How High Is Your Score?

Every borrower seeks the lowest interest rate, every lender the highest. The return a lender seeks factors in, apart from his profit, a premium for the risk he feels he bears of not being paid back. This risk perception is different for different borrowers and, ideally, should be determined from their credit history. But, till recently, lending banks had only their own experience with an individual to fall back on for this assessment. That is changing now with the entry of agencies that assess the creditworthiness of people like us.

Now, a lending bank can source your credit score from agencies such as Credit Information Bureau (India), Cibil for short, to supplement the information you furnish in your loan application. Cibil, in a tie-up with TransUnion of the US, launched the first generic credit score in India in November last year. Others have followed—Fair Issac Corporation in a tie-up with High Mark Credit Information Services, and Equifax in association with Crisil and Tata Capital.



Now, if you default on a loan from one bank, it will bring down your credit score, which any other lender that you go to will also be privy to. And it could determine not only whether you get a loan, but also the rate of interest you pay on it. So, it is important that you learn how to keep your credit score high.

What is a credit score? A credit score takes a ‘snapshot’ of a consumer’s credit report and through advanced analytics turns the information into a 3-digit number representing the amount of risk he brings to a particular transaction. For instance, the Cibil-TransUnion model gives scores ranging from 300 to 900. The higher the score, the lesser is the risk of the consumer going 91-plus days overdue in the next year. While credit scores are new to India, the US has had them since 1989, when the FICO scores were launched. The lines of credit assessed to arrive at this score would mainly be retail products like home loans, auto loans, personal loans, credit cards and overdrafts.

What’s a good score? In the US, a FICO score of more than 700 is considered excellent. In India, however, credit scores from Cibil-TransUnion have been around for just four months and it is yet to be ascertained what a good score is under its model. Arun Thukral, managing director, Cibil, puts forward another view: “Whether the score is good or bad will depend on the bank’s internal policy, its customer profile and its risk appetite.” He explains further that some bank may perceive 700 as a good score and another may not. Thus, in India, different banks will rank different scores as good. Still, any score over 800 will be considered excellent across the board. Thukral says the Cibil-TransUnion score will only be indicative and serve as a tool for managing risk. “How a bank uses the risk management tool is its internal decision,” he adds.

How have lenders responded? Thukral says that banks have welcomed the concept enthusiastically. “Banks realised that an objective thing like the credit score will not only help them reduce defaults but also make loan disbursing faster, improve operational efficiency and bring costs down,” he says. In fact, banks have started using the score as one of the major factors for deciding the creditworthiness of an individual.

Thukral also explains how an independent credit score is an improvement on the score that banks arrive at through their internal systems, “Banks will have information only about their own portfolio; a borrower considered good by one institution might not behave the same way with another.”

How to get a good score. The scoring model used by Cibil-TransUnion employs multiple attributes. The weight it gives to each of these attributes is proprietary information.

Credit utilisation. One of the most important determinants is credit utilisation, that is, how much credit is the customer using. For instance, if you can safely borrow Rs 1 lakh, but go for a loan of only Rs 50,000, then you are a very safe candidate. It also means that you are not overleveraging.

Payment history. This is extremely important. The first question that is addressed is: has the person involved ever defaulted on his payments? If he has, it is examined in how many accounts defaults occurred, by how many days and by how much. Earlier, even one instance of default turned you into a bad customer. Today, an otherwise good repayment history can offset the blemish of a default due to unforeseeable reasons. “It is not that two defaults in the entire repayment tenure will create a permanent scar on your credit history,” says Thukral.

How To Manage Your Credit Score
THE DETERMINANTS
I. Credit utilisation

How much credit are you using?

If your safe limit is Rs 100 and you are using only Rs 50, then you are a very safe customer. If your limit is Rs 100 and you are not only fully using it, but also seeking further credit, you could be overleveraging yourself and your score could fall.

