How To-45: "How to go for Your Dreams"

How to Go for Your Dreams

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Everybody has dreams, even if they're buried deep inside childhood fantasies. Here's how to find them and make them come true.

Steps

1. Get in touch with your dreams. What do you fantasize about doing with your spare time? What extraordinary future makes you feel a little bit more alive when you imagine yourself in it? What did you dream about when you were a child? Think about it ...And write it all down.
   
2. Identify mental obstacles that stand in the way of your dreams. For example, maybe you've always dreamed about becoming a painter, but you were too worried about what people think, or about not making enough money. In this case, your obstacles are ego and finances. Ask yourself honestly: What's more important, achieving my dreams, or getting respect from my peers, or being financially secure? If I had to choose between my dreams and my other concerns, what would I choose?
   
3. Make changes in your life. If you're not already working towards your dreams, you're probably trapped in a cycle that keeps you locked away from them. Break the cycle. For a lot of people, that means changing careers. (Read How to Switch Careers.)
   
4. Set clear, inspiring goals. Goals are like pillars that support your dreams.

Tips

• Discovering your dreams is an ongoing process. Often, as you try to make your dreams a reality, you learn more about what you want. For example, you might have dreamed about becoming a vet, but in the middle of vet school, you may realize that your dreams involve training animals rather than treating them. Don't be scared to adjust your course as you learn more about yourself and what you want out of life.
  
• Believe in yourself
  
• Keep moving forward and live in the now. If you have trouble letting go of something in the past, e.g. something you feel bad about, then write it down on some paper and then destroy the paper- ripping, shredding, anything as long as its gone and you can move forward to follow your dream.

Warnings

• Don't lose focus if something that appears better comes along.

Related wikiHows

• How to Switch Careers
  
• How to Be Happy
  
• How to Let Someone Go
  
• How to Start A Non Profit Literary Magazine
  
• How to Achieve Your Goals
  
• How to Remember Dreams
  
• How to Be Okay With Being You
  
• How to Get Through It All
  
• How to Cross the Street
  
• How to Ask a Person if They're Single
  
• How to Be Humble
  
• How to Get Closure
  
• How to Control Perfectionism
  
• How to Control Your Overconfidence
  
• How to Embrace Your Inner Child
  
• How to Be Bold
  
• How to Cope With Being Small
  
• How to Think for Yourself
  
• How to Be Energetic and Fun Loving
  
• How to Appear Confident

Sources and Citations

• Daily Quotes - an inspirational quote will give you the strength to strive for your dreams and goals

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Go for Your Dreams. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-44: "How to Realize Your True Potential"

How to Realize Your True Potential

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Every human being, regardless of race, sex or spiritual belief, has the incredible capacity to accomplish far beyond their wildest dreams!

Steps

1. Unlearn what you have learned. As children, we all have fantastic dreams of accomplishing what many adults believe to be 'unrealistic'. When we grow up into adults, we 'learn' the rules of the world and those dreams no longer seem possible. The first step in realizing your true potential is to cast off concrete beliefs about what you believe is possible in the first place. Take some time and actually inventory what you believe about your talents and capabilities - these beliefs were suggested to you by society. Identify exactly your career inhibiting beliefs. Make a choice to no longer allow these beliefs to govern you or your capabilities. Insert new convictions and beliefs that do not impose limits on your talents. Use the power in your subconscious mind, and master it over time with self-suggestion, hypnotism and constant positive input. (There are books on how to do this, much too many to list here).
   
2. Realize what it is you have! Inside your skull is a fantastic and extremely powerful biological machine that is, still to date, the most powerful computer on earth! Research tells us that we have over ONE HUNDRED BILLION neurons in our brain, and that each of those neurons have connections to anywhere from 5000, to 200,000 other neurons - creating an infinite number of possible thought combinations! Do you think for even a moment, that we have this advanced machinery just to 'survive'? You have this in your head right now - appreciate it and use it!
   
3. Aim High! Dream Big! Think un-realistically! The people who have achieve the most in their lives were those who had big plans and ideas and who were able to cast off the negativity of other people. You simply have to not care anymore about what others think and, to quote Nike, " Just do it "
   
4. Focus on what you can do, and other and better tools will be put in your hands as your move through your plan. People fail because they immediately fasten their attention to the negative. Change your thinking and work the part of your plan you can, do everything you can!
   
