Tree's Dream

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty."

Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull."

Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest.

At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down.

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark. The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams.

Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time. Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.
The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Build Wisely

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely life with his wife and enjoy his extended family. He would miss the paycheck each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go & asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to inspect the house. Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said, "This is your house... my gift to you."

The carpenter was shocked!

What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.

But, you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project." Your attitude, and the choices you make today, helps build the "house" you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build wisely!

Pencil = Human Beings !

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One:
You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two:
You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three:
You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four:
The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five:
On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.


Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.



Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

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The Brick !

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you?
Just what the heck are you doing?

That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money.

Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded.

"I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."
With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car.

"It's my brother," he said.

"He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."
Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.

Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door.

He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:
Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!

May Day - the Real Labor Day

May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country except the United States, Canada, and South Africa. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour work day.

In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a legal day's work from and after May 1, 1886. The resolution called for a general strike to achieve the goal, since legislative methods had already failed. With workers being forced to work ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day, rank-and-file support for the eight-hour movement grew rapidly, despite the indifference and hostility of many union leaders. By April 1886, 250,000 workers were involved in the May Day movement.

The heart of the movement was in Chicago, organized primarily by the anarchist International Working People's Association. Businesses and the state were terrified by the increasingly revolutionary character of the movement and prepared accordingly. The police and militia were increased in size and received new and powerful weapons financed by local business leaders. Chicago's Commercial Club purchased a $2000 machine gun for the Illinois National Guard to be used against strikers. Nevertheless, by May 1st, the movement had already won gains for many Chicago clothing cutters, shoemakers, and packing-house workers. But on May 3, 1886, police fired into a crowd of strikers at the McCormick Reaper Works Factory, killing four and wounding many. Anarchists called for a mass meeting the next day in Haymarket Square to protest the brutality.

The meeting proceeded without incident, and by the time the last speaker was on the platform, the rainy gathering was already breaking up, with only a few hundred people remaining. It was then that 180 cops marched into the square and ordered the meeting to disperse. As the speakers climbed down from the platform, a bomb was thrown at the police, killing one and injuring seventy. Police responded by firing into the crowd, killing one worker and injuring many others.

Although it was never determined who threw the bomb, the incident was used as an excuse to attack the entire Left and labor movement. Police ransacked the homes and offices of suspected radicals, and hundreds were arrested without charge. Anarchists in particular were harassed, and eight of Chicago's most active were charged with conspiracy to murder in connection with the Haymarket bombing. A kangaroo court found all eight guilty, despite a lack of evidence connecting any of them to the bomb-thrower (only one was even present at the meeting, and he was on the speakers' platform), and they were sentenced to die. Albert Parsons, August Spies, Adolf Fischer, and George Engel were hanged on November 11, 1887. Louis Lingg committed suicide in prison, The remaining three were finally pardoned in 1893.

It is not surprising that the state, business leaders, mainstream union officials, and the media would want to hide the true history of May Day, portraying it as a holiday celebrated only in Moscow's Red Square. In its attempt to erase the history and significance of May Day, the United States government declared May 1st to be "Law Day", and gave us instead Labor Day - a holiday devoid of any historical significance other than its importance as a day to swill beer and sit in traffic jams.

Nevertheless, rather than suppressing labor and radical movements, the events of 1886 and the execution of the Chicago anarchists actually mobilized many generations of radicals. Emma Goldman, a young immigrant at the time, later pointed to the Haymarket affair as her political birth. Lucy Parsons, widow of Albert Parsons, called upon the poor to direct their anger toward those responsible - the rich. Instead of disappearing, the anarchist movement only grew in the wake of Haymarket, spawning other radical movements and organizations, including the Industrial Workers of the World.

By covering up the history of May Day, the state, business, mainstream unions and the media have covered up an entire legacy of dissent in this country. They are terrified of what a similarly militant and organized movement could accomplish today, and they suppress the seeds of such organization whenever and wherever they can. As workers, we must recognize and commemorate May Day not only for it's historical significance, but also as a time to organize around issues of vital importance to working-class people today.

Source From NET

LOVE !

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,
"Richness, can you take me with you?"
Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!"
"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."
"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"
"It was Time," Knowledge answered.
"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

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Where to cut costs?

Spending right is also about slashing costs at the right places. Here are simple strategies to help trim monthly expenses without compromising on your lifestyle.

