will always be alive.
23. Nobody likes to be told what to do. As a parent it’s easy for me to sometimes tell one of my children what to do instead of just listen and offer advice, if requested. My need to control can trump their need to be heard and grow on their own. When this happens, communication is strained and trust can be eroded. Rather than telling my children what to do, my job as a parent is to give them hope that they can be successful in a very uncertain world. This can be achieved by limiting my lectures and by giving them the time and space to “figure it out,” while I’m standing by with a safety net.
24. The major advantage of illness is that it provides relief from responsibility. In an ironic twist, the days we feel under the weather can be some of the healthiest for us. We push, we rush and we often don’t take time to take care of ourselves. But when we are feeling ill, we are forced to to slow down, perhaps call in sick at work, and take it easy.
25. We are afraid of the wrong things. For the first 18 years of my marriage I feared the wrong things. I feared not earning enough money or not advancing quickly enough in my career. I should have feared losing my wife and family instead, because I almost did. Now, I try to live in the present moment and appreciate all I have. When I do this, I stay centered with hope and not distracted by fear.
26. Parents have a limited ability to shape children’s behavior, except for the worse. My wife and I often hope our greatest legacy to our children is to be able to break the cycle of pain and doubt we experienced as children. Our hope is our children will have the self-love and confidence needed to live a rich and full life. With that said, we are far from being perfect parents. But our focus is to help them be as happy as possible in a world that takes and demands so much of them.
27. The only real paradises are those we have lost. Too often we may view the past with a special fondness, perhaps reverence, too. But the past for most of us may be no different than the present, it just feels that way. To be honest, we may not always see the past for what it actually was. This view can be dangerous and it can keep us from living fully in the present, in the here and now.
28. Of all the forms of courage, the ability to laugh is the most profoundly therapeutic. Yes, things can go wrong in life. Yes, there are issues and problems to solve. But we have a choice. We can choose to become pessimistic and not see the value in what we experience, or we can choose to laugh as an admission to the fact we are not perfect and life can get the best of us at times. What a relief to know that no matter how bad things may look, a smile or a rift of laughter can begin to make the circumstances feel better.
29. Mental health requires freedom of choice. No matter how bleak or desperate a situation may appear to look, we always have choices. Even with the absence of answers or direction, we do have the power to choose what our next action is. We can choose to ask for help; we can choose to pray; we can choose to get up in the morning, get dressed and forge ahead. The ability to choose gives us power. We can use that power to begin removing the obstacles that confront us
30. Forgiveness is a form of letting go, but they are not the same thing. To be clear, the purpose of forgiveness is not to let the person who harmed you off the hook, the purpose of forgiveness is to end the grief it has cost you. Don’t just let go, forgive and truly surrender the feelings of anger and pain. This may seem difficult, almost impossible, until you attempt to do it."

7 reasons you may be failing

2009-06-11T16:21:00.000+05:30

7 reasons you may be failing: "7 Reasons You May Be Failing

This is a little unusual for me, normally I like to write about the things that you should be doing and keeping it all very positive, I do not really care to much for the things you are doing wrong approach, however I do believe that it is important to see your mistakes in order that you may correct them. “7 Reason You May Be Failing” is a tough topic because it may come across as being personal, but it is not. I know these mistakes because I have made them all myself and hopefully by sharing my experiences you can save yourself a lot of time and pain in avoiding them. The second reason for taking this approach is that you may well be unaware of these habits within yourself and by highlighting them you then have the power to begin to change them. So here are 7 reasons you may be failing.

1. You Have A Catastrophe Mind. A catastrophe mind is the mind that always jumps to the worst possible outcome of a situation regardless of the evidence to support that. This is the person who is playing the game not to lose as opposed to the person who is playing to win. The Positive Expectancy Mind is the reverse of this and is what should be strived for. If your first response to this is something along the lines of “if you always expect a successful outcome then that’s just not realistic” or something else disputing positive expectancy in all situation, then this is certainly an indication that you have a mindset that is not set up for high levels of success.

2. Thinking To Small. If you have a catastrophe mind then you are almost certainly thinking to small. If all you can see is a negative outcome then the chances that you will allow yourself to seriously entertain the size of thoughts that you will need to be successful is very low. Big thinking gets big results, little thinking gets little results.

3. Fear Based Decisions. Again this is all a result of the catastrophe mind and why I placed it at the top of the list. Making decision based on trying to avoid pain produces completely different results than making decision to produce pleasure. Think of this, being pain free does not equal being happy, being happy however generals mean that you are somewhat pain free. Making decisions that seek joy is a much better strategy than making decisions that are designed to avoid pain. As I mentioned before you must play to win, not play to not lose.

4. Poor Goal setting. Most people don’t get what they want because they don’t know what they want. Clarity is focus and focus is power. Poor or no goal setting is a guaranteed strategy for failure. God himself cannot give you what you want if you do not know what you want! Poor goal setting also leads directly to reason #5.

5. Failure To Take Action. The gold will not mine itself. You must act both massively and consistently upon your goals with positive expectancy. Very little in this life will just show up on your doorstep in it’s finished form. You must be clear about what you want, plan a course of action, set a deadline, then start mining. No action = no results.

6. You Actually don’t Want To Succeed, You Just Like To Entertain Yourself By Talking About It. Sound silly but it’s true, you buy a book but you never read it, you talk about things you are going to do when the opportunity is right, you have more time, you have more money and so on, I know I’ve been there, but here’s the truth, you can have a story or you can have a result but you can’t have both. Most peoples biggest obstacle to overcome is themselves. The barriers imposed in your mind are generally significantly larger than those barriers that genuinely exist.

7. Lack Of Appropriate Education. Most people go to college or university, gain a formal education that is completely insignificant in the area that you are trying to succeed in then cling to the idea that they are educated for the rest of their life. If you are failing in relationships then seek education in relationships, sales, business, marketing, travel, money, the list goes on. Any institutional education is far to broad to be left at that. You need to specialise and become an expert in the area that you wish to succeed in. If you do not do this then failure is virtually guaranteed. The typical college graduate in the USA reads on average 0 books per year. Shocking, the wisdom of the world is available to us and how much do we take advantage of that? On average, 0. Continued education is a must and the lack of is a huge reason for failure.

So those are my 7 reasons you may be failing, the good news is that they are all correctable. Success really is a formula, I would recommend reading the articles on goal setting here as well as the other articles on success, just follow the links. As always, best of luck."

Oxygen and glucose 'boost brain power' - Health News, Health & Families - The Independent

2009-05-28T21:05:00.000+05:30

Oxygen and glucose 'boost brain power' - Health News, Health & Families - The Independent: "Oxygen and glucose 'boost brain power'

By Lorna Duckworth, Social Affairs Correspondent

Monday, 2 April 2001

Mental performance can be improved by 'feeding' the brain with extra oxygen or glucose, according to research published today that could have implications for the treatment of dementia.

