Use Time Properly

The twenty-four hours in a day may seem a lot, but in our practical day- to- day experience we often feel that there is never enough time to do all the things that we want to do. How can we utilise our time in such a way that we can get the most out of those twenty-four hours?

 

A succesful businessman once said," If you want to be successful in life you have to sacrifice either sleep or televison or both,"

 

There is much wisdomn in these words. To utilise time wisely the first thing we can do is to become conscious of where we are not using time wisely - in other words: where we feel we are wasting time. Television has brought many good things, but it can usurp much of our precious time unnecessarily. We can use this time to do something constructive or by doing something good for mankind.

 

Sleep is absolutely neccesary and indispensable. But sometime we tend to indulge ourselves in getting more sleep than we actually need- especially on the weekend. So if we really want to be sucessful in any important work or any business plan or any personal life planning, we may have to become more economic in our sleeping behaviour. Eight hours of sleep are recommended for sound health. We can gradually reduce the amount of the sleep we need. From eight hours it can become seven hours, six hours or even five or four hours, depending on our capacity. Meditation gives us inner peace, which can subsitute an amount of outer sleep. It is said that a moment of real inner peace which can expereince in deep meditation can replace several hours of sleep.

 

We can change activity once in a while. By changing actiivity we give ourselves a break. Everything becomes boring and tedius after a while, so if we venture into a new activity the mind gets new enthusiasm and energy. That new joy and energy will also help us to work much more concentrated and effectively. "Rest is change of activity" . If we know how to apply this little phrase of wisdom in our day to day lives, we will be taking a big step forwards towards the fulfillment of our dreams.

Time Management

First, write on blank sheet the six most important tasks you have to do tomorrow. Second, put them in order of their importance. Third, pull the sheet out the first thing tomorrow morning and begin working on item one. Fourth, when you finish it. do item two, then item three. Do this untill quitting time. Don't worry if you finish only two or three, or even if you finish only one item. You'll be working on the most important ones first. Fifth, take the last five minutes of each working day to make out a new list for the next day's tasks."

If you need help with priortisation, categorise each commitment as either" must do ", " should do", or "would like to do ". Works like a charm.

The Rules of Attraction

If we are alert to opportunities that will satisfy our most serious vision (ambition) in life, it is surprising how often these opportunities will tend to come themselves in front of us.

These are the rules of attraction - the most mysterious ways by which on one side your need and on the other, its fulfillment are drawn together.

Make yourself a magnet. This means having faith that you will get the suitable opportunities to fulfill your vision and recognize the signs they are giving you - which may not be direct. Look out for such signs with patience, and act on them when they come. 

Create your vision (ambition). Identify your goals, objectives and tasks.

In order to fulfill our vision, we must not become too "attached" to our targets. This is not a sign of weak-mindedness or a lack of commitment: rather it is a sign of wisdom. By "letting go" (becoming detached) of our goals or objectives, we become more relaxed in our attitude toward them. The journey is no longer tiring and stressful, because we don't have to struggle, life's circumstances will present us with the right opportunities.

Most of us are running after the material world, without realizing that it has no limit. During this journey, many of us forget to live ourselves. When we realize that we have forgotten to live, it will be too late. So my dear friends, always be a self satisfied person - to become always happy in life.

Practical Benefits of Meditation

The practical application and benefits of meditation show up in our interpersonal relationships. As our inner peace and positivity are regained by the regular practice of meditation, we find it easier to resolve (clear up) conflict, remain open, communicate honestly with others and finally be of help to others through the quality of the company we are able to give.

There are also many physical benefits, which can result from the continuous practice of meditation. Meditation has a deeply relaxing and calming effect on the nervous system, balancing physical energies, allowing the body to function more effectively while improving its ability to heal itself.

This can result in reduced blood pressure, an increase in fitness; better sleep patterns and greater pain control.

The Five Powers of a Focused Mind

The power of perception (understanding) allows us to see into things and truly understand them, with neither complication nor confusion.

The power of mindfulness, by which we absorb ourselves into any action or thought without interference or complication, further energizes us by allowing the power of our mind to become concentrated, freeing us from frustration, stress and anger.

