Self belief unlocks many locks

It is the heart always that sees, before the head can see. Thomas Carlyle

How often have you experienced the strange feeling of either something going very right or a premonition of something unfortunate and then seeing things happen to confirm your feelings? How often have you listened to your hearts calling and despite more logical advice pursued your own instincts and triumphed? Are there times when you met people and felt uncomfortable and therefore limited your interactions which later proved to be a blessing in disguise? If you have dared to be different, furrowed a solo path, given in to your passions and always feel on top of the world then you are one of those fortunate people who believed in themselves and worked to realize your dreams.

What is common in all the experiences above is that when one sees with the heart one can feel; when one sees with the head you need to get it confirmed logically. Today you believe that pictures can be transmitted through the air and seen on the other side of the globe because you have seen television and internet work. Ever imagined how the people who were instrumental in developing these technologies could dare to attempt it? They answer lies in their self belief in their knowledge, their ability and their visualization. It is when one believes in ones self that one can dare to think big, think different, get the courage to attempt the impossible and persist without losing heart. Self belief helps one open up numerous locks that may have trapped our faith, our skills, our passion, our imagination and our momentum.

An important prerequisite for self belief is a positive attitude. If we lack the positive attitude we are prone to see the negatives in things and the seeds of self belief will never grow in such an unfertile environment. All great triumphs of men and women are primarily the result of their self belief which in turn reaffirms the positive attitude that these people nurtured all along. Imagination and creative thinking will help one to hone the art and skill of self belief. It doesn’t take much to follow the beaten path, to traverse the road that others have or to simply trudge along following the herd. When one develops a vivid imagination, is open to a wide variety of influences that fertilizes the thinking and can creatively infuse daring into thought, self belief slowly takes roots and lines the pathways to experimentation, rework and triumph.

Persistence is the hammer that nails down triumph through self belief. Far too often our self belief does not fructify into triumph simply because we give up too soon. When failures beset our efforts we tend to lose faith rather than focus on alternatives. It is those who have continued with their quest despite the many odds and obstacles who live their self belief and prove themselves. The real pin that pricks and bursts our self belief is our inability to cope with criticisms. There will always be many who either because they lack the visualization or because they are risk averse or they do not have faith in you who will criticize and dissuade one from pursing ones passion. Without being hurt or shaken by these critics, one needs to focus on the goal and keep believing in ones own dream. Else one would soon give in to the critics and find ourselves caught between our passion and their logic and then we would no longer be listen with our heart. Listen / see/ feel with the heart and then you will see/ touch / experience with all your other senses.

Remember: “Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” Gail Devers

Try this:

Try and play the game Freecell available on the windows platform. It is a card game and there are over 30,000 games that you can play. Technically each game can be solved. So with this ‘self belief’ attempt to play each of these games and solve the game Fanatical player use the drop down menu to go systematically and choose games in serial order and solve each one before they proceed to the next.

Many of us have some latent talent which we keep hidden from the world for fear of being laughed at. This is a good opportunity to exhibit ones talent be it in cooking, singing, writing poetry, dancing, mimicking, quizzing, being a host of a show, calligraphy, etc. Choose 3 of your passions and attempt to participate at least at a local level competition. The worst thing that can happen is that you may not win but what you would have gained is self confidence.

The perfect time is now…

This time like all times is a very good one if we but know what to do with it - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last night, I was deeply disappointed that I ran headlong into a writer’s worst nightmare ‘the writer’s block’ and after pottering around for more than an hour attempting to get going with the blog I simply quit. Funnily enough I enjoyed a good sleep but on waking up was racked with pangs of guilt on not writing the blog, suffering the ignominy of being idealess and I suspect more depressed at the blow to my ego. However as the day wore on it occurred to me that the experience of the previous night was not entirely wasted; after all I was subject to the painful realization of my own limitations; having made the decision to give up and go to sleep my dilemma was resolved and I enjoyed blissful sleep; and on waking up I was glad to rediscover my competitive drive. That time (yesterday when I stared for an hour at a blank screen attempting to write) just like the present moment that I am writing and this moment that you are reading this post are all equally invaluable provided each of us is doing exactly what was/ is required.

Our successes or failures in life are nothing but net effect of the time we spend fruitfully minus the time we waste in doing things that either we ought not to do or should do at another time. Look back at our own student days and reflect on how much effort we put into studies and how much time we spend in day dreaming, hanging out with friends, sleeping, watching movies TV partying etc. It is not as if to suggest that the latter activities are to be avoided but definitely they must be restricted for each of us is fortunately or unfortunately privy only to 24 hours of the day. A good test to understand how much time we utilize productively is to ask if we have any regrets. The more the regrets the greater the waste of our limited time. Ask if you have taken time out to smell the flowers as you traverse the paths of life. If you haven’t then soon you would realize the frustrtionof having the time but squandering it.

