How to take the best money decisions

Whenever I am confused and have no definite answers, I am torn between acting with knowledge and information.

Confusion arises from the fact that people tend to act on information without applying knowledge.

I am not talking about complex things like PE, forward PE, BV, EV, etc. I am talking about simple, basic things that affect investments and, thereby, the overall value of your assets. These are very obvious, yet very little understood.

Let me highlight four examples that, I believe, are quite pertinent now.

1. Interest rates

Let’s talk about short-term interest rates. The equation is simple: if rates go up, markets go down and vice versa. That is all that there is.

Basically, the government hikes interest rates to regulate the economy. Let's look at the simpler side: people are generally risk or loss averse and tend to prefer security in their earnings. So if interest rates rise, the money moves to safer, more secure havens.

Money tends to move where it is treated best. Unfortunately, for us, institutional money moves at a pace that retail investors cannot match. Hence, before retail investors act, they would have accumulated reds in their portfolio.

What should we do to act knowledgeably? If rates are rising and stock prices are falling, the reverse will also happen in due course. Rising interest rates does not mean you start selling. Perhaps you could start selective buying.

Rising rates can have severe effects. And it is wise not to be too aggressive in such times.

2. Index levels

The second thing most people do is make decisions based on the index levels. This does not make any sense. Why? Very simple. The indices -- Sensex, Nifty -- are generally a very poor measure of the overall health of the market. They represent a few stocks and are subject to movement in a few stocks.

If you really want to study the trend, perhaps you should look at the advance/ decline ratios for a while, perhaps months, and then make an analysis. That will give you a broad level insight into the real health of the market.

Companies are an ongoing concern. A falling index does not mean the company will shut down and the business will not grow. A well managed company will continue to make strategies to tide over differing demands based on their product/ service life cycle.

3. Price

A Rs 30 stock is not necessarily cheaper than a Rs 300 stock. The real value of a stock does not depend on market price. It depends on the earning capability of the company.

In the short term, it is driven by emotions. But, in the long run, earnings dictate the gains you make as a shareholder. Similarly, a Rs 10 net asset value (NAV) does not mean a new fund offering is cheaper than existing ones.

So even if you invested in a Rs 200 NAV fund in both cases, your fresh money will enter the market at almost the same time. In all probability, if the fund NAV is Rs 200 or so, look at its inception date. This will reflect the manner and consistency with which the fund has been managed over the years. That would be a knowledgeable, prudent decision to make.

4. Dividends

Dividends from shares and mutual funds are quite different. The first is reflective of a profitable company that is keen to add to shareholder wealth. This is healthy, welcome and the more, the better.

Now, investing in a mutual fund based on information of the dividend declaration is ridiculous. It is your own money coming back to you. The market value of your investment is the difference between what you invested and the dividend you got.

You would have done a couple of transactions instead of one with no particular benefit. To have this money treated as tax-free income, you need to hold your investment for many months.

What if, in this time, the fund under performs or does not perform in line with peers? You would have made an opportunity loss.

In the times we live, information inflow is ample; knowledge is really sparse. It is, unfortunately, only available by doing all the hard work yourself.

The author, Kartik Jhaveri, an expert at Financial Planning, is a Certified Financial Planner and a Chartered Wealth Manager. He may be reached at kartik.jhaveri@transcend-india.com.

Disclaimer:

The contents of the above articles are the intellectual property and copyright of the author, Kartik Jhaveri. No part may be used or reproduced in any form or manner. If you choose to act upon the information contained in the above article it is at your own risk. This article is purely educative and you are strongly advised to consult an expert prior to taking any significant decision.

Loans: Don't let the lender outsmart you

Remember how our fathers and forefathers used to tell us to live within our means?

The things are different today. The interest rates have reduced considerably making them quite affordable. The process also has become more customer-friendly. Tax advantages to certain loans such as home loans have made then quite attractive. Consumerism has increased making us wanting to enjoy things today rather than wait for months/years to save sufficient amount to buy things of our choice. Therefore, today we don’t think twice before committing ourselves to indebtedness.

Yes, no doubt, the loan scenario is quite promising today. But we need to be careful.

