Self Improvement – Page 60 – Take off with Natarajan

நண்பர்களை நம்பர்களாக்கும் வாட்ஸ்ஆப் வாழ்க்கையைத் துறந்த தருணம்…

October 8, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

“ஹலோ எழுத்தாளரே, எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்?”

பழைய நண்பன் ஒருவனின் குரலை, காலையிலேயே கேட்க ஆச்சரியமாக இருந்தது. எனக்கும் பேச ஆசைதான். ஆனால் அதிகாலை நேரத்தில், பல மாதங்களுக்குப் பின்னர், பழைய நண்பனின் குரலைக் கேட்டால் எப்படி இருக்கும்? அதுவும் வருடத்துக்கு ஒரு தடவை (என்னுடைய பிறந்தநாளுக்கோ அல்லது அவனுடைய பிறந்தநாளுக்கோ), அதிகபட்சமாய் மூன்று நிமிடங்கள் பேசும் நண்பனின் குரல் அது!

பேராவலுடன் என்ன விஷயமாக இருக்கும் என்று யோசித்தேன். பெரியதாக ஒன்றுமில்லை. அவன் க்ரூப் அழைப்பை அனுப்பியதை நான் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளவில்லை. அதனால்தான் கூப்பிட்டிருக்கிறான். சீரியஸான பல கேள்விகள் மற்றும் பதில்களுக்குப் பிறகு, அது ‘வாட்ஸ்ஆப் க்ரூப்’ என்பது புரிந்தது. அதில் என்னைத்தவிர எல்லா முன்னாள் வகுப்புத் தோழர்களும் இருக்கிறார்களாம். ”நீ மட்டும் அதில் இல்லை, அதன் சந்தோஷங்களில் கலந்துகொள்ளவில்லை” என்றான் அவன். என்னால் சிரிக்கமட்டுமே முடிந்தது.

முதன்முதலாக நான் ஒன்றரை வருடங்களுக்கு முன்னால் வாட்ஸ்ஆப்பில் நுழைந்தேன்; அதுவும் துளிகூட விருப்பமே இல்லாமல். தொழில்நுட்பத்தில் பின்தங்கி இருப்பதால், புதிதாக வரும் விஷயங்களைத் தெரிந்து கொள்வது கடினமாகி விடுகிறது. எனக்கு ஆர்க்குட் அறிமுகமான சமயத்தில், உலகமே ஃபேஸ்புக்கை நோக்கி நகரத்தொடங்கி இருந்தது. கஷ்டப்பட்டு ஃபேஸ்புக் அக்கவுண்டைத் திறந்தபோது, கூகுள் ப்ளஸ் வந்திருந்தது. அதுசரி டிவிட்டருக்கு என்ன ஆனது என்கிறீர்களா? கொஞ்ச நாளைக்கு அந்தப்பக்கம் போகாமலே இருப்போமே. அதனால் இயல்பாகவே வாட்ஸ்ஆப்பைப் பற்றிய எந்த அறிகுறியும் எனக்கு வரவில்லை. உறவுக்காரி ஒருத்தி அதை அறிமுகப்படுத்தி வைத்த பின்னரும், வாட்ஸ்ஆப் பற்றி பெரிதாக எதையும் யோசிக்கவில்லை.

சகாக்களின் நெருக்கடியை எந்த வயதிலும் பொறுத்துக்கொள்ள முடியாது. 35 வயதே ஆனாலும் கூட. என்னுடைய மருத்துவர், செவிலி, டெய்லர் என எல்லாருமே ‘இதை வாட்ஸ்ஆப் பண்ணி விடுங்கள்’ என்கின்றனர். அவர்கள் யாருமே வழக்கமான குறுஞ்செய்திகளை கண்டுகொள்வதாகக் கூடத் தெரிவதில்லை. நண்பர்கள் மற்றும் உறவினர்களின் பல மாத வற்புறுத்தலுக்குப் பின்னர், என்னுடைய மருத்துவரையும், கடைக்காரர்களையும் நோக்கி ஒரு பார்வையைச் செலுத்திவிட்டு, வாட்ஸ்ஆப்பில் நுழைந்தேன். ஒரு அழகான காலையில், உலகத்தையே பெருந்தன்மையுடன் பார்த்த தருணம் அது.