Are the number of enquiries very high? Have you applied for additional credit lines, recently? Unnecessary and frequent shopping for credit or too many new accounts can be taken as an indicator of being over-hungry for loans and impact the score negatively.

II. Payment defaults
How many past accounts are due, by how many days and by how much? The fewer the better.

III. Trade Attributes

How old are your lines of credit and what type are they? Do you have a good mix or is it, say, all credit cards?

A history of consistent repayment of various types of credit will improve your score.

THE BOOSTERS

I. Evidence of financial discipline.

II. If you have defaulted once or twice due to reasons beyond your control, these should show up as clear aberrations in an overall consistent payment history.
III. The longer your credit history, the better. The lender’s assessment presumably improves as he gets bigger spans of repayment. Be judicious about closing old accounts and opening new ones.

Score range: 300-900

Good score: 800+ (this will, however, vary from bank to bank)

Source: Cibil

Craving for credit. Frequent and unnecessary shopping for credit, and several new accounts or recent requests for loans can be taken as signs of an over-hungry borrower. That could bring the score down. The length of credit history is also important. Older accounts are generally better, so you should be judicious about closing old accounts and opening new ones. And, finally, there are the trade attributes—does the customer use a good mix of credit?

Broadly, the wisdom is old. Maintain financial discipline, repay dues on time and do not overleverage yourself.

Using your credit score. Technically speaking, you cannot use it. As it is early days for individual credit scores in India, the data is available only to lending banks. Unlike in the US, you cannot find out your score and, therefore, cannot flash it to the bank official and demand a more favourable interest rate for yourself. But scores are expected to be made available to the respective individuals soon. That said, you must remember that the scoring process is already on. So, even if you cannot see your score, it will pay to try and keep it high. Keep watching this space.

Leadership Success

You are a leader, even if not officially. People follow your example, learn from you, want to know your opinions and so on. Constantly improving your leadership skills is essential to your success.

Most people have the wrong idea about leadership. For example, car salesman Jim was promoted to the Sales Manager position. During his first week as manager, he decided to show everyone who was boss.

Jim cracked the whip. He held a meeting and told the other sales people, "I want 10 cars sold today or someone will get fired!"

The sales people ran around looking busy and avoiding Jim. Everyone tried to force customers to buy cars, but car sales dropped.

Jim yelled even louder. "You can't sell cars by pressuring customers, you idiots! Now get out there and sell these stupid cars!"

After a month of this, his two best sales people quit. Sales dropped even further.

Jim said, "I can't believe this! What am I doing wrong?"

Five Bad Leadership Attitudes

Like many new managers, Jim had these five wrong ideas:

1. "Because I'm the manager, you better respect me . . . or else!"
2. "People are lazy; I have to force them to work."
3. "I'm superior to everyone. I can do anything I want."
4. "If you work for me, you need to kiss my butt."
5. "If you don't like how I run things, you can leave."

Because of these attitudes, Jim's sales people were selling fewer cars and looking for other jobs. If Jim did not change his attitude, he would also be looking for a new job soon.

Just in time, Jim learned this vital fact about management.

A Key to Leadership Success

"I believe that to command is to serve and only gives one the right to serve." -- L. Ron Hubbard

At first Jim said, "What? I'm supposed to serve others? How ridiculous!"

But then he thought it through. A lightbulb above his head flashed on.

"If I SERVE my staff members by teaching them about sales and cars, they know how to sell better."

"If I SERVE my staff members with kindness and courtesy, they treat customers better!"

"If I'm here to SERVE my team, I don't force them to make sales, I help them make sales."

A New Day

The next morning, Jim brought in a box of chocolate doughnuts for the sales staff and said, "Today is a new day! This may be a shock to you, but I've realized that I've been a bad manager. I want to try helping you instead of yelling at you, okay?"

He asked, "How can I HELP you each sell a car today?"

His team offered some ideas: "Fill the tanks full of gas so we don't have to buy gas during test drives." "Let us give out more brochures." "Offer doughnuts to the customers."

Jim said, "No problem! I'll get you gas, brochures and doughnuts."