Mental performance can be improved by 'feeding' the brain with extra oxygen or glucose, according to research published today that could have implications for the treatment of dementia.

Brain power can be increased by up to 20 per cent when people take extra supplies of either of the two basic neural fuels, the study by psychologists suggests.

Their research also found that a single dose of gingko, a herbal extract that improves blood flow, oxygenation and glucose metabolism, can improve concentration for as long as six hours.

The brain is the body's most energetic organ, consuming at least 20 per cent of its calories even when at rest. But unlike muscle cells or other organs, it is unable to store energy and needs a constant supply of glucose and oxygen in the blood.

Researchers at the Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit of the University of Northumbria say the findings could help develop treatments for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer's and dementia.

Their study, reported in The Psychologist magazine, found that oxygen or glucose had the biggest effect when people were set the most difficult mental tasks. Volunteers remembered up to 20 per cent more words from a list after they were given a short blast of oxygen through a face mask.

A dose of oxygen also improved performance when playing the computer game Tetris when the game was at its hardest level.

Similar results were shown when volunteers were given a glucose drink or gingko combined with ginseng before they performed arithmetic tests."

Braingle: 'Letter to Yourself' Mentalrobics Article

2009-05-20T12:23:00.000+05:30

Braingle: 'Letter to Yourself' Mentalrobics Article: "Creativity :: Work Hard, Play Hard
Many famous thinkers got their bright ideas while they were relaxing and not thinking about the problem. Archimedes got his sudden flash of genius while taking a bath and Darwin figured out evolution while driving down the road. These flashes of insight happen because the unconscious mind continues to process information in the background while you are doing other things. If your subconscious figures something out, it will seem like the idea came out of nowhere.

One way to encourage this is to periodically review your notebook to remind your subconscious mind about some of your recorded ideas. Then give your conscious mind a break from concentrating on the topic and do some novel and interesting activities. When you do this, it gives your subconsciousness a chance to freely explore the idea without the constraints that you impose upon your conscious thinking."

Five Ways to Speak Like Obama | BNET

2009-05-12T14:45:00.000+05:30

Five Ways to Speak Like Obama | BNET: "Now that we’ve got your attention, you should realize, of course, that you don’t want to speak like Barack Obama. You want to speak like you. Nevertheless, as a student of the art of public speaking, you can — and should — observe Obama’s oratorical skills. The greats all learn from other greats, so don’t hesitate. Study Obama’s repertoire, take what you like, and use what you can to improve your own public speaking.

Obama is a master at grabbing and keeping his audience’s attention, which is the number one goal of any public speaker. How does he do it? Here are five key lessons from Obama’s rhetorical playbook.
1. Talk About the Audience’s Concerns

Notice that when Obama addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time, he told our story before he told his own. He talked about our sleepless nights, for example, and the college admission that might have to be turned down because of a lack of financing.

This was brilliant, and you can do it, too. Start your talk by broadly defining the situation that your listeners face. Then, once you’ve got them nodding their heads in agreement, move on to describe the problems or challenges that are on their minds. Start where the audience is, not where you are. Once you have their attention, you can lead your listeners wherever you want to take them.

2. Keep It Simple

Throughout the presidential campaign, Obama kept his main message — “change you can believe in” — simple and easy to remember. Sure, some pundits mocked its simplicity, but it served its purpose perfectly as the banner at the front of his parade. You, too, can keep it simple, even if you have mountains of research to report.

First, fine-tune your core message. Fierce debate within Obama’s campaign no doubt accompanied the birth of the slogan “change you can believe in,” and similar prolonged discussion may accompany the discovery of your own core message. But once the decision has been made, don’t let that debate show. Chisel away at your topic until you can reduce your presentation to a core message. Once you achieve this, all your complex ideas can march behind it.

This is as true for business presentations as it is for political campaigns. Granted, your content may be nuanced and detailed, but so were Obama’s policy positions. He used his simple slogan to make us believe he was the politician for change — something so many Americans longed for — and he appealed to us to have faith (to believe) in the change he was offering us. Obama won people through a simple slogan, which then allowed him to more easily serve up his ideas about meaty topics such as health care, terrorism, and the crumbling economy.

We make a serious error if we mistake a complete argument for a persuasive one. All audiences, no matter how sophisticated, have limited attention spans and a limited ability to retain detailed spoken information. Don’t fear that you’re leaving details out; you must be selective. After all, what good is a thorough and detailed argument if it is inaccessible?

3. Anticipate What Your Audience Is Thinking

Obama and his speechwriters are certainly aware of the great line by Goethe, “Every word that is uttered evokes the idea of its opposite.” What this means is that when you express one view, the odds are high that people will reflexively think about other, unmentioned aspects of the topic.

A presentation that does not deal with this “evoking of opposites” loses the audience’s attention because it fails to address the questions and concerns that come up in people’s minds. So anticipate it. Show your audience that you understand the contrary view better than they do, and explain why your proposal or argument is still superior.

Obama did this effectively in his speech on race, in which he attempted to distance himself from the inflammatory Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama pointed out, for example, that he won primaries in former Confederate states and that he had built a “powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.” But he also acknowledged what was undoubtedly on people’s minds when he said, “This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign.” He went on to say that, yes, Reverend Wright’s sermons were controversial, but, no, that’s not why he must be rebuked. He said that, yes, the clips of Reverend Wright on YouTube make him look terrible, but, no, that’s not the full measure of the man.

His speech was powerful and widely praised. It was effective in part because Obama let everyone know that he had thought a lot about race, and in particular about both sides of the controversy surrounding his former pastor.

Attack your topics this way, too, and you will be in charge of the conversation. This approach will not only grab and hold the attention of your listeners, but it will also help you win people into your camp, which is what you need to do if, say, your goal is to persuade your board of directors of the wisdom of a seemingly risky partnership.

4. Learn to Pause

Obama has mastered the art of pausing. Just check out his presidential acceptance speech in Chicago to see this skill at work. He pauses to let us catch up with him. He pauses to let his words resonate. He pauses, in a sense, to let us rest. Pauses also give the impression of composure and thoughtfulness.

Here’s an exercise to help you learn to pause.

* Mark up your paragraphs / in this manner / into the shortest possible phrases. / First, / whisper it, / breathing / at all the breath marks. / Then, / speak it / in the same way. / Do this / with a different paragraph / every day.

Here’s what the opening paragraph of Obama’s remarks would look like:

* “If there is anyone out there / who still doubts / that America is a place / where all things are possible, / who still wonders / if the dream of our founders / is alive in our time, / who still questions / the power of our democracy, / tonight / is your answer.”

Where you pause is up to you; there are no hard and fast rules. But try it. Slowly inhale to the count of three at each breath mark. Speak as though you had plenty of time. The goal / of this exercise / is to teach your body / to slow down.

