NARA'S NOTEPAD
VOLUME 7
MARCH 2011
NUMBER 3
SUPPORTED BY
READERS LIKE YOU
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
MEMO FROM NARA
‘Telling lie is sin’ – according to moral books and religious teachings. We are always reminded by our parents too. Lie is a statement one knows to be untrue. In fact, we are born to tell lies. As children we lie to our parents if we have done some mistake. We lie because we are afraid of our parents and punishment that follows. It is said that if you lie, you’ll go to hell, an imaginary place no one who live on earth has visited. A hell or a heaven is known only to dead people as a matter of fact. It is only to make people not to lie! There are various reasons for lying. I used to think whether it is possible to live in this world without uttering lies? The governments all over the world spend billions of dollars on judiciary in order to find out lies. Even a thief or a criminal lies after stealing or killing someone. They refuse to accept their mistakes. So they are tried in a court of law. There are millions of such cases pending at all levels from magistrate court to Supreme Court! Who is the real culprit is very difficult to find out if witness or evidence is not available. In other words, we live in the world of liars. There are good lies and bad lies! Good lies are told to cut a joke and bad lies are told to cheat others. Traders never tell us the profit they make while selling a product. The consumers know about the tax on a product but not the profit the trader makes. It is something no one bothers to ask. Profit is hidden in the price of a commodity. Profit is a variable which is manipulated by a trader to sell his commodity. So they try to cheat the customers at their will and pleasure. How to live in a world of no lies? There are ways and means to minimize telling lies to a considerable extent depending on the circumstances. But, complete elimination of lies in our life is not easy. At every walk of life, people want to escape from their wrong-doings by uttering lies. To cover up one lie, one has to tell thousand lies! Lies for fun are not serious but lies for escaping from serious matters are considered as very bad and subjected to punishment. In any court case, two advocates argue for their clients about their innocence! We all know one of the advocates is certainly lying to help his client. Still the judiciary allows this to happen because a judgment has to be made based on the evidences. People at high offices, can swindle public money and say that they have not done it. Corruption is the name of it. Is it not a lie? It is. Is there a world of no lies?
THEY SAID...
“Editor: a person employed by a newspaper, whose business is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see that the chaff is printed.” - Elbert Hubbard
“Happiness does not come doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.” – Theodore I Rubin
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – R. W. Emerson
JUST TO LAUGH...
Mr. Bean (crying) – ‘The doctor called, Mom is dead.’
Friend: Condolence, my friend.
(After two minutes) Mr. Bean cries even louder.
Friend: What now?
Mr. Bean: My sister just called, her mom is dead too.
Mr. Bean in drug store- ‘I’d like some vitamins for my grandson.
Clerk: Sir, Vitamin A, B or C?
Mr. Bean: Any will do, my grandson doesn’t know the alphabet yet!
Teacher: What is 5 plus 4?
Mr. Bean: 9
Teacher: What is 4 plus 5?
Mr. Bean: Are you try to fool me, you’ve just twisted the figure, the answer is 6!
Mr. Bean’s son: Dad what is the spelling of successful? Is it one c or two?
Mr. Bean: Make it three c to be sure.
MENTAL DIVERSIONS
The ability to concentrate on a task is a prized skill—the secret to success, many claim. But recent research suggests that intense focus on a problem does not always usher the fastest progress or, at least, such focus is not always sufficient for the necessary brainstorm. Albert Einstein, for example, came up with his theory of relativity only after letting his thoughts stray from the mathematics itself. Grand schemes can also coalesce out of the blue, when you are doing something that requires little concentration—leaving room for spacing out. Greek mathematician Archimedes, physicist Leo Szilard, organic chemist August Kekulé and biochemist Kary Mullis came up some of their key revelations while engaging in a mundane activity such as walking, driving or bathing. In other words, taking a break can sometimes give you that big break. Mental diversions are sometimes in the form of detailed fantasies. Devout daydreamers may take refuge in imaginary worlds for hours to days. Frittering the day away in such settings might seem frivolous, but in some cases the practice spawns great works of art. -Scientific American
WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR INTELLIGENCE
Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus. Here are 5 simple techniques to exercise your brain.
Minimize Television Watching -- Watching television doesn't use your mental capacity OR allow it to recharge. When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you're too tired, listen to some music. When you're with your friends or family, leave the tube off and have a conversation.
Exercise -- Time spent exercising always leads to greater learning because it improves productivity during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy.
Read Challenging Books -- If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more precise, elegant English.
Early to Bed, Early to Rise -- Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep deprivation. You'll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don't sleep more than 8 hours.
Take Time to Reflect -- Spending some time alone in reflection gives you a chance organize your thoughts and prioritize your responsibilities. Afterwards, you'll have a better understanding of what's important and what isn't
It takes practice, but look at it this way, simply thinking or saying you want to accomplish something doesn't get it done. You have to convert those intentions into action.
SEVEN STEPS TO GREATNESS
1. Pick the field you wish to specialize in; learn all you can about it, study the lives of the persons who have had outstanding success in that field, then strive to emulate their pattern of thinking. If you wish to be a doctor, study the lives of great scientists and specialists in medicine; if it is law you are interested in, become acquainted with the lives of the great lawyers of the past, and see how they succeeded.
2. Each day strive to put into action one or more of the qualities or traits that you have learned from the lives of great people. Imitate these thoughts, if you need be, at first, then you will gradually begin to originate great thoughts and actions of your own.
3. Take specialized training to perfect your gifts and talents. Assemble facts about the work you choose; see the good and bad sides, then, if you are still interested, let no one divert you from your goal.
4. Let what I call Discontent motivate you in your desire to achieve perfection. Never be satisfied with your present accomplishments or progress. When you are satisfied you cease to grow. Everything in nature is in a constant state of flux, from an imperfect to a more perfect state. Constantly desire change and evolvement, for this is the Law of Action that will help you constantly evolve higher and higher in the future.
5. Aim for the stars, even though you may not achieve them. At least such an ambitious mind will assure you of reaching some kind of high goal. The incentive for aiming high must come from within, your desire to achieve greatness.
6. Create a vortex of mental activity about yourself. Break the inertia which may be holding you back by doing something almost anything is preferable to sitting back and refusing to make an effort. There is a law in nature which states, "Action and reaction," "Cause and Effect." When you set some action into motion, it must have an instantaneous reaction. There is no cause without its corresponding effect. if you do not take some step by action, you will never acquire facility in that field.
7. Never be satisfied with the limitations that life seems to have placed on you and your expression of your talents. Remember, all great people had to break the mould of negativity and limitation to achieve their dreams. The power is within your mind to rise as high as you aspire. If you lack the education, look about you for the means to improve your mind and acquire knowledge.
– Anthony Norvell
Nadal...
Life ends- When you stop dreaming !!
Hope ends- When you stop believing !!
Love ends- When you stop caring !!
Friendship ends- When you stop SHARING !!
1. Make a Difference in Someone’s Life. It can be something as simple as a smile, a hug, a kind word, a handshake, or a hand out.
2.Learn at Least One New Thing. Life presents so many opportunities to learn. Just keep your eyes open and listen.
3. Meet at Least One New Person. Say hello to a stranger. You never know what you will learn from that chance encounter.
Every life experience is a one-time event. There will be similar events but not exactly the same. When I learned to look at life experiences that way, things really changed. Strive to see each second of your life with anticipation and as a unique experience rather than just passing time. You will be amazed at how much of an adventure life becomes.
- Rodney
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
SPONSORSHIP
The January to March 2011 issues of NARA’S NOTEPAD are sponsored by
someone who does notwish to reveal his identity.
Very good gesture!
I thank him for his good heart to lend a hand to continue NARA’S NOTEPAD successfully.
MEMO FROM NARA
Awards are presented to those who have achievements in various fields. There are people who achieve only to get awards and there are others who do not care about awards but they perform to achieve their goals. For example, sports – persons, actors, singers, business men and women, politicians – are the people who expect some kind of awards in their life. Some of the awards are specific to a particular achievement. Some others are shared as in Nobel Prize. There are awards for life-time achievements which are rather more general and non-specific. Generally once an award is given to a particular person, he continues getting many other awards for his same achievements. Selection of a person or organization for an award is usually done by a team of judges who are experts in a particular field. The consensus of these teams decides the award for certain deserving persons or organizations. There are many parameters used to decide the award. For most of the awards, people have to apply by sending their bio-data and the details of their achievements. Screening is done based on that and short listed and finally the selection is made. Those who are unfortunate and not selected for the award are naturally disappointed. However, awards are announced annually at national and international levels. There are local regional awards too to encourage people to perform. One of the international awards annually awarded to deserving people is the American Biographical Institute established in 1967. It is based at Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. I do not know much about the credibility of this Institute, however they award me every year for my correspondence with them about my present day activities. I received a letter recently from J. M. Evans, the President of this Institute. It says ”You Dr. Narayanan, have been selected by the American Biographical Institute to be a recipient of its Albert Einstein Award of Excellence for 2010. You have demonstrated effectiveness and distinction in your field and are deserving of this honor.” A copy of the letter is in my blog: www.narapcard.blogspot.com and in Facebook. You may have a look at it. Since I am happy, I share it with you and your friends.
THEY SAID...
The past cannot be changed; the future is still in your power.
– Hugh White
Think of what you have rather than of what you lack. Of the things you have, select the best and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them.
- Marcus Aurelius
Success often comes to those who dare and act; it seldom goes to the timid who are ever afraid of consequences.
– Jawaharlal Nehru
JUST TO LAUGH...
In a plane bound for New York, the flight attendant approached a blonde sitting in the first-class section and requested that she move to economy since she did not have a first-class ticket. The blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to New York, and I'm not moving." Not wanting to argue with a customer, the flight attendant asked the co-pilot to speak with her. He went to talk with the woman, asking her to please move out of the first-class section. Again, the blonde replied, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to New York, and I'm not moving."
The co-pilot returned to the cockpit and asked the captain what he should do. The captain said, "I'm married to a blonde, and I know how to handle this." He went to the first-class section and whispered in the blonde's ear. She immediately jumped up and ran to the economy section mumbling to herself, "Why didn't anyone just say so?" Surprised, the flight attendant and the co-pilot asked what he said to her that finally persuaded her to move from her seat. He said, "I told her the first-class section wasn't going to New York."
COMPARTMENTALIZATION OF PROBLEMS
I’ve got problems. You’ve got problems. Everybody has got problems. The difference between the winners and losers is how they handle those problems. The losers tend to be consumed by their problems. They think about their financial shortages, their rocky marriage, their friend’s illness, their ballistic boss, and all their other problems… almost constantly. And they often use those problems as an excuse of their lack of motivation or performance. Not the winners, however. They suck it up. For example, if you were flying to Rome on a Boeing 767, you would expect the pilot to suck it up and do the job he was trained to do…even if he was going through a rough patch in life. You wouldn’t want him to be consumed in worry…forgetting about his flying responsibilities. Oh sure, he can go back and think about his problems and work on his problems later…but not when he’s on the job. It’s what self-directed, self-motivated winners do. They compartmentalize. Self-motivated winners also know how to tuck their problems away away…temporarily. They put them on hold until they can deal with them efficiently and effectively…rather than have their problems color every part of every waking moment. They know they can hang their problems on an imaginary “Trouble Tree’ and come back to them at a more convenient time.
The difficulties in life are put on our path – not to OBSTRUCT – but to INSTRUCT.
– Dr. Alan Zimmerman
CIRCADIAN RHYTHM
Our bodies are hormonally designed to stay in sync with the cycles of nature. When the sun goes down and the sky turns dark, we have to go to bed and sleep! When the sun comes up and the sky turns light, we are to get up! This natural rhythm of the body linked to nature is called the “circadian rhythm.”
Very few people, of course, go to bed when it becomes dark or get up when the sky turns light. We have tricked our bodies with light at night and draperies over windows during the day.
Biologically speaking, here is what happens. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that produces feelings of relaxation or ‘mellowness,’ even to the point of being drowsy and sleepy.
The amount of light that reaches the eyes determines the amount of melatonin produced by the pineal gland. The greater the light, the less production is of melatonin. This is why some people feel far more alert and energetic on sunny days and more lethargic on cloudy days – the less light, the greater the ‘mellowing out’ amount of melatonin released into their bodies. In the evening, the pineal gland gradually starts secreting more and more melatonin. Melatonin is secreted throughout the night but when light begins to hit the eyes in the morning, the melatonin production decreases dramatically and a person awakens.
GREAT SELF CONFIDENCE BOOSTER
1. Pump Up Your Self Esteem
Be honest and brave enough to take a look at yourself; find out who you are and where you presently are in life. Learn to have self discipline and silence your inner critic. Stop listening to that little voice of doubt that says you're not good enough or that other people are better than you. Tune in to thoughts that cheer you on and tell you exactly what you're good at. If you feel like focusing on your negative aspects, exercise self control and don't let yourself be overcome with despair.
2. Overcome Shyness:
Shyness prevents you from letting people see the real you, because you're afraid to say or do the wrong thing or to appear awkward. The problem is, by being shy and hanging back from the rest of the crowd, you're already projecting yourself as awkward. Take a look again at the first tip and give yourself a dose of self esteem by reminding yourself of your good traits.
3. Get Out There and Just Do It
Many of us don't think we are capable of doing the things we want because we're not sure about ourselves. Again, there's the dreaded voice of doubt. What you want is to be fearless enough so you'll be able to tackle all the things you've ever dreamed of doing.
4. Dress for Success
Instead of putting on clothes that only make you feel drab and dull, choose the very things that make you stand out and feel special. It all starts in how you feel; and if you feel good about yourself, you will really act more confidently (and intelligently) throughout the day. There are more ways on how to have great self confidence, but these are just some easy tactics for you to try. Building it may be a challenge for some, but just trust yourself and don't let doubt gnaw at you.
- Michael Lee
HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH
The history of life on Earth began about 3.8 billion years ago, during the Achaean era, initially with single-celled prokaryotic cells, such as bacteria. Multi-cellular life evolved over a billion years later and it's only in the last 570 million years that the kind of life forms we are familiar with began to evolve, starting with arthropods, followed by fish 530 million years ago (Ma), land plants 475Ma and forests 385Ma. Mammals didn't evolve until 200Ma and our own species, Homo sapiens, only 200,000 years ago. So humans have been around for a mere 0.004% of the Earth's history.
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