The staff members were stunned, but happy.

During the day, he helped his sales people give service to the customers, not pressure.

"She wants to discuss it with her father first?" "That's probably a good idea. Invite him down to meet us, if he'd like."

"He wants to test drive twelve cars before deciding?" "No problem."

"They want to show the car to their mechanic." "Great!"

Customers felt they were buying luxury cars because of the excellent service. The sales people enjoyed their work. Jim had more fun with less stress. Car sales numbers went out the roof.

Service, Not Slavery

Jim had one small worry, "Will my people take advantage of me or run over me if I'm trying to give them service?"

He soon found this was not a problem when one salesman tried to boss him around.

The salesman said, "Jim, I need a few hours off to run some errands for my wife. And I need to borrow the demo car, okay?"

Jim said, "No. And you can't take off a few hours until I see you sell one car today. How can I help you do your job?"

Recommendations

1. Make a list of everyone you lead in one way or another: customers, staff, coworkers, family members, friends, colleagues, even your boss.

2. Write down one or more ways you can better serve each person this week.

3. Provide these services during the week.

Observe the results. Watch how people react. Notice how you feel.

If you persist with an attitude of service, your position improves, your pay increases and you have more fun. Not only are you more successful, so are the ones you lead.

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of Footprints in the sand: one belonging To him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, He looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very Lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he Questioned the Lord about it:

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow You, you'd walk with me all the way.

But I have noticed that during the most Troublesome times in my life, There is only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The Lord replied:

"My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you.



During your times of trial and suffering, When you see only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

What is Share?

You must have heard stories of the fabulous returns made in the stock markets in recent months. And you longed wishfully for a piece of the action.

But you could also have heard horror stories of how a friend lost his shirt in the stock market.

And were promptly thankful that you didn't lose yours.

Let's set the record straight.

Wisely chosen (those are the key words), stocks are a must for any serious investor.

They add that extra zing to your collection of investments.

Study after study has revealed that over the long term, stocks outperform all other assets. That means you can expect to earn more from shares than from bonds, fixed deposits or gold.

No doubt the risk is higher with shares. But if you are in for the long haul, so are the potential returns.

But before you take the plunge and invest in the stock market, get your basics right.

This series will tell you about the basics of investing in stocks.

1. Stocks are not only for the brilliant

Stocks are far from being rocket science.

The strategies you need to know to maximise your wealth and the pitfalls you need to avoid are not beyond comprehension.

Even if you feel that you don't have the time, and prefer to entrust your money to a portfolio manager or mutual fund, the least you need to know is which funds are better, how to choose your fund manager, and keep a tab on his performance.

2. So what is a share?

Any business has a lot of assets: The machinery, buildings, furniture, stock-in-trade, cash, etc.

It will also have liabilities. This is what the company owes other people. Bank loans, money owed to people from whom things have been bought on credit, are examples of liabilities.

Take away the liabilities from the total assets, and you are left with the capital.

Assets - Liabilities = Capital.

Capital is the amount that the owner has in the business. As the business grows and makes profits, it adds to its capital.

This capital is subdivided into shares (or stocks).

So if a company's capital is Rs 10 crore (Rs 100 million), that could be divided into 1 crore (10 million) shares of Rs 10 each.

Part of this capital, or some of the shares, is held by the people who started the business, called the promoters.

The other shares are held by investors. These investors could be people like you and me or mutual funds and other institutional investors.

3. What does this mean for me?

You must have realised by now that owning a share means owning a share in the business.

When you invest in stocks, you do not invest in the market. You invest in�the equity shares in a company. That makes you a shareholder or part owner in the company.

Since you own part of the assets of the company, you are entitled to the profits those assets generate. Or bear the loss.

So, if you own 100 shares of Gujarat Ambuja Cement, for example, you own a very small part -- since Gujarat Ambuja has millions of shares -- of the company. You own a share of its assets, its liabilities, its profits, its losses, and so on.