ஆரம்பத்தில் வாட்ஸ்ஆப்பில் எதுவுமே எனக்குப் புரியவில்லை. அது என்ன என்று தெரிந்துகொள்ளவே பல நாட்களானது. நிலத்தை, உடையை, ஏன் அழகை வாங்கச் சொல்லிக் கூவும் விளம்பரங்களை மட்டுமே கண்டுபிடிக்க முடிந்தது. சம்பந்தமே இல்லாத க்ரூப்புகளில் இணைக்கப்பட்டேன். நாய்க்குட்டிகள், பூனை, குழந்தை, சமயத்தில் பன்றிக்குட்டிகளின் படங்கள் மட்டுமே அதில் பகிரப்பட்டன. நான் புதிதாகச் சேர்ந்ததற்கான எந்த அடையாளமும் அதில் காண்பிக்கப்படவில்லை.

”உன்னுடைய வருகையை முதலில் அறிவிக்க வேண்டும்” என்றாள் ஒருத்தி. எனது முதல் நிலைத்தகவலை அதில் இட்டேன். “தவலை இப்போது கிணற்றின் வெளியே வந்துவிட்டது!” என்று. அந்த யுக்தி பலித்தது. ”பைத்தியம், அது தவலை இல்லை; தவளை” என்று ஏராளமான செய்திகள் வந்து குவிந்தன. தொடர்ந்த சில நாட்களில் வருடக்கணக்காக என்னுடைய நண்பர்களாக இருந்தவர்கள், போனில் வெறும் நம்பர்களாகிப் போனார்கள். செல்பேசியின் திரையை விட்டு கண்ணை எடுக்காத போதை, என்னை மெல்ல மெல்ல ஆக்கிரமித்தது.

ஸ்மார்ட் போனையோ அல்லது சமூக ஊடகங்களையோ நான் எதிர்த்ததற்கான முக்கியக் காரணமே, உள்ளங்கையில் மறைந்துவிடும் ஒற்றைச் சாதனம் நம்மை அடிமையாக்கிவிடக் கூடாது என்பதற்காகத்தான். உண்மையான உலகத்தை விட்டுவிட்டு மெய்நிகர் உலகத்தில் வாழ்வதை என்னால் ஏற்றுக்கொள்ள முடிந்திருக்கவில்லை. ஆனால் எதை நினைத்து பயந்தேனோ அது நன்றாகவே நடந்தது.

ஒரு சில மாதங்களிலேயே, எதுவும் பேசுவதற்கு இல்லாத நிலையிலிருந்து, பேசுவதற்கும், எழுதுவதற்கும், டைப்புவதற்கும் ஏகப்பட்ட விஷயங்கள் குவிந்தன. வீட்டு வேலைகளை தள்ளிப்போட்டேன். தூக்கம் குறைந்தது; கணவரையும், வீட்டையும் சேர்த்து குழந்தைகளையும் புறக்கணித்தேன். செல்பேசியோடு சேர்ந்து உறங்கி, அதனுடனேயே எழுந்தேன். சில நேரங்களில் தூக்கத்திற்கு இடையில் விழித்து போனைப் பார்க்கத் தொடங்கினேன். செல்பேசியை விட்டுத் தள்ளி இருக்கும் சமயங்களில்கூட, அதன் ஞாபகமாகவே இருந்தது. இவைகளோடு இன்னொரு முக்கியமான நிகழ்வும் நடந்தது.

குறுஞ்செய்தி அனுப்புவது, பகிர்ந்துகொள்வது, பேசுவது, அழுவது, சிரிப்பது என எல்லாமே மெய்நிகர் உலகத்தில் மட்டுமே நடந்தது. அன்றாட வாழ்க்கைப் பேச்சுகள் வெகுவாகக் குறைந்திருந்தன. இனி இதைப் பற்றிச் சொல்வதற்கு எதுவுமில்லை என்றுதான் நினைக்கிறேன்.