5. Shield yourself from negativity. If you are in a negative environment, get out! If you have negative friends, drop them. What is in your mind is more valuable than all the gold in Fort Knox, so protect it!
   
6. Remember where you came from, and you will know where you want to go.
   
7. Always appreciate everything, even if you feel like something could be negative, really understand that there is no right or wrong way to do something. Be thankful for your mistakes, and let them go! Because there are no mistakes, only opportunities to learn.
   
8. Enjoy the moment. Live the moment. Forget the future or the past.
   
9. Constantly give yourself positive messages and support! Listen to self-help audio, read books and keep company that is positive. Hang up positive quotes and messages everywhere; in your office, at your home, in your car.
   
10. Never quit. Thomas Edison's most outstanding quality is the same thing that made him a success; it was not that he was so much smarter than everyone, it was just that he never quit. It took 10,000 failures to make the light bulb. Never quit.

Related wikiHows

• How to Be Humble
  
• How to Be Happy
  
• How to Be Confident
  
• How to Be Confident in Starting New Things
  
• How to Be Confident and Outgoing in a Job Interview When You Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Realize Your True Potential. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How To-43: "How to Accomplish a Goal"

How to Accomplish a Goal

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Everyone has dreams. Whether they are big or small, they have vast importance in our lives. But, the procrastonator in all of us doesn't have to win. With just a little bit of planning, accomplishing a goal is a simple task.

Steps

1. Set a realistic but challenging/inspiring goal. Take a big dream, like "I want to be famous", and break it down into smaller, more manageable steps, like "I want to star in a science fiction movie", "I want to go to three auditions a week", "I want to move to another city" and "I want to save $5000 so I can move." Make the goal big enough to challenge and excite you, but not so big that you hesitate to take the first steps.
   
2. Plan ahead. Once you've broken down your goal into pieces, write down the steps on a piece of paper to make sure you have everything thought out. One of the worst things that can happen is you're almost to the point of your goal, but you're not sure what to do next. Also, give yourself deadlines for each step. Otherwise, you'll end up procrastinating and never achieving your dream.
   
3. Brainstorm ideas. Are there different ways to reach your goal? Write everything down that you can think of in three minutes, no matter how silly or impossible it may seem. For example, you could go to acting school, or maybe you could land a spot in a reality show that would get you started.
   
4. Ask. No one can tell you exactly what you should do to achieve your goal, but one of the best sources for guidelines is to ask those who have done what you hope to achieve. Learn from the experience of others without trying to imitate them.
   
5. Define and describe your goal. Write down when you want to achieve it. Write down the reasons why you want it. Write down what it would feel like after you have achieved it. Figure out exactly what it will take to get it. Be realistic about the time things will take. Many people don't allow themselves enough time, and give up too soon.
   
6. Be positive. Your goal should be written and have positive intent about what you want to bring into your life. This is very important, since the focus of your goal should not be centered around describing a problem you want to eliminate.
   
7. Make contingency plans. Never forget about the problems that might come up on the way, and prepare for them. Positive thinking is important, but preparedness is better than being shocked or devastated when obstacles appear.
   
8. Learn from mistakes. Making mistakes should be a subject at school to teach all children how to learn from them, instead of trying to avoid them. In the pursuit of a goal, you are likely to make some mistakes. Don't see them as bad or get angry. They are important to correct you and to lead you to success.
   
9. Draw on all your past achievements that are relevant to your goal. No matter how small you perceive your achievements, list them anyway. It could be something small, such as joining a healthy eating mailing list, to coming home from work late, yet preparing a tasty nutritious meal for your family in under 30 minutes. Once you review your list, you will be amazed at how all those small achievements soon add up, and how much you are really capable of doing.
   
10. Visualize. Close your eyes and imagine yourself accomplishing your goals. Where are you? How did you get there? How do you feel? Do this often. Don’t get swayed easily with the noise and happenings going on outside. Put your attention on what you are trying to achieve. Remember the goal, and you will have control over the discomforts and difficulties. A good way to visualize is to practice self-hypnosis.
    
11. Listen to your internal dialogue. What you are saying inside affects you physically, emotionally and mentally. Is your defense system inside trying to make you stick to your past, limiting beliefs and perceptions? Take over and challenge your inner critics. Monitor any excuses you might be making in relation to your goal. For example, saying "I don't finish work until late and won't have time to cook!" You must recognize that if you are truly passionate about your goal, it is up to you to make time.
    