5. Master the Body Language of Leadership

Obama’s body language is relaxed and fluid. It does not display tension or fear. He’s calm and assertive — which is exactly what you need to be to get people to comply with your requests. For the ultimate in Obama smoothness, watch his entrance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

To achieve the body language that’s effective for you, focus on a single attribute — for example, calm — and practice implementing it in the basic motions of your day, from getting dressed in the morning, to leaving your home for work, to greeting your friends and colleagues. Research in the Scientific American suggests that focusing on one word is the most effective way to learn a new behavior. It will probably feel forced at first, but don’t worry. It will soon become natural, and eventually your body language will communicate the right mix of calm and assertiveness.

Finally, you’ll need to rehearse. Practice calmly walking up to the lectern or the front of the room. Arrange your papers calmly. Look out to the audience with a sense of command, with assertiveness. Let the silence hang for a moment, and only then deliver your opening remarks.

Calmness begets a sense of authority. Behave as if you are in control, and you will in fact gain control and command attention."

9 Important steps to improve your mental strength

2009-05-07T17:21:00.000+05:30

"Mental strength or toughness is not something that you have to be born with as mental toughness is something that can be transferable. There is no point in going through life as if you were in a fire; be ready to face the many challenges of life and keep moving forward towards reaching your goals by improving your mental strength.

1. The best way to improve your mental strength is to listen to experts in this field. There are many biographies and audio programs available that teach you to overcome obstacles and be successful in life. There are many success stories on the internet and in papers about people like you. And remember that if they can do it, there should be nothing stopping you from reaching your goal.

2. Though it is said that it is only with pain there is gain, this is not always true. Once you realize that failure and handicap does not actually prevent winning in life, you improve your mental strength by developing more confidence and courage to follow your dreams.
It is only through trial and error that you learn from mistakes. Don’t keep too high hopes, but do keep reachable hopes. With too high expectations, you tend to overwork and overstrain yourself. Remember that success will always reach you, if not in days, in months’ time.

3. Always do something you are not familiar with. This means you could walk a different route, stop watching television for a few days, drive to office using a different route or perhaps change your workout routines. By changing your routine, you become more adept in handling different and difficult situations with better calmness.

4. Never dwell on things that go wrong. Instead, think what you should do next and move forward in your work. Think of avenues where you can do better and decide if your goals are reachable by you. Most important, keep goals that you can keep, and not follow goals that are meant for others. This way, there is less scope of anything going wrong with your task.

5. Always adapt a positive attitude about health and personal fitness. Paying too much attention to small aches and pains only leads to a deterioration of your mental strength.

6. There are many enticing ads about new products like weight loss gimmicks, and new investment ventures. Don’t fall for all of them; follow your instinct and follow that meets your criteria, and tends to satisfy all of your concerns.

7. Meet more people who have done something in their lives. It is not advisable to mingle with people who are suffering from unsolved problems and who are frustrated with their lack of achievement in life. This is because the negativity and woe they suffer from can pass on to you.

8. Pay more attention on the rewards of your success, and not on focusing on mistakes you have done. Do only what is necessary today, and not on yesterday or tomorrow. This removes most of your worry.

9. Always be ready for the unexpected. Remember that though you can’t control life or nature, you can be ready for things that may happen. This way, you have a better approach to life, and in whatever you do.

With all these tips, you find an improvement in your mental strength, which in turn makes it much easier and better for you to face life all the tasks life gives you.

You May be Interested In More Other interesting articles :-
5 Best ways to Overcome All Obstacle Challenges
5 tips to turn Negative thoughts Into Positive thoughts
7 Useful tips to overcome your fear of failure"

Home loans: Tips to save money

2009-05-05T18:10:00.000+05:30

Home loans: Tips to save money: "When the Reserve Bank of India [Get Quote] hiked the repo rates and CRR on July 29, banks immediately followed suit by hiking their rates. Since January this year, most banks have increased their rates between 1 and 1.5 per cent, thereby leading to a rise in the equated monthly instalments (EMIs) or tenures of home loan borrowers.

There is another option - prepayment-in-parts or one-time to curtail the impact on EMIs.

However, before deciding on it, check whether the EMIs for the home loan (along with other loans) have crossed 50 per cent of the take-home income. 'If the EMIs are crossing 50 per cent of the salary, it is time to start controlling the monthly expenses,' said Rajesh Saluja, CEO, ASK Wealth Advisors.

Households whose EMIs are less than 50 per cent of the salary need not consider prepayment as interest rates should come down within 15 months. This could be usually in the case of families that have been repaying the loan for more than five years. As home loans are for the long term, rising income ensures that the monthly instalments becomes smaller vis-a-vis the income.

The worst affected lot, due to rising interest rates, are recent home buyers. If you had borrowed Rs 40 lakh in January for 15 years, his EMI would have been Rs 44,216. Now if the interest rate has increased by 1.5 per cent over the last six months (for simplicity we assume that the entire rate rise has happened at one time, rather than a staggered fashion), the restructured EMI will be Rs 47,918 per month, a rise of almost 8 per cent.

'Borrowers, who have taken a loan in the last three-five years should try and prepay part of the loan. Instances of such customers are already on the rise,' said Rajiv Sabharwal, head (retail assets and rural finance), ICICI Bank [Get Quote]. This will lead to reduction in the principal, which in turn, will reduce the interest payout.

For instance, for the same home loan, if the EMI has risen by Rs 3,702 (Rs 47,918 - Rs 44,216), you could pay around Rs 6.5 lakh at one-go to keep the EMI at the same level of Rs 44,216. Definitely, this is a large amount of money and may not be available easily.

However, if one takes a look at such rises in a staggered fashion, then the first rise would have been from 10.5 per cent to 11 per cent or 11.25 per cent. In this case, paying off around Rs 2.3 lakh would have kept the EMI constant.

For making such prepayments, financial experts suggest liquidation of debt instruments that are not giving great returns, especially the bank fixed deposits. Before doing so, call up the lender and ask about the amount that you need to pay to bring down your EMI to a comfortable level.

'Though equity investments should not be used for prepayment purposes, in some cases we have used these returns for prepayment,' said Kartik Jhaveri, a certified financial planner. When investing in equities, one expects to earn around 15 per cent a year in the long term.

However, if the equity portfolio gives more returns, use the surplus returns to payoff some parts of the loan. 'This ensures that the goals of the person are on track and the excess returns can be used to reduce the liability,' Jhaveri said.

In case you don't have the money to prepay immediately, Sabharwal suggests that stepping up the EMI outgo, if possible, is a better option than increasing tenures.

Another option, if you cannot prepay, is to switch your home loan from the existing bank to the one that is offers lower interest rates. 'However, switching only makes sense if the person gets the economics right.

In most of the cases the person has to pay around 3 per cent upfront on the outstanding loan,' said Sabharwal. He suggests a look at the charges involved such as foreclosure charges (2 per cent), processing charges (0.5 - 1 per cent) and the difference between the interest rates.

