Self Help Mantra - How Does a Pedometer Work !

Today is National Pistachio Day !

Originating in the Mediterranean and now grown in California, pistachio nuts, grown from a tree which can take up to 20 years to reach full production, can be found within the fruit bearing leaves and are noted to rarely be the color red as we traditionally see in our grocery and food markets today.

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A pedometer counts your steps as you walk.

Some pedometers can take that number and run with it - converting steps into distance.

Most pedometers have a tiny spring-set horizontal arm that moves up and down as you walk and measures the vertical movement of your hips.

Electronic pedometers can detect the impact of your foot hitting the ground.

A pedometer is a motion-sensitive electrical circuit that switches on and off, activating a digital counter.

It tends to function best during vigorous walking, when the motion of the hips is more pronounced.

Source : TOI

Self Help Mantras - To Reduce Stress & Simplify Your Life !

Let go of a stressful lifestyle with easy steps

Life is a like a roller coaster, which has its ups and downs. Though it can never be hassle-free, one can simplify it. Working long hours and maintaining busy lifestyles may be exciting and enriching, but can also leas to a feeling of constant stress. A well-known lifestyle & weight management expert says "For fitness, people take up complex exercises which are in vogue, when they should instead do yoga or walk. Even in terms of diet, people should make simple changes, such as eating high-fibre food, regular meals and cutting back on junk food."

Here are five mantras to reduce the stress of life :

FOCUS ON THE DETAILS

Don't let small problems escalate and dominate our lives. Give them the importance they deserve. Write a list of goals you'd like to achieve and focus on doing these really well.

CLEAR CLUTTER

Don't hoard things. Keep what you need and throw away what you never use. Clearing out the clutter means you can be more organised and find things you need quicker.

AUTOMATE WHAT YOU CAN

Making little changes to your daily routine like setting up automatic timers to watering your plants or turning off your lights, signing up for automatic bill pay options, or getting off junk mails lists can be an easy way to simplify life.

LEARN TO SAY NO

We agree to requests from others, because we like to please them. Instead, realize that you have a right to say no. While most of us have hectic schedules these days, it's important to make time for exercise, hobbies and other stress relievers, as well as time for our relationships. Don't worry about pleasing everyone. If you try to do that, you will undoubtedly fail and make yourself unhappy. Consider what is right for you, rather than what other people expect you to do.

DON'T LET TECHNOLOGY CONTROL YOU

Stop being a slave to present-day communication tolls. If you are at the beck and call of technology, you will always be busy. people lived quite well before the invention of hi-tech gadgets, mobile phones and Internet. use them, but keep them in their proper place. Don't be bombarded by technology.

Source : Timesgroup

Self Help Mantra - Interviewing Tips

Interviewing Tips: What Hiring Managers Really Want From You

Ever wondered what goes through the hiring manager’s head when you’re being interviewed? We asked Michael Neece, author and CEO of Interview Mastery, to shed some light on that question. The web’s most widely used job interview program for job seekers, Interview Mastery resulted from Michael’s 20 years spent conducting and analyzing some 3,000 job interviews at a wide range of companies. Read on to benefit from Michael’s insider knowledge:

Q: What do hiring managers really want to hear when they use the standard line, “Tell me about yourself”?
A: Speaking for myself, I want a brief summary of your experience, highlighting the abilities that relate directly to the job. I want to hear that you know something about my company – that you’ve done your homework. I want to know what makes you a qualified candidate for this job.
What I don’t want is a long, rambling answer that goes nowhere. I don’t want to know personal information. I don’t want your entire history starting with high school. And don’t start from the beginning. Just like in the resume, tell me about your relevant experiences, starting with the most recent.

Q: What would you say is the single most impressive thing a job candidate can do in an interview?
A: Be prepared – be very prepared. By that, I mean, prepare questions that show you’ve taken the time to learn about my company and that you are interested in it. Don’t just tell me your strengths; prepare stories that illustrate where you’ve used those strengths successfully in past work experiences. So many job candidates think they can just wing it in an interview. Be prepared!

Q: What are the “hidden hiring criteria” that can’t be written in a job description?
A: Want to know a secret? The most qualified candidate never gets the job. You may match the job description perfectly, but that doesn’t mean you’re the best candidate or are entitled to the job. The job description is only a small part of the hiring decision. “Fit” is probably the most important hidden criterion.
An employer wants to know that you can do the job and do it well, but they’ve asked you in for an interview, so they probably already think you can do the job. What they don’t know until they meet you is whether you’ll be an effective addition to the organization.

Q: How do you determine “fit”?
A: Fit is a subjective measure that takes into account the candidate’s abilities, as well as innate qualities such as sense of humor, capacity to learn quickly, maturity, and confidence. It’s a combination of how the interviewer feels about you, and whether you seem like someone who will fit in well and complement the rest of the team.

Q: What’s the most memorable thing a candidate has ever done in an interview you conducted?
A: Silence. I purposely asked the guy a really tough question and he sat in silence for 15 or 20 seconds, thinking about it. I decided during those 15 seconds to hire him, because his silence indicated to me that he had the maturity, confidence, and comfort with conflict to handle the job.
Another candidate once brought a PowerPoint flipchart presentation to her interview. Each page highlighted how her experience related to the job. That told me she was extremely prepared, she really wanted the job, and she had the experience to do it. I hired her, too.

Q: What’s the most incredible blunder a candidate ever committed in an interview you were conducting?
A: One individual was continually checking his watch and looking at the door. Since he obviously needed to be somewhere else, I obliged and ended the interview.

Q: What’s the best way for a candidate to address employment gaps in their resume during an interview?
A: As we’ve discussed, what a hiring manager cares about is your ability to do the job, do it well, and fit into the organization. Everyone has gaps in their resume. Yes, I will question you about the gaps, but all I want is an honest answer.

Experienced interviewers have well-developed BS detectors. So don’t try to hide your employment gaps or pad the dates of other jobs. Just tell me the truth. You took time off to care for a child. You got laid off. You didn’t get along with your boss. I understand these things.

Here’s a secret that hiring managers will rarely tell you: If you get fired or laid off, especially after a short time on the job, it’s really not your fault. A “bad hire” is the hiring manager’s fault. After all, we pick you; you don’t pick us.
So when we ask about the gaps in your resume, it’s not because they’re unusual, rather it’s to cover our own backsides by minimizing the possibility of a bad hire.



Source : pongores.ume.com

Self Help Study - MBA AT NORWAY

Good News For Students who intend to pursue education in Norway.

BI Norwegian School of Management is Norway's second largest educational institution and one of the largest business schools in Europe. Research is the school's key strength. In fact, BI received the prestigious EQUIS accreditation from the European Foundation for Management Development in 1999 and was re-accredited in 2005.

BI Norwegian School of Management is a private school charging tution fees in a country where education at the state schools is for free. Even so, there are 9,000 full-time and 9,500 part-time students.

State-of-the-art facilities :

1. Excellent connections with business life.
2. Education based on award winning research in for examples the areas of Finance and Marketing.
3. Vibrant and international student environment.

BI Norwegian School of Management's state-of-the-art campus in Oslo offers students and faculty excellent facilities and a vibrant learning environment. It is considered to be one of Europe's best teaching facilities and is centrally located in an emerging and lively business area in Oslo.

BI also offers a full range of international programs taught in English :

• Bachelor of Business Administration, Shipping and Finance
• Wide range of 2-year master programmes and
• Several part-time Executive MBA programs focusing on Shipping and Energy Management.
• Two year programs at MSc level (in English) in Business and Economics International Management, Financial Economics, Marketing, Leadership, and Organisational Psychology, Political Economy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

In the second year of study, students have ample opportunities to study a semester or a whole year at one of BI's more than 165 international partners.

Tuition Fees for MSc program is 8,000 Euros per year and living costs vary from to 8,000 to 10,000 Euros per year. Students can work part time earning around 13 Euros per hour. Students with GMAT scores of 650 and above and good academic record can compete for scholarships. These scholarships include tuition fee waiver for the first year.

It is said that Norway is a relatively young nation and thanks to the country's oil and gas reserves economically prosperous. Shipping maritime, pulp and paper products, chemicals ship-building, and fishing are the most significant traditional industries.

A safe country to live in, its crime rate is amongst the lowest in the world and the environment is amongst the cleanest. in 2009, it was distinguished by the unites Nations as the best country in the world to live in.

For more details, students can log on to www.bi.edu.

Source : TOI

Self Help Mantra - 7 Secrets of Happy Couples

Why do some couples stay happy together for a lifetime, while others are in conflict almost from the beginning?