FOOD & BEVERAGES
Share of consumption: 2008 - 40%, 2009 - 30%

Strategies:
1.Buy at discount stores.
2.Buy staples in bulk.
3.Eat less meat, more veg.
4.Cut out on junk food.
5.Substitute expensive ingredients.
Can help cut cost by 20%

TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATION
Share of consumption: 2008 - 12%, 2009 - 13%
Strategies:
1.Combine trips for shopping and entertainment.
2.Consider car-pooling.
3.Bundle phone, cable, Net services with one operator.
4.Shift to lower rate plan if you don’t use a service fully.
5.Consider prepaid plans for cell phones if usage is low.
Can help cut cost by 15%

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
Share of consumption: 2008 - 3%, 2009 - 3%
Strategies:
1.Buy durables during sales.
2.Shop online for gadgets.
3.Hold on to upgrades.
4.Consider used furniture.
5.Mix and match home furnishings across brands.
Can help cut cost by 15%

HOUSING & UTILITIES
Share of consumption: 2008 - 12%, 2009 - 13%
Strategies:
1.Shift to a lower interest rate home loan, cut EMI.
2.Move to a less expensive location, save on rent.
3.Use energy-efficient appliances to cut power bill.
4.Insulate to reduce AC and heating costs.
Can help cut cost by 10%

EDUCATION & HEALTH
Share of consumption: 2008 - 9%, 2009 - 11%
Strategies:
1.Switch to per-day gym package if not a regular.
2.Switch to generic medicines wherever possible.
3.Club routine doctor visits.
4.Explore online study aids.
Can help cut cost by 5%

APPAREL & FOOTWEAR
Share of consumption: 2008 - 5%, 2009 - 5%
Strategies:
1.Switch to private labels and in-house brands.
2.Buy at factory outlets.
3.Consider semi-formals.
4.Stock up during offseason discount sales.
Can help cut cost by 20%

PERSONAL PRODUCTS
Share of consumption: 2008 - 11%, 2009 - 9%
Strategies:
1.Consider using grooming products instead of visits to beauty parlours.
2.Buy smaller packs of products that are not used frequently.
3.Cut down on costly cosmetic treatments.
Can help cut cost by 25%

ENTERTAINMENT
Share of consumption: 2008 - 7%, 2009 - 8%
Strategies:
1.Shift from a restaurant to a budget eatery.
2.Explore weekend getaways for short vacations.
3.Move to morning shows, weekday movie tickets which are cheaper.
4.Cut down on expenses on parties and weddings.
5.Download music.
Can help cut cost by 30%

Potential savings estimates based on prices in metros; consumption share figures for 2009 are estimates; source for consumption patterns: McKinsey, Technopak, Indicus Analytics.

SPENDING TRENDS IN INDIA
1.Consumers are substituting highcost pepper with chilli.
2.Fast-food joints like McDonalds have not seen a drop in sales.
3.Sales of high-end accessories like branded bags, belts have been hit.
4.Kirana stores benefit by offering products on credit.
5.Sale of private labels compared to standalone brands is picking up.
6.Gyms are launching per-day packages to lure customers.
7.Package tours are being preferred by out-bound Indian tourists.
8.Advance bookings for air tickets and hotel rooms are going up.
9.Weekend getaways from bigger cities is seeing a spurt in demand.
10.Last-minute bargains are increasing.
11.Upgrades for gadgets, cars and televisions are taking a hit.
12.Mp3 players sell more than iPods, illegal music downloads on the rise.
13.Big-ticket spending as on property and renovation is on decline.
14.Cosmetic sales have seen only a marginal decline of less than 10%.
15.Education spending has not been impacted at all.
16.25% increase in sale of milk cartons
17.30% decrease in average travel budgets

GLOBAL TRENDS
1.High-cost white pepper is being replaced by black pepper.
2.Sale of meal ingredients is growing faster than ready-to-eat meals.
3.Sale of in-store labels has gone up by 25% compared with brands.
4.Discount stores like Wal-Mart have seen a spurt in footfalls and sales.
5.Demand for carbonated beverages and storage products has dipped by 20%.
6.The number of US consumers who are buying music CDs has fallen by 17 million in a year.
7.Holiday sales have dipped by more than a fourth across Europe and the US.
8.Students priced out of four-year colleges migrate to two-year ones.
9.There is a 27% increase in number of local customers (within a km) in Britain.
10.Chocolate sales in the US, UK growing despite a 10% price increase last year.
11.Tobacco sales increased by 9% and alcohol sales by 6% in the UK last year.
12.Lipstick sales in the US have increased by 11% in the past year.
13.Average ticket sales at soccer matches in the US have risen 18% in one year.
14.Spy gadget sales have seen a 15% increase in sales in Europe.
15.Cable TV sales have not been affected by slowdown in the US and Europe.
16.20% increase in chocolate sales in the US and UK
17.23% increase in payments for music downloads

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School

It's an old joke, yet a useful illustration for various themes.