The apt time to prepay the loan is when you are nearing retirement and still have a housing loan. 'Prepay as much as possible. One may even liquidate some equity savings, if required,' Saluja suggests.

Then, there are situations where high expenses are expected. For instance, Sachin Anand and his wife used their gold to prepay 40 per cent of the Rs 15 lakh loan they took a year and a half ago. The Anands are expecting a child come November. Realising that the monthly expenses will increase, they liquidated the precious metal. And part of the proceeds from the sale have been kept for maternity expenses.

Yes, home loan EMIs have started hurting now. However, before arriving at any decision about prepaying, a rise in EMIs or tenures, you need to weigh all these options carefully."

18 ways to improve your body language

2009-04-27T16:56:00.000+05:30

18 ways to improve your body language: "Continuing from the previous post 6 reasons to improve your body language, here is just a few of many pointers on how to improve your body language. Improving your body language can make a big difference in your people skills, attractiveness and general mood.

There is no specific advice on how to use your body language. What you do might be interpreted in several ways, depending on the setting and who you are talking to. You’ll probably want to use your body language differently when talking to your boss compared to when you talk to a girl/guy you’re interested in. These are some common interpretations of body language and often more effective ways to communicate with your body.

First, to change your body language you must be aware of your body language. Notice how you sit, how you stand, how you use you hands and legs, what you do while talking to someone.

You might want to practice in front of a mirror. Yeah, it might seem silly but no one is watching you. This will give you good feedback on how you look to other people and give you an opportunity to practise a bit before going out into the world.

Another tip is to close your eyes and visualize how you would stand and sit to feel confident, open and relaxed or whatever you want to communicate. See yourself move like that version of yourself. Then try it out.

You might also want observe friends, role models, movie stars or other people you think has good body language. Observe what they do and you don’t. Take bits and pieces you like from different people. Try using what you can learn from them.

Some of these tips might seem like you are faking something. But fake it til you make it is a useful way to learn something new. And remember, feelings work backwards too. If you smile a bit more you will feel happier. If you sit up straight you will feel more energetic and in control. If you slow down your movements you’ll feel calmer. Your feelings will actually reinforce your new behaviours and feelings of weirdness will dissipate.

In the beginning easy it’s to exaggerate your body language. You might sit with your legs almost ridiculously far apart or sit up straight in a tense pose all the time. That’s ok. And people aren’t looking as much as you think, they are worrying about their own problems. Just play around a bit, practice and monitor yourself to find a comfortable balance.

1. Don’t cross your arms or legs – You have probably already heard you shouldn’t cross your arms as it might make you seem defensive or guarded. This goes for your legs too. Keep your arms and legs open.

2. Have eye contact, but don’t stare – If there are several people you are talking to, give them all some eye contact to create a better connection and see if they are listening. Keeping too much eye-contact might creep people out. Giving no eye-contact might make you seem insecure. If you are not used to keeping eye-contact it might feel a little hard or scary in the beginning but keep working on it and you’ll get used to it.

3. Don’t be afraid to take up some space – Taking up space by for example sitting or standing with your legs apart a bit signals self-confidence and that you are comfortable in your own skin.

4. Relax your shoulders – When you feel tense it’s easily winds up as tension in your shoulders. They might move up and forward a bit. Try to relax. Try to loosen up by shaking the shoulders a bit and move them back slightly.

5. Nod when they are talking – nod once in a while to signal that you are listening. But don’t overdo it and peck like Woody Woodpecker.

6. Don’t slouch, sit up straight – but in a relaxed way, not in a too tense manner.

7. Lean, but not too much – If you want to show that you are interested in what someone is saying, lean toward the person talking. If you want to show that you’re confident in yourself and relaxed lean back a bit. But don’t lean in too much or you might seem needy and desperate for some approval. Or lean back too much or you might seem arrogant and distant.

8. Smile and laugh – lighten up, don’t take yourself too seriously. Relax a bit, smile and laugh when someone says something funny. People will be a lot more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. But don’t be the first to laugh at your own jokes, it makes you seem nervous and needy. Smile when you are introduced to someone but don’t keep a smile plastered on your face, you’ll seem insincere.

9. Don’t touch your face – it might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners or the people in the conversation.

10. Keep you head up - Don’t keep your eyes on the ground, it might make you seem insecure and a bit lost. Keep your head up straight and your eyes towards the horizon.

11. Slow down a bit – this goes for many things. Walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also make you feel less stressed. If someone addresses you, don’t snap you’re neck in their direction, turn it a bit more slowly instead.

12. Don’t fidget – try to avoid, phase out or transform fidgety movement and nervous ticks such as shaking your leg or tapping your fingers against the table rapidly. You’ll seem nervous and fidgeting can be a distracting when you try to get something across. Declutter your movements if you are all over the place. Try to relax, slow down and focus your movements.

13. Use your hands more confidently – instead of fidgeting with your hands and scratching your face use them to communicate what you are trying to say. Use your hands to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make. But don’t use them to much or it might become distracting. And don’t let your hands flail around, use them with some control.

14. Lower your drink – don’t hold your drink in front of your chest. In fact, don’t hold anything in front of your heart as it will make you seem guarded and distant. Lower it and hold it beside your leg instead.

15. Realise where you spine ends – many people (including me until recently) might sit or stand with a straight back in a good posture. However, they might think that the spine ends where the neck begins and therefore crane the neck forward in a Montgomery Burns-pose. Your spine ends in the back of your head. Keep you whole spine straight and aligned for better posture.

16. Don’t stand too close –one of the things we learned from Seinfeld is that everybody gets weirded out by a close-talker. Let people have their personal space, don’t invade it.

17. Mirror - Often when you get along with a person, when the two of you get a good connection, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. That means that you mirror the other person’s body language a bit. To make the connection better you can try a bit of proactive mirroring. If he leans forward, you might lean forward. If she holds her hands on her thighs, you might do the same. But don’t react instantly and don’t mirror every change in body language. Then weirdness will ensue. :)

18. Keep a good attitude – last but not least, keep a positive, open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your body language and can make a major difference. For information on how make yourself feel better read 10 ways to change how you feel and for relaxation try A very simple way to feel relaxed for 24 hours.

You can change your body language but as all new habits it takes a while. Especially things like keeping you head up might take time to correct if you have spent thousands of days looking at your feet. And if you try and change to many things at once it might become confusing and feel overwhelming.

Take a couple of these body language bits to work on every day for three to four weeks. By then they should have developed into new habits and something you’ll do without even thinking about it. If not, keep on until it sticks. Then take another couple of things you’d like to change and work on them."

My Pets

2009-04-16T17:23:00.001+05:30

8 steps to stop being sick with loneliness, Mind - Mind Power,Times Wellness Online

2009-04-16T17:00:00.000+05:30

8 steps to stop being sick with loneliness, Mind - Mind Power,Times Wellness Online: "When you're missing friends and family, blood pressure may soar and your immune system weaken, Chicago University researchers said this week. Scientists have known for years that people with a good network of friends tend to live longer than those without. They're also less likely to fall victim to depression.