The power of injection can permit us to energize others with our own positivity. As we help them to feel positive, good energy bounces back towards us to maintain the positive cycle.

The power of choice requires us to differentiate right from wrong, good from bad. Having done so, we can select our choice, and at every moment choose to be positive.

The power of inner energy can guide us into new things, encourage us to change where we feel uncomfortable with ourselves and help us to enjoy life completely.

Self Esteem

Self esteem is the foundation of our self confidence and self motivation.

Self esteem is how we feel about ourselves at any given moment. Almost everyone of us has been taught to build our self esteem on the wrong foundations. We build it on something external instead of something internal. We are taught to connect it to our position, material possessions and pay, and by how much regard we receive from others. This is why we very rarely meet people who have rock solid self esteem.

Most of us learn how to hide our delicate self-esteem. Finally the disguise (cover up) tires us completely and we surrender to the tension.

Each and every one of us will have to go back to school to learn this inner lesson and find our true inner strength. Life gives us many signals and offers many opportunities to do this, but most of us either avoid the message or shoot the messenger, preferring to live with the tension and keep up the deception (cover up).

Everybody has got importance. Always identify our strengths and use it positively. Find out our weakness and try to improve ourselves. Always be confident in life. Life is a TEACHER and we, human beings, are always the students!!!

Introducing Your Self

At least once a day, you have to introduce yourself to someone new. But how do you describe yourself to others? Do you have a clear and accurate
understanding of who you are?

Our personal identity is not what we see in the mirror, or what we do at work, or where we live or what we believe. They are all the result of wrongly learning to build our self-image around only the physical things in life. We are the conscious beings which bring to life the mix of five elements we call our body. We often separate these two energies in our conversations when we use terms like – human and being, matter and mind, body and soul. It is when we mistakenly identify ourselves with something that we are not, that all our problems begin!

Our self-definition is how we may choose to describe ourselves at any given moment, e.g. "I am a peaceful person", or "I am not a very good communicator" or “I’m the kind of person who always worries”. Our self-definition changes according to our mood and perhaps the situation. Our part is absolutely unique. In one sense our whole life is our part, which can never be taken by anyone else, whereas, we play many roles. In fact, we can choose the roles we play throughout our life as we get to write our own script… if we want to.

So there is a difference between identity, definition, part and role, and being clear about that difference will help you find a deeper sense of purpose in your life, free you from a great deal of stress and make your decisions easier.

(Thanks Mr Gopalji for Article )

Kerala's Munnar voted world's second greatest tourist destination

Bested only by Tokyo, Japan, the serene hill station of Munnar in 'God's own country' has been named the second-greatest travel destination in the world by TripAdivsor. Surrounding by sprawling tea plantations, Munnar beat out Cambodia's Siem Reap and Kyoto and Naha in Japan to round out the top-five in the Traveler's Choice Destination awards for 2010.

"Millions of travellers rely on TripAdvisor for travel inspiration. So we are thrilled and humbled that Munnar has been honored by travellers this year," said Kerala Tourism secretary Dr Venu. "The awards are particularly meaningful as they are determined by real travellers."

Winners were determined by a combination of travellers' destination comments, favorite places, and overall destination popularity on TripAdvisor.

While Munnar has been a favourite for both Indian and foreign tourists, in recent years the hill station has started attracting adventure travellers. The region's topography makes it idea for paragliding, trekking and rock climbing. There is also the Eravikulam National Park, home to an array of wildlife, including the endangered Nilgiri Tahr (ibex), ruddy mongoose and over 120 bird species.

Eight other Indian destinations made it to the top 25 Asian destination choice list, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands at 6th spot, Manali (7), Hampi (8), Goa (9), Udaipur (12), Gangtok (19), Bangalore (20) and Dharamsala (22).

Kerala Tourism director M Sivasankar said: "With 15 million registered members, TripAdvisor is no doubt the world's most popular and largest travel community. So we are delighted and thrilled to learn that Munnar has rated so well with such an esteemed audience of travellers."

Now in its eighth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice awards honour the world's best destinations. Unlike any other awards programme, TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice winners are based on reviews and opinions about destinations on tripadvisor.comand content from across the internet.