Another test to find out if we have made good use of our time is to answer the question’ what will I do with the last 10 minutes of my life?’

Ask if you would end telling yourself the following

I will go around telling those whom I love that I love them passionately

I will go around pardoning all those who hurt me

I will go around seeking pardon from those I hurt,

I will loosen my purse strings and liberally give out to charity etc.

Some questions that will haunt you then are

Can I do all this in 10 minutes?

Should I have not done this all the time?

Why did I waste my time on frivolous things when I should have spend more time with loved ones?

Was my life worth whatever I achieved?

Will someone really grieve for me?

Remember:

Happy the man, and happy he alone,

He, who can call to-day his own:

He who, secure within, can say:

“To-morrow, do thy worst, for I have liv’d to-day.”

Try this:

Ask yourself right now if this is the right time to read the blog. If your answer is yes then go on and read a few more blog posts including the weekly post at Academy for Creative Training If your answer is NO, then stop reading and slot a time to read and henceforth make it a point to read these posts only at that time.

Any time is perfect to do the following. Ensue that you practice as many of these as often as you can.

Smile

Thank

Apologize

Praise

Reflect

Appreciate

Pardon

Pray

The secret to your future

Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you. Frank Tyger

All of us, me included have a hundred different reasons and excuses to justify why we haven’t realized our full potential. The reality though is that nothing absolutely nothing is going to chance the past. Yet irrespective of one’s age, social status, financial status, academic background, past history and the like, there is a wonderful future that each of us can embrace whole heartedly if we are prepared to boldly accept the challenge and work purposefully towards it. There are 4 conditions that one has to fulfill in order to make the future you want for yourself.

The first is to remember the lessons of the past without holding on to the past. We fail to progress beyond our past performance simply because we live with ghost of past failures, keep brooding over the wasted opportunities that we never took advantage of and often meander into some of those rare moments of triumphs and successes we did relish occasionally. While we certainly cannot erase the past completely, we must learn to identify the key learning and keep that uppermost in mind as we proceed further so as to avoid the same pitfalls of the past. We must never let the bad past ruin a perfect present or take away from us the immense possibilities that lay ahead of us.

The second is to believe in yourself and yet be pragmatic about your strengths and weakness. Each one of us has it within us the ability to stretch ourselves to excel. Excellence is ensuring that we use our abilities to the fullest extend and must not be mistaken to mean always out performing others. It is obvious then that we need to asses ourselves dispassionately and leverage our strengths without letting our weaknesses become a stumbling block. It would also entail us having the courage of conviction to take calculated risks, the daring to fail and yet not give up and to pursue our dreams with steely resolve and self confidence. As rightly said it is our attitude that determines our altitude.

The third is to always have a goal to focus on. What really lets us down is an indisciplined approach to the future. The prime reason for this is lack of clarity as to where we want to go and what we want to achieve. Perhaps we would be a lot happier if we could simply identify our personal, professional, financial and spiritual goals. Perhaps we have a hazy idea of our goals, but then we are tempted to change the goal posts in the hope of scoring at will. Goals helps us concentrate, enable us to channelize the resources required and helps us chart our progress and if need be take the corrective measures to ensure that we make the best of our future. It is sarcastically observed that if we do not know our destination any road will lead us there.

The fourth is to adapt, change, improve, transform yourself to ensure that you are progressing towards your goal. Simply put this means that one has to make umpteen sacrifices if one were to make the best of the future ahead. Look what happened to the dinosaurs of old who became extinct simply because they could not adapt, change, improve or transform themselves to meet the onslaught of change. While we make not suffer such an ignominy, it is very possible that the future we face by being rigid and uncompromising can be painful, frustrating and very regrettable. Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. It is imperative that we change else the chances are that we will fall in the second category.

Remember: “Losers live in the past. Winners learn from the past and enjoy working in the present toward the future.” Denis Waitley

Try this:

Jot down 3 lessons you learnt from any failures/ regrets that you have from your past.

Ask a few close friends to name 3 of your strengths and one weakness they perceive in you. Reflect on these particularly on the weakness and work out how you can use the new knowledge about yourself to shape your future.
Take a pencil and paper and do the following

Make a sketch of your dream house. Now put a realistic price tag to it.
Make a realistic assessment of what your monthly savings should be and what you think should be your monthly income after you attain the age of 60.
Make a plan for an overseas holiday with your spouse and the roadmap to make it happen in the next 2 years.

