Tag Archives: Life Skills

09Jan/14

Attract Goodness in Your lives

LIFE SKILLS, ,

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We all need to learn to open up and expand .
First Scenario
 We start to contract , we always think in terms of ME. Always such thoughts arise in our minds as
• What about me?
• What will happen to me?
• How can I get this or that?
We start moving within a shell. We need to realise we are closing ourselves from many good things in life.

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Second Scenario
We start to open up and do as many good things in our lives as possible. Always such thoughts arise in our mind as
• What best we can do for others?
• How can I be useful to others?
• How can I serve others:

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In each one of the scenarios, we come from a different space altogether.

In first scenario we come from the space of lack and in the second scenario we come from the space of abundance.
When we come from the space of lack we always feel that something or the other is missing from our lives. This way of thinking and living creates unhappiness and dissatisfaction in our lives.

When we come from the space of abundance which each one of us is already into ,we feel no dearth of anything in our lives. We feel we are the source of abundance of everything .This thought creates happiness and bliss in our lives. We don’t feel lack of anything instead we feel the source of many things.

Develop the habit of asking yourself and those around you “ What good thing you have done today? “
An act of goodness attracts goodness in our own lives.

We need to be grateful in our lives for all good things we have. It is written in bible ,” Whoever has will be given more ,and he will have in abundance. Whoever does not have , even what he has will be taken from him”.
 “Whoever has will be given more “simply means he who feels he has enough and is grateful for whatever he has, will attract more GOOD THINGS in his life .
“Whoever does not have , even what he has will be taken from him” means that one who always feels lack and is not grateful for what he has will loose even whatever he has.The more lack feel one feels , the more LACK he will attract.

So, it depends upon us how we want to feel and what we want to attract in our lives.
It is our choice we want to see the Glass as HALF EMPTY or HALF FULL.

Note: As parents we can teach our children gratitude and abundance. Let them feel that they have enough with them to serve others .

23Sep/13

Working Mothers

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Working mothers have a dilemma and a guilt feeling on that whether they are ignoring their children for the sake of career? Some mothers work for their career development and some work due to financial constraints. Whatever the case may be points go both for and against working mothers.

Points that go in favour of the working mothers:

Good news for working mothers is that they act as a role model for their children – a strong , confident and independent figure. Children look up to their mother as a figure who carries herself well and this gives them a good feeling about themselves and their mother. Children look up to be like their mothers as independent and growth oriented.

Children become independent from a very young age. With their mothers not around them all the time providing them the protective environment during growth years, children very soon learn to handle themselves well through the thick and thin of life. They try to handle the situations themselves and in the process get enough space for experimentation and learn their ways through trial and error method.

Children learn to organise themselves well.

Working mothers, being more in touch with the outside world know what’s going on in the world and are able to guide their children in much better way. As the children grow up, mothers being more open to new ideas and ideologies are able to connect with their children in a better way.
Working mothers feel good about themselves and this good feeling results in positivity in them. This positivity is passed onto children. A child is like a sponge who absorbs whatever is there around him.

Points that don’t go in favour of working mothers:

Children may not get the kind of care they deserve during their formative years. This depends upon the personality of the child as to how he takes all this- either he may open up and learn to lead his own life independently or he may move into a shell – making himself look like a victim who doesn’t get enough attention required. Some children may become insecure and may not be able to move up in life as the feeling of insecurity and loneliness may remain with them as they grow up.

Mothers may not able to ingrain the kind of value system they would have wanted to, into their children due to lack of time. Again this may be a subjective scenario and depends upon how well the mothers organise themselves. Spending quality time with the kids can resolve the above issue. Spending quality time over quantity time matters.

Working Mothers whose job is stressful, with the timelines to be met and long working hours could feel anxious about their children and this anxiety will be passed over time to children.

This debate can go on and on.

One last word – What kind of work or career one chooses defines a lot of things in one’s life.