12. Make a list of your personal strengths in relation to your goal. For instance, if you have a healthy eating goal you might want to consider strengths such as your level of commitment to eating healthily, or the fact that you enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes or even that you are an excellent cook. The list of personal strengths you can draw up is endless.
    
13. Seek help. Find the information, skills and knowledge that you need from other people, books, and audio or video programs. Speed up your learning process by emulating what other successful people have done. You save time and get results faster. Self-hypnosis audios are a powerful way to help you get fast, permanent results.
    
14. Create benchmarks or milestones. A benchmark is something you can use to measure your progress and know you're on track. For example, you can write "The first stage of reaching my goal will be done when I'm in the Entertainment section of the newspaper!" or "I'll know I've reached my goal of being famous when I'm a guest on Oprah."
    
15. Make a timeline. Draw a horizontal timeline with a dot at each end. The left end represents now, and the right end represents a point in the future. Specify what you want to happen and when, from now until then.
    
16. Be passionate. Striving towards a goal without passion is like a fire which slowly runs out of fuel to burn. Get excited; this will mean that you will love what you are doing. Methodically check your behaviors against impassioned dreams developed as a child. Always share the child within amongst your potential peers. This empowers the Law of Attraction that shapes the dreams of the child into the creative force of the adult.
    
17. Revisit, evaluate, and if necessary, adjust your goals. Keep a written record of your goals in a place where you'll remember to read them every day. They'll change and adjust over time as your life does, so keep them up-to-date.
    
18. Consider new opportunities and options that come your way. Sometimes things have a way of unintentionally leading you exactly where you want to go.
    
19. Start working towards your goals today. Ask yourself, "What can I do today to get one step, however small, closer to achieving my goals?"
    
20. Persevere. Now that you've got the momentum going, don't let it stop! Some steps may seem less exciting than others, but make sure to stick to your plan until the end!

Tips

• Don't forget the words of Lao-Tzu: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
  
• Be true to yourself. Your goal won't be nearly as sweet if you achieve it by doing things you're not proud of.
  
• Make sure your goal is SMART:
  
• Specific
  
• Measurable
  
• Achievable
  
• Realistic
  
• Team-oriented
  
• Time-related
  
• Put it in writing. Writing reinforces thoughts. Even if you are the only one to see what you've written, writing down your goals can give more power to your intentions.
  
• Always stay in a good mood when finishing your goals (get your mind right AND SMILE). Not that it's the law but science has proven goals get finished 2 to 20 times faster when you're in a good or great mood. Imagine any goal you want, getting finished 20 times faster! How easy is it to focus when you're not in a good mood? Don't get tricked into slowing down!

Warnings

• Things don't always work out as you had planned. Stick to your goals, but be flexible.
  
• Don't share your goals with people who might tear you down. But, conversely; find someone close to you or a coach who will play the devil's advocate role - as learning to challenge yourself in new ways can help you to improve and get closer to your goals.
  
• Do not be tempted to squeeze a square peg into a round hole. If something doesn't fit or it doesn't feel right, try a different approach.
  
• Please remember that every coin has two sides. Do not be rigid in accepting or rejecting any advice. Goals such as freedom struggle are not necessarily Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-related; nevertheless, they created history.
  
• Often times, when you get good at accomplishing goals people tend to become more likely to distract you. In psychology that fact of life is summarized like this: "Dysfunctional people hate seeing healthy progression of character in others". So don't let it get to you and recognize it, or that can get out of hand! Now dysfunctional, doesn't mean mentally or physically handicapped. But if someone has a problem finishing tasks in any area of life, when they see you being successful, subconsciously their mind will convince them to build up sabotaging circumstances for you. That can also be summarized by the other psychological analogy "You become who you hang around. You stay the level of skill as who or what you believe". So just remember to believe the ones with the good results when faced with a important choice.

Related wikiHows

• How to Go for Your Dreams
  
• How to Switch Careers
  
• How to Recreate Your Life
  
• How to Achieve Your Goals
  
• How to Realize Your True Potential
  
• How to Be Bold
  
• How to Hypnotize Yourself Using the Best Me Technique

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Accomplish a Goal. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Eyecatchers-134: "Obama Slips!"