However, loneliness is more common these days. We live longer, have fewer children and are more likely to move away from our home towns, so we're no longer part of close-knit communities.

The study found that loneliness:

Raises blood pressure: The loneliest people had blood pressure readings 30 points higher than the most sociable, making them three times more likely to get heart disease or have a stroke than those with normal blood pressure.

Lowers immunity: High levels of stress hormone cortisol, found to be more common in lonely people, can suppress ability to fight off infection.

Interferes with sleep: Poor sleep is linked to obesity and depression.

Encourages bad habits: The lonelier you are, the more likely you are to comfort-eat fatty, sugary foods and the less likely you are to exercise.

Faster progression of Alzheimer's: It's not known why but could be the result of lack of mental stimulation.

How you can get connected

(1) Make the effort with family: Ask your family to stay in touch and try to plan regular meetings. If you have more spare time than them, accept that you may have to do more of the running. Meanwhile, stay in touch with phone calls, texts and emails.

(2) Get out of the house daily: Even if it's just to go to the shops. Smile at people and make conversation with anyone you see regularly, like a local shopkeeper. Smiling not only releases feelgood chemicals, cheering you up no end, it attracts people to you.

(3) Learn a new skill: Learning something new not only keeps your brain active, it could open up a whole new world, including new friends. Check out local education authority courses.

(4) Exercise: Not only does regular exercise help prevent heart disease, stroke, some cancers and slow the progression of Alzheimer's, it's as effective for mild to moderate depression as some antidepressants.

(5) Join a group: If you choose something you're really interested in - whether it's rambling, reading or music - you'll instantly find you're with like-minded people.

(6) Be a volunteer: People who do voluntary work for two hours a week have lower depression rates and better health than those who don't.

(7) Eat healthy, mood-boosting food: Instead of fatty comfort foods, go for oily fish such as sardines, salmon and mackerel, plus fresh fruit and vegetables, wholemeal bread, nuts and lean chicken.

(8) Get a pet: Owning a pet helps lower blood pressure, boost immunity and ease depression. And walking a dog every day is a great way to get out and meet people.

Source: Daily Mirror"

Mental exercises to sharpen your brain, Mind - Mind Power,Times Wellness Online

2009-04-16T16:56:00.000+05:30

Mental exercises to sharpen your brain, Mind - Mind Power,Times Wellness Online: "“Mental exercises are a must to stimulate the neurons; brain cells. It is like if you do not use your eye you get a lazy-eye syndrome. Similarly, if you do not use your brain, you may end up with lazy-brain syndrome”, says Dr Hemant Thacker, consultant physician at the Jaslok and Breach Candy Hospitals, Mumbai.

Exercising ‘tiny’ brains

Mental exercises can begin right from childhood. Says Dr Prakash Vaidya, consultant paediatrician at the Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai, “These help children as a sort of training modality and any number of hours spent on practicing a particular skill would certainly translate into better peformance.” According to the educational and cognitive scientists, certain mental exercises can teach children to become more self-possessed at earlier ages, reducing stress levels at home and improving their experience in school.

A variety of exercises can help improve working memory and intellectual flexibility as well as improving motor skills in children. These include reading to a child while continually keeping an eye contact, by tilting the book so that the pictures become difficult to understand and ask the youngsters to follow the words carefully, holding more of them in mind at one time, which is a function of working memory.

Memorising helps children use their brain to focus and retain the information. Word searches and crossword puzzles are great activities for children to exercise their brains by using the focus and thinking that they require. Working with modeling clay or play-dough is good for children as it helps develop agility and hand-brain coordination.

Young adult minds

As such young minds are curious and eager to learn, learning novel tasks can be a good exercise for the brain. For instance, you can learn a new language, learn square dancing, chess, perform tai chi or try and control the computer mouse with your opposite hand.

Pick out new challenges for the brain and it will turn sharper. Challenging the brain early in life is crucial to building up more cognitive reserve to counter brain-damaging diseases, adds Dr David Bennett, Rush University, Chicago, USA. And reading-habits prior to age 18 are a key predictor of later cognitive function.

Keep your brain sharpened

You have a vibrant enthusiastic 70-year old on one hand and a serious thinker at the age of 30 on the other. Experts vouch that mental ability is genetic but they also say that brain exercising can improve mental acuity and agility.

Intellectual activity during middle-age puts you at a lesser risk of Alzheimer’s disease. So breaking your brain over brain teasers, scrabble, crossword puzzles or playing computer-based games will not go in vain any more. They will all help sharpen your brain. Reading, playing scrabble, learning a new language or starting a new hobby stimulates the brain to think. Interestingly, travelling is also stimulating.

Practicing ‘neurobics’

According to Dr Lawrence C Katz, professor of neurobiology at the Duke University Medical Centre, Durham, NC, USA, just as you can exercise your body to fight off the effects of physical aging, you can keep your brain stronger longer with special mental exercises called neurobics. Neurobic exercises involve one or more senses in a novel way, which helps you shake up your daily routine. “Use all your senses as far as possible. And these may be more important for the mentally disabled, for instance those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease”, adds Dr Thacker. The fun part is that neurobics can be done at any time and anywhere.

Get going

*
Get dressed with your eyes closed
*
Communicate using only visual clues at the dining table
*
Listen to the music while smelling flowers
*
Tap your fingers while listening to rain drops fall
*
Play with modelling clay while looking out of the window admiring clouds
*
Try eating or writing with the opposite hand
*
Break your routine. Go to work on a new route

Physical exercises are good for the brain in the elderly

Physical exercises have a protective effect on the brain and may also help prevent Alzheimer's disease. Studies have shown that senior citizens who walk regularly show improved memory skills, learning ability, concentration and abstract reasoning. Elderly women who walked regularly are less likely to experience age-related memory loss.

Morning exercises in the bed such as wriggling toes, stretching activate the nerves in your brain making you alert and energised. ‘Elderobics’ – cardiovascular exercises as in aerobics can improve memory and reasoning skills even beyond the age of 70.

Your brain is the boss of your body. And it needs to be taken care of. Inactivity and lack of mental exercises can result in mental decline. Your brain learns by interacting with the worldly matters through perception and action. The good news is that the brain has the capacity to rewire itself and thus even in old age it can grow neurons. So start using your brain; keep it active all through your life with stimulating mental exercises."

My 10-step plan to keep your brain sharp..., Mind - Mind Power,Times Wellness Online

2009-04-16T16:53:00.000+05:30

My 10-step plan to keep your brain sharp..., Mind - Mind Power,Times Wellness Online:

Here's my own 10-step plan for keeping your brain sharp...