I leave this debate for open discussion. Do participate in this debate. Children as well as parents can come forward for participation based on their individual experiences.



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17Sep/13

Personal Vision and Mission

LIFE SKILLS, , , ,

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Remember first step in achieving anything is conceptualisation and intent setting. Thought power is very great and this can lead us places.

You need to answer these questions for yourselves which lead you to set vision for yourself i.e. how you want your life to be ?

Look into yourself and create a vision and mission for yourself.

Step 1: Looking into oneself


Q1. a) What are my fundamental beliefs? What is my value system which forms the foundation of how I work and conduct myself?

b) What is truly important to me?

c) What I am passionate about?

d) What areas/issues deeply concern me?

Q2. Who are the people whom I would love to look up to as role models?

Q3. a) What are the things that I love doing and which provide me great sense of satisfaction?

b) In past one month what were the events and occasions in which I found myself happy and satisfied?

Q4. a) What I am best at?

b) What I am good at?

Q5. How would I like to see my life unravelling in next 5 years,10 years, 20 years and so on, on

a) Personal front

b) Family front

c) Professional front /Educational front

Step 2 – My vision and My mission

1) What I found in myself that I think I should

a) Start doing(improvement/development areas)

b) Stop doing

c) Do more of it(improvement/development areas)

d) Do less of it

2) What are the goals in my life which I want to meet in

a) Next 1 year

b) Next 5 years

c) Next 10 years

3) Target setting:
In the next one year:

a) What I need to develop/learn/attain in various areas of my life (softer as well as harder skills)?

b) How will I go about in achieving it?

c)What I will be doing to make it happen?

d)What kind of support/help do I need to make it happen?

Note:

1.While answering the questions for yourself sit in a quiet place where you can concentrate and think in peace.

2.After answering the questions keep the sheet with you in a place where it is safe as well as where you can revisit it time and again.

3.Revisiting is very powerful tool which helps to ingrain your vision and mission deeply in your mind and in your being.

4.As parents you can always encourage your children to set their vision and mission as soon as they are old enough to understand things.

02Sep/13

Learn to take criticism- It helps you to evolve:

LIFE SKILLS, , , ,

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Mr. X: What happens when you are doing something with passion and dedication and someone comments that you are not doing it properly , there are lapses in your working style and you are required to undergo a training for improvement???

Mr. Y : Oh! I feel lot of pain and turmoil inside me. I feel I am putting in sincere effort from my side and this is the credit I get for my work. I feel terrible and as if all my reputation is at stake. I feel like retaliating or leaving the work what I was involved in.

Wait a second!!! If these are your thoughts wait for sometime. Calm down and introspect yourself. Real answers will start emerging. Sometimes we are so much involved with our fantasies and self image that it becomes difficult for us to see the hard core facts. We may not realise the work we are doing is not producing the desired results.

It depends upon us whether we thank the other person for pointing our drawbacks and take this as an opportunity to learn and improve ourselves or make it an ego issue. The choices we make in our lives have a lot of effect on our evolution and growth as a person and as a human being. When we stop taking criticism we stop evolving. This is the end of the road. We stop and we stagnate.

We may feel the pain inside us but yet the fact remains the same that people who criticise us work well for our growth. The criticism is just like bitter gourd juice which is unpalatable but yet good for our health.
So, we need to take decision for ourselves whether to eat the bitter medicine when we are ill and get cured or avoid the medicine and let disease be there , troubling us time and again.

Note: As parents we need to train our children to take criticism in good spirits and introspect and evolve.

19Aug/13

Find a mentor in your life – A viewpoint

VIEW POINT, , , , , ,

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Finding a mentor is very important in Life.

Mentor in todays world is same as what we called a MASTER in ancient world.

Mentor is like a propeller in a rocket, as an engine in a train. He is a person who has the capability of looking into the gifts you have with you , the capabilities you have with you and guides your capabilities in right direction. He is a person who has the capability of taking the best out of you and holding you when you fall.

