NARA'S NOTEPAD

Thursday, February 3, 2022

WHAT'S IN FEBRUARY 2022?

The month of February 2022 with 28 days, started on Tuesday with the presentation of the annual Budget 2022 – 2023 by the Finance Minister of India, Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman for 1h 30min in the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha). The presentation went on smoothly without disturbance by the opposition parties. The speaker was very happy like the public who watched the programme on all TV channels. Most of the salaried people and pensioners expected some monetary relief. But unfortunately, they were disappointed. The presentation was followed by discussions by businessmen and economists on every TV channel. They gave their views on the positivity and negativity of the Budget. As usual, the opposition party people criticized the budget saying that there was nothing special in this year’s budget. On the other hand, the ruling party appreciated the Finance Minister for an innovative modern Budget. However, I found that it is a usual ritual every year we hear. Finally, the Budget was presented and introduced for the parliamentarians’ comments and finally the Finance Minister’s reply.

The second important event to take place in February 2022 is the Winter Olympic Games 2022. These games are going to be held in Beijing, China from 4 February to 20 February 2022. China has come forward to host these games in spite of the coronavirus pandemic around the world as well as in China. How the Olympic Games are going to be? We have to wait and see. The players have to be protected from the pandemic and also the spectators who travel from various countries and the various parts of China to watch and enjoy the winter games. Certainly, we are about to witness the games in the Sports Channels of our TV and other devices. Let us hope that the games be successful as planned. Last year Japan conducted the Olympic games Tokyo 2021 successfully. I don’t know how many Indian Sportspersons will win Gold, Silver or Bronze medals? Let us expect Indians to bring home some of these medals to make us happy.

The third much-awaited activity is the local body elections in Tamil Nadu and the Assembly elections of five Indian states namely, Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Manipur. Again these elections will happen in the background of the pandemic crisis. The Election Commission has wisely prevented big rallies by political parties. How far do the parties follow the Election Commission’s orders? One has to wait and see!

In Tamil Nadu, local heroes belonging to different political parties have come forward to file their nominations. People who want personal benefits are after these candidates belonging to various political parties fight each other to get the valuable votes. Money power and muscle power are used at different levels to get votes. Poor people look for money whereas rich people expect long term benefits from the candidates. In a democracy, elections are a must for a stipulated time period. So people know how to manipulate such elections and get personal advantages. The only thing the local body election can help the people to get better roads, drinking water and removal of daily trashes to keep the locality clean. Apart from that, all other activities are not beneficial to the common voters. The local body candidates gain experience to move on the party ladder to become MLAs and later on ministers. A kind of political life for which we the common people are not used to.

Thus February 2022 is expected to be a busy month for most of us. For me, spending time would be easy and learning from these activities and enjoy. I hope the pandemic permits all these activities to happen smoothly, peacefully and successfully. - NARA

TAILPIECE

An author publishes a best-selling book because he has spent years building his expertise and his writing skills. Malcolm Gladwell is an author who has published five The New York Times bestselling books, the first of which was The Tipping Point. Before he published his first book, he worked as a reporter for nine years, covering business and science, and later started at The New Yorker in 1996. There, he gained popularity with two articles, both written in 1996: “The Tipping Point” and “The Coolhunt,” which would become the basis for Gladwell’s first book, The Tipping Point, for which he received a $1 million advance. Gladwell said regarding his writing, “I was a basket case at the beginning, and I felt like an expert at the end. It took 10 years—exactly that long.”

SAY TO YOURSELF

1. It takes courage to face your own weaknesses

2. Treat yourself with compassion

3. Surround yourself with healthy people

4. You can get through this

5. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to try your best

6. You can learn and grow from your mistakes

7. Learn from the past, but don’t get stuck in it

8. If your old ways aren’t working, try something new

9. Some things are worth being uncomfortable for

10. You don’t have to tolerate abusive behavior

11. Don’t let anyone or anything control you

12. Find your own voice

13. It’s OK to feel

14. Vulnerability can be a strength

15. Take care of your inner child

16. Don’t listen to critical voices; your own or other people’s

17. Look for love in healthy ways

18. Stay grounded

19. Don’t compare your insides to someone else’s outsides

20. You can learn to keep yourself safe

TWENTY FIVE MICRO HABITS

Here are 25 micro habits that can improve many areas of your life. Each action can help you build a sustainable habit over time — a consistent system that can deliver incremental results.