(1) Make work more enjoyable

Doing something you hate that doesn't really tax you is not healthy for your brain in the long run. Plus, if you don't feel useful or appreciated, it can seriously damage your general health and your memory. Now, I know that leaving work because you don't like your job is probably not an option in the current economic climate but you can take steps to get more from work.

When I was a doctor doing research there was one department that always clashed with mine and made work miserable.
So I went to my boss with a list of ways we could improve things - and you could do the same. Your boss will be pleased you've taken the initiative and, hopefully, you'll then get more from your job.

(2) Take ginseng

The herb ginseng has been found to seriously improve memory - especially for women in their late-50s. Ginseng has also been found to boost brain function in both sexes following a stroke. You can find it at your local pharmacy or health food store.

(3) Try something new

I'm always encouraging people to try something different, such as learning a new language, as it gets the mind working hard. Our brain is wired to respond to new things - meeting new people, doing activities you haven't tried before, taking trips to strange places or just talking about a different subject all stimulate the frontal lobes - the ones most susceptible to ageing. Even simple tricks like using the other hand to apply eyeliner or taking a different route to work can have beneficial effects.

(4) Have fun pottering about

Older people often feel guilty about pottering without serious intent but it's great for your brain. Weeding in the garden is good, while many men enjoy tinkering with an old engine in the garage. Both activities require thought and problem-solving skills such as 'which plant should I pull up?' or 'what tool should I use?' - and, crucially, they both involve being on your feet, which has been found to make you live longer.

(5) Be more active

Exercise can have a huge impact on boosting your memory, whatever your age. The good news is it doesn't have to be anything too extreme - it's doing the job as long as it increases your heart rate. Try a brisk walk, cycle or swim three or four times a week for 45 minutes at a time.

(6) Make time to sleep easy

Have you ever tried to take a test or do the crossword after a sleepless night? It becomes 10 times harder, so it's no surprise that a good night's sleep significantly improves brain functions such as memory and attention. It's worth going to bed early at least twice a week.

(7) Have a power nap

I know a quick nap can really boost your mental faculties. I often have a doze in the back of the car between meetings. You don't need a lot of time - in fact, the shorter the better or you can wake up groggy. Sometimes I don't sleep but go into what I call my 'twilight zone', where I think of nothing and zone out for two or three minutes. It's enough to refresh me.

(8) Enjoy a cuppa

I'm a tea addict and drink a minimum of six cups a day. I have to drink at least a pint to really get going in the morning. When you drink green tea, or even ordinary builders' tea, antioxidant levels in your blood soar, revving up your brain. Studies show that tea can help prevent age-related memory loss and keep dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, at bay.

(9) Put more fish on the menu
Fish is an amazing brain booster. It's been found that healthy middle-aged people who regularly eat oily fish such as salmon, fresh tuna or mackerel have a much lower risk of memory loss and stroke. Brains of people who eat fish also show far less ageing - probably because the omega-3 fats in oily fish have a protective effect. Eat two portions a week for maximum benefits. However, if you really don't like the taste, a daily dose of good old-fashioned cod liver oil will do the trick.

(10) Exercise the old grey matter
Puzzles such as sudoku can help keep the brain active but activities where you have to interact with other people are even better - for example, playing cards with a friend. I think electronic brain-training games are a waste of money - I bought one and found it far too easy.

Using a mobile or BlackBerry to text is much better, as you have to think on your toes. I used to text with one thumb until I noticed that teenagers used both thumbs, so I became determined to learn this way. It took me two weeks and was hard going - but I got there and my text speed is now twice as fast. I think everyone over 50 should text at least once a day to ward off dementia.

Source: Daily Mirror"

Quickies for gdb

2009-04-16T14:29:00.000+05:30

Quickies for gdb: "Debugging

* gdb'ing specific architectures [permalink]
With a fat binary (32/64bit), gdb picks the 64 bit version. If you're trying to debug a 32-bit unit test on the command-line though, the 64-bitness of /Developer/Tools/otest gets in the way:

% gdb /Developer/Tools/otest
2008-10-31 19:29:50.834 otest[711:813] Error loading
/blah/blah/blah/build/Debug/Tests.octest/Contents/MacOS/Tests:
dlopen(/blah/blah/blah/build/Debug/Tests.octest/Contents/MacOS/Tests,
265): no suitable image found. Did find:
/blah/blah/blah/build/Debug/Tests.octest/Contents/MacOS/Tests:
mach-o, but wrong architecture
2008-10-31 19:29:50.887 otest[711:813] The test bundle at
build/Debug/Tests.octest could not be loaded because it is built for a
different architecture than the currently-running test rig (which is
running as unknown).
2008-10-31 19:29:50.904 otest[714:203] *** NSTask: Task create for
path '/blah/blah/blah/build/Debug/Tests.octest/Contents/MacOS/Tests'
failed: 8, 'Exec format error'. Terminating temporary process.

You can supply a -arch flag to pick what you want:

% gdb -arch i386 /Developer/Tools/otest

And then debug your 32-bit unit test.

General

* Break on szone_error not working [permalink]
Sometimes when you have memory corruption issues, the malloc library happily informs you:

Borkdoku(11062,0xcec0600) malloc: *** error for object 0xd109010:
incorrect checksum for freed object - object was probably modified
after being freed, break at szone_error to debug

Which is fine and dandy, but it lies. I've never gotten szone_error to actually do anything. Try breaking on malloc_printf instead.

* Breaking on exceptions [permalink]
It can be annoying tracking down the cause of thrown exceptions in Cocoa. you get a notice like 2007-05-05 17:18:00.702 QueenStitcher[2804:117] *** Assertion failure in -[NSColorWell setColor:], NSColorWell.m:497, u suk l0s3r, and then the runloop happily runs again, giving you no clue where the problem is. I tell gdb to always break on Cocoa exceptions:

fb -[NSException raise]
fb objc_exception_throw()

For maximal enjoyment, add these two lines to your ~/.gdbinit file, so they'll get set no matter how you invoke gdb (no need to add these to every single project, for instance).

I've been told VoiceOver uses exceptions heavily, so if you're doing VoiceOver development, these breaks may cause you pain.

* Displaying four-character ints [permalink]
Old-school Mac programming (and Quicktime, and other places) use four-character ints, things like 'bork'. You can have gdb print them out if you need to look at one or two of them:

(gdb) print/T 1936746868
$4 = 'spit'

(thanks to Daniel Jalkut for the print/T trick)

* Finding 'self' on Intel [permalink]
(gdb) po *(int*)($ebp+8)

* Ignoring signals [permalink]
(gdb) handle SIGTRAP nostop

The signal still goes to your program. Another handy option is 'ignore' to prevent it coming to the program. Also there is 'print' to print a message go on.

* Printing method arguments [permalink]
If you've hit a breakpoint on a method that doesn't have debug symbols, you can sometimes get useful information by looking in the processor registers. Arguments start in $r3 and go up from there. For Objective-C method sends, $r3 has 'self', and $r4 has the name of the method. Subsequent arguments are in $5 and so on.