A mother repeatedly called upstairs for her son to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. It was a familiar routine, especially at exam time.

"I feel sick," said the voice from the bedroom.

"You are not sick. Get up and get ready," called the mother, walking up the stairs and hovering outside the bedroom door.

"I hate school and I'm not going," said the voice from the bedroom, "I'm always getting things wrong, making mistakes and getting told off. Nobody likes me, and I've got no friends. And we have too many tests and they are too confusing. It's all just pointless, and I'm not going to school ever again."

"I'm sorry, but you are going to school," said the mother through the door, continuing encouragingly, "Really, mistakes are how we learn and develop. And please try not to take criticism so personally. And I can't believe that nobody likes you - you have lots of friends at school. And yes, all those tests can be confusing, but we are all tested in many ways throughout our lives, so all of this experience at school is useful for life in general.

Besides, you have to go, you are the headteacher."

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Make Up Your Mind to Succeed

A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent is genetic--you're a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it's entitled to success without much effort and regards failure as a personal affront. When things get tough, it's quick to blame, withdraw, lie, and even avoid future challenge or risk.

Conversely, a growth mind-set assumes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego isn't on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as opportunity rather than insult. When challenged, it's quick to reassess, adjust, and try again. In fact, it relishes this process.

We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to survive in the world.) But parents, coaches, and teachers often push us into fixed mind-sets by rewarding certain behaviors and misdirecting praise.

FOR KIDS
In school
Never compliment a child by saying "You're so smart" or "You picked that up so quickly." Instead, praise effort or strategy by saying "That was clever of you to take that approach" or "I'm proud of your persistence." Listen for similar remarks from teachers and correct them.

In sports
Instead of "You're a natural," say "Practice is really making you better." Instead of inquiring "Did you win?" ask "Did you give your best effort?, "Talent isn't passed down in the genes; it's passed down in the mind-set."

At the dinner table
Instead of the standard "How was your day?" (Which everyone dreads anyway), ask "What did you learn today?" or "What mistakes did you make that taught you something?" Describe with zeal something you're struggling with. "Instill a passion for learning,"

In making plans for the future
Don't just ask about goals; ask about the plan for reaching those goals.

In frustration
Don't permit children to refer to themselves as losers, failures, stupid, or clumsy. "Never let failure progress from an action to an identity, don't label your kids. Don't say this one is the artist, and this one is the computer geek. Anyone can be anything.

In doubt
If you encounter skepticism, ask the child to think of areas in which she once had low ability and now excels, or to recall a time when she saw someone learn something or improve in ways not thought possible.

FOR YOU
At work
Instead of letting salary, benefits, and status define job satisfaction, ask yourself if you're still learning. If the answer is yes, then you're fortunate to have a job that encourages a growth mind-set. View its challenges as opportunities rather than stress. If you've stopped learning, then consider looking either for new avenues of growth or for another job.

In relationships
Blame never resolves anything. It's merely the fixed mind-set insisting that you're right. The next time you're tempted to blame, remember that "the whole point of marriage is to encourage each other's development."

When feeling down
People who are depressed tend to believe that's just the way they are. Instead of viewing yourself as a failed end product, think of yourself as a temporarily derailed work in progress. "We usually think of personality as something very stable,", "but we're finding that even core parts of it can be changed by shifting mind-sets."

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Doctor & Thief

A man goes to the doctor and says "Doctor, I've become a compulsive thief."
The doctor prescribes him a course of tablets and says, "If you're not cured in a couple of weeks would you get me a widescreen television?"

This is not a lesson of ideal behavior; it's a humorous illustration of options - whether to try to change something, to accept it or to actively support it. Such decisions normally have two main reference points - the difficulty of the change, and the ethical implications of the situation.

Blind MAN

A blind man had been waiting a while at a busy road for someone to offer to guide him across, when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Excuse me," said the tapper, "I'm blind - would you mind guiding me across the road?"
The first blind man took the arm of the second blind man, and they both crossed the road.
Apparently this is a true story. The first blind man was the jazz pianist George Shearing. He is quoted (in Bartlett's Anecdotes) as saying after the event, "What could I do? I took him across and it was the biggest thrill of my life."
There are times when we think we cannot do something and so do not stretch or take a risk. Being forced to stretch and take a risk can often help us to reduce our dependencies (on others, or our own personal safety mechanisms), and to discover new excitement and capabilities.