President Obama's two cabinet nominees had to step down. Reason, they have not paid taxes. Tom Daschle, Health and Human Resources Secretary and Nancy Killefer, Chief Performance Officer, who is to oversee budget and spending, have been caught in tax scandal. However, to the credit of Obama, he admitted that he had made a mistake and had vowed to make sure that it did not recur. As admirers and well-wishers, we can only appeal to Obama: "Take care, Obama!"

Source: The Daily Mail, UK.

Detailed Wikipedia articles on "Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Daschle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Killefer

Grateful thanks to The Daily Mail and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-133: "The Obamobile"

Received today a mail from a friend about President Obama's Special Official car with photos and details. It was fascinating and I thought I would share the info with you. Here goes the info.

President Obama's specially-built limousine is officially called "Cadillac One" but popularly known as "Obamobile". It has a lot of special features. It can withstand rocket and chemical attacks. The petrol tank is armor-plated and is filled with a specially designed foam which prevents it from exploding even if it suffers a direct hit. Doors are also armor-plated. The driver's window is tough enough to withstand armor-piercing bullets. The body is a combination of dual hardness steel, aluminium, titanium and even ceramic to break up possible projectiles. The dashboard contains a communications centre and GPS tracking system. The boot contains oxygen supply and a firefighting system. It also contains a foldaway desktop, laptop computer with wi-fi, state of the art satellite phone and direct line to the Vice President and the Pentagon. It is equipped with night-vision cameras and pump-action shotguns, tear gas cannons and bottles of President's blood on board in case he needs an emergency transfusion. The tyres are Keviar-reinforced, shred and puncture-resistant, with steel rims underneath, enabling the car to escape at speed even if tyres are blasted away. The price of the car is, hold your breath, Euro 300,000!

S&T Watch-49: "Holes in Earth's Magnetic Field"

The Earth behaves like a huge magnet and the magnetic field that surrounds the Earth like cocoon that protects it from harmful particles coming from the Sun as solar wind - a stream of charged particles spewing from the Sun at 1.6 million km/h - especially during solar storms. The magnetic cocoon diverts the solar wind particles away from the Earth's equatorial and temperate regions. But if the particles are energetic enough, as is the case during severe solar storms, then they can penetrate deeper into Earth's atmosphere. But that happens only around the poles where the magnetic lines of force converge, giving rise to spectacular displays of auroras seen in polar latitudes.

But it has now been discovered that occasionally holes appear in Earth's magnetic shield. Recent observations made by THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms), a fleet of five small NASA satellites, have revealed the largest hole yet seen in the magnetic field that protects Earth from most of the Sun's violent blasts. Observations from THEMIS show the Earth's magnetic field occasionally develops two holes, allowing solar wind to penetrate the Earth's upper atmosphere. The holes are defying many of scientists' previous ideas on how the interaction between Earth's magnetosphere and solar wind occurs: From the location of the holes the whole interaction appears to work in a manner that is completely the opposite of what scientists had thought.

It has been known that the sun's magnetic field shifts its orientation frequently, sometimes becoming anti-aligned. It was earlier believed that more solar particles entered Earth's magnetosphere when the Sun's field was oriented opposite to the Earth's, but the opposite turned out to be the case here. Data from THEMIS showed that twenty times more solar wind passed into the Earth's protective shield when the magnetic fields were aligned.

Using computer simulation, scientists have been able to find out how the holes develop. They have discovered that two holes frequently develop in Earth's magnetic field, one at high latitude over the Northern hemisphere, and one at high latitude over the Southern hemisphere. The holes form over the day-lit side of Earth, on the side of the magnetic shield facing the Sun.

This discovery not only has implications for scientists' understanding of the interaction between the Sun and Earth's magnetosphere, but for predicting the effects to Earth during the next peak in the solar cycle.

Courtesy: "Recent Developments in Science and Technology" by Biman Basu (Email: bimanbasu@gmail.com), Dream 2047, February 2009, Vol.11, No.5.

Grateful thanks to Dr Biman Basu and Dream 2047.

Health News-33: "World Cancer Day"

World Cancer Day is observed every year on February 4 with the objectives of Increasing awareness, Encouraging its prevention, Detection and Treatment. World Cancer Day targets the general public through global communications and encourages policy makers to make cancer a political priority.