(gdb) print (char*) $r4
$5 = 0x90874160 'drawRect:'

(gdb) po $r5
<BWStitchView: 0x1a6670>

* Printing object retain count in gdb [permalink]
In the gdb console:
(gdb) print (int)[theObject retainCount]

If you're expecting to have an excessively high number of retains, you can use (unsigned int) in the cast. I find (int) a skootch faster to type.

* Printing wide character strings [permalink]
gdb won't by default let you print wide character strings. Here is a little bit of gdb code that'll let you print them. In case that page moves, here is the relevant stuff. Paste this into your .gdbinit and then you can use wchar_print:

define wchar_print
echo '

set $i = 0
while (1 == 1)
set $c = (char)(($arg0)[$i++])
if ($c == '\0')
loop_break
end
printf '%c', $c
end

echo '

end

document wchar_print
wchar_print <wstr>
Print ASCII part of <wstr>, which is a wide character string of type wchar_t*.
end

* Seeing functions and selectors [permalink]
info selectors will show you all of the selectors in the application's symbol table. info functions will show you all of the functions. You can supply regular expressions to limit the output.

* Using libgmalloc in gdb [permalink]
libgmalloc puts guard pages at the end of malloc'd blocks of memory, letting you catch buffer overruns. (This will hugely inflate your program's working set, and may lead to swapping) To turn on libgmalloc in gdb, do this:

(gdb) set env DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES /usr/lib/libgmalloc.dylib

* calling objective-C methods in gdb [permalink]
To call an Objective-C method in the gdb console, you have to cast the return type (since gdb doesn't really know what the return value is):

(gdb) call (void)[textField setStringValue: @'Bork']

Hacks

* Loading a bundle into a running program [permalink]
Sometimes it's handy to load a bundle into a running app to do some poseAsClass: for doing some debugging or reverse engineering. Make a Cocoa bundle which has the code you want to load, then do:

(gdb) call (id) objc_getClass('NSBundle')
$1 = (struct objc_object *) 0xa0a051d8

gdb) call (id)[$1 bundleWithPath:@'/blah/blah/PoseAsClassBundle.bundle']
$2 = (struct objc_object *) 0x51467e0

(gdb) call (BOOL)[$2 load]
Reading symbols for shared libraries . done"

Quickies for emacs

2009-04-16T14:26:00.000+05:30

Quickies for emacs: "# Disabling control-Z from backgrounding emacs [permalink]
I find emacs' control-Z behavior to be pretty annoying (it backgrounds the program if you're in a shell, or hides the window if you're in X). Add this to your .emacs file:
(global-set-key 'C-Z' nil)

# Fixing 'no job control in this shell' [permalink]
Emacs in Mac OS X 10.1.3 (and other versions) has an annoying habit of having broken shells when you do M-x shell. You get an error like 'Inappropriate ioctl for device, no job control in this shell', which makes interrupting or backgrounding programs in shell mode impossible. Domo-kun gave me a one-line patch to the emacs source:
#define DONT_REOPEN_PTY
. Add that to darwin.h and build emacs. You can get the emacs source from the Darwin projects page. If you'd like a binary, drop us some mail.

# Fixing emacs C mode indenting [permalink]
Here's a way to change the C indenting style to a major style, and override some of the pre-set values (like how emacs 21 changed the bsd indent level from 4 to 8. Gee thanks guys):

(setq c-default-style 'bsd'
c-basic-offset 4)

# Fixing emacs backspace in screen [permalink]
When running emacs insde of screen, screen helpfully turns the backspace/delete key into '^[[3~', which gets turned into a forward-delete. Unfortunately, just bashing deletechar into backward-delete-char-untabify causes backspace in incremental search to cancel the search, which is annoying.

One option is to set the TERM env var to rxvt:

% setenv TERM rxvt

Before cranking up screen.

# Macro recording [permalink]
C-x ( : start recording keyboard macro
C-x ) : stop recording keyboard macro
C-x e : replay current keyboard macro

# Make emacs indent code with spaces instead of tabs [permalink]
Personally, I prefer emacs' default indentation with a mixture of tabs and spaces. If you're working on a project or for a client that requires indentation with spaces, add this to your .emacs file. This will make spaces the indent character, and use 4 spaces per indent level, for C, C++, and Objective C:

(setq c-mode-hook
(function (lambda ()
(setq indent-tabs-mode nil)
(setq c-indent-level 4))))
(setq objc-mode-hook
(function (lambda ()
(setq indent-tabs-mode nil)
(setq c-indent-level 4))))
(setq c++-mode-hook
(function (lambda ()
(setq indent-tabs-mode nil)
(setq c-indent-level 4))))

# Resetting shell mode's idea of the current working directory [permalink]
Sometimes the shell mode will get confused as to what the current working directory is (like if you use aliases to move to a new directory, or if you use the conveniences like !$). M-x dirs will tell the shell buffer to figure out what the current working directory is.

# Restrict editing to the region [permalink]
M-x narrow-to-region

Hides everything not in the current region.

# Revisiting / reloading a file in emacs [permalink]
The $Id: $ tags for CVS are nice, but it can be a pain when you're doing lots of checkins and have to re-load the file each time. You can either execute M-x revert-bufer or bind that to a key, or else use a trick by doing C-x C-v which invokes find-alternate-file, but just so happens to have the current buffer name, so you just have to do C-x C-v RET

# Running shell command pasting result back into the buffer [permalink]
So to run uuidgen, for instance:

C-U M-! ret uuidgen ret

# Scroll line with cursor to the top of the window [permalink]
C-U 0 C-L

(you can put in another number besides zero to scroll the line with the cursor to that particular line in the buffer)

# Setting variables when loading a file [permalink]
So say you're working on a project with two-space indents, but most of your other work happens with four-space indents. If the two-space crowd is amenable, add this to the bottom of the file:

/* For the emacs weenies in the crowd.
Local Variables:
c-basic-offset: 2
End:
*/

# Showing current column position [permalink]
M-x column-number-mode

# Toggling read-only mode in a buffer [permalink]
C-X C-Q

# Turning off command highlighting in shell mode [permalink]
Emacs 21, which comes with Mac OS X 10.2, 'helpfully' puts into bold the commands you execute in the shell. This drives me nuts, so I figured out how to turn it off. Add this to your .emacs file:

(setq comint-highlight-input nil)

# Turning off font-lock mode everywhere [permalink]
(global-font-lock-mode -1)

# Turning off incremental-search highlighting [permalink]
Emacs 21, which comes with Mac OS X 10.2, has highlighting enabled when doing incremental search (which drives me nuts). You can turn that off by setting this in your .emacs file:

(setq search-highlight nil)

You may also need to
(setq isearch-lazy-highlight nil)

To turn off underlining of matching results. Only some OS X installs need this setting.