Failure Makes Us Stronger

New research is pinpointing how we learn and make decisions. To the brain, a new thought or idea is like a spider. If it is industrious enough, an intricate web of knowledge spins out from it. Snapshots of the brain taken during learning actually show neurons firing, growing, and forming new connections. This is fascinating in itself, but what's even more fascinating is that failure can trigger this.

That's right; failure can enhance your brain. When those with growth mind-sets fail at a task, she detects them entering a more focused mental state as they try to figure out their mistake. And in subsequent trials, they improve. In effect, they've learned, and their brains have "grown." Those with fixed mind-sets, however, never enter this focused state of learning and show little, if any, advancement.

Antoine Bechara, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Southern California, has taken Dweck's work a step further. He recently isolated two equally sized centers in the prefrontal cortex, one that he claims is responsible for the fear of failure and the other for the lure of success. It is between these, he says, that the debate between risk and reward occurs. Not unlike the metaphoric devil and angel on our shoulders, these areas interact during the decision-making process. Although more research is needed, these centers may turn out to be the physical locations for Dweck's twin mind-sets.

"We always knew people could learn from their mistakes, but now we're finding out exactly how and where this happens," explains Bechara. "Basically, it all comes down to survival. In a normally functioning brain, failure is welcomed as an opportunity for learning and strengthening the species."

Source:From Net

Fat-Burning Foods

What are fat-burning foods?
Fat-burning foods are rich in fiber and protein and are poor in fat. Protein foods do require more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fats. The protein content of these foods boosts your metabolism and increases the rate at which your body burns stored fat. Fiber also provides high satiety value, so you feel fuller, longer.

If you can't find these foods in your kitchen right now, simply add them to your grocery list.
Incidentally, do you know what percentage of your calories consumed are coming from fat? Use this Health and Diet Assessment Tool to help you break down your percentages. A healthy level is one where less then 30 percent of the total calories consumed daily come from fat.

The top ten fat-burning foods

Whole grain
Whole grain breads and cereals are a great source of fibre. They generally take a longer time and more energy to digest. Try having a bowl of whole grain cereal with skim milk for breakfast, and combining two fat-burning foods that will give your morning a fat-burning boost.

Beans
Beans are low in fat and high in quality protein. They also have the added bonus of soluble fibre's disease-preventing qualities. The soluble fibre traps bile and lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol without affecting HDL (good) cholesterol.
So load up on a serving of beans for lunch or dinner.

Hot chillies
Chillies are full of vitamins. The compound capsaicin present in chillies temporarily stimulates your body to release some stress hormones, which boost your metabolism and cause you to burn more calories. But limit your intake to one or two in a day, as they may cause heartburn.

Lean meat
The leanest meat pieces are excellent sources of protein with low fat content. The protein helps boost your metabolism, lose fat and build lean muscle tissue so you burn more calories.

Low-fat dairy products
Low fat yogurt or milk can boost weight loss efforts due to calcium content. They also contain a hunger suppressant protein called casein that helps reduce hunger pangs. Consuming a lot of dairy foods may help people who are trying to control their weight, by burning more fat and consuming more calories without putting on excessive kilos.

Eggs
Eggs are also a good source of high protein. So start having eggs for breakfast, as research shows that the morning meal fires up your metabolism and increases your energy levels to tackle the day ahead or your morning workout. If you are worried about your cholesterol levels, then you may avoid the egg yolk.

Green tea
Green tea has been known as a health drink for years. In addition to providing a low calorie alternative to sugary sodas, cold coffees and frappucinos (and saving on calorie intake), green tea contains caffeine, which is a decent fat burner. Green tea also has high amounts of catechin and polyphenols, which give your body a small boost in burning up calories. Catechins appear to prevent absorption of fat and to stabilise glucose levels in the body.

Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals and fibre. The fibre helps to burn fat. It also increases satiety and gives a feeling of fullness.

Berries
Berries are a powerhouse of nutrition -- full of vitamins and minerals. The fibre found in berries makes them a fat burning food.

Almonds
Almonds are a fatty food, but they can help burn body fat. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants and heart-healthy fat. They are also a good source of fibre and protein. Nuts also help your body maintain good levels of fat burning hormones, as well as control your appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food.

So put on your thinking cap and the next time you go shopping for groceries, start by buying and preparing these healthy fat-busting foods. And hey -- next time you sit down to eat some of these foods, be sure to watch your portions, or they will add up

Cellphone Kills ?

While driving home in his new Maruti Zen one afternoon in January, Kiran Patil, 19, a Belgaum, Karnataka, student was also busy on his cellphone. A truck suddenly shot towards Kiran, collided with his car and killed the teenager.

On an evening in September last year, a Pune motorcyclist was using his cellphone when he rammed into Monica Bhat’s bicycle. Monica, an undergraduate at the city’s Fergusson College, suffered head injuries. She went into a coma and died within days.

Cellphones, marvels of technology, are used to report emergencies, locate directions, call home, message friends, do business from the beach or golf course—life without them is now difficult to imagine. But cellphones have been proven downright deadly if employed while driving a vehicle or walking down the street. The mindless mistakes that cellphone users make are many and varied. It may be as trivial as getting off the wrong floor from a lift; or as serious as fatally falling down a flight of stairs. And most common of all: people getting knocked down by all kinds of vehicles. In June 2005, Prabir Kumar De, a Kolkata make-up artist, was at a morning photo shoot near a railway track when he answered a cellphone call. As he spoke, he moved closer and closer to the tracks. He couldn’t have heard the sound of an approaching train or even its horn, for he kept on walking and talking until the train hit—and killed him on the spot.

Why the Danger?
Your sense of hearing is almost completely consumed by the phone you’re using, and your brain tends to filter out ambient sounds. Unlike a car’s radio, for instance, the phone requires a two-way conversation. So your brain has to absorb the information and work simultaneously to provide responses, making it hard for it to process information that’s not related to your phone conversation.

A cellphone-using motorist is also likely to look at but not see a vehicle, or a pedestrian, crossing his path. He may hear but not pay attention to a horn, or the sound of another vehicle, as he would if he were just driving. By the time he becomes aware, it may be a split-second too late. Likewise, a cellphone-using pedestrian, too, exposes himself to the dangers around him.

In a report on the safety implications of “using mobiles while mobile,” the Delhi-based Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) analyzes the many skills required by a motorist: Watching the road, checking the rear- and side-view mirrors, and keeping an eye on dashboard gauges are some tasks that require visual and cognitive skills. Sharp auditory senses are also required to listen for other vehicles, horns, policemen’s whistles, emergency-sirens, and other sounds that may require the driver to alter his course. Steering the vehicle, controlling the pedals, signaling turns or switching on appropriate indicators call for biomechanical skills.

When a driver uses a mobile phone, he has to use a similar set of skills: locating the correct buttons to push, or reading the screen, would mean taking his eyes off the road. To listen for ring tones or hold a conversation, he may be too distracted to hear other cars honking or a policeman’s whistle. The skills required for safe driving become drastically impaired. “Driving and use of a mobile phone simultaneously is potentially a strong lethal combination,” says the CRRI report.

What the Experts Found
Although no statistics are available on this, today more Indian drivers and pedestrians than ever before are seen talking on cellphones.

Studies from all over the world repeatedly point to such dangers. One of them, at America’s University of Utah, used extensive simulations.

“We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on a cellphone as they are when they drive intoxicated...” said the study’s co-author Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology.

The study also found that motorists who talked on a cellphone—be it handheld or hands-free—drove slightly slower, were nine percent slower to hit the brakes, were 19 percent slower to resume normal speed after braking, and were more likely to crash. In fact three cellphone-using participants “driving” the simulator collided into cars they were trailing. And they were not drunk.

According to the UK’s Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents, talking on a phone makes drivers four times more likely to have an accident. Canadian and Australian studies, too, point to the same increase in risk, even if a hands-free mobile is used.

Many motorists believe that a hands-free cellphone is safe. That isn’t true, as yet another study by Sweden’s National Road Administration (SNRA) proved. They tested 48 people in driving simulators. Half of them had hand-held mobiles, while the other half had hands-free instruments. Both groups when compared showed almost no differences in their slowed-down reaction times. “It is the distraction of the phone conversation that is the problem,” said Ingemar Skogö, SNRA’s director-general.

The Law Should Be Tougher
While Indian laws forbid drivers of any motor vehicle from using a cellphone, the penalty for violation in most places is a mere Rs100. “Clearly that’s no deterrent,” admits Satish Mathur, Mumbai’s former joint commissioner of traffic police. And even Delhi’s Rs1500 fine is nothing compared to Norway’s $600 or Ireland’s $350. Besides paying heavy fines, drivers in the UK or Germany also risk losing their car insurance covers if they cause an accident as a result of cellphone use.