Once you find a right mentor in your life nearly half of your journey on the path of your dreams is achieved.

First Step:

Recognise the area where you require mentoring:
It is very important for you to first recognise the areas where you require mentoring. Probable areas could be

• Life Skills
• Sports
• Studies
• Setting up Business
• Skill Development

Second Step:

Qualities to look for in a mentor:
• He works with sincerity for the cause.
• He is passionate about what he is doing.
• He is ready to put in hard work.
• He may be meeting personal objectives but not at the cost of sacrificing you.
• He is capable of bringing the best out of you.
• He is capable of stopping you when you start wandering away from your goals and path.
• He is capable of providing mentoring in area you require i.e. he has the requisite knowledge of that field.

Third Step:

Finding a mentor:
Mentor can be
• Any one in your close circle (your friends, your relatives, your seniors, your acquaintances).
• Any one who is professional or who is practically working or doing really something good in the field you require mentoring in, so that he can guide you by practical experiences rather than bookish knowledge.
• Mentor can be anyone who wanted to do something great in his life in that particular field where you want mentoring and has not achieved the heights he wanted to, but has that fire inside him to produce somebody great in that field with his experiences.
Note:People who had fire inside them along with the knowledge to do something but have somehow not achieved what they wanted in that particular field ,can take you places because that fire is still alive inside them. You need to have an eagle’s eye to spot such mentors.
• You can look for mentors in the organisation you work for, in the educational institutions you study.
• For business purpose – you can enrol yourself into forums of business people. There you may find people, who have achieved in life and are now coming forward to share their knowledge and experience. It is often seen that people who have achieved in their life and have risen in their life are more than willing to share their experiences. Such people can act as best mentors.

Note:
As parents it is very important to connect our children to best people and find a mentor for them.

10May/13

Make your children financial savvy-Part II

LIFE SKILLS, , , , , , ,

albert


Q2.What is a recurring deposit ?
I am 12 years old . I want to start a recurring deposit of Rs.1000 in a bank.The interest rate is 8% per annum compounded quarterly. How much will I get after 5 years?

Answer:


Recurring Deposits are a special kind of Term Deposits offered by banks which help people with regular incomes to deposit a fixed amount every month into their Recurring Deposit account. It is similar to making FDs of a certain amount in monthly installments.


Formula:


Maturity Value = P*((1+R)^N-1)/(1-(1+R)^(-1/3) )

Amount invested each month, P = Rs. 1000

Rate of interest ,R = 8%

Compounded Quarterly ,therefore rate of interest would be
R = 8% ÷4 = 8/400 = 0.02

Number of quarters over the duration of 5 years,
N = (5 X 12 months) ÷ 3 = 20 quarters.
So,
Maturity Value=1000 * ((1 + 0.02 )^20 -1) / (1- (1 + 0.02)^(-1/3))

For Ms Excel type = 1000 * ((1+ 0.02)^20-1)/(1-(1+0.02)^(-1/3))

When you press the enter key you will get
Maturity value= Rs. 73861.87


Q3.What is inflation? My family’s expense is Rs.10,000 or $10,000 per month. At the inflation rate of 2% , how much will be the purchasing power of this amount after 10 years?

Answer:


Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services. It is measured as an annual percentage increase. With the rise in inflation , every dollar or rupee you own will buy a smaller percentage of goods or services.

The value of a rupee or dollar does not stay constant when there is inflation. The value of a rupee or dollar is observed in terms of purchasing power, which is the tangible goods that money can buy. The purchasing power of money goes down with increase in inflation.

For example, if the inflation rate is 3% annually, then theoretically a $1 or Re.1 chocolate will cost $1.03 or Re.1.03 in a year. After inflation, your rupee or dollar can’t buy the same goods it could beforehand.


Formula:
Reduced Amount = Present Amount / (1+ inflation rate) ^ Number of years


= 10000/(1+2%) ^ 10
= Rs 8203 or $8203

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18Mar/13

Teach your children Responsibility -Part3

LIFE SKILLS, , , , , , , , ,

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 Responsibility towards home and parents:

It is usually seen in most of the homes that children are busy watching television or playing while parents are doing all the household work.

Myths involved:
Myth 1:

Parents think that the children are too small to be involved in the household work .

Myth 2:

Children are already doing so much of work and are so much stressed and burdened by their study schedules so why burden them more???

But, the reality is that involving children in household tasks doesn’t take much of their precious time. On the other hand, they get a change from the monotonous life style and they feel more bonded and responsible towards home.

    A small sample to show the Activities and Ways to teach them resposibility

  • They can be made responsible for laying down table during meals and clearing the area after meals.
  • They can take up the responsibility of cutting salads and veggies.
  • If your child, while sitting and happily watching television, calls you to give him a glass of water or an apple, encourage him to help himself fetch the water or wash and peel the apple for himself.
  • While gardening give him some responsibility such as sowing new seeds or pruning of plants etc.
  • When the child comes back from school, college etc. encourage him to keep all his belongings in proper place.
  • Once a week encourage him to clean his cupboards and storage areas .He should be encouraged to keep his play area, study area and room clean.
  • When someone at home is unwell or is taking rest, he should be taught to show a responsible behaviour .

05Mar/13

Teach your children responsibility-Part 2

LIFE SKILLS, , , , , , ,

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Teaching Children Interpersonal Responsibility:
Teaching interpersonal responsibility means that children should be taught to take up responsibility of their behaviour while dealing with others.

• Children should be taught compassion i.e. how other person feels .They should be taught to respect other person’s feelings.

Example situation 1:
Brother: Mummy why is Disha(sister) sad today? (Brother asking about his sister)
Mother: Disha(sister) lost in the tournament. Do you remember when you lost in running race ?
Brother: Yes, I remember I was very sad and down.
Mother: So, what will you do?
Brother: I will give her a big hug and take her out to play.

Example situation 2 :
Brother: Mummy why is Disha so happy today? (Brother asking about his sister)
Mother: Disha won the tournament. Do you remember when you won running race ?
Brother: Yes, I remember I was very happy and escalated. I wanted to share my happiness with someone.
Mother: So, what you will do?
Brother: I will give her a big hug and celebrate her joy with her.

Teach children to be sensitive to others feelings. Teach them to share the joyous as well as sad moments of others.

• Children should be taught to work responsibly in a group.
You can make a group of children.Give them some theme to work on , it could be maintenance of the garden, maintenance of cleanliness of the building or the area, or creating awareness in your area about some issues etc . Give each child a responsibility .Maintain a chart of responsibility for each child. At the end of activity put remarks or smiling or sad faces depending upon how the child discharged his part of responsibility in the group activity.

• Let the child maintain his personal dairy in which he can maintain a record of how he behaved with his peers and how he tackled problematic situations. At the end of each week you can go through the dairy and make relevant remarks or suggestions.

• Children learn by observing . We being adults should demonstrate a responsible behaviour while dealing with others. We should be honest in our dealings, should be compassionate towards others.

Example situation 1:
Child : Daddy why are you going to throw that cover in the dustbin .You can throw it here, on the side of the road.
Father: Dear child, we should never litter on roads.

Example Situation 2:
Child: Why did you return money to the hawker?
Father: Dear child, hawker by mistake returned me extra money. I returned him back the extra money he had paid.

• Children should be taught to deal with other people with respect. They should not discriminate others on the basis of caste, creed or class.

• While attending some class or an activity in a group, if your children are better than others or able to finish the work earlier, they should be taught not to create disturbance or distract others. Children should be taught to act responsibly when attending some class or group activity.

• Children should be taught self control when dealing with others. Self control means showing responsible behaviour towards others.

• Children should be taught to be honest and not mislead others by telling lies or manipulating the truth. This is very important for creating an environment based on trust.