Different Types of Doctors and What They Do

Audiologists: These doctors help patients with different ear problems and help children who are either deaf or mute to learn to communicate.

Allergist: These doctors help in treating different kinds of allergies and immune system disorders like hay fever, asthma, etc.

Andrologists: The andrologist helps in diagnosing and treating disorders related to the male reproductive system.

Anesthesiologists: They study and administer anesthesia and anesthetic medicines that help in facilitating treatment, diagnosis of medical conditions and complete minor and major surgeries without the patient having to feel more than the prick of the anesthetic needle.

Cardiologist: These are doctors of the heart that diagnose and treat heart diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

Dentist: Perhaps one of the most feared doctors of all is the dentist due to their tooth extraction habits! These doctors are concerned with dental health, teeth and dental problems like cavities and bleeding gums. They treat gum diseases, straighten teeth, carry out root canals, etc.

Dermatologists: A dermatologist studies the skin, its structure, functions, and diseases, as well as its appendages (nails, hair, sweat glands) and treats the related ailments.

Endocrinologists: A doctor who studies disorders of the endocrine system and their glands, like thyroid problems and other such hormonal imbalances and the specific secretions of hormones is what entails an endocrinologist job description.

Epidemiologists: Epidemiologist are the doctors who are also known as 'disease detectives'. They carry out study of diseases and come up with ways of prevention of diseases through vaccinations, etc.

Family Practician: These are your friendly neighborhood doctors who are basically general physicians, and treat patients of all ages & medical non-emergency conditions usually in a clinic.

Gastroenterologists: A doctor that studies diseases of digestive system and gives treatment related to the gasteroenterlogy.

Gynecologists: The doctor who studies and treats diseases of the female reproductive system.

Hematologists: A hematologist studies blood and its diseases.

Hepatologists: Hepatologists study and treat diseases of the liver.

Immunologists: The doctor who studies all aspects of the immune system in all organisms and gives treatment to diseases of the immune system.

Infectious Disease Specialists: The doctors who study & treat diseases that are caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and are usually based within the hospital. These doctors are involved in a lot of research work.

Internal Medicine Specialists: These doctors provide diagnosis, management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases and are usually found working in hospitals as intensivists.

Internists: These doctors focus on adult medicine and have completed a special study related to the prevention and treatment of adult diseases.

Medical Geneticist: A medical geneticist is the doctor that carries out studies, tests, treatments and counseling patients with genetic diseases.

Microbiologists: A microbiologist studies causes, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.

Neonatologist: The neonatologist is the doctor that provides medical care to premature and critically ill newborn babies.

Nephrologist: The doctor who treats kidney diseases and problems.

Neurologist: These are doctors who treat one of the most delicate and important organs of the body, the brain. They treat conditions like seizures, strokes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, etc.

Neurosurgeons: These are surgeons who treat central and peripheral nervous system diseases that can be cured or controlled to some extent with mechanical intervention.

Obstetrician: This is a part of gynecology and the doctors are experts with childbirth, C-sections, gynecological surgeries like hysterectomy, surgical removal of ovarian tumors, examination of the pelvic region, PAP smears, prenatal care, etc.

Oncologist: An oncologist job description entails treating cancer patients.

Ophthalmologist: The doctor that takes care of eyes and treats various eye problems and performs different eye surgeries.

Orthopedic Surgeons: The doctor who is concerned with the skeletal system of the human body, that is, bones. These doctors make no bones about broken, fractured or arthritis struck bones!

ENT specialists: An ENT specialist treats the Ear, the Nose and the Throat, as well as to some extent some ailments of the head and the neck. This field is also known as otolaryngology.

Perinatologist: The doctor who is an expert in caring and treating high risk pregnancies.

Paleopathologist: These doctors are into the study of ancient diseases.

Parasitologist: The study of parasites, their biology and pathology, as well as the parasitic diseases caused by them is carried out by a parasitologist.

Pathologists: The study of abnormalities in living organisms, diagnosing diseases and conditions from tissue samples like blood or biopsy samples. They also work as medical examiners & carry out autopsies to determine the cause of death. These doctors usually do not come in contact with the patients directly as their work is mostly lab work. They are therefore called as a 'doctor's doctor' as they speak to doctors of the patients rather than the patient himself. There are many doctors who specialize in forensic pathology and help the police and FBI solve crimes.