ஒருமுறை, நெடு நாட்களுக்குப் பிறகு, என்னுடைய நண்பனைப் பார்த்தேன். வெகு நேரம் இருவரும் எதுவுமே பேசவில்லை. அவன் போனையே நோண்டிக் கொண்டிருக்க, நான் வானத்தையே வெறித்துக் கொண்டிருந்தேன். அந்த நொடியில்தான் இந்த வலையில் இருந்து வெளியே வரவேண்டும் என்று முடிவு செய்தேன்.

ஆனால் அது அத்தனை சுலபமாக இருக்கவில்லை. வாட்ஸ்ஆப்பினுள் நுழையாமல், தனியாக அமர்ந்து, சுவர்களையே கொஞ்ச நேரம் பார்த்தவாறு அமர்ந்திருந்தேன். ‘அங்கே அவர்கள் எல்லோரும் பேசுவார்கள்; சிரிப்பார்கள்; சண்டை போட்டு ரசிப்பார்கள்’ என்று தோன்றியது. உண்மையே இல்லாத மெய்நிகர் உலகம் என்னைக் கவர்ந்து இழுத்துக்கொண்டே இருந்தது. ஆனால் அதற்கு திரும்பிவிட வேண்டும் என்ற எண்ணம் வரும்போதெல்லாம், புத்தகம் படித்தேன்; கேக் தயாரித்தேன்; பேசாமல் தவறவிட்டிருந்தவர்களிடம் பேசினேன். அடிக்கடி அம்மா, மாமியாரின் நலம் விசாரித்தேன். கிசுகிசு பேசத் தோன்றிய போதெல்லாம், என் பெண்களுடன் கதை பேசினேன்.

ஒரு வழியாக அந்த மாய உலகில் இருந்து வெளியே வந்துவிட்டேன். என் நண்பர்கள், உறவினர்கள், பக்கத்து வீட்டுக்காரர்கள் என எல்லோரிடமும் இயல்பாகப் பேச முடிந்தது. வழக்கமான அழைப்புகள் தொடர்ந்து வந்து கொண்டேதான் இருந்தது. முன்னர் பேசியதைவிட இன்னும் தெளிவாக, ஆழமாக, அழகாக பேச முடிந்தது. அன்று தொடங்கி இப்பொழுது வரைக்கும், எல்லா சந்தோஷங்களையும் நிஜ உலகத்திலேயே பெற்றுக் கொள்கிறேன்.

அனுபுதி கிருஷ்ணா

தமிழில்: க.சே.ரமணி பிரபா தேவி….www.tamil.thehindu.com

Natarajan

Message for the Day…” Have Faith in God…Do Not Get Carried away by malice Stories…”

October 8, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Joy is your birthright; peace is your innermost nature. The Lord is your staff and support. Do not discard it; do not be led away from the path of faith by stories invented by malice and circulated by spite. Take up the name of God; it could be any one of His innumerable ones that appeals to you the most, and also chose the form appropriate to that name, and then start repeating it from now on – that is the royal road to ensure Joy and Peace. That will train you in the feeling of brotherhood and remove enmity towards fellowmen. When you sow seeds in the field, they can be eaten away by ants or washed off by rains or picked on by birds or destroyed by pests, still some seeds stave off all these and grow as strong and sturdy seedlings. Similarly, you must do everything to uphold the privilege of this birth and strive to return to the Lord.

Mumbai Airport Recruits Trained Therapy Dogs To Bring A Smile On Passenger’s Face…

October 7, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Airports are exciting places of activity, but at times they also can be overwhelming for some fliers.

Recently, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport brought in two legitimate, trained therapy dogs to help ease the stress of travelling.

Mumbai airport is possibly the first in the country to employ animals that would help ease travellers’ anxieties about returning to the skies. Earlier, therapy dogs were used to comfort special children and traumatised adults at US airports after the 9/11 attacks.