The campaign advocates the following for prevention of cancer:

Providing a smoke-free environment for children;
Being physically active;
Eating a balanced, healthy diet;
Avoiding obesity; and
Avoiding over-exposure to the sun

For detailed article on "World Cancer Day": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Cancer_Day

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Newsletters of Interest-1: "Science in the News Weekly" from American Scientist

"Science in the News Weekly" is a free e-newsletter from American Scientist, the magazine of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. It is a digest of science news stories appearing in the mainstream media. If you subscribe to it, you will get it in your mailbox every Monday.

For example, the 5th issue of January 2009 (January 26-30)contains links to interesting articles (I am giving only short titles of these articles):

1. 10 sci-fi gadgets on the horizon
2. Whether doctors are downplaying side-effects of cholesterol drugs
3. The Six greatest mysteries of our solar system
4. Climate change
5. Mars rover, 'Spirit'
6. A distant Jupiter-like planet
7. Disappearance of woolly mammoths
8. Reprocessing of Spent Nuclear Fuel
9. Transition from Analog to Digital Television
10. Digital Preservation and Authentication of War Crimes/Atrocities
11. Flexible Computer Display Screen
12. Sensors for monitoring soil moisture and temperature
13. Food Safety
14. Influence of Heredity
15. What we have learned since Darwin published his famous book 150 years ago

Sigma Xi also has other interesting e-newsletters:

1. American Scientist Update (gives an early peek at each new issue with hyperlinked capsule descriptions of feature articles, columns and book reviews).

2. Science in the News Daily (Provides a concise daily roundup of stories from the mainstream media, with links to the original articles; latest developments in the fast-paced world of science and technology)

3. Scientists' Bookshelf Monthly (offers book news, discussion and reviews from American Scientist Online, including previews of new book reviews when they are first posted, links to exclusive author interviews, highlights of forthcoming science books and book chat from the editors).

If you are interested, just click to go to their site and subscribe to the newsletter of your choice:
http://www.americanscientist.org/subscribe/page/free-e-newsletters

Letters-67: "Sri Lankan Issue"

1. The long-drawn war between the security forces and the LTTE in Sri Lanka has almost come to an end. It is Colombo's responsibility to ensure the safety of around 200,000 Tamils being held hostage by the Tigers. In the past two decades, the Tamils under the LTTE have been subjected to untold suffering and torture. President Mahinda Rajapaksa deserves praise for decisively beating the Tigers in the civil war. He should now draw plans for a smooth transition of power to establish normality. - Nemani Girija, Hyderabad.

2. LTTE leader V.Prabhakaran's uncompromising attitude forced the Sri Lankan government to press for a military solution to the ethnic issue. This has caused immense damage to the minorities' cause in Sri Lanka. The leaders of Tamil Nadu, particularly, Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi, should respond positively to Mr.Rajapaksa's call to persuade the LTTE leaders to spare the lives of civilians being used as a shield against the army. It is also an opportunity for Mr.Rajapaksa to show his statesmanship by being generous in victory. - Comdt.G.V.Mathew(retd), Thiruvananthapuram.

3. Colombo should not negotiate with the LTTE at this stage. It should insist on the Tigers' surrender and the release of civilians. It should try the LTTE cadres for the atrocities they have committed. At the same time, the government can engage in a dialogue with the Tamil groups. It can involve Mr.Karunanidhi and Ms.Jayalalitha too in the process. - M.D.Ravikanth, Chennai.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, January 29, 2009 ("Letters to the Editor")

Grateful thanks to M/s.Nemani Girija, G.V.Mathew, M.D.Ravikanth and The Hindu.

Eyecatchers-143: "President Obama criticizes Financial Corporations"

The official Whitehouse blog reports of President Obama criticizing financial corporations for doling out $ 18 billion in bonus to their employees in a year when many banks shed jobs and turn to government for funds.

Grateful thanks to the official Whitehouse blog, www.whitehouse.gov/blog.

Eyecatchers-142: "President Obama's First Steps"

Upon taking office, Obama ordered all secret U.S. prisons closed immediately, and the detention center at Guantanamo Bay closed within a year; he stopped the torture of American prisoners; granted access to all U.S. detainees to the International Red Cross; ended the practice by which detainees could be sent to countries where they might be tortured; froze the salaries of all White House officials making more than $100,000; ordered all government agencies to "adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure" regarding Freedom of Information Act requests; ordered all administration appointees to take an ethics pledge; ended a government ban on funding for groups that provide abortion services or counseling abroad; and revoked Executive Order 13233, which placed limits on public access to the records of former presidents.