Not all loans are good. Loans which finance the consumption are bad. Unsecured loans – such as credit cards, personal loans – are usually very expensive and must be shunned at all costs. Loans which strain our finances must be curtailed.

Loans that build assets are worth a look. While, the competitive environment may have made availing a loan affordable and simple, it does have a drawback. In their eagerness to get the business, the banks may not always tell the full story. Therefore, it is for us delve deep into any loan offer and make the right choice.

1. Firstly, one should do a detailed market survey of the various options. Who are the major lenders in the business? What are the interest rates that they offer? What are the other costs and charges that they levy? What terms and conditions are likely to affect us? Preparing a comparative chart would be very useful.

2. Interest is the most critical of all the costs that you pay. Hence, needless to say that one should go for the cheapest option. But beware of the jargon.

Don’t be misled by banking terminology. For example flat interest rates may appear to be cheaper but are in fact the most expensive – a 8% flat rate would work out to an effective cost of around 15%. Therefore, choose a daily or monthly reducing balance option rather than a half-yearly or annual reducing option. This will mean lower effective cost for the same stated interest rate.

3. Another concept – Advance EMIs – misleads many borrowers. Using this concept the lenders are able to quote lower interest rates. But the effective interest that the borrowing ends up paying works out much higher. Therefore, it would be prudent to go in for a plain vanilla loan rather than exotic variations.

Interest-free loans or other such offers are too good to be true and thus should be viewed with suspicion.

4. Apart from interest there will be other costs such as administrative fees, processing charges etc. Work out as to how much these other costs add up to. These costs could make your loan more expensive even though the interest rate may be lower.

5. Sometimes the EMIs may work out more than what you can afford on a monthly basis. This can be reduced by increasing the loan tenure (or of course by reducing the loan amount) and make it convenient for you to avail the loan. But keep in mind that the total quantum of interest you pay over the loan tenure will be higher.

6. Make sure that all verbal discussions or offers are supported by relevant papers. Do not go by anyone’s words. What ultimately matters is the written word.

7. Do not give any false information. Sometimes you may be coaxed into declaring something which is not the truth. Desist from any falsification. This amounts to fraud and could land you in serious trouble.

8. Ideally, one should ask for zero penalty/fees for a pre-payment option. If this is not possible, then lower the better. This is more relevant to a longer-term loan like home loan which runs for 10-15 years. During such a long period circumstances could arise necessitating you to prepay the loan – interest rates may become too steep; your income may have increased substantially leaving you with lot of spare cash; tax structures may have changed making the loan unviable; etc.

9. Recheck all terms and conditions before you finally sign the documents. Ensure that interest rate, loan amount, tenure etc. are what was agreed upon.

10. Do not sign any blank documents or leave any blank spaces in the loan documents. Even if you have to spend a few hours to fill-up the form in full, do so. Do not leave anything for the lender or his agent to fill-up.

Remember that there is no free lunch. In this age of information overload, alluring advertisements and unbridled consumerism, it is easy to get bedazzled and baffled. Therefore, it calls for our ingenuity and intelligence not to be deceived and make the best possible loan choice.

The author, Sanjay Matai, is an investment advisor. He can be reached at smatai@hotmail.com

5 ways to assess your financial health

Does your money usually lie idle for quite sometime before finally you invest?

Are you going overboard with your debts?

Are you uncomfortable with the amount you have kept aside for emergencies?

If these questions bother you, then here's what you can do about it.

You have a unique financial profile in terms of income, expenses, assets and liabilities. Work out a few financial ratios, accordingly.

1. The Liquidity Ratio

Liquidity Ratio = (Cash + Balance in Savings A/c, etc)/Avg monthly expenses

Liquidity Ratio essentially indicates whether you can meet emergency needs comfortably. These could include a great investment opportunity (e.g. the recent crash in the markets), a sudden marriage in the family, emergency hospitalisation, etc.

You must be prepared for unexpected expenses. If all your money is locked-up in long-term investments, you could incur a loss in converting them into cash. Sometimes you may not even be able to do so.