In India, on the other hand, drivers who break this law are seldom punished or even caught. When involved in an accident, they often deny that they’d used a cellphone, although cellphones record all talk-times. Says Rohit Baluja, president of the Delhi-based Institute of Road Traffic Education: “Careful investigation can reveal the reason for a crash, right from whether the driver jumped a red light or was on a cellphone. But such levels of investigation are seldom done here.”

However, Mumbai’s traffic police recently decided to get tough. Realizing that cellphone use among motorists was getting out of hand, they started regularly booking such drivers under existing laws for rash driving, which carry higher fines and a jail sentence. On October 6, every city newspaper carried front-page reports about a few offending motorists who were jailed for a day, fined up to Rs1500 and their licences suspended for six months. That sent a hard message across—and it soon became difficult to find anybody using a cellphone at the wheel.

More towns ought to follow the Mumbai example if our roads are to become safer. Safety First!

Even if the law is ineffective and the traffic police aren’t booking offenders in your town, it’s up to you to drive safely. As Satish Mathur says, “It’s best to educate people. Those who use cellphones while driving have to be made aware of the fact that they are exposing themselves and others to jeopardy.”

Promote safety by following these five rules:

Pull over.
Never use a cellphone while driving, or while crossing or walking along a road. Always stop your vehicle carefully before you answer the phone. If you’re a pedestrian, stop at a safe place to answer a call or respond to an SMS. In 2004, medical student Vahed Lokhandwalla, 23, of Mumbai was keying in an SMS message on the road when he walked into the open back door of a parked SUV. He hurt his head and bled badly.

Let it ring.
If you’re on a busy road where you can’t stop, and your phone rings, it is best to miss that call.

Remember, people coped perfectly well before cellphones arrived a few years ago. Use voicemail. If you get calls constantly, ask your service provider to activate voicemail—which will say that you’ll return the call later.

Get passenger help.
If you have a passenger, place the phone where he or she can answer it for you.

Stop the driver.
Whether you are in a taxi, bus, your own car or a friend’s, you must stop any driver from speaking on the phone while driving.

Consider what happened to a group of 26 people from Naraingarh village, Haryana, travelling in a mini-bus to Nahan, Himachal Pradesh, July 11,2008. They were speeding along the highway when driver Sandeep Kumar began talking on his cellphone. Although passengers seated near him asked him to concentrate on his driving, Kumar paid no attention. He lost control and slammed the vehicle into a tree, killing eleven. Kumar and some others were seriously injured.

That needn’t have happened had the passengers been absolutely firm.

So Be aware and educate them by spreading the message to all the friends,relatives.... to avoid cell phone while driving,Walking on pedestrians......etc

"Prevention is Better than Cure"

Top 10 Brands of 2008

Coca-Cola
2008 Rank: 1
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $66,667
Parent Company: Coca-Cola (KO)

Olympic sponsorship boosted its profile in Asia, where sales are surging.But Coke continued to record sluggish sales in its home market.

IBM
2008 Rank: 2
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $59,031
Parent Company:
International Business Machines (IBM)

A resurgent tech-services business together with highly profitable software edges Big Blue ahead of rival Microsoft.

Microsoft
2008 Rank: 3
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $59,007
Parent Company: Microsoft (MSFT)

Windows Vista bugs and Apple's withering "I'm a Mac" ads challenge the software giant despite its monopoly.It is now rolling out a new ad campaign.

GE
2008 Rank: 4
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $53,086
Parent Company: General Electric (GE)

A GE that doesn't make lightbulbs or dishwashers? In July it announced its intention to spin off the brand's iconic units as it focuses on global infrastructure.

Nokia
2008 Rank: 5
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $35,942
Parent Company: Nokia

The iPhone has the buzz, but Nokia sells eight times as many smartphones.
Its reputation for quality puts it far ahead of rivals in India and other emerging markets.

Toyota
2008 Rank: 6
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $34,050
Parent Company: Toyota Motor

As auto sales plunge, even Toyota is suffering,but its early move into hybrids, starting with the Prius back in 2001,looks smarter than ever.

Intel
2008 Rank: 7
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $31,261
Parent Company: Intel (INTC)

Sales are strong and Intel still pays to place its logo in the ads of customers like Apple and Dell, but the Federal Trade Commission is investigating the practice.

McDonald's
2008 Rank: 8
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $31,049
Parent Company: McDonald's (MCD)

It's still mostly about burgers and fries,of course. But Mickey D's has a knack for the new stuff people want, like fancy coffees, breakfast sandwiches, and wraps.