End your day with a tidy desk ready for the next day, so you don’t have to spend your morning getting ready for work.

An end-of-day routine can help you put things where they should be, reduce clutter, reduce stress and clear your mind for the next day.

Embrace healthy living — eat more superfoods rich in brain-boosting nutrients: leafy vegetables, berries, fruits, dark chocolate, fish, grains and nuts. You’ll have more energy every day.

Invest at least 30 minutes every day doing a side hobby you find relaxing — you can schedule it in the evenings or early mornings.

Try a 3-minute daily review. Write your best three wins just before you go to bed, or write down what’s on your mind. It’s a calming habit.

To make long-term goals work for you, break them into achievable daily goals. And focus on checking them off one day at a time.

Schedule the next day before you go to bed — things to do, appointments, and meetings to attend so you can concentrate on getting things done.

Start a pre-sleep ritual — remove all digital distractions and read a physical book instead. Reading a book before bed prepares your mind to wind down.

Every successful day begins with a good rest the night before. How you feel throughout the day largely depends on your sleeping habit. Quality sleep is the best way to invest in your mind and body.

Be more social every day — your happiness and the general outlook depends on it.

Make quality time for your friends, colleagues and family members who bring out the best in you.

Invest small amounts monthly and beware of little expenses. Benjamin Franklin said, “Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship.” Small investments monthly can build massive retirement income for your future self.

Micro habits add up, and they lower the barrier for consistency. This means you’re more likely to adopt good habits and sustain them.

Small actions are meant to help you take micro-steps that are too small to fail but good enough to sustain.

Practice them for as long as possible, revising as needed to keep building good habits.

Building habits in small ways is a sustainable approach that doesn’t overwhelm your brain.

TO QUOTE

Success is a few sample disciplines practised every day while failure is simply a few errors in judgement. –Jim Roha

JUST TO LAUGH

Two attorneys took a long safari vacation in the African Bush. One day, needing a rest, they removed their packs and leaned their rifles against a tree. They were startled when a large, hungry-looking lion emerged from the jungle and began eyeing them with anticipation. It was clear that the attorneys' rifles were too far away to do them any good.

Moving slowly, one attorney began to remove his shoes. "Why are you doing that?" asked the other.

"Because I can run faster without them," replied the first.

"I don't care how fast you can run, you'll never outrun a lion!" the second said.

The now-barefoot attorney explained, "I don't have to outrun the lion. I just have to outrun you!"

LINES I LIKED

Ø Life is not only black or white but of every possible shade.
Ø Life is so valuable, let’s not waste time on things that are meaningless.
Ø Life is full of special moments, don’t forget a single one.
Ø Life is full of choices, the choices one makes determine one’s life – they are like crossroads.

Our brain is always searching for the bad news!

Meet you next month –2021

Professor A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP

SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO:

E-mail: arumugakannu@gmail.com

Ph : 0422 4393017 Mobile : 75399 15614

www.nara2007.blogspot.com

(NARA’S NOTEPAD)

Sunday, January 2, 2022

NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 19

JANUARY 2022

NUMBER 1

NARA'S NOTEPAD

SUPPORTED BY READERS LIKE YOU

WISH YOU ALL

A HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2022

MOVING TO 2022

2021 is gone. 2022 is born. A year has passed. We are all thinking about the past year by making new resolutions for the New Year 2022 to make our life comfortable with the available resources. Past is easy to remember, but the future is yet to come. We have to plan. We have to come forward to decide what to do and what not to do. It is hard for many of us. Under the present circumstances of the global pandemic, we cannot live in the past. We have to change, change our lives. Challenges are many. Facing them will not be easy. With a little bit of wisdom, it should be possible to overcome the hard challenges. Yes, that should be our future plan.

The year 2021 started with coronavirus vaccination champagne and ended with the spread of Omicron – a Covid 19 variant. Its ability to spread among the human population is said to be several-fold greater than that of Covid 19 and its earlier variant Delta. The new variant originated from South Africa and spread to European countries, the US and many other countries including India. Will 2022 is going to be an Omicron year?

Doctors and World Health Organization were interviewed by all news channels in order to inform the public about the dangerous Omicron. They all said that people have to be cautious as the spread goes on at a faster rate. Governments imposed lockdowns. New Year 2022 celebrations were cancelled in many states of India. People stayed at home and ate their New Year feast. They all wished their friends and dear ones through their smartphones or ipads.

In spite of all this chaos, the elections were conducted in 2021 for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Life went on without a care for the pandemic. Thus we learned to live with the coronavirus and its variants.