Goldie and Pepe, trained by the Animal Angels Therapy Centre in Pune, can sense a person’s mood by sniffing them.

Their mission is to put a smile on every passenger’s face they interact with.

This is what a Chicago-bound flier who came to bury his dead mother wrote in the feedback form:

“What an amazing and needed facet of airports. After a long painful day at the Mumbai airport, Goldie and Pepe brought ‘humanity’ into an otherwise dehumanising experience.”

Of course, not everyone is a dog lover. Some people would feel less stressed at an airport if they could cuddle with a cat.

But, let’s admit it, passengers will now have a PAWSitive experience at the Mumbai airport! 🐾

News Source: Hindustan Times

Source….Shuvro Ghoshal …www.storypick.com

natarajan

Two accidents, a wheelchair and a National award….

October 7, 2015October 7, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

At 22, I had so many dreams — disability was definitely not part of the plan.

“In the Indian society, disability almost always invites sympathy and charity.

“Heck, once a woman gave me 25 paise — just because I was sitting outside a temple and was disabled, she thought I was a beggar!

“This stigmatisation is unshakeable from our mindsets.”

Years ago, a fateful accident overturned Shivani Gupta’s life for the worse. How she bounced back and emerged a winner is an inspiring tale in itself.

Shivani Gupta was a young and independent girl from Delhi.

Having spent most of her life studying in different parts of the country and living by herself, she was one of those buoyant and self-assured individuals with a solid plan and all the commitment needed to see it through.

And sure enough, good things were happening to her.

Graduating from the Institute of Hotel Management, living in the capital, landing a job as a guest relations officer at a five star hotel — for the twenty-something, her life’s best decade seemed to be playing out like clockwork.

Until one night, when she had invited some friends over for a little soiree.

The bunch partied into the night, until it started getting late and was time for everyone to go home.

Shivani volunteered to drop a female friend back to her hotel; but that car ride changed everything.

They met with a massive accident, inflicting a spinal cord injury on the 22-year-old that rendered her quadriplegic.

To say that she bounced back and immediately got her life back together would be a lie, but how grandly she did when she managed to, is a story worth telling.

Identity crisis

An identity crisis was washed ashore with her brand new circumstances.

She knew her life was going to undergo a whirlwind of changes, but she could not foresee just how it would unfold.

“I had no idea what this disability meant, and was absolutely clueless how to deal with it. I did not know what to expect any more.

“At 22, I had so many dreams — disability was definitely not part of the plan.

“Back then, there was zero awareness about dealing with it — so this situation had a disheartening sense of finality. It was a long journey until I felt I could face the world.”

Post the accident, Shivani lost her ideal job back at the hotel.

“Corporates weren’t open to employing people with disability. I was told that there is recession, so they couldn’t continue to employ me.

“I didn’t even know that I had the right to fight for it, that it was even possible. I accepted thinking there really was no alternative.”

Getting back into the game

Soon Shivani saw that she could channelise her need to still be part of the world, into a different hobby.

“I started painting. My hands were paralysed, so by moving them in this light manoeuvers, it proved to be therapeutic.

“I started selling my hand painted art. Wherever I would hear of exhibitions, melas and events, I would show up with my table and collection,” she said.

“I knew for a fact that I wasn’t the best painter — so I always had this dilemma.

“Were people purchasing my stuff because it was good, or merely because I was disabled?

“I couldn’t have lived with the answer if it was the latter, so even before I could find out, I decided to try my hand at something else.”

Around that time, she had the opportunity to join a rehabilitation centre in the UK for two months — to explore the idea of accessibility.

That programme was her first tryst with the concept, and she learnt that she was also entitled to some rights in spite of her physical condition.

Helping others like her find meaning

When she returned from the programme in 1996, she was determined to go all out in spreading the word — for there finally seemed to be some hope.

The Indian Spinal Injuries Centre back then, was still skeletal and in the process of being constructed.

It was an alien concept after all, trying to console a person impaired by injuries.

Shivani joined there as a counsellor to interact with patients in the same situation as her, and continued to do her bit in building hundreds of morales for six years.