Owning shares, therefore, means having a share of a business without the headache of managing it.

Your Gujarat Ambuja shares, for instance, will rise in value if the company makes good profits, or may do badly if people stop building houses and demand for cement falls.

4. What do mean by rise in value?

If the company has divided its capital into shares of Rs 10 each, then Rs 10 is called the face value of the share.

When the share is traded in the stock market, however, this value may go up or down depending on supply and demand for the stock.

If everyone wants to buy the shares, the price will go up. If nobody wants to buy them, and many want to sell the shares, the price will fall.

The value of a share in the market at any point of time is called the price of the share or the market value of a stock. So the share with a face value of Rs 10, may be quoted at Rs 55 (higher than the face value), or even Rs 9 (lower than the face value).

If the number of shares in a company is multiplied by its market value, the result is market capitalisation.

For instance, a company having 10 million shares of a face value Rs 10 and a market value of Rs 30 as on November 1, 2004, will have a market capitalisation of Rs 300 million as on November 1, 2004.

5. So how does one buy shares?

Alright, you have decided you want part of the action. Shares are bought and sold on the stock exchanges -- the two main ones in India are the National Stock Exchange (NSE), and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

You can use three different routes to buy shares: Through your broker, trade directly online, or buy shares when a company comes out with a fresh issue of shares. This is called an initial public offering (IPO).

Now that we have demystified the key words -- shares, face value, market value and market capitalisation -- in the subsequent articles, we will explore how to buy and sell stocks, and how to subscribe to a new issue.

Self Confidence

A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly, an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned.
All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Creation of GOD

God created the donkey and said to him.
"You will be a donkey. You will work un-tiringly from sunrise to sunset carrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass, you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years."

The donkey answered: "I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is much. Give me only 20 years"
God granted his wish.


God created the dog and said to him:


"You will guard the house of man. You will be his best Friend. You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 30 years. You will be a dog. "

The dog answered: "Sir, to live 30 years is too much,give me only 15 years."
God granted his wish.

God created the monkey and said to him:


"You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks. You will be amusing and you will live 20 years. "

The monkey answered: "To live 20 years is too much, give me only 10 years." God granted his wish.



Finally God created man ... and said to him:


"You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth.

You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years."



Man responded: "Sir, I will be a man but to live only 20 years is very little, give me the 30 years that the donkey refused, the 15 years that the dog did not want and the 10 years the monkey refused." God granted man's wish



And since then, man lives 20 years as a man , marries and spends 30 years like a donkey, working and carrying all the burdens on his back.

Then when his children are grown, he lives 15 years like a dog taking care of the house and eating whatever is given to him, so that when he is old,

he can retire and live 10 years like a monkey, going from house to house and from one son or daughter to another doing tricks to amuse his grandchildren.

That's Life. Is'nt it ??????????

Dont Be Compulsive

There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when hungry, and resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the most beautiful apples. He took one in each hand and ran back into the forest.

He sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter.

He admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened red in the sun, and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them, that he didn't even notice his hunger at first.

A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails.

The apples became heavier, and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. What if he just let go?

Letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? He was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree, and smelling it's fruit was enough. He dropped the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. He was happy again.

Moral of the Story
=============
Like that little monkey, we sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. A man carries an image of himself as "productive" - carries it like a shiny wooden apple. But in reality, his busyness leaves him tired, and hungry for a better life.

Still, letting go seems crazy. Even his worries are sacred apples - they prove he's "doing everything he can." He holds onto them compulsively.

Fern & Bamboo

One day I decided to quit.... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. ...

I wanted to quit my life.

I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me...

"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them.

I gave them light. I gave them water.

The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor.

Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.

And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.

But I did not quit on the bamboo".

He said. "In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.

But I would not quit.

In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.

I would not quit."

He said. "Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.

Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant.

But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 Feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle."

He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I Would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others."

He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the Fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come, "God said to me." You will rise high!"

"How high should I rise?" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise?" He asked in return.