Part of the answer is compatibility - making the initial choice of a partner with whom you share common values. Equally much, however, depends upon the choices each partner chooses to make during the relationship. Here are seven choices made by happy couples:

1. Trust: Suspicion and jealousy are the death knell of any relationship. If the other is going to cheat or otherwise dishonor the relationship, suspicion and jealousy will not prevent it, and such a relationship is fatally flawed in any case. Unwarranted suspicion and jealousy create misery in a surprising number of relationships. If you want to live happily, trust your partner completely. If they dishonor your trust, deal with the situation then. In the meanwhile, you will have been happy.

2. Open Communication: Tell the truth, tell the whole truth. If you didn't want to share your whole life with your partner, why are you together? If you make a mistake, admit it. If you have doubts, talk about them. Secrets and lies kill a relationship. With truth and openness anything is possible. Even if something is unforgivable, it is better to deal with it quickly.

3. Honoring the other's point-of-view: People disagree, couples disagree. Understanding that the two partners in a couple remain individuals is crucial to a happy relationship. Why would you expect that you and your partner should agree on everything? Honor that one of you is a Republican and the other a Democrat. Honor that one of you is a vegetarian and the other loves a great steak.

4. Self-Confidence: Co-dependence is another frequent cause of failed relationships. Happy couples know that they don't need each other. Each partner is a completely whole and valid individual who has entered into a voluntary partnership. Neither "owns" the other, nor "can't live without" the other. Each has their own interests and friends, as well as having mutual interests and friends.

5. Generosity: Greed and selfishness kill relationships. True love is generous in spirit. Mostly, generosity is not about material things, although that is also important. To have a happy relationship, be generous of your time, your love, and your attention.

6. Forgiveness: Resentments and thoughts of revenge and vengeance have no place in a happy relationship. Happy couples forgive each other completely for everything the other has ever done or failed to do - no exceptions.

7. Gratitude: Happy couples are continuously grateful for each other. Every day there are a myriad of reasons to be grateful for your partner. Find those reasons each day, and thank your partner every day.


- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

It’s official: Beer is good for your bones

Beer is a significant source of silicon, which is a key ingredient of the diet that helps to improve bone mineral density.

The best beers for silicon are the pale malted ales and lagers. Dark bitters and stouts contain lower levels because they are made with roasted barley, which has lower silicon content. Wheat contains less silicon than barley, so wheat beers are poorer sources of silicon.

Previous studies have suggested that a regular pint or two may help to prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.In the new study, researchers at the University of California studied 100 commercial beers and found their silicon content ranged from 6.4 milligrams per litre to 56.5 mg/l. Paler beers have more silicon than darker ones because less heat is used in the malting process.

"Beer containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon. It is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most remains during brewing, significant quantities are none the less extracted into wort and survive into beer," the Independent quoted Charles Bamforth, who led the study, as saying.

The study has been published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.



Source: Indian Express

Alphabet of Happiness... Part 4

U--Use
Use your gifts to your best ability. Talent that's wasted has no value. Talent that's used will bring unexpected rewards.


V--Value
Value the friends and family members who've supported and encouraged you, and be there for them as well.


W--Work
Work hard every day to be the best person you can be, but never feel guilty if you fall short of your goals. Every sunrise offers a second chance.


X--X-Ray
Look deep inside the hearts of those around you and you'll see the goodness and beauty within.


Y--Yield
Yield to commitment. If you stay on track and remain dedicated, you'll find success at the end of the road.


Z--Zoom
Zoom to a happy place when bad memories or sorrow rears its ugly head. Let nothing interfere with your goals. Instead, focus on your abilities, your dreams, and a brighter tomorrow.


Concluded

Alphabet of Happiness... Part 3

N--Notice
Never ignore the poor, infirm, helpless, weak, or suffering. Offer your assistance when possible, and always your kindness and understanding.


O--Open
Open your eyes and take in all the beauty around you. Even during the worst of times, there's still much to be thankful for.


P--Play
Never forget to have fun along the way. Success means nothing without happiness.


Q--Question
Ask many questions, because you're here to learn.


R--Relax
Refuse to let worry and stress rule your life, and remember that things always have a way of working out in the end.


S--Share
Share your talent, skills, knowledge, and time with others. Everything that you invest in others will return to you many times over.


T--Try
Even when your dreams seem impossible to reach, try anyway. You'll be amazed by what you can accomplish.


To Be Continued...

Alphabet of Happiness... Part 2

H--Hope
Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedicated to the task.


I--Ignore
Ignore the negative voice inside your head. Focus instead on your goals and remember your accomplishments. Your past success is only a small inkling of what the future holds.


J--Journey
Journey to new worlds, new possibilities, by remaining open-minded. Try to learn something new every day, and you'll grow.


K--Know
Know that no matter how bad things seem, they'll always get better. The warmth of spring always follows the harshest winter.


L--Love
Let love fill your heart instead of hate. When hate is in your heart, there's room for nothing else, but when love is in your heart, there's room for endless happiness.


M--Manage
Manage your time and your expenses wisely, and you'll suffer less stress and worry. Then you'll be able to focus on the important things in life.




To Be Continued....

Alphabets of Happiness...Part 1

A--Accept
Accept others for who they are and for the choices they've made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions.


B--Break Away
Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life.


C--Create
Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with.


D--Decide
Decide that you'll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way.


E--Explore
Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you'll learn more about yourself.


F--Forgive
Forgive and forget. Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.


G--Grow
Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way.

To Be Continued....

Meeting Your Match With Cancerians - 4

Cancer and Sagittarius :

The mixture here could separate before it jells; knowing this; enter the relationship with a sense of awareness. If you do this, success could crown the mutual efforts of Cancer and Sagittarius.


Cancer and Capricon :

You break from routine in relationship with the Capricon. The accent here is on partnership, marraige, and public relations. Brings you out of yourself. The Saturn of Capricon combines with your Moon significator to stress independence originality and new experiences. You are attracted to the Capricon but much in the manner that opposites attract each other.


Cancer and Aquarius :

Going into partnership with Aquarius could prove profitable. Whatever the relationship, it tends to evolve around possessions, profit, mutual benefits, and interests, even marraige. If you're married to one who is not Aquarian, your mate could have financial dealings with Aquarius.


Cancer and Pisces :

The relationship is favourable though at times it could lack solidity. The moon-Neptune combination is a romantic one; there is an abundance of idealism. but the blending here could be woven with gossamer threads.


Source : TOI

Meeting Your Match With Cancerians - 3

Cancer and Virgo :

There is stimulation here, but the ties need cementing or they snap. It might be best best for you to choose a Virgo who is older. Otherwise, the pace, the movement, the changes, the appointments, could prove tiring and contribute to frayed nerves.


Cancer and Libra :

Generally, there are obstacles to this relationship. The Libra churns your apprehensions - makes you so aware of the need to build that you could despair of ever accomplishing your goal. But, Cancer, if you are ready to settle down if ready to concentrate on home and family then you may have found the right person in the Libra.


Cancer and Scorpio :

With the Scorpio, there is physical attraction. There is plenty of compatibility between you and the Scorpio. But don't play games. This relationship is likely to be for keeps where the Scorpio is concerned. Know this and act accordingly.


To be continued....

Meeting Your Match With Cancerians - 2

Cancer and Gemini :

Clandestine affaris, mystery and intrigue are featured when you get together with the Gemini. Some of your secret desires in this area can be fulfiled by the Gemini. With the Gemini, a kind of storybook romance ensues; the secret meeting, the pacts, the promises, the broken appointments, the misunderstandings, the coincidences which seem to occur when the people are intimate.


Cancer and Cancer :
With another Cancer, the association tends to get tied down with red tape. It is not the most exciting relationship. Two Cancer indivisuals are apt to find much to criticise about each other.


Cancer and Leo :
The Leo is fascinated by you; the feeling in the Leo, where you are concerned, is one of fear mingled with security. Your feelings are more clearly defined; you sense that the Leo can provide you with necessities and lead you on to glitter and gold. You may have to permit the Leo to chase you until you catch him/her.

To Be Continued....

Meeting Your Match With Cancerians - 1

Cancer and Aries :

Aries and Cancer become impatient with each other. You can both - Cancer and Aries - exhibit a stubborn streak. Neither one is an angel. And you could certainly learn from each other. If you feel adventurous, Cancer, give it a try!


Cancer and Taurus :

Your Moon and Venus of Taurus could add up to romance. You appreciate each other. More important, you are each tolerant of the foibles of the other. There is the mutual respect inherent in this relationship. It is evident, Cancer that many of your dreams, hopes and wished could be fulfiled through a close association with one born under Taurus.

To be continued...

Self Help Mantra - One Cause of Depression

Freedom of choice causes depression

From the foods we eat to the TV channels we watch and the career we pursue, life has given us so much variety. But, this freedom of choice is taking a toll on our health -- by causing depression, says a new study.

Researchers have carried out the study and found that while the ability to choose is generally a good thing too much freedom of choice is actually crippling people with indecision and making them unhappy.

According to the researchers, the problem is that when people have too much choice, they become obsessed about what your decision will say about you. And then when you have made the choice you worry that it is wrong. Choice can also foster selfishness and a lack of empathy because it can focus people on their own preferences and on themselves at the expense of what is good for society as a whole.

Lead author Prof Hazel Rose Markus of Stanford University says that we cannot assume that choice, as understood by educated, affluent Westerners, It is a universal aspiration, and that the provision of choice will necessarily foster freedom and well-being.

Even in contexts where choice can foster freedom, empowerment, and independence, it is not an unalloyed good. Choice can also produce a numbing uncertainty, depression, and selfishness.

In their study, the researchers looked at a body of research into the cultural ideas surrounding choice. They found that among non-Western cultures and among working class Westerners, freedom and choice are less important or mean something different than they do for educated people.

The enormous opportunity for growth and self- advancement that flows from unlimited freedom of choice may diminish rather than enhance subjective well-being. The findings are to be published in the upcoming issue of the 'Journal of Consumer Research'.


Source: Indian Express

Self Help - Meeting Tips

TIME FOR ANOTHER MEETING

Do your weekly meetings feel like a waste of time? More importantly, does your company have that kind of time to waste?

"In these tough economic times, every second of the work day is valuable," says Kimberly Douglas, author of the recently published book "The Firefly Effect: Build Teams That Capture Creativity and Catapult Results."

Boring, unproductive meetings are commonplace at many companies that "simply go through the motions," she said.

"If a new initiative is being implemented or new product ideas are needed, the feeling from management is often, 'Well, let's have a meeting. At least it will seem like we are doing something,'" she said. "Unfortunately, not enough thought goes into how to conduct those meetings."

Douglas offers these common meeting pitfalls and how they can be avoided or fixed:

What's the point? It's important to run through a pre-meeting checklist before putting it on everyone's schedule, making sure the meeting is even necessary. Could the information you want to provide be just as easily presented in an e-mail? What do you want to accomplish with the meeting? Will reaching that goal really require a group decision?

Where's the agenda? Having a plan in hand can ensure the quality of the meeting and make clear what needs to be done in advance. List three to six items, accompanied by how long they will take to discuss and who the discussion leaders will be.

Conference room overcrowding. Keep the number of required attendees as small as possible, and if critical members can't attend, consider postponing the meeting until they can. Having a meeting without them can cause just as many delays and productivity problems as postponing the meeting a couple of days.

The meeting will seemingly go on forever. Eyes may start wandering to watches, BlackBerrys and wall clocks as those attending wonder when they'll be able to get back to their long to-do lists. But if they know exactly when a meeting will be over, they won't spend their time internally speculating about when they can leave.

The meeting becomes a free-for-all. Set conversational ground rules right away, like requiring everyone to participate or "speak in headlines" to avoid rambling.

No decisions, commitments or next steps are identified. There is no simpler way to record what went on than by writing on a flip chart the who, what and by when.


Source : Cellular News

Self Help Mantra - Soothe The Sunburn

If you have got yourself a sunburn, while traipsing around in heat, here are a few tips on how tou can combat the awful pain and discomfort :

Certain kinds of lotions help, especially if they contain aloe vera. The gooey substance from this plant soothes minor scrapes and burns. Apply this lotion very liberally. When your skin has soaked it all in, reapply it. To really get the most out of it, put the lotion in the refrigerator and then apply it. This will help to relly cool your skin down temporarily.

Apply cool, canned cream mixed with a touch of sugar.

Raw egg white will also provide relief.

After you get a sunburn, you should stay in the cool, and out of the sun as much as possible.

Try to wear loose clothing. If your clothing rubs your burn, it will make it feel worse.

Source : Times Wellness