Courtesy: Theodore Ross, HARPER'S WEEKLY, January 27, 2009

Grateful thanks to Mr.Theodore Ross and Harper's Weekly.

Letters-66: "Well done, Obama!"

1. As a follow up to his speeches during the election campaign, President Barack Obama has halted the trials in the Guantanamo Bay and put Pakistan on notice. His strong message to Pakistan linking non-military aid to it to its performance in the war on terror is welcome. His approach is pleasantly different from that of the Bush administration, which knew Pakistan's double standards on terror but failed to rein it in. - Capt.T.Raju (retd), Secunderabad.

2. Mr.Obama's action to halt the infamous Guantanamo trials is welcome. It will help to restore the credibility of the U.S. in the eyes of the world. If he can also set a target for pulling the American troops out of Iraq, as he promised during his election campaign, the road to peace and stability in the Middle East will become visible. - Rajaram Santhanam, Mumbai.

3. Mr.Obama's order to prosecutors at the military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay to suspend the trial shows his respect for humanity. With the change in the U.S. leadership, the world is optimistic of a global change for the better. - A.Samshath, Chennai.

4. It was heartening to see Mr.Obama beginning to deliver on his campaign promises within hours of assuming office as President. The suspension of the trial proceedings against the Guantanamo detainees for 120 days is a positive step. Mr.Obama has initiated action to remove one of the ugliest legacies of the Bush era. Hopefully, the illegal detention centre will be shut down soon. - Shahabuddin Nadeem, Bangalore.

5. Mr.Obama's order to suspend trials at the Guantanamo Bay shows that he means business. His initiative to resolve the Middle East issue, too, deserve praise. - Y.S.Kadakshamani, Madurai.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, January 26, 2009.

Grateful thanks to Capt.T.Raju (retd), M/s.Rajaram Santhanam, A.Samshath, Shahabuddin Nadeem, Y.S.Kadakshamani and The Hindu.

S&T Watch-51: "Discovery of Magnetosphere"

Scientists discovered the "MAGNETOSPHERE", a layer of ions and electrons, surrounding the earth describe by one physicist as a "Warm Plasma Cloak".

Courtesy: Christopher R.Beha, Harper's Weekly, January 13, 2009.

Detailed Wikipedia article on "MAGNETOSPHERE":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetosphere

Grateful thanks to Christopher R.Beha and Harper's Weekly.

Self-Improvement-44: "Right Beginnings"

Life is full of beginnings. They are presented every day and every hour to every person. Most beginnings are small, and appear trivial and insignificant, but in reality they are the most important things in life.

See how in the material world everything proceeds from small beginnings. The mightiest river is at first a rivulet over which the grasshopper could leap; the great flood commences with a few drops of rain; the sturdy oak, which has endured the storms of a thousand winters, was once an acorn; and the smouldering match, carelessly dropped, may be the means of devastating a whole town by fire.

Consider, also, how in the spiritual world the greatest things proceed from smallest beginnings. A light fancy may be the inception of a wonderful invention or an immortal work of art; a spoken sentence may turn the tide of history; a pure thought entertained may lead to the exercise of a world-wide regenerative power; and a momentary animal may lead to the darkest crime.

You can, by careful thought, avoid wrong beginnings and make right beginnings, and so escape evil results and enjoy good results.

Direct your energies and attention to those beginnings over which you have complete control and authority, and which bring about the complicated web of results which compose your life. These beginnings are to be found in the realm of your own thoughts and actions.

How do you begin each day? At what hour do you rise? How do you commence your duties? In what frame of mind do you enter upon the sacred life of a new day? What answer can you give your heart to these important questions? You will find that much happiness or unhappiness follows upon the right or wrong beginning of the day, and that, when every day is wisely begun, happy and harmonious sequences will mark its course, and life in its totality will not fall far short of the ideal blessedness.

It is a right and strong beginning to the day to rise at an early hour. Begin the day strongly by shaking off indolence. How are you to develop strength of will and mind and body if you begin every day by yielding to weakness? Self-indulgence is always followed by unhappiness. Men and women are totally unaware of the great losses which they entail by this common indulgence: loss of strength of mind and body, loss of prosperity, loss of knowledge, and loss of happiness.