"As high as it can?" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I left the forest and brought back this story.

I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you........

The BRICKS

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street,going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, 'What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money Why did you do it?' The young boy was apologetic. 'Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do,' He pleaded. 'I threw the brick because no one else would stop...' With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. 'It's my brother, 'he said 'He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.'

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, 'Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.'

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 'Thank you and may God bless you,' the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: 'Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!' God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

Thought for the Day:

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.

If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.

He sends you flowers every spring.

He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!

God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Inspirational Quotes

A man doesn't know how to live until a woman has taught him, and then it often happens he prefers to live alone.

Always put yourself in the other person's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, then it probably does hurt the other person too.

All human beings feel pleased by sweet speech, one should therefore talk sweet. It does not cost anything.

A sad thing about life, is that when you meet someone who means a lot to you only to find out in the end that it has never bound to be and just have to let go.

In the end, it's not the years in your life that counts. It's the life in your years.

Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Disappointments are like road bumps, they slow you down a bit but you enjoy the smooth road afterwards.

Your best friend can be your worst enemy. Don't love too much, it will often hurt you. You don't know when love begins but you will know when it ends,

Friendship is a gift that is fair in all things. It roots from one's heart & involves memories that stay not for a while but for a lifetime.

It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good too to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money cannot buy.

Life is a one-way street. No matter how many detours you take, none of them leads back. So enjoy life every moment as none of them will happen the same way again.

Never regret a day in your life. Good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience, both are essential to life. Enjoy the day.

One reason the dog has so many friends ... he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

The brightest future will always be based on your forgotten past. You can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures or heartaches.

Famous Quotes

1. People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln

2. Everyone has problems, some are just better at hiding them.
Unknown

3. If we did all the things that we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
Thomas Edison

4. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.
Dennis P. Kimbro

5. Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
Thich Nhat Hahn

6. Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. - Stephen Vincent Bent

7. Only by going too far can one possibly find out how far one can go.-- Jon dyer

8. People only see what they are prepared to see. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

9. Don't be afraid to fail because only through failure do you learn to succeed.


10. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.

11. Learn from the mistakes of others.
You can't live long enough to make them all yourself- Unknown

12. The tongue weighs practically nothing,
But so few people can hold it.

13. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone- but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.

14. Always put yourself in the other's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.

15. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

16. Many people will walk in and out or your life,
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart

17. To handle yourself, use your head, To handle others, use your heart.

18. He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more;
He who loses faith, loses all.

19. If someone betrays you once, it's his fault.
If he betrays you twice, it's your fault.

20. God Gives every bird it's food,
But he does not throw it into it's nest.

Are You a Bucket-Filler or a Dipper

Are You a Bucket-Filler or a Dipper


You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full.

A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another’s bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him.

When one’s bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady’s skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. “Bright Eyes” across the table says, “You upset that glass of chocolate milk.” I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake (”Red pencil” mentality!)

Buckets are filled and buckets are emptied ? emptied many times because people don’t really think about what are doing. When a person’s bucket is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose bucket is empty, “That is a pretty tie you have,” and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another’s bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another’s, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another’s bucket we do not fill our own … we lose a little.

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds “fakey,” or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is “brown-nosing.”

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone’s life in order to fill their bucket.

Inflation Means

Inflation, is an economic concept. What the cause of inflation is, is not important to us from the point of view of this article. What is important to us is the effect of inflation! The effect of inflation is the prices of everything going up over the years.

A movie ticket was for a few paise in my dad’s time. Now it is worth Rs.50. My dads first salary for the month was Rs.400 and over he years it has now become Rs.75,000. This is what inflation is, the price of everything goes up. Because the price goes up, the salaries go up.

If you really thing about it, inflation makes the worth of money reduce. What you could buy in my dad’s time for Rs.10, now a days you will not be able to buy for Rs.400 also. The worth of money has reduced! If this is still not clear consider this, when my father was a kid, he used to get 50paise pocket money. He used to use this money to go and watch a movie (At that time you could watch a movie for 50paise!)