Disney
2008 Rank: 9
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $29,251
Parent Company: Walt Disney (DIS)

Disney's marketing machine turned High School Musical into a teen girl blockbuster.
It's hoping the new Disney XD cable channel will bring in the boys.

Google
2008 Rank: 10
2008 Brand Value (Millions): $25,590
Parent Company: Google

What would you do if you had nothing to do?

What would you be doing tomorrow if you retired today?

Let’s say you had a blank day staring at you. You didn’t have to work. You could do anything at all (although money is still a limiting factor). What would your perfect day be like?

These questions are more than just hypothetical questions to ask for fun or idleness. It’s an exercise meant to get you thinking about designing your life.
How do you design your life? Well, let’s assume that your life is under your control. Sure, not everything is under your control, but let’s assume that much of your life is yours to do with as you please. Even if that’s so, many of us go through life doing what we do because a series of events have made our life what it is today. We continue to do what we do without giving it much thought, because it’s easier that way.

Designing your life isn’t easy. You first have to dare to ask yourself these questions. You then have to dare to imagine that it can come true. And then comes the difficult task of changing your life so that it is what you want it to be.

Perhaps your life is already just how you like it — if that’s the case, you are to be congratulated. But I submit that many of us, while generally happy, have a life not of our own design — at least not a conscious design.

So today let’s take a look at one way to consciously design your life. It’s not the only way, but it’s a path to happiness.

1. What’s important?
Ask yourself what is most important to you. But that’s because any process should start with this, whether it’s a process of simplifying, of productivity, of frugality, or of becoming happier. What do you love doing? Who do you love spending time with? Make a short list of 4-5 things.

2. What is your passion?
What do you love doing the most? Can it be a way you make your living? If you can make a career out of doing something you love, you will love your day. Dare to imagine that this could come true.

3. Design your day.
Start with a blank slate, and design your perfect day. Incorporate the short list of 4-5 most important things above, to ensure that you are spending your day doing what’s most important to you. Also include time spent working at your passion (from item #2). Include an ideal routine, including a morning and evening routine, and everything in between. What time would you wake up and go to bed?

4. Figure out how to get there.
What changes would you need to make in your life to make that perfect day a reality? Be willing to consider drastic changes if necessary. Come up with a plan to get there. It might be a plan that will take 6 months, a year, two years or 5, but you can get there eventually, if you want it enough. Dare to make it a reality.

5. Start making some changes immediately.
Some of the changes can be done right away, especially if the changes are under your direct control. The time you wake up and go to bed, for example, are probably under your control. Your morning and evening routines are another example of things you can probably change immediately. Spending time doing the 4-5 important things on your list might also be an immediate possibility. Notice the things you normally do that aren’t on the list of 4-5 important things — consider eliminating or minimizing the time you spend on the non-important things to make room for the important things.

6. Start making long-term changes now.
Longer-term changes might include things like doing your passion for a living, or where you live, or getting out of big commitments that don’t contribute to your happiness or are not on your short list of 4-5 things. But while these kinds of changes might take longer, they can still be done. Start on them today, set them in motion, and dare to believe that you can change these things. Make a plan, and set it in motion.

7. Keep the end in mind.
Print out your perfect day, and keep that in mind as you begin to make changes. This is the life you designed, rather than the one you’ve fallen into. You are in control of your life, and you can have that life, if you want it enough.

The Art of Listening

Research shows we learn 85% of what we know through listening, but most of us absorb just 25% of what we hear. Get people to share more, and hear more of what they share:
Let speakers finish Interrupting is the most common listening offence, says Melissa Beall, a communications professor. Finishing someone’s thoughts or asking too many questions bugs the speaker—and can make her clam up.

Don’t multitask You miss info if you read or type during a chat, and you may offend the speaker. If busy, ask if you can talk later and set a time to do so. Follow up If you don’t let people know the outcome of their ideas, they feel they weren’t heard and that they didn’t offer something of value. People offer more ideas if they feel sure they’ll hear back.

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Bad Day or Burnout?

Anyone has periods when work piles up, the boss is ticked and stress is high. But there’s a difference between a bad day or week at the office and burnout.

There are three components of burnout:

Your general well-being:
Do you feel depleted of energy, like a car running on empty?

Your relationship with work:
Do you feel apathetic, unable to concentrate; like you’re “going through the motions?”

Your self-evaluation:
Do you doubt that you’re doing important work and that you’re good at it?

Having any one of these feelings doesn’t constitute burnout. It’s the accumulation and frequency of symptoms that should be a warning sign.

So Be Happy & Enjoy the life as it goes by your decision & Willingness.Sometimes It may be Honey or Sour?