Outline your definition of a successful person. Now write down your own success statement.

BRAIN DAMAGING HABITS

1. No Breakfast

People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar
level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain
causing brain degeneration.

2 . Overeating

It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental
power.

3. Smoking

It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.

4. High Sugar consumption

Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

5. Air Pollution

The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

6 . Sleep Deprivation

Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.

7. Head covered while sleeping

Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.

8. Working your brain during illness

Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts

Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage. Crosswords and Sudoku provide good exercises.

10. Talking Rarely

Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.


THE MAIN CAUSES OF LIVER DAMAGE ARE :

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late.

2. Not urinating in the morning.

3. Too much eating.

4. Skipping breakfast.

5. Consuming too much medication.

6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.

7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil.

As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.

8. Consuming raw (or overly done) foods also adds to the burden of liver.
Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be
finished in one sitting, do not store.

THE TOP FIVE CANCER CAUSING FOODS ARE :

1. Hot Dogs

Because they are high in nitrates. the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

2. Processed meats and Bacon

Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other
processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon
also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts

Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures.
Doughnuts, may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries.

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies

All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of
trans-fats

SALT

1. If you drop a whole egg on the floor, pour salt all over the egg, let it sit for awhile, then use dustpan, the egg will come right up, without all that mess.

 

2. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.

 

3. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.

 

4. Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.

 

5. Put a few grains of rice in your saltshaker for easier pouring.

 

6. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting.

 

7. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink bad ones float.

 

8. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.

 

9. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.

 

10. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.

 

11. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.

 

12. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.

 

13. Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.

 

14. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.

 

15. Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.

 

16. Boil clothes pins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.

 

17. Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour.

 

18. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.

 

19. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.

 

20. Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface

 

21. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.

 

22. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.

 

23. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make stiff putty.

 

24. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.

 

25. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.

 

26. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.

 

27. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.

 

28. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

 

29. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.

 

30. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for a while.

 

31. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.

 

32. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.

 

33. Soak your clothesline in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.

 

34. Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.

 

35. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.

 

36. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.

 

37. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.

 

38. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.

 

39. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.

 

40. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.

 

41. Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash.

 

42. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.

 

43. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.

 

44. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.

 

45. Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains.

 

46. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.

 

47. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.

 

48. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.

 

49. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odor.

 

50. A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee.

 

51. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.

 

52. Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.

 

53. Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.

 

54. Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.

 

55. A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.

 

56. To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts alcohol.

 

57. Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.

 

58. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.

 

59. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a brighter look. Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.60. If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.

Respect Her

To all the men who read this..please read fully and understand..
To all the women who read this.. An excellent forward please read carefully..... and forward to
the boys you know.
 

This is a beautiful article:

The woman in your life...very well expressed...

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;
Who is earning almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as
you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your
Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system
that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1,
while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances,
environment and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook
food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more,
and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother,
a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you areas
to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that
you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even meant her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy,unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important,
relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some
and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstained support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

But not many guys understand this.......

Please appreciate "HER"

I hope you will do....

Respect Her.

Hints for Remembering Better

1. Understand thoroughly what is to be remembered and/or memorized
2. Spot what is to be memorized verbatim. It is a good plan to use a special marking symbol in text and notebook to indicate parts and passages, rules, data, and all other information that is to be memorized instead of just understood and remembered
3. If verbatim memory is required, go over the material or try to repeat at odd times.
4. Think about what you are trying to learn. Find an interest in the material if you wish to memorize it with ease.
5. Study first the items that you want to remember longest.
6. Learn complete units at one time, as that is the way it will have to be recalled.
7. Overlearn to make certain.
8. Analyze material and strive to intensify the impressions the material makes.
9. Use concrete imagery whenever possible. Close your eyes and get a picture of the explanation and summary answer. Try to see it on the page. See the key words underlined.
10. Make your own applications, examples, and illustrations.
11. Reduce the material to be remembered to your own self-made system or series of numbered steps.
12. Represent the idea graphically by use of pictorial or diagrammatic forms.
13. Make a list of key words most useful in explaining the idea or content of the lesson.
14. Form a variety of associations among the points you wish to remember. The richer the associations, the better the memory.
15. Try making the idea clear to a friend without referring to your book or notes.
16. Actually write out examination questions on the material you think you might get at the end of the term. Then write the answers to your own questions. Since you now have the chance, consult the text or your notes to improve your answers.
17. Follow suggestions for reviewing. This is an important part of remembering.