Now, just for the sake of understanding assume that my dad decided in his childhood to save 50paise thinking, that one day when he becomes big, he will go for a movie. Many years pass. The year now is 2006. My dad goes to the theater and asks for a ticket. He offers the ticket-booth-guy at the theater 50paise and asks for a ticket. The ticket booth guy says, “I am sorry sir, the ticket is worth Rs.50. You will not be able to even buy a “paan” with the 50paise!!”

The moral of the story is that, the worth of the 50paise reduced dramatically. 50paise could buy a whole lot when my dad was a kid. Now, 50paise can buy nothing. This is inflation. This tells us two important things.

Firstly: Do not keep your money stagnant. If you just save money by putting it your safe it will loose value over time. If you have Rs.1000 in your safe today and you keep it there for 10years or so, it will be worth a lot less after 10 years. If you can buy something for Rs.1000 today, you will probably require Rs.1500 to buy it 10 years from now. So do not keep money locked up in your safe.

Always invest money.

If you can’t think where to invest your money, then put it in a bank. Let it grow by gaining interest. But whatever you do, do not just lock your money up in your safe and keep it stagnant. If you do this, you will be loosing money without even knowing it. The more money you keep stagnant the more money you will be loosing.

Secondly: When investing, you have to make sure that the rate of return on your investment is higher than the rate of inflation.



What is the rate of inflation?
As we said earlier, the prices of everything goes up over time and this phenomenon is called inflation. The question is: By how much do the prices go up? At what rate do the prices do up?

The rate at which the prices of everything go up is called the "rate of inflation". For example, if the price of something is Rs.100 this year and next year the price becomes approximately Rs.104 then the rate of inflation is 4%. If the price of something is Rs.80 then after a year with a rate of inflation of 4% the price go up to (80 x 1.04) = 83.2

So, when you make an investment, make sure that your rate of return on the investment is higher than the rate of inflation in your country. In our county India, for the year 2005-2006 the rate of inflation was 4% (Which is really low and amazing!). This rate keeps changing every year. The finance minister generally gives the official statement on the inflation rate of the country for a particular year.



What is the rate of return?
The rate of return is how much you make on an investment. Suppose you invest Rs.100 in the market and over a year, you make Rs.120, then you rate of return is 20%.

If you invest Rs.100 in the market today and you make money at a 3% "rate of return" in one year you will have Rs.103. But now, since the rate of inflation is at 4%, an item costing Rs.100 today will cost Rs.104 a year from now. So what you can buy with today’s Rs.100, you will only be able to buy with Rs.104 a year from now.

But the Rs.100 that you invested has grown only at a 3% rate of return and so it is worth Rs.103. In effect, you are loosing money!

So in conclusion, the rate of return on your investments, have to be higher than the rate of inflation.

From the above you can note how silently, inflation eats into your money. You would not even know about it an your money would sit loosing value for no fault of yours. But inflation is not the only thing you should be considering, there are other things too that eat into you money. The first thing is “brokerage” and the second thing is “taxation”.

Brain Damaging Habits

Without Breakfast

People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.
This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.


Overeating

It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.


Smoking

It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.


High Sugar consumption

Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing
malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.


Air Pollution

The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air
decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain
efficiency.


Lacking of Sleep

Sleep allows our brain to rest.. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.


Head covered while sleeping

Sleeping with the head covered, increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and
decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.


Working your brain during illness

Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of
the brain as well as damage the brain.


Lacking in stimulating thoughts

Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.


Talking Rarely

Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.

PRICELESS WORDS

A husband wakes up at home with a huge hangover.

He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the side table.

He sits down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house.

He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the table. "Honey, breakfast is on the table, I left early to go grocery shopping. Love You!"


Totally shocked with the note , he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper.

His son is also at the table, eating. He asks, "Son, what happened last night?"

His son says, "Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious.