It Depends upon your View & Thoughts.

"JAI HO"

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Coaching for Improved Performance

Looking for a step-by-step coaching approach you can use to help an employee improve his work performance? This approach avoids the need for discipline and produces great results.

1.Life gives us "gifts" in the form of opportunities to have EXPERIENCES.

2.Coaching provides the opportunity to get FEEDBACK from these experiences - this is achieved by questioning and clarifying.

3.Further probing and questioning creates insights and common themes which lead to the learner REFLECTING on the experiences, the action that was taken and the consequences of this action.

4.From these insights and personal discoveries, CONCLUSIONS are drawn that, if sufficiently powerful, can relate back to other current or past situations.

5.The valuable lessons learned from this exercise are then applied to future situations in the form of EXPERIMENTS.

6.From these experiments, EXPERIENCES are provided as well as further opportunities to learn more and the cycle goes around again.

Build a Mentoring Culture - Then see the Magic !

The people in your organizations train for years and go into debt for college. People work late nights and weekends. People spend the entire day taking phone calls when they’re supposed to be on vacation. And people generate ideas and create the solutions that your organizations need.

People do these things. The people you have working for you today and the people you may hire tomorrow. And, the people who may resign because no one has recognized their abilities.

Yet, clearly, organizations do not do a good enough job developing and promoting their most important resource – their people.

What does it take to develop your people?

It takes more than writing “equal opportunity” into your organization’s mission statement. It takes more than sending someone to a training class. It takes more than hard work on the part of your employees. What development takes is people – from the CEO’s office to the mail room – people who are willing to listen and to help their colleagues. Development takes coaches; it takes guide; it takes advocates. Development depends on mentors.

Time after time, successful people I talk to say that one of the most important keys to their success is having a mentor. It is hard to make it without a mentor and it takes too much time without a mentor.

But often there is no mentor around when you need one and especially when you face “particular challenges.” What do I mean when I talk about the “particular challenges" that people in organizations face?

Challenges That Need Mentoring
Let me give you a few examples of some challenges we working people all deal with. Imagine that you are facing these situations. How would you react?

First scenario. You’ve been working in a staff job and a line job opens up in another city. It would be a perfect career move for you but the company fills the job without even asking if you’re interested. They don’t ask because they assume your spouse wouldn’t want to leave his or her job to relocate. What would you do?

Or imagine this. You’re in a meeting. It’s your opportunity to shine in front of upper management. You’ve got an important point to make and you start to talk. Someone cuts you off. What would you do?

Or let’s say you make that important point—and no one says a word about it. But five minutes later, a guy at the other end of the table says the same thing you did. This time it’s a brilliant idea, and he gets all the credit. What would you do?

You’re in another meeting — there’s always another meeting - and one of your bosses tells a demeaning joke about the Pope - you are Catholic, and everyone knows it. What would you do?

Or a joke about gays — which you are, and maybe no one knows it. Or a joke about women — which you’re not, but some of your colleagues sitting right next to you are. What would you do?

My point is not so much whether you or I know how to react in each of these situations.

My point is really that we need to recognize that there are people in every organization — whether they’re men or women, minorities, or people who grew up without any business role-models in their lives — who don’t know how to react in these situations.

And it’s our responsibility to teach them.

Organizations are only as successful as the men and women who make them work.
So, if we care about our organizations and our people, we have to share our knowledge of the organizational culture; we have to share our wisdom; we have to mentor.

Mentoring Best Practices
If you want to establish a mentoring culture within your organization, here are some mentoring best practices.

•Set organizational goals. Don’t establish a mentoring program just because it is a good business practice. Develop a mentoring program based on solid business goals such as increasing diversity or making your organization a better place to work.

•Find out why the talented employees you wanted to keep left you.

•McKinsey and Co. asked top people what they look for when deciding which company to join and stay with. The answer: a great company and a great job. Talented employees want exciting challenges and great development opportunities. They leave because they are bored. Mentoring is a key to attracting and retaining talented employees.

•Develop people to their fullest potential. In order to develop your people, provide training opportunities, challenging projects and assignments, feedback, coaching and mentoring. In one study with people who had experienced real mentors, half of them said the mentoring experience “changed my life.” Those are powerful words.

•Foster mentoring for women and minorities. Mentoring helped move women into the ranks of vice president, senior vice president and division president.

•Point to the money. Losing talented employees and wasting talent costs companies money.

And remember, whatever programs you design; they won’t be effective unless there is commitment from the top. Visible, daily commitment.

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