While there is no perfect number, a ratio of around three is generally considered to be okay; i.e. money equivalent to about three months’ of your expenses should be kept handy. A lower ratio means you run a risk and too high a ratio means your money is earning less returns.

2. The Idle-Cash Ratio

Idle-Cash Ratio = (Cash, Balance in Savings A/c etc – Emergency Corpus)/Take-home pay

Any cash lying idle (over and above what you need to keep aside for emergencies) is a lost opportunity. If this ratio is say up to around 10-15%, then it’s fine. But a higher ratio means you are lazy with your investments. This, in turn, means losing a chance to earn better returns on your funds. You are not making your money work efficiently for you.

In today’s world of conveniences – home service, online options, automatic investing etc – this is simply not done. You need to immediately get down to the business of automating your investments as far as possible. And as soon as possible.

3. The Savings Ratio

Savings Ratio = Amount invested per month/Take-home pay

As life spans increase and job spans reduce, we all need to build larger retirement corpuses to take care of a higher number of non/less-productive years. The more you save, the more capital you will accumulate. That’s simple logic. But too much saving, at the cost of not enjoying life today, is also bad. The idea is to get the balance right.

First, broadly work out what corpus would be sufficient for you to live comfortably from say the age of 50 to 80 if there were no other income (don’t forget to factor in inflation). Now see if your present savings ratio is sufficient to build that corpus. If yes, then you need not worry. If not, you have to tighten your wallet.

However, there is a limit up to which this is possible. If, even after improving the savings ratio, there is still a shortfall expected, then you either need to increase your earnings, or have a re-look at your retirement corpus and make it more modest.

4. The Debt Service Coverage Ratio

Debt Service Coverage Ratio = Total loan EMIs per month / Per-month take home pay

Easy availability and low interest rates have made loans quite common. Personal loans, home loans, vehicle loans, credit card outstanding balances, etc all add-up to a quite a sizeable amount these days for many individuals.

Considering the uncertainties in life – job loss, accidents, terrorism, natural disasters, etc – it would be advisable that one doesn’t go overboard with his loans. Financial prudence demands that one’s DSCR should not exceed 40-50%.

Further more, ideally one should restrict oneself to loans for home or vehicles, which at least build some assets. Personal loans, credit card loans, loans for finance consumption, should ideally be avoided or at best restricted to 10-12%. Also try to become debt-free as you approach retirement.

5. The Solvency Ratio

Solvency Ratio = Total Assets / Total Loan and other liabilities

If tomorrow you were asked to pay-off all your loans by selling your assets, would you be able to do it (assuming, of course, that every asset is readily convertible into cash)? If yes, you will not become bankrupt. If no, then you are living dangerously.

A solvency ratio of 1.5 or more is comfortable as it can withstand any fall in the value of your assets. Also, it leaves you with a cushion to borrow some more if required. Solvency ratio of 1 or below is extremely risky and you must take immediate steps to reduce your debt levels.

Once you calculate these ratios, you can judge for yourself whether you are financially healthy or not. Accordingly, you can take the proper corrective action(s), if need be.

The author, Sanjay Matai, is an investment advisor and can be reached at sanjay.matai@moneycontrol.com.

Opportunity

By Dr. Abdul Kalam, The President of India

• Waiting for the opportunity is Laziness.
• Missing the opportunity is Foolishness.
• Creating the opportunity is Intelligence.
  

How to Have a Business Conversation

by Ben Stein

In the course of climbing the corporate ladder, or of just managing the little corner of the world you occupy, you have to communicate with people. It's not always easy, but you have to do it.

Some of this communication amounts to simple conversation, and it's been dawning on me for a long time now that a great many young people don't know how to have one. In fact, a great many older people don't know how to have a conversation, either.

Ten Conversation Tips

Frankly, I don't see how people can advance in their careers if they don't know how to have a conversation. For most people, work -- not investments -- is their livelihood.

So I thought I'd offer up a few basic ideas on how to have a conversation with someone you just met.

1. Begin by knowing that the people you're talking to mostly want to talk about themselves.

They want to talk about their lives, their tastes, their views. To the extent that you let them do that, you facilitate conversation and good feeling.