“Back then, raising awareness was the need of the hour, for no one was really willing to offer hope to us,” says Shivani.

Her pursuit of normalcy led her to a UNESCAP training programme in Bangkok, at their headquarters.

‘Training in non-handicapping environment’ was the purpose of this seminar, and Shivani learnt how it is not only her right, but the government’s responsibility to grant her the means to compete with the world at an equal footing.

She returned to India and immediately laid the framework to spearhead a series of five workshops for NGOs and governmental representatives from all states of the country.

Even though she laid an elaborate enough plan for the representatives to adopt, nothing from the seminar even found place in discourse for a long, long time.

“This mostly fell apart, because they couldn’t see live examples. Nothing was accessible at all.

“Thus, our attendees didn’t integrate it in their work. There was a much longer training programme and much more commitment required,” explains Shivani.

She co-authored one of the first pieces of literature on the subject, but felt a dearth in her own knowledge as well.

AccessAbility

“I felt like I needed to study further, so I pursued a Masters in Architecture Design in UK from EDEXCEL, and went on to procure a post graduate degree in MSc in Inclusive Environments at the University of Reading, UK.”

With a whole list of tangible solutions, now, Shivani could offer not only a first person’s perspective on disability and the needs that the disabled have — she also helped an organisation with well-researched and expert ideas to implement accessibility mechanisms.

Under the name AccessAbility, she kicked off in 2006.

“Our concentrated work on accessibility engaged in all kinds of things.

“Be it the private sector, hospitality, retail, people wanting to employ disable people, educational institutes — we gave them the entire plan of how they could make their infrastructure and practices disabled-friendly.”

Shivani’s initiative even became a name to reckon with internationally, as she associated with the office of the High Commissioner in Human Rights in Geneva.

Things were starting to look up, and she was finally starting to discover her place in the world again.

Faced with loss yet again

But in 2009 an unexpected turn of events threatened to disrupt, once again, everything she had rebuilt.

Shivani met with another accident, and this one claimed the life of her soul-mate and pillar of strength — her husband.

Her father-in-law was also a victim in the accident.

Deeply disturbed by the loss of her companion, Shivani knew she had to heal herself and keep going.

After all, she wouldn’t have survived two such colossal calamities if she didn’t have a purpose to fulfil in the world.

How she decided to heal, was by writing her first book, No Looking Back — an autobiography.

“Writing about myself had me thinking deeply about so many things, and made me realise that all the answers I was looking for could be found in my own story.

“I learned to make my peace with things I couldn’t control when I wrote about them.”

Winning the National Award for being a role model

Her unwavering resolve resonated with many greats of the country, as she was presented with various honours and awards for never letting go of her spirit — The NCEPRD — Shell Helen Keller Award awarded for her work in increasing employment opportunities for persons with disabilities; the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award for being a role model; the Snowdon Award for Disabled Students, and the Neerja Bhanot Award given yearly to a woman subjected to social injustice, who faces the situation with grit and determination.

In fact, she was also an illustrious recipient of the National Award instituted by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment presented to her by none other than the former President of India — Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

“The most special one to me, amongst these, is the Neerja Bhanot award.

“The entire organising team, upon learning of my condition, arranged for ramps to be put up on their staircases so I could go up to the arena myself.

“Although the ramps turned out to be very steep, I was deeply moved. It was the thought that mattered.”

‘Once a woman gave me 25 paise’

It is not everyday though, that Shivani meets people with such empathy and maturity.

“In the Indian society, disability almost always invites sympathy and charity.

“Heck, once a woman gave me 25 paise — just because I was sitting outside a temple and was disabled, she thought I was a beggar!

“This stigmatisation is unshakeable from our mindsets.

“No one understands that the disability is just one of our many characteristics. Say, if you were to go to Russia and don’t speak the language, you would be disabled in that regard too. But that doesn’t mean you are completely useless. Similarly, we have many abilities too.”

Far from being inept, this woman is iconic — in her optimism, her courage, her unshackled spirit, she is a stalwart for everyone who has had trouble seeing the light.