I have a doubt whether the vaccinations we got have an effect on the Omicron pandemic? ‘We feel’ – the doctors say ‘that some amount of immunity is offered by the vaccinations.’ However, they are not cock sure. Will there be an end to this panic? Schools and colleges were opened and closed. No one is sure whether they have corona or not. It appears that children are threatened by the new variant. Day by day the vaccination process is extended to all age groups. Some talk about booster doses too.

Whatever may be the impact of the pandemic all over the world people have faith that they can live with it. People are moving from one place to another, one country to another country without fear. Life activities are going on as usual. Life moves on. Marriages are happening. Food materials are available and people are happy of course with a little bit of fear in their minds. Most of us do not think about fear. We concentrate on our life activities. That is what we expect to happen in 2022.

In 2021The United Nations, Climate Change Conference took place in Glasgow, UK from 31 Oct. to 13 Nov. It was simply called COP26 (Conference of Parties) the annual summit. The participants were world leaders. I consider it as an important event during the pandemic year to happen. The major decisions included reducing the emission of Carbon dioxide, usage of coal as fuel. All countries agreed on these decisions and ended up at the summit by producing a big report. But what actions they are going to take in their country is a big challenge. Every year such reports are made and the actions taken are not sufficient. This has been pointed out by the activists at all times.

Climate change in the background of the coronavirus pandemic and now the Omicron variant is also threatening the world population in the form of storms, flooding, wildfire, sea level rising due to melting of ice in Antarctica and arctic regions, very hot and cold weather and many other natural calamities. Therefore our future depends on the invisible virus and global climate change. Our future generation is looking for a safer life. That life has to be provided by the present generation. It is our duty and responsibility. Hope our leaders will concentrate on these two issues and find a suitable solution. - NARA

CONFIDENCE BUILDING ACTIVITIES

Do something

2. Walk tall, smile, and look others in the eye.

3. Each day, create one small task to stretch beyond your comfort zone.

4. Create a good self-image.

5. Be positive.

6. Speak slowly and distinctly.

7. Change one small habit daily.

8. At the end of the day, write down five things you’re grateful for.

9. Try a new path.

1 Be nice to others.

HABITS THAT CAN IMPROVE LIFE

Start your day with at least one glass of water — hydrate before you get yourself a cup of coffee.

Make time for a few minutes of quiet time to think about the good day ahead or prepare yourself for the day.

Don’t get straight to your email just yet — take the morning in (sunrise and the peace of the morning). Put off checking emails and social updates.

Read a page or two of your favourite book instead of aiming for a complete chapter.

Don’t make your morning workout a chore. Instead of an hour or half an hour exercise, try five minutes or less plank, push up, sit-up or squat.

If you want to meditate, start by meditating for one minute per day instead of ten. If you are struggling, won’t make it a habit.

For better energy and strong concentration, choose a healthy breakfast (whole grains, protein and healthy fats).

Limit the number of decisions you make in the morning. Too many decisions exhaust the brain and cause fatigue. One way to manage your energy is to do your high-priority work in the am.

When you start work, remove all distractions from your work environment before starting actual work –noise, notifications, email tabs, etc. Assume focus or productive mode with calming music.

Use your to-do list from the night before to start a productive day.

Schedule short downtime times in between work throughout the day. For example, for every hour of deep work, take a five minutes break.

During your downtime, you can listen to a podcast, read a thought-provoking article, get a drink or take a walk to clear your mind.

For everything you expect to complete, break it into simple-to-complete actions you can quickly get done. Focus on small wins in the first half of the day.

Schedule time for nature walks — even just 10 minutes outside and close to more trees can do wonders for your mood.

BUILDING BETTER HABITS

Building better habits are hard, especially in the beginning. Sprints don’t work. Massive changes hardly work. Aiming for one giant step doesn’t end well. Many people rely on habit-building systems to start new healthy habits.

A great system can give your willpower a break, so you can focus on repeatable behaviours that deliver results-systems applied well will make your habits automatic over time.

But a good system requires time to deliver incremental changes because healthy new habits take time to stick.

The only way to get over the hurdle is to start with a consistency plan too small to fail: a habit formation system that fits your personality, attitude, environment and goals in life.

A small action daily is infinitely better and more impactful than a massive change you can’t sustain. It’s also a realistic and attainable way to teach your brain healthy habits.

Jim Rohn once said, “Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.”