A simple way to begin a conversation is to ask a person the most basic question: "How are you today?" The person will usually give a cursory answer such as, "I'm fine. How are you?"

If your conversation partner goes off on a long tangent about what she had to eat that morning, what she bought that afternoon, and how her mother treated her that evening, you're warned to simply terminate the conversation at once and go on to the next person.

Otherwise, you might continue by asking, "Where are you from?" This usually allows for the next rule of conversation:

2. Establish common ground.

For example, if your conversation partner is from Idaho, talk about how often you've been to Idaho and how beautiful it is there. If you've never been to Idaho, talk about how you've heard it's beautiful there and how much you've always wanted to visit.

This helps to establish the next rule:

3. Say kind, generous things to your conversation partner.

Talk about how beautiful his home area is. Talk about how you have seen the mountains there and how fabulous they are. Talk about how bracing the air there is.

Or, if you can't think of anything to say about the person's home, offer compliments about something else. Talk about how nice her hair looks or how nice his suit is. People like to be complimented. If they don't like to be complimented, they're not well in the head and you ought to leave them well enough alone.

If they react negatively to compliments, again, move on to the next topic or the next person.

4. Keep your comments brief.

Don't respond to a question about where you're from with a long, detailed answer about all the places you've ever been. Talk about how you are that day in a short, punchy way. Answer in detail only if your partner asks in detail.

You know how you don't like to be bored by long answers? Everyone else on the planet feels the same way. Brevity is a good way to make friends. You never want to be so brief as to be rude, but again, brief is good.

5. Get back on common ground again as soon as you can.

Ask what your colleague or neighbor does for a living. If he or she does anything at all, say how interesting that is. Ask for an explanation of what it is if you don't understand.

I've had some of the most interesting, revealing conversations of my life just by asking people what they do. What does a "chemical engineer" do? Just by asking that I learned volumes about how the energy business works. What does a petroleum geologist do? What's sedimentary rock and how do you get oil out of it? I learned all this just by asking people what they do and then asking for more explanation.

People want to talk about their lives, and you oblige them, make them like you, and learn from them by allowing them to talk.

This is especially true in job interviews. You want to allow your interviewer to do a big chunk of the talking. In so doing, you learn where to make your points, where to keep quiet, and how to explain yourself so you fit into the interviewer's world.

6. Don't brag unless you do it in a funny way.

Don't tell people how much money you make. Don't tell people how cool you are. No one likes a braggart. No one likes to feel small compared with anyone else.

Just be modest about your achievements. Even if the person you're talking to brags, don't brag yourself.

7. Unless you're specifically asked about it, don't talk about religion at all.

You're very likely to make enemies and not at all likely to make friends if you bring up religion. Most people have different views about religion from yours, and you can scarcely conceive of a better way to alienate people than trying to press your religious views on them.

8. The same goes for politics.

You can hardly hope to meet someone whose political views exactly match yours, so you can easily offend by pressing your views on someone else. Just smile and listen quietly and go on to the next thing.

Unless you meet someone who says, "I know you and I totally agree with you," don't get into politics at all.

9. If you talk about current issues, do so in a genial, friendly way.

Don't start fights about Hillary Clinton or George Bush or anyone else. Just smile and laugh about it, and if the person you're talking to insists on saying provocative things, change the subject.

If the person persists, say you have work to do and, with a smile, go on to something else.

10. Make whatever points you need to make in a hurry, and then leave.

Don't feel your time and your conversation partner's time have no value. Time is everything in life, and you oblige people by saving their time.

In a job interview, for example, make whatever points -- always complimentary -- you care to make, answer questions, and then leave. But leave with a smile and a firm handshake.

You'd be amazed at how many people don't know any of these rules. If you do, you're way ahead of the game.

Do You Have What It Takes to Run a Home-Based Business?

By AllBusiness.com

Yes, you're eager to put the commute and the office politics behind you and finally bring your brilliant idea to fruition. It sounds like a dream come true, but home-based business ownership is not for everyone. Before you leave the workaday world and its steady paycheck, you need to determine if you have what it takes to make it as a home-based entrepreneur.