“Be patient, take life as it comes, and always be thankful,” she concludes.

Source….Binjal Singh….www.rediff.com

natarajan

Message for the Day…” Love, Equanimity,Rectitude and Nonviolence are the Virtues Expected of a True Devotee …”

October 6, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Sathya Sai Baba

Some clever people might have this doubt and raise a question: “Can we kill and injure in the name of the Lord, dedicating the act to Him?” Well, how can a person get the attitude of dedicating all activities to the Lord without at the same time being pure in thought, word, and deed? Love, equanimity, rectitude, nonviolence — these are the attendant virtues of the servant of the Lord. How can cruelty and callousness coexist with these virtues? To have selflessness, the spirit of self-sacrifice, and the spiritual eminence required for the dedicatory outlook, one must have first won the four characteristics of truth, peace, love and nonviolence (sathya, santhi, prema, ahimsa). Devoid of these four virtues no one can make any deed a worthy offering at His Feet.

Message for the Day…” Time to shed your ego and greed …”

October 5, 2015Natarajan1 Comment

Sathya Sai Baba

Egoism and greed are still rampant; hatred has not abated and envy eats into the vitals of society. There is no dearth of scriptural books telling you how to be free from grief. All sacred and holy books including Gita, Bhagavata and Ramayana are available in all languages at a very low cost and most books are sold in more than thousands of copies per day; but there is nothing to indicate that they have been read and assimilated. The breath of the mouth must give an inkling of the food partaken, is it not? But the habits, the conduct, the character of the readers of these books have not undergone any change for the better. Hence each of you must examine your own mental make-up and evaluate whether you have used your discrimination and worldly knowledge to clothe yourself in detachment (vairagya),so that you do not suffer from attachment to things that will fade away.

9 hard truths about money ….your successful friends won’t tell you….

October 5, 2015October 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

We all have those friends who seemingly cruise through life, never stressing about money or success, and somehow always have plenty of both.

They have retirement plans, businesses and time to climb mountains or run marathons. Basically, they’re really annoying.

For others, failing to save, going deeper into debt and generally stressing about life is the norm. if you’re wondering what those successful friends of yours are thinking — but not saying — about your money habits, keep reading.

1. You need to budget.

You know the guy who you’re always hitting up for money until you get your paycheck? Well, he’s thinking that you would benefit by creating and sticking to a budget. Fortunately, making a budget is as easy as clicking a mouse.

“Find an app or system that works well for you such as Mint, You Need A Budget or just an Excel spreadsheet,” said Kate Holmes, a certified financial planner (CFP) and founder of Belmore Financial. “Import the last few months of all checking, debit and credit card transactions and see where things are at. You’ll likely be surprised by some of the category totals.”

“Ask yourself how much happiness each item brings. You may find some unnecessary spending you can easily cut out,” she said.

Here’s a strategy she recommended: 50% of your take-home pay goes for food, housing and other necessities; 30% for discretionary spending; and 20% toward paying off debt and building savings. Of course, any money-savvy friend will also tell you that making a budget is easy. Staying with it can be challenging.

2. You don’t save enough.

We all want to retire someday, right? Well, the bad news is most of us won’t be retiring in style if we only rely on Social Security benefits to live. The average Social Security recipient in 2014 got only $1,300 a month. Those golden years are starting to look tarnished already.

So what can you do? Save in your workplace retirement plan and take advantage of your employer’s matching program, said consumer finance expert Kevin Gallegos, vice president of Phoenix operations for Freedom Financial Network. He recommended saving 10 percent to 15 percent of your gross pay for retirement. If you can’t swing that, start with what’s manageable for you.

3. You have too much credit card debt.

The financially savvy see credit cards as a convenience, not a bank account from which to draw. The average credit card interest rate stands at 13%, meaning that everything you buy, from dinner out to a flat screen TV, will cost you 13% more if you don’t pay it off immediately.