Begin the day, then, by rising early. If you have no object in doing so, never mind; get up, and go out for a gentle walk among the beauties of nature, and you will experience a buoyancy, a freshness, and a delight, not to say a peace of mind, which will amply reward you for your effort. One good effort is followed by another; and when a man begins the day by rising early, even though with no other purpose in view, he will find that the silent early hour is conducive to clearness of mind and calmness of thought, and that his early morning walk is enabling him to become a consecutive thinker, and so to see life and its problems, as well as himself and his affairs, in a clearer light; and so in time he will rise early with the express purpose of preparing and harmonising his mind to meet any and every difficulty with wisdom and calm strength.

There is, indeed, a spiritual influence in the early morning hour, a divine silence and an inexpressible repose, and he who, purposeful and strong, throws off the mantle of ease and climbs the hills to greet the morning sun will thereby climb no inconsiderable distance up the hills of blessedness and truth.

Excerpts from the the first chapter, "Right Beginnings" of "BYWAYS TO BLESSEDNESS" by James Allen.

Eyecatchers-141: "Quote from Inaugural Speech"

"On this day, we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. We come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises."

- Excerpt from the Inaugural Speech of Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America

Courtesy: The New Indian Express, Tiruchy, January 22, 2009.

Detailed Wikipedia articles on "BARACK OBAMA" and "BARACK OBAMA - THE BLACK KENNEDY (The bestselling biography of Barack Obama): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_-_Der_schwarze_Kennedy

Inaugural Address of Barack Obama from WashingtonPost.com: http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/Obama_Inaugural_Address_012009.html

Grateful thanks to The New Indian Express, Washington Post and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

S&T Watch-50: "Invisibility Shield"

US and Chinese researchers are a step closer to creating an invisibility shield. They have created 'metamaterials' which can guide electromagnetic waves around an object, and have them emerge on the other side.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, January 23, 2009 ("Snapshots - Science & Technology page).

Detailed Wikipedia article on "METAMATERIALS":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamaterials

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Health News-17: "Railways gesture to Cancer Patients"

The Railway Ministry will provide confirmed accommodation to cancer patients going to hospital for check-up. Accommodation will be provided in trains to the patient and an attendant travelling on tickets issued against a concession certificate. They can also avail themselves of the facility on their return journey. - PTI.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, January 22, 2009.

Grateful thanks to PTI and The Hindu.

Letters-65: "Satyam Scam"

1. This refers to the article "Satyam not an isolated instance" (The Hindu, Jan.22, 2009). The risk of many more Satyams cropping will remain as long as the auditors of companies are overpaid and government regulators underpaid. This practice reinforces the 'yes boss' and 'yes sir' culture. Self-regulation just cannot work in a system where the mice do everything possible to drive the cat away so that they can play. Self-discipline and integrity should taught in primary schools as business schools consider teaching them a complete waste of time. One can find many ways to circumvent the best security system but not his conscience. - Berry J.Vethakkan, Chennai.

2. The Satyam episode has tarnished the image of not only one company but also the entire corporate sector. How far a shareholder can trust a company's 'audited' statement of accounts is now a moot question. Normally, a company's health should determine the market price of its shares. But over the years we find that the market price has nothing to do with the functioning of a company. The stock market seems to have become a gambler's den where gullible investors are taken for a ride. - S.S.Rajagopalan.

3. The vested interests have created the image that the stock market is a provider of enormous returns. All vital players - promoters, shareholders and investors - are in the market with unflinching greed for more and more profits. All kinds of manipulations, therefore, take place to ensure that all these players get more returns on their investment. - N.Sekar, Salem.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, January 23, 2009 ("Letters to the Editor")

Grateful thanks to M/s.Berry J.Vethakkan, S.S.Rajagopalan, N.Sekar and The Hindu.

Health News-32: New Medicine for Growing Eyelashes"

Harper's Weekly reports of Allergan, the drug company that developed Botox, is releasing Lattisse, a new prescription medication for growing longer, thicker eyelashes.

Courtesy: Gemma Sieff, Harper's Weekly, January 20, 2009.

Grateful thanks to Gemma Sieff and Harper's Weekly.

Environment-15: "Google Search and Boiling Kettle"

Harper's Weekly reports that according to environmental researchers performing two Google searches generates the same amount of carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle.

Courtesy: Gemma Sieff, Harper's Weekly, January 20, 2009.

Grateful thanks to Gemma Sieff and Harper's Weekly.