Here are 10 characteristics of successful home-based business owners that will help you to determine if you have the right personality traits, experiences, and values to make a go of it -- before you invest your valuable time, energy, and financial resources.

1. Confidence. Home-based business owners need confidence to pull through tough times. You have to be positive, focused, dedicated, and you must truly believe that your venture will be successful.
2. Entrepreneurial spirit. Most entrepreneurs discover their affinity for making money at an early age -- launching a babysitting empire at age 12, selling lemonade, delivering newspapers, or working after-school jobs. If you have what it takes to run a successful home-based business, you know that the harder you work, the more likely you are to succeed.
3. Vision. If you are to succeed, you need to be able to see the future. You don't need to be prescient, but you must be able to predict trends in your industry and to evolve to meet new needs. You must also be able to picture your business as a successful enterprise.
4. A maverick mentality. Many successful entrepreneurs couldn't hack it in corporate America; they cannot fully realize their vision while working as a cog in a larger machine. Of course, the mere fact that you don't like working for someone else isn't enough to guarantee your success; successful mavericks can approach their endeavors from an entirely different and inimitable perspective.
5. Preparation. Are you really ready to strike out on your own? Do you have a small nest egg, inheritance, or retirement income to live on until you get the business going? Have you built up a network of contacts and possible customers through your previous lines of work or will you be starting from scratch? The answers to these questions will help to guide your decision and subsequent progress.
6. Discipline. You have to work even when you don't want to -- and without someone to look over your shoulder. Sometimes you will have to force yourself to choose work over fun, a boring task over a more satisfying one, or a sales call that frightens you over one you can make without breaking a sweat.
7. Focus. You have to stay focused when telemarketers call, when neighbors show up at the door, when laundry and dishes beckon, when and your children demand attention. As a successful home-based business owner, you have to master the art of multitasking and learn to stay focused on the task at hand.
8. The ability to work alone. Home-based entrepreneurs are the ultimate self-starters. They don't need to be energized by frequent communication during the workday. If you are someone who takes frequent breaks to chat with coworkers or friends, a home-based business may not be for you.
9. Courage. To start your own business is a huge risk; to go it alone is even more so. You will face rejection and will have to live without a steady paycheck. But if you can make it through these trials, you'll be rewarded for your hard work.

One Solution to Cauvery Problem!

Let's be one in doing this with faith:

Let's all pray with faith that Karnataka will get sufficient rains, and they will have enough water to release to Tamilnadu. Let's have faith in the rain god, and the rain god will solve the problem.

-Meganathan, a farmer from Tamilnadu.

Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

Ten Tips on Career Advancement

By AllBusiness.com

Many career experts agree that the best time to look for a new job is while comfortably in your old one. If you're starting to feel unchallenged in your present position, you may be ready for a promotion to the next level. If there aren't many career advancement opportunities where you work, the best next job may be waiting for you elsewhere.

Nowadays, it's up to you to take control of your professional future and make sure you are progressing wisely down the right career path. Here are 10 proven strategies to help you get started:

1. Talk to your boss. Sit down and have a very direct and pointed conversation with your boss about your future in the company. Stress that you want your job performance to meet the company's goals. Share your own career goals with him or her. Your boss will respect this display of confidence and maturity.
2. Ask for more. Volunteering to help out other departments or teams -- or simply asking for more responsibilities -- increases your value within the organization. Asking for additional work shows an interest and desire to help your department and company to succeed. It also puts a spotlight on your value to the business.
3. Volunteer for boards. If you have your career set on something beyond what you are doing in your present position, seek out opportunities to volunteer or serve on advisory boards, where you can build a reputation as someone who is passionate and dedicated to your particular industry.
4. Sharpen your people skills. Having strong interpersonal skills plays a crucial role in gaining the respect of your boss and coworkers, as well as attracting the notice of outside influencers who might open new doors of opportunity for you. Be friendly, outgoing, and personable. Listen carefully to people and practice being a clear, effective communicator.
5. Be innovative. Never be afraid to think outside of the box and put your business acumen to work. Stay on the lookout for creative solutions to problems that will make you -- and your boss -- look good.
6. Find a mentor. Develop mentoring relationships, either inside or outside the company. Recent studies have shown that four out of five promotions are influenced by a mentor higher up in the company. Mentors are also great sources of information and career guidance.
7. Sell yourself. Learn the fine art of self-promotion. If you have had major accomplishments or created successful programs, make sure people know about it -- especially those in influential positions who could help you advance professionally. Let it be known that you are seeking a promotion or the next step up in your career.
8. Keep learning. A proven way to advance in your career is to be continually acquiring new knowledge. Stay on top of trends or developments in your field and make sure that your current résumé reflects the needed skills.
9. Network. Strengthen your personal network by joining professional organizations, attending industry conferences, and even volunteering. The more people who are aware of your strengths and abilities, the better your chances of hearing about any new opportunities that might arise.
10. Build your reputation. In business, your reputation is the most valuable thing you own. Be known for being dependable, professional, and cooperative. Act and look the part by dressing professionally. Make a name for yourself by attending conferences, delivering speeches, or writing articles.

Shortcuts to Success

• PLAN while others are playing.
• STUDY while others are sleeping.
• DECIDE while others are delaying.
• PREPARE while others are daydreaming.
• BEGIN while others are procrastinating.
• WORK while others are wishing.
• SAVE while others are wasting.
• LISTEN while others are talking.
• SMILE while others are frowning.
• COMMEND while others are criticizing.
• PERSIST while others are quitting.

- Anonymous

Five lessons from a Pencil

First: Pencil tells you that everything you do will always leave a mark.

Second: You can always correct the mistakes you make.

Third: What is important is inside you, and not outside you.

Fourth: In life you will undergo painful sharpening that will make you a better, in what you do.

Fifth: To be the best you can be, you should allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you!

-Anonymous

PEACE

Become aware of your original qualities. Imagine that nothing exists outside the room. You feel completely insulated from the outside world and free to explore your inner world. Turn all attention inward, concentrating on thought energy at the center of the forehead. Feel a sense of detachment from the physical body and surroundings. Become aware of the stillness around you and within you. A feeling of natural peacefulness steals over you. Waves of peace gently wash over you, removing any restlessness and tension from your mind. Concentrate on this feeling of deep peace. Just peace. Peace is your true state of being.Your mind becomes very calm and clear. Sit for a while enjoying this feeling of calmness and serenity.

You are a peaceful person.The original nature of every human being is peace. Return to the moment of birth. What were you then? Just a living being, a being who does not think, who does not feel the expansion of family, religion, nationality. You were at complete rest. Relax. You are in complete silence. Silence is creation of positive powerful thoughts. Silence gives rest to the mind and this means giving rest to the body. Sometimes rest is the only medicine needed. A man would like to take rest after continuous running; similarly man’s mind requires rest from continuous thoughts. We need to check the speed of our thoughts and its breaking system otherwise we may meet with an accident. Silence is not mere absence of sound, but stillness of mind. If feasible, embrace silence as it gives rise to valuable and eternal thoughts.

He who seeks peace must look for it within himself. Spend some time with yourself. It is only when you love for yourself that you forgive yourself. Mistakes are caused by lack of attention, and then there is tension.We learn from our success, but we really learn from our mistakes. To regret deeply is to start afresh. If you miss an opportunity, don’t cloud your eyes with tears; keep your visions clear so that you will not miss the next one. When one door closes, another door opens. But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which opened for us.

You can experience lightness when each thought of yours is special. You are a special person. Nobody can play your role, better than you. Be light by checking and changing at the same time. If through some error, yesterday was lost in grief, don’t lose today by keeping it in your memory. Your lightness lies in your ability to forget the past and enjoy the present. To taste the sweetness of life, you must have the power to forget the past. If you think high, you feel heavy & burdened. Consider your critics as your well wishers. By describing your weaknesses and drawbacks they are acting as a psychotherapist without charging fees. You can have good wishes for everyone when you consider the people who put obstacles in your way as your teachers.

Forgive all people who have created hurdles in your life and made it more difficult to live. Unless you take this positive step you won’t be able to forget all those unhappy and painful incidents.To tolerate someone else’s mistake is one thing; to forgive them is even greater. Hate the sin, not the sinner. Good feelings towards others improve relationships. If some one speaks with anger, pour the soothing waters of love on the fire. Use the weapon of knowledge instead of using anger, which is the weapon of ignorance. If you wanted and didn’t get in spite of your handsome efforts then, may be that is of no use to you. Become free from obstacles by finishing wasteful questions.

Lightness make you to fly if you let the waste to go. The more you try to guess, the less you are at rest. Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer. You may not be knowing the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Success comes from calmness of the mind. It is a cold iron, which cuts and bends hot iron. Calmness and tolerance act like air-conditioning in a room; they increase man’s efficiency. To stay peaceful, you need compassion and strength. Freedom starts in the mind not by cutting ropes.

You can truly experience freedom when you are free from weakness.To be really independent means not even to lean on excuses. If there is turmoil internally, then everything outside seems confused. Often postponement of actions causes lapse of concentration. No matter how far you have gone on a wrong road, turn back. If your direction is right, you don’t have to look at your watch. Simplicity in life leads to peace. Gandhiji told the British “the more times you put me in the jail, the more powerful I become” through the power of silence. You cannot make a fool of the one who keeps cool.The way to make each and every task easy is to consider it to be easy.

Feel free while interacting with others. Good relations make us light. Each person is special. If you always compare with others you may suffer either with inferiority or superiority complex, both of which are harmful. To maintain peace of mind, use your eyes, ears & mouth with care. Your eyes deceive you most. Control them. An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. If man can’t find peace within himself, can there be peace in the world? For war, one side is enough but for peace you need two. Wars are born in the minds of men, not in the battlefields. With science many things are possible but with silence nothing is impossible.

If you consider all your actions are for God, then every task becomes a pleasure to perform. Never disclose your weakness to anyone except God.To forget troubles remember God. Whatever you do, surrender the result to God. Have a peaceful day.

Compilation:
VVN Satya Suresh, Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Center, Hyderabad

LOVE

Become aware of your original qualities. Imagine yourself being a loving person. The original nature of everyone is to love. In fact, true greatness lies in accepting ourselves as we are. You may have black complexion, born in a poor family, living in a developing country, but where ever you are and whatever you are, accept it. It is like a gift, if someone presents a gift, you accept it unconditionally. Don’t you? Because, love is everything, whether you are rich or poor, it is the emotional capital that counts most. In fact, life is a gift. It is a present at present.

Every person possesses three gifts 1) life 2) love and 3) understanding. Each person is unique in this world. Each one has his own style, nature, specialties, strengths and weaknesses. No two persons are alike, nor they live in same environments. You cannot compare one with another. Each person is as valuable as the other. Many people get inspired by us. Directly or indirectly many people learn from us. If we are successful, many people follow us. If we fail, many people get inspired not to follow in the direction we are moving. A beggar inspires us to work hard, otherwise, one day we may become like him. Therefore, the beggar teaches us a valuable lesson. Sometimes, we may learn more from a man’s error than from his virtues. If we commit an error, it is a lesson for us not to repeat it.

Everyone makes mistake that is why pencils have erasers. Mistakes are caused due to lack of attention. The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. If you make a mistake and refuse to admit it, you hurt yourself twice: once, when you make the mistake; second time, when you refuse to learn from your mistake. If you have sufficient knowledge and the power of understanding, you may not commit a mistake.When the same mistake is repeated it may lead to depression. Confession of errors is like a broom, which sweeps away the dirt. Admitting errors clears the score and proves you wiser than before. If you accept the mistake you are successful. Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes. Nadine stair said “If I had to live my life over again, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time”.

Life is an endless series of experiments. But as the pain in the leg has nothing to do with a speech to be delivered, similarly let the mistake caused by one action, not have any influence on another action. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. When we feel strong inside it’s easy to love ourselves. Also, there are many things which are not in our control viz., nature, heartbeat, blood circulation, secretion of gastric juices etc. The beauty of all things lies in our ability to appreciate them.

The most beautiful experience a person can have is to glimpse his own perfection. Perfection is possible, otherwise we would not have a word for it. If there is no defect in you, and you do not get affected by anything means you are perfect. Perfection means your thoughts and deeds should be same. Every person is an actor in this huge drama playing his role perfectly. Accept people as they are without noting their weaknesses. No matter how bad a person may be, he must be possessing at least one virtue. Be like a humming bird and pick the sweetness of virtues. If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us. Always remember that others may hate you, but those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them.

He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals. If you want to understand the past history of a person, look at it as you would in a rear view mirror, never look back directly- the consequences could be fatal. One word spoken with love can soothe the sorrowful hearts of many. To love is to have that extra feeling of affection without asking anything in return. Care for others & you care for yourself. To love others is to love oneself. It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for something you are not. Love never claims, it always gives. Do not expect love, attention and regard. Give it instead.

Do unto others, what you would like others to do unto you. If you can’t encourage at least don’t discourage.When jealousy raises its ugly head even the ones we love become our enemies.The best way to get rid of enemies is to make them your friends.When promises are not kept, close friends are lost.How much can others trust the love come from you? To earn the trust of others you must become completely selfless and honest. Be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own success. Have equal love for all and experience a life of equanimity.

Love is universal. It has no limits. Love that hurts is not love at all. The giving of love & mercy is also a form of charity. Did you know that love has nothing to do with bodies? It is connected with the soul. If you judge people you have no time to love them.Walk a mile in other’s shoes before you judge them.You must enjoy what you are doing and what you possess. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. If a task is performed with a feeling of love, then there is instant success. The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action. Accept the things as they are. Today may be as dark as a dead night. But tomorrow is destined to be as bright as a blissful morning with refulgent sun. Remember, the darkest hour is just before dawn.

In a better world, the natural law is love, and in a better person, the natural nature is loving. When people cannot stand by you, because they do not understand you, God will stand by you. Who else, other than God, has tremendous patience in shaping our destiny? Because God’s love is real and is pure, you trust Him automatically. Real love is 100% pure. There is nothing artificial mixed into it. Real love ensures kindness, caring and understanding and removes jealous and controlling behaviors. The love of a clean heart is unconditional. If you love someone, you try to be like that person. If we love God, should we not attempt to be godly? God has love even for sinners. All are his children, so what right do you have to hate a child of God? Remember, you too are a loving child of God worthy of being loved by one and all. Have a lovely day.

Compilation:
VVN Satya Suresh, Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Center, Hyderabad

Qualities to get Virtues and to avoid Vices

Quality To Choose.	To get virtues like.	To avoid vices like.
LOVE	ACCEPTANCE, UNDERSTANDING, LIKING	HATE, DEPRESSION, FRUSTRATION
PEACE	LIGHTNESS, SILENCE, FORGIVENESS, MERCY	WORRY, TENSION, ANGER, COMPLEX, RUDE
CONFIDENCE	FAITH, BOLDNESS, DETERMINATION	NERVOUSNESS, INSECURITY, DIFFIDENCE
COURAGE	STRONG, BOLDNESS, LEADERSHIP	FEAR, WEAK, COWARDICE, MILD
HAPPINESS	CHEERFULNESS, ENTHUSIASM, CONTENTMENT	DULL, BOREDOM, GREED, SORROW
STABILITY	BALANCE, RESOURCEFULNESS	CHAOTIC, WASTEFUL
POSITIVE	OPTIMISTIC, INTROVERSION	STRESS, NEGATIVITY
TRUTHFULNESS	KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM	IGNORANCE
COOPERATION	TEAM WORK, RESPONSIBILITY	MIS-UNDERSTANDINGS
SELF RESPECT	INTEGRITY, DIGNITY	LACK OF SELF-ESTEEM
HUMILITY	RESPECTFUL, GENEROUS	EGO, PRIDE, ARROGANCE
PATIENCE	TOLERANCE, SELF-CONTROL	IMPATIENCE

Compilation:
VVN Satya Suresh, Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Center, Hyderabad
Introduced to me by:
Bala Kishore, Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Center, Hyderabad