Pediatricians: A pediatrician is the doctor who studies and treats medical problems of infants, children, and adolescents.

Physiologists: A physiologist is a life science doctor who specializes in physiology.

Physiatrist: The doctor whose specialty is medicine and rehabilitation.

Plastic Surgeon: A plastic surgeon is the doctor who can literally change the life and look of a patient. He performs cosmetic surgery to repair skin and structural problems that may alter the personality of the patient for good.

Podiatrists: The doctor who studies and treats disorders of the foot and ankle.

Psychiatrists: These doctors specialize in psychiatry, that is, a branch of medicine concerned with the study, diagnoses and treatment of mental illness and behavioral disorders.

Pulmonologist: The doctor who diagnoses and treats lung conditions and treatments and even manages critical care patients admitted in the ICU and those that are on ventilator support.

Radiologists: The study of medical use of X-rays or other imaging technologies for diagnoses and treatment of disease is carried out by an radiologist.

Rheumatologsists: These doctors treat allergic conditions & autoimmune disorders.

Surgeons: A surgeon performs operations, related to different sub-specialties of medicine like general surgery, neurosurgery, cardiovascular, cardiothoracic surgery, ENT, maxillo-facial surgery, plastic surgery, oral surgery, transplant surgery, urology, etc.

Urologists: The urologist is a doctor who studies the urinary system and treats urinary tract infections.

Emergency Doctors: Emergency doctors are those who offer their services in the emergency room (ER) and are on call 24/7. They treat various emergency cases that vary from poisoning, broken bones, burns, heart attack, and anything and everything that can be termed as a medical emergency.

Veterinarian: Although, all the above fields are concerned with human treatment, the veterinarian is also a type of doctor and what they do is treat animals. They take care of different diseases of the animal world. There are different kinds of doctors within the field of animal medicine and like human doctors, the veterinarian too has his field of expertise in case of animal problems

RBI clarifies on honouring of cheques with alterations

The Reserve Bank of India has clarified that its directive to banks, asking them not to honour cheques with alterations, will be applicable only for cheques cleared under the image-based cheque truncation system (CTS). 

At present, the cheque truncation project is being run only in the Delhi area with Chennai expected to move onstream soon. The clarification paves the way for bank branches in metros like Mumbai where CTS is still not operational to accept corrected cheques. RBI’s directive had created a flurry in trade circles and even among utilities that have been turning away cheques with any form of correction or alteration even if the changes were validated by the cheque drawer’s signature. Mobile operator Airtel had sent a message to subscribers, stating that it will not accept cheques with corrections on amount or the payee’s name after July 1. Other service providers and traders who have been accepting post-dated cheques have been turning back cheques with corrections or alterations. “The RBI notification will clear confusion in the minds of customers’ as well as bank officials at the branch level,” said K Unnikrishnan, deputy CEO of Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) — the industry body for commercial banks in India. In a notification posted on its website, RBI has clarified that its directive on prohibiting alterations/corrections on cheques ``will be applicable only for cheques cleared under the image-based Cheque Truncation System (CTS).” RBI has also clarified that this directive is not applicable to cheques cleared under other clearing arrangements such as MICR clearing, non-MICR clearing, over-the-counter collection (for cash payment), or even for direct collection of cheques outside the Clearing House arrangement. Cheque Truncation is a system of cheque clearing and settlement between banks based on electronic data/images or both without physical exchange of instrument. Here the cheque is scanned and electronically presented for settlement with the clearing house. Currently, most of the clearing is done on the MICR system and banks often entertained cheques with alterations, be it the name of the party to whom the cheque is issued, or the date or the amount, provided the issuer of the cheques does is signature besides the correction. However, after the central bank issued the directive in February 2010 on alteration on cheques, which was only meant for cheques to be settled under CTS, many banks did not entertain alteration on MICR cheques as well. However, over a period of time when the whole country would move to CTS, alteration of cheques would not be allowed said Mr Unnikrishnan.