# Turning off scroll-to-end in shell-mode [permalink]
(setq comint-scroll-show-maximum-output nil)

# Undo within a given region [permalink]
C-U C-_

# Unnarrowing the region [permalink]
M-x widen

# Use only spaces when indenting code [permalink]
(setq indent-tabs-mode nil)

# Using carriage returns in query-replace / replace-string [permalink]
Use C-Q C-J (control-Q control-J) each time you want to include a carriage return. e.g. to double-space everything

M-x replace-string RET C-Q C-J RET C-Q C-J C-Q C-J RET

Or to put 'bloogie ' at the beginning of every line

M-x replace-string RET C-Q C-J RET C-Q C-J b l o o g i e SPACE RET

# compiling emacs .el files [permalink]
Big emacs .el files take a long time to load. You can compile them into .elc files by using:
% emacs -batch -f batch-byte-compile filename.el

# emacs registers [permalink]
Stick something into a register:

(select stuff)
C-x r x 1

where '1' is the register identifier.

Getting stuff out of a register:

C-x r g 1"

Warren Buffett's 10 Ways To Get Rich

2009-04-13T12:24:00.000+05:30

"With an estimated fortune of $62 billion, Warren Buffett is the richest man in the entire world. In 1962, when he began buying stock in Berkshire Hathaway, a share cost $7.50. Today, Warren Buffett, 78, is Berkshire's chairman and CEO, and one share of the company's class A stock worth close to $119,000. He credits his astonishing success to several key strategies, which he has shared with writer Alice Schroeder. She spend hundreds of hours interviewing the Sage of Omaha for the new authorized biography The Snowball. Here are some of Warren Buffett's money-making secrets -- and how they could work for you.

1. Reinvest Your Profits: When you first make money, you may be tempted to spend it. Don't. Instead, reinvest the profits. Warren Buffett learned this early on. In high school, he and a pal bought a pinball machine to pun in a barbershop. With the money they earned, they bought more machines until they had eight in different shops. When the friends sold the venture, Warren Buffett used the proceeds to buy stocks and to start another small business. By age 26, he'd amassed $174,000 -- or $1.4 million in today's money. Even a small sum can turn into great wealth.

2. Be Willing To Be Different: Don't base your decisions upon what everyone is saying or doing. When Warren Buffett began managing money in 1956 with $100,000 cobbled together from a handful of investors, he was dubbed an oddball. He worked in Omaha, not Wall Street, and he refused to tell his parents where he was putting their money. People predicted that he'd fail, but when he closed his partnership 14 years later, it was worth more than $100 million. Instead of following the crowd, he looked for undervalued investments and ended up vastly beating the market average every single year. To Warren Buffett, the average is just that -- what everybody else is doing. to be above average, you need to measure yourself by what he calls the Inner Scorecard, judging yourself by your own standards and not the world's.

3. Never Suck Your Thumb: Gather in advance any information you need to make a decision, and ask a friend or relative to make sure that you stick to a deadline. Warren Buffett prides himself on swiftly making up his mind and acting on it. He calls any unnecessary sitting and thinking 'thumb sucking.' When people offer him a business or an investment, he says, 'I won't talk unless they bring me a price.' He gives them an answer on the spot.

4. Spell Out The Deal Before You Start: Your bargaining leverage is always greatest before you begin a job -- that's when you have something to offer that the other party wants. Warren Buffett learned this lesson the hard way as a kid, when his grandfather Ernest hired him and a friend to dig out the family grocery store after a blizzard. The boys spent five hours shoveling until they could barely straighten their frozen hands. Afterward, his grandfather gave the pair less than 90 cents to split. Warren Buffett was horrified that he performed such backbreaking work only to earn pennies an hour. Always nail down the specifics of a deal in advance -- even with your friends and relatives.

5. Watch Small Expenses: Warren Buffett invests in businesses run by managers who obsess over the tiniest costs. He one acquired a company whose owner counted the sheets in rolls of 500-sheet toilet paper to see if he was being cheated (he was). He also admired a friend who painted only on the side of his office building that faced the road. Exercising vigilance over every expense can make your profits -- and your paycheck -- go much further.

6. Limit What You Borrow: Living on credit cards and loans won't make you rich. Warren Buffett has never borrowed a significant amount -- not to invest, not for a mortgage. He has gotten many heart-rendering letters from people who thought their borrowing was manageable but became overwhelmed by debt. His advice: Negotiate with creditors to pay what you can. Then, when you're debt-free, work on saving some money that you can use to invest.

7. Be Persistent: With tenacity and ingenuity, you can win against a more established competitor. Warren Buffett acquired the Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1983 because he liked the way its founder, Rose Blumkin, did business. A Russian immigrant, she built the mart from a pawnshop into the largest furniture store in North America. Her strategy was to undersell the big shots, and she was a merciless negotiator. To Warren Buffett, Rose embodied the unwavering courage that makes a winner out of an underdog.

8. Know When To Quit: Once, when Warren Buffett was a teen, he went to the racetrack. He bet on a race and lost. To recoup his funds, he bet on another race. He lost again, leaving him with close to nothing. He felt sick -- he had squandered nearly a week's earnings. Warren Buffett never repeated that mistake. Know when to walk away from a loss, and don't let anxiety fool you into trying again.

9. Assess The Risk: In 1995, the employer of Warren Buffett's son, Howie, was accused by the FBI of price-fixing. Warren Buffett advised Howie to imagine the worst-and-bast-case scenarios if he stayed with the company. His son quickly realized that the risks of staying far outweighed any potential gains, and he quit the next day. Asking yourself 'and then what?' can help you see all of the possible consequences when you're struggling to make a decision -- and can guide you to the smartest choice.

10. Know What Success Really Means: Despite his wealth, Warren Buffett does not measure success by dollars. In 2006, he pledged to give away almost his entire fortune to charities, primarily the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He's adamant about not funding monuments to himself -- no Warren Buffett buildings or halls. 'I know people who have a lot of money,' he says, 'and they get testimonial dinners and hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life.'"

5 Minute Management Course

2009-04-12T13:47:00.000+05:30

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her
shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a
towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the
next-door neighbor.
Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that
towel." After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands
naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she
gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"
"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.
"Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he
owes me?"

Moral of the story :
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with
your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent
avoidable exposure.

******************
Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs,
forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After
controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his
hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak"
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129
It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great
opportunity.

*****************************
Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to
lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie
comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the
Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Puff! She's gone.

"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii ,
relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of
Pina Coladas and the love of my life."

Puff! He's gone.

"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.
*****************************
Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him,

Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a
sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high > >> up.

******************************
Lesson 5:
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to
the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the
energy."
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the
bull.
They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him
enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day,
after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally
after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of
the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

Bull might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
***********
Lesson 6:
A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the
bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying
there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to
realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He
lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.
Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung,
and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:

(1) Not everyone who s on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep , it's best to keep your mouth shut!

THIS ENDS THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE