How to Be Confident

Mariano Rivera and his New York Yankee teammates, celebrating their win against Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 of the 2009 MLB World Series


You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. -C.S. Lewis

How to Be Confident
We are all human and have flaws. Even if your physical appearance, unique personality, or social skills aren't what you wish they were, that doesn't have to stop you from being confident. You are beautiful inside and out so you should love yourself unconditionally. Here's how to believe in yourself.
1. Make a list of special talents you have, or things you do that are good; morally or otherwise. Focusing on your attributes helps distract you from those parts of yourself that you think are flawed. It doesn't have to be a specific skill or activity either; it can be an approach or an attitude that you champion through life. Do you always stay calm, cool and collected, even in hurried situations? Are you very patient with people? Do you always see the humorous side of things? Are you always there for your friends?
2. Find your passion. Whether it's baton twirling, martial arts, classic cars, or basket weaving, you will feel confident pursuing that endeavor by recognizing what you enjoy doing the most. More importantly, you'll be enjoying your progress.
3. Choose a role model, whether someone close to you, or someone famous. Think of the qualities that the role model displays, whether physical, emotional, moral, and/or spiritual. Work towards acquiring those.
4. Don't think about yourself too much. Try not to focus negatively on how you come across or how others may perceive you. Instead, focus more on making other people happy, and that will build your confidence as other people start enjoying your company.
5. Accept compliments gracefully. Don't roll your eyes and say, "Yeah, right," or shrug it off. Take it to heart and respond positively ("Thank you" and a smile works well).
6. Know that you have important things to say and do. When you feel strongly about something, speak loudly and clearly and make eye contact with people. Be yourself.
7. Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet. Don't abuse your body, don't overload it, and don't deny it any of the things it needs. At the same time, don't obsess. Buying all the moisturizers, creams and conditioners will not bring you closer to who you want to be. Those things are only band-aids and make up. Confidence comes from within. Take the time to reflect on your life and do some emotional maintenance. In order to be confident, you must and i say MUST value yourself and understand that your well-being is important.
8. Work out. Getting enough exercise can boost your confidence amazingly. Not only will it give you more energy throughout the day, but being in good physical shape will make you feel more "worthy" you could say, to talk to others be yourself.
9. Stick up for yourself. If people put you down (and not in a good-natured, joking way), then let them know that their opinion of you is not held by everyone--most of all yourself. This may, at first, be hard to do. But once you stick up for yourself a few times, your confidence builds and you get more adept at it.
10. Celebrate your individuality. If you know you've got something special or different, then embrace it; don't hide it! That's diversity! You may wish that you were taller, or shorter, skinnier, stronger, whatever the case may be. But you need to realize that, if you were like everyone else, then you wouldn't be who you are. "What am I?" you ask; the answer's easy: You're a unique individual who is capable of growing and learning.
11. Take action. It is surprising how powerful the simple step of taking an action can be. And the action you take need not be something extravagant or grand. It could be something as simple as tackling a task that you have been procrastinating, such as writing a letter or tidying up that corner of the garage that has been out of control for the last several months. It could also be something as interesting as taking a class in yoga, art, interior design, anything that interests you that you haven't done yet. Whether large or small, action brings with it exhilaration, enthusiasm, and the confidence that other things can be done as well.
12. You'll need to work on your posture. Don't slouch or slump your shoulders, nothing says "I lack confidence" more than a person who appears like they're trying to hide from the world. Make sure that your back is straight, your shoulders are square, and your chest is puffed out slightly (but stay loose, otherwise you'll appear stiff and uptight). Keep your chin up and your eyes forward rather than looking at the ground.
13. Make a conscious effort to smile often. A smile makes you appear warm, honest, friendly, and confident. You can also just relax your facial muscles entirely, which will make you appear calm and relaxed. Observe yourself in a mirror to make sure that you don't have a tense or nervous facial expression, because if you do others will believe you to be sad, angry, or uncomfortable.
14. When engaging in conversation with others, make eye contact. Gaze into the other person's eyes as you talk to make yourself seem interested, calm, and confident. Avoiding eye contact makes you appear shy and submissive, while directly staring for too long may make you appear angry or scared. So the best advice is to gaze into a person's eyes as you converse with them while occasionally shifting your gaze or looking around.
15. Shaking hands can increase your confidence . When it comes to gesturing with your hands, keeping your hands far apart and your palms open makes you appear open and honest. Pointing with your fingers and bringing your hands closer together can draw emphasis to what you are saying. Don't overuse hand gestures or you'll look nervous and unstable. Avoid wringing your hands or touching your sleeves, as these things can make you appear nervous, tense, or even dishonest.
* If you're a man, have a firm handshake when shaking another man's hand. If you're shaking a woman's hand, don't grasp her hand any harder than she grasps yours.
16. Put a little strut or swagger into your walk. Move like you have a purpose, and keep your knees slightly bent to avoid appearing stiff and rigid.
17. Act confident, even if you don't truly feel it. After a while, it will come naturally, and you will feel confident in yourself! Also, learn to not care what other's think of you. If you let what people say to you bring you down, you will never be happy. Only care about how you feel about yourself, and don't always take what people say at face value, because they may be jealous of you and are intending to put you down. Don't let them stop your progress, but stand up for yourself while acting calmly!


Tips
* Don't compare yourself with other people. It is a wasteful pursuit, and you could be doing something better with your time and energy. Know what you, personally, want and expect from yourself, and focus on attaining those things. The things that you want and expect from yourself don't have anything to do with how you measure up to others.
* Consider attending leadership classes. Learn to take control of things. If you are in school, then consider running for a social position, such as a president of a club. The ability to lead others and respond to others' behavior under your leadership will help to bring you self confidence.
* Listen to your inner monologue—your inner voice. In situations where you believe you lack confidence, realize that your inner voice is telling you negative things. You need to retrain that inner voice to be positive in those situations. If you need help, find someone who can help you do that.
* Speak positively at all times. When you hear yourself saying something negative about yourself, instantly replace it with a positive comment.
* You have to reprogram your subconscious by repeatedly telling it how confident you are; it will believe you in time.
* Walk 20% faster than your normal pace, stand and walk with your spine straight and hold your chin high. This physical posture will force you to think positive and be confident.
* Only think good things about yourself, make sure you only focus on the positive things about yourself. It's really important that you don't let other people say things to you to get you down, remember everyone is different and just be happy to be you, everyone is beautiful


source: Wiki How

The thing I hate the most is not knowing what is happening, but knowing that something is happening. -E. Orange

First-rate people hire first-rate people; second-rate people hire third-rate people." - Leo Rosten

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the American Dream

A U.S. military color guard at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC
Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest.” ~Christian Dior

"The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it."- George Carlin

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When winter comes, can spring be far behind?

anil ambani
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential." - Winston Churchill

When winter comes, can spring be far behind? Well, surely not for India’s richie rich. The number of Indian billionaires has almost doubled this year, notwithstanding the recession, according to the Forbes Magazine.

Their number has gone up from 27 in 2008 to 52 this year.

Interestingly, seven from the State have made it to the billionaires’ club this time. They feature in the Forbes Magazine’s India’s 100 Richest.

While RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani, steel baron Lakshmi Mittal and Mukesh’s brother Anil Ambani lead the pack, entrepreneurs from the State __ including infrastructure major GMR Group’s G M Rao, GVK Group’s G V Krishna Reddy, Lanco Group’s L Madhusudhan Rao, Apollo Group’s Dr Prathap C Reddy, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories’ Dr K Anji Reddy, Divi Laboratories’ Murali Divi and Aurobindo Pharma’s P V Ramprasad Reddy __ are in top 100.

G M Rao, who was ranked 14th in 2008, moved a notch higher to 13 with a networth of $4.3 billion. However, Lanco’s Madhusudhan Rao, slipped to 34th position with a networth of $1.67 billion from 33rd ranking last year.

(expressbuzz)

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Roger the Great

All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties." - William Bradford

"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours." - Wayne Dyer

ROGER FEDERER
Roger the Great
By winning Wimbledon 2009, his 15th Grand Slam title, Roger Federer beats Pete Sampras’ record.
ROGER FEDERER’S leap of joy at the moment of his victory at Wimbledon 2009 sent him soaring into another world. This win, his 15th in Grand Slam finals, took him past Pete Sampras’ record of 14. In his wake, Federer leaves a trail of broken records too numerous to recount. A buoyant Federer wore to the post-match news conference a T-shirt that read “There is no finish line”, and Sampras remarked that Federer could go on to win 17 or even 18 Grand Slam titles. If that happens, Federer will possibly stay in his celestial orbit forever.

The four-hour-18-minute final featured the longest deciding set in the 122-year-old history of the Grand Slams. Unlike last year’s final between Federer and Rafael Nadal, where breathtaking baseline exchanges made it the best final ever, the 2009 final was service-dominated and proved to be a test of stamina and a titanic battle of wills. If Andy Roddick, leading 6-2 in the second-set tie-breaker, had won one single point of the four set points he held, it would have given him a two-sets-to-love lead and pushed Federer into a hole almost impossible to clamber out of. Most heartbreaking was the high backhand volley Roddick misjudged because of a “gusting wind” when Federer was off court. Also, just one ace from Roddick in the tie-breaker would have done the trick. But it was not to be. The toe-to-toe service slugfest in the final set went on until 14-15 before the rugged American wilted, lost his service and made three unforced errors owing to fatigue.

It must be said that Federer had more than his share of luck. His victory in the French Open and Nadal’s absence because of injury boosted his confidence and cleared his path to glory.

In the avalanche of accolades that swamped the tennis world and the “greatest ever” tag endorsed by Sampras, Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg, all legends of the game, Roddick’s performance was lost. Laver, however, said it was better not to dwell too much on the greatest-of-all-time debate and to let two vastly different eras be singularly defined. “Live in the here and the now,” he said, a view with which I agree. Sampras and Borg may well have felt the same but perhaps could not express themselves for fear of being misunderstood.
source: Frontline

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Succeed with Time Management

The Treasury in Petra, Jordan
“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” ~Mark Twain
Succeed with Time Management


The goal of all education is to prepare individuals for success in life and moreover success is a journey, not a destination. Since the beginning of human history we have been living under certain universal laws that have operated our daily lives whether we are aware of them or not. One of such laws is the law of correspondence, which tells that your outer world is a mirror of the inner world. In simple words, your outer world corresponds to your inner world. What’s going on around you is a reflection of what’s going on inside you. One of the greatest responsibilities you have to yourself is to keep yourself thinking like a winner all day long. Certainly one will come across inevitable setbacks and disappointments of daily life and one wins upon the following situations if he/she thinks like a winner. True measure of your character is decided by your thought on what you want and what you do not want? We generally become upset, angry and lost control of ourselves when things go wrong. This is a natural tendency of most of the people, but people who have success in their life always have a winner’s attitude and mentality. They continue to think about wining and success even under the most difficult or adverse circumstances. Those who think about success and achievement all day long are basically the successful people. As per the law of the attraction, each human being is a living magnet, that we radiate thought energy and that we invariably attract into our lives the people and circumstances that harmonize with our dominate thoughts. When people think out positive and happy things, they automatically attract positive and happy people and circumstances into their lives and vice-versa. The choice is always up to you. One of the greatest key to positive thinking is the ability to look for good in every situation. Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can. Time management is an essential success skill. Managing your time effectively will help you to;
l Be more productive

l Reduce your stress level

l Improve your self esteem

l Establish an important career skill

l Reach your goal

l Balance and successful life

What is success?

The meaning of success comes in many forms, and many definitions. It all depends on what you are searching for in life. Athletes may have one definition of success, and a stay at home mom may have another. A musician may see success as a number one hit, and a doctor may see success as a surgery that went well. It basically depends on the prospective of life you have. Let’s differentiate between accomplishment, success and true success.

Accomplishment

It is related to the task or action that you have attempted, and the desired results obtained. It is based on what was expected, and what results were done. People accomplish things all day long, but really achieve no success in those actions.

Success

Ongoing string of accomplishments when put together, add up to a major obtainment in life is known as success. It is an ongoing realization and obtainment of worthy results, concerning actions, life wealth, or a worthy deal. It is not just accomplishment, it is beyond that. It is basically measured by the number of achievements you make. But the route which you follow to reach your goals is what actually matters.

True success

True success is simply the realization and obtainment of a worthy ideal or result that your heart is deeply connected to it. It is what people die for it. It is a success that soaked with emotion, powered by passion, driven by destiny, and forged with the fire of the heart. That is why that, many athletes have long career. Basically their heart is attached to their success.

Success is based on what you have done with the opportunities you have been given. Success is not created in wealth or fame; it is created in the sincere attempt to reach a goal. It is destination that we must be continually striving to get to. When anyone accomplishes a goal, they have temporary success. You should set multiple smaller goals for yourself in order to reach the final desired destination. To remain successful, you must remain in motion because success never stays with you and it moves constantly. Success is a long hard road often includes many failures and trails before you reach the end.

Spend 10–15 minutes to create a one or two sentence phrase that will sum up your very own definition of success. As an example if my key success words were;

1. Freedom

2. Money

3. Peace

4. Flexibility

5. Time for time

6. Making for a difference

7. Leaving a legacy, etc.

Analyze the meaning of success from the phrase written against the words. This will indicate the next course of action to be drawn so as to reach the success point.

Success can be based under the following;

I. Target

II. Focus

III. Hard work

IV. Faith/believe

V. Dedication, and

VI. Prayer

If you want to be a teacher, that’s a target and it should be with you to be successful in life. You must focus on the things/requirements that qualify you to be a teacher. So you must focus in that area to attend those qualities for you to be successful in life. There is no short cut route to success, only it can be achieved through sheer hard work. The top of the ladder is never crowded, but only can be reached through the steps and it is the steps of hard works. You must believe in yourself, you must say to yourself down from your heart, that you can make it, that you can pass through the turns of been a teacher. You must be dedicated in what you have determined to do in life so as to attain success in life. Dedication is the spirit to duty. Prayer is the key to all success in life. It gives you the strength to be focused, to work hard and to be dedicated. If followed properly in our daily life and affairs, then sky is ours.

What is time management?

Practically speaking, time is constant; 60 seconds per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 24 hours per day and 7 days a week (24/7). It can neither be reversed nor forwarded, and moreover can not be stored. However, the usage of time differs among each individual. Some might give time the capacity to control their lives, and others find themselves a slave of time. Some might have no time at all to relax and create a stress-free life style. But one should not make time an enemy.

Time is one of the most important resources for everyone, and sometimes most valuable. In a few case timing is everything. A sense of time can motivate, focus efforts, and get more done per hour. Time is important due the following reasons;

l It is wisely said that if you value life, value what life is made of. Your time is your life, use it or enjoy it.

l Time is a major function of your career. Time plays an important role in your progress and prosperity, know how to use it and you can achieve much more quickly.

l Time is a major resource, because time itself is a raw material and knowledge of or a system of using it. If managed properly, will give rise to the optimum result as required.

There are several differences between time and other resources;

1. Time is obtained free of charge, just like the air we breath. Each morning 24 hours worth time is given to us.

2. One can never have more time than anyone else. But it is clear that some people achieve infinitely more than others in the same period.

3. Time can not be saved and used at a later date.

4. There no substitute for time in the way that there are substitutes for other resources.

5. Every activity, no matter how small or large, requires use of commodity called time.

6. You can make better use of your own time, others can not do so, and neither can they steal it from you.

Proper use of time is a problem for many people. An excellent solution to this is to get organized through time management. Some common misconceptions about time management are;

l Time management is common sense and does not require much effort.

l I work better under pressure, so time management will be counter productive.

l I do not have time for time management techniques.

l Time management is too serious and does not leave room for fun in life.

But the truth is time management is key to life and career success. Time management helps to learn more and exert greater control over your activities and life. Getting control of your time is the key to accomplishing what you want in life. Successful time management is important in all areas of life. If you can become the master of your time then you will reap the reward in both your professional and personal life. We are guilty of wasting time and putting things of till tomorrow, but the more you can effectively manage your time then the happier you will become.

Instead of controlling, suppressing, or constricting your freedom, time management enables you to achieve the things you really want and frees up time to enjoy life. Every one is allotted the same amount of time in life, that is, 24 hours in each day. You can save or steal time. You should learn how to invest it wisely. As one anonymous author said, “Time and tide wait for no one”. Remember to;

l Start with yourself and analyze how you waste valuable time.

l Decide to change poor working habits by replacing them with effective tasks.

l Set yearly, monthly, weekly and daily goals and then develop strategies to reach these goals.

l Write to-do list with 80/20 rule in mind, do the most significant things first (80/20 rule is also known as Pareto rule. It is named after Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist of 19th century. This rule states that 80 percent of all that happens at work is really the result of 20 percent effort. Most people spend 80 percent of their time trying to complete 20 percent of their tasks).

Time is your most valuable resource. Unless time is managed, nothing else can be managed. If time gets away from us, every other part of our life will get away from us, too. Time management is self management. Spend both time and money wisely so you will have plenty of each.

Some of the common time wasters

1. Problem

Feeling so over whelmed and anxious about your workload that you “freeze” put things off and does not get anything done.

Solution

1. Set priorities

2. Get started

2. Problem

Procrastination: Spending time on irrelevant tasks when you know you should be studying. Procrastination is the thief of time.

Solution

1. Dividing seemingly complex tasks into smaller parts.

2. Setting up a time scale and deadline for achieving each part of a task.

3. Dealing with unpleasant task first, so that they are out of the way.

4. Action plan and prioritize your activities and tasks on a weekly basis.

3. Problem

Putting off starting a task because, it feels so overwhelming or difficult that you can not face it.

Solution

Break up the work load into small chunks.

4. Problem

Daydreaming or “drifting off”

Solution

Check your energy level and concentration. Take a short break or a little exercise every hour.

5. Problem

Feeling that you can not begin because, you won’t be able to produce a perfect result.

Solution

Rather than aiming for a masterpiece each time, aim at reasonable results.

6. Problem

Poor planning

Solution

Planning is a way of saving time for errors. Mistakes usually happen because of unexpected and unforeseen factors such as a wrong estimate of resources or new problems. With the proper plan and preparation, these unforeseen circumstances can be minimized.

7. Problem

Interruptions - telephone.

Solution

Instead of being at the whim of callers, make the phone work for you.

8. Problem

Socializing, idle conversation

Solution

Effective conversation as per the situation demand should be adopted and followed.

9. Problem

Un-clear objectives and priorities

Solution

Set priorities as per the goal you want to achieve and the objective is to be clearly defined at the beginning of performing the task.

10. Problem

Stress

Solution

Some suitable method should be followed to reduce stress of any kind. Stress is highly objectionable during performing effective tasks and hence needs special care and attention.

11. Problem

Inability to say “No” Solution

Decide what you want to do and realistically can do and then say “no” to everything else. It is often accepted much more easily than you think.

12. Problem

E-mail and instant messenger interruptions

Solution

Reading and answering e-mails can consume a big portion of your day. Make sure you only allow a certain amount of time for checking the mail, and then ensure that you stick to that schedule.

13. Problem

Leaving tasks unfinished, jumping from one task to another

Solution

Complete the first task first and then move to the next task. Incase of urgency try to reschedule the time instead of jumping to the new task before the completion of first task.

14. Problem

Playing cards, games, watching television, etc. frequently

Solution

Perform the above activities only during the time slot allotted for them.

15. Problem

Lack of self-discipline, not carrying through plan

Solution

One should control himself as per set of rules and regulations either prepared by you or laid down by the system. Stick to the plan as far as possible unless some very urgent task comes into picture.

16. Problem

Constantly switching priorities

Solution

Follow strictly to the priorities prepared to achieve the goal.

Effective time management for achieving success

The main benefit of effective time management is that, it can drastically improve the quality of your life. Following are the hints to effective time management;

Ø Personal survey or analyze your present use of time

Ø Prepare an event calendar

Ø Prepare a chart of fixed commitment

Ø Schedule high priority activities for peak energy times

Ø Schedule most difficult activities for peak times and do them first

Ø Make weekly schedule

Ø Establish a regular study schedule

Ø Change study subjects frequently

Ø Take breaks

Ø Use odd hours for study

Ø Study with a partner

Ø Choose study area carefully

Ø List and prioritize daily goals

Ø Get enough sleep

Ø Make a daily check list

Ø Prepare a quarterly planning grid

Conclusion

The idea of the time management has been in existence for more than 100 years. It is an art itself. It is very easy to understand but difficult to follow. To effectively manage your time, you need to follow certain values and be disciplined in all activities. It is basically a process. Keeping track of how you spend your time is not time management. Time management is about making changes to the way you spend your time. The carpenter’s rule of “measure twice, cut once” equally holds good for every one of us to succeed in life. Plan your work. Take a few minutes to write out your goal and then list the steps to achieve them. Make sure to distinguish the goals that are truly important from those that may seem urgent but are really not important. If you have never managed your time before, it will take a little bit time to learn how and to do it. But just like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get. It is advised to stick with it for approximately 30 days so as to evaluate its effectiveness

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Kalam lays out 7-pt oath for OU students

Hyderabad, Feb.1: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam outsmarted students at the Osmania University’s 77th convocation on Thursday.

Dr Kalam asked whether the students would like to listen to his entire address spanning 20 minutes or a summary comprising a seven-point oath.
The students were clearly in favour of the summary. The President then administered an oath to the students, but after that presented his full address.

The seven points of Dr Kalam’s oath were:

(1). I realize that I have to set a goal in my life and to achieve the goal I will acquire knowledge and work hard so that when a problem occurs I will defeat it and succeed.

(2). As a youth of my nation, I will work and work with courage to achieve success in all my tasks and enjoy the success of others.

(3). I shall always keep myself, my surroundings, neighbourhood and environment tidy.

(4). I realize that righteousness is in the heart and righteousness in heart leads to beauty, which again leads to character, which in turn leads to harmony at home, and harmony in home leads to order in the nation will lead to peace in the world.

(5). I will lead an honest life, free from all corruption and set an example for others to adapt righteous way of life even if difficulties come.

(6). I will light the lamp of knowledge in the nation and ensure it remains lit for ever.

(7). I realize that whatever work I do, if I do it best I am contributing towards the vision of a developed India by 2020


(source: Deccan Chronicle)

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You never lose by loving

Mountain lion jumping from a tree in Montana
The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams" - Oprah Winfrey

Katrina Kaif

White Mountains Trail

Oprah Winfrey, American TV personality
As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around.

Indira Gandhi, Indian politician
You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.

Peace Pilgrim, spiritual leader
When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.

Anne Frank, writer
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Janis Joplin, American singer
Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.

Dr. Joyce Brothers, American psychologist
Love comes when manipulation stops; when you think more about the other person than about his or her reactions to you. When you dare to reveal yourself fully. When you dare to be vulnerable.

Barbara De Angelis, American researcher
You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.

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What's really going on

kashmir



What's really going on in Britain's bedrooms? Couples talk with utter frankness about love, sex and fidelity

source: dailymail

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