That’s why a good friend would tell you to avoid using credit cards except in emergencies. “Few, if any, investments will return as much,” said Gallegos. “Having no credit card debt provides a financial cushion itself.”

So the next time you whip out that Visa to fund your latest impulse buy, add in the interest costs and reassess whether it’s really worth it.

4. You never consider the opportunity cost.

Here’s something that most people know but only the financially savvy apply: Every purchase has two costs. One is the price you pay for a product or service. The second is what you’re giving up when you make that purchase, or in other words, its opportunity cost. You bought the shoes but now you can’t afford the dress or that contribution to your IRA this month.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett often quotes his friend and partner, self-made billionaire Charles Munger, when speaking about opportunity cost. They see their biggest business mistakes as missed opportunities that kept them from making more money. They call them “mistakes of omission.” They didn’t invest in something when they should have, or they weren’t able to because their money was tied up in another investment.

So what will those shoes cost you in the long run?

5. You give up too easily.

If you weren’t born rich, then you will have to work hard for your earnings and adopt a steadfast attitude that could translate into wealth. “Look at every successful person across a wide spectrum of industries and activities,” said John Mulry, a GKIC certified business advisor. “All had their obstacles, demons and downfalls, but their desire to succeed and ability to overcome was greater than anything else. They were willing to stop at nothing to achieve.”

Most friends don’t want to tell you that you’re a quitter. So you might have to make the hard call, which is something only winners do. Call it the quitter’s paradox.

6. You eat out too often.

Who doesn’t love to stop at Starbucks for morning coffee, then go out to lunch with colleagues, and later grab a get-me-through-this-day Frappuccino? But do you know what you’re brown-bagging friend at the next desk is thinking? “That’s a waste of $25.” One medium Starbucks a day, five days a week, will set you back about $1,100 per year.

Take note: It costs as little as 27 cents to brew a cup of coffee yourself. If you add milk and sugar, the cost climbs to 75 cents. You still just saved more than $900 a year. How does that Starbucks taste now?

7. You don’t have a clear financial goal.

So you have a friend who runs marathons, climbs mountains and made a million before he turned 30. The first thing he’d tell you is that you need a clear goal to accomplish anything and to manage your money.

“It’s very hard to get where you’re going without knowing where you want to go,” said Gallegos. “Similarly, it’s very hard to save without setting goals. Those goals might include retirement, a vacation, a new piece of furniture, a child’s education or time to train for a marathon.”

Whatever the goal, write it down. Then budget for it. If you get stuck, call your buddy who climbed Mount Everest for advice.

8. You need an emergency fund.

Life has a bad habit of throwing curve balls in the form of emergency car repairs, unexpected medical bills, surprise household repairs and so on. Your friends might be thinking, “Does this bozo not expect anything bad to ever happen?”

Whether it’s a job layoff or worse, you want to ensure you can cover all necessary expenses for three to six months, said Holmes.

9. You spend too much on trends.

You know your friend with the iPhone 4, the Old Navy jeans and the stupid TV? She’s wagging her well-funded finger at your trending Apple Watch, $300 jeans and genius TV.

The trick is to cut down on the impulse buys and in general trust your gut. You know when you’re being indulgent. If not, invite that friend with the ancient iPhone when you go shopping.

Another great trick to curb spending, said Gallegos, is to pay with cash. Two things will immediately happen. It will be much more inconvenient and you will get a very real feel for how much you are truly spending. Gallegos cited research that found that people who pay with cash instead of credit or debit cards typically spend 15 to 20% less. That’s retirement savings money, baby.

Keep Reading: Why Dave Ramsey’s Cash-Only Policy Is Genius for Saving Money

Source….www.businessinsider.com

Natarajan

Top Ten Positive Words and Expressions…

October 5, 2015NatarajanLeave a comment

Positivity is perhaps the most desired of feelings. We feel unhappy because of all sorts of matters, but little do we realize that we’re missing out on something very minor, but extremely profound. It is not only important to be aware of the words we speak, but all the more the ones we don’t. Add the following positive words to your vocabualry and you will see how they are actually the simplest words you will ever need to remember.