Broke some crockery, puked in the hall, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door". Confused, the man asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me? I should expect a big quarrel with her!"

His son replies, "Oh, that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes n shoes off, you said, "LADY LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M MARRIED!"

Moral : Self-induced hangover - $ 400.00
Broken crockery - $ 800.00
Breakfast - $ 10.00
Saying the Right Thing While Drunk – "PRICELESS "

Tips for caring Eyes

Its very hard to manage time without computers and internets. Such a role computers and internets playing in our day to day activities. Most of our work is done on computers, and there is usually no escape from it. It is a visually intensive task and, unfortunately, our work pressure and lifestyles do not give us the opportunity to be kind to our eyes.

Tips for caring Eyes:


i. Know your eyes

Tears: The first line of defence, they also serve as lubrication by keeping the eyes moist and nourished; they also have a corrective lens function.Eyelids: Their main job is to protect your eyes from dirt, dust and harsh light.

Eyelashes: A protective net for your eyes.

Cornea: A refractive zone that guides light to reach the retina.

Pupil: Controls the amount of light that enters your eyes.

Lens: A refractive zone that also guides light into the retina.

Retina and Optic Nerve: A bunch of intricate wiring that carries vision signals between your brain and eyes.

ii. Exercise your eyes

“First, blink your eyes several times. While you keep your eyes closed, roll your eyeballs both clockwise and anticlockwise and take a deep breath. Gradually open your eyes while releasing your breath. This exercise lasts for a minute and you can repeat it three times before getting back to work.” It serves as a good workout for the eyes.

iii. Look away

While working for long hours, look at distant objects either in your office or outside. Looking at a distant object and then returning to your task helps your eyes focus better. Try taking such visual breaks for about five to 10 minutes every hour.

iv. Palming

Sit straight at your workstation and rub your palms against each other till you feel them warm. The warmth of your palms helps soothe and relax tired eyes. Then, lightly cup your eyes with your palms and relax for 60 seconds. Count the seconds in your mind. Repeat this exercise two to three times whenever your eyes feel tired, or as often as you want. While palming, you can either rest your elbows on your desk or keep away from the desk and cup your eyes. Both ways are fine.

v.Splash water on your face

During breaks, splash water on your face while closing your eyes. This has an overall relaxing effect and helps you feel refreshed.

vi. Take a walk

After you’re done with lunch, take a stroll outside your office for a few minutes. This will give your eyes a much-needed break and get them some fresh air.

vii. Use tea bags

Keep two used tea bags in the refrigerator before you leave for work. Once you are home, place the tea bags on your eyes for a few minutes as you relax. This not only soothes tired eyes, but also reduces puffiness.

viii. Drink water

Drink plenty of water. It helps reduce puffiness. When a person is dehydrated, especially in an air-conditioned office, the body starts storing water as a defence mechanism. This adds to puffiness around the eyes.

ix. Eat healthy

Incorporate Vitamins A, C, and E on a daily basis; eat citrus fruits, green leafy veggies, tomatoes, spinach, poultry and dairy products. Pack a box of chopped carrots, cucumber and fresh fruits and munch in-between meals at the office.

x. Know your contact lenses

“Ideally, a person who uses lenses should wear it for not more than 10-12 hours a day and occasionally for 14 hours a day,” suggests Dr Belvi.

Never wear your contact lenses while swimming. The pool water houses various micro-organisms as there are several people using it. This may lead to fungal infections in the eyes. In addition, the chlorine in the water can damage your contact lenses.

“Lenses are like sponge, making them susceptible to attracting dirt,” says Dr Belvi.

xi. Eye dos and don’ts


Visit your doctor


“One should ideally visit their ophthalmologist once a year, but if there is a problem with your eyes, visit sooner,” suggests Dr Belvi.

In addition, before buying an eye-care product such as eye drops, always check the expiry date and don’t forget to check the prescription. It is always advisable to visit your ophthalmologist prior to visiting your optician. Remember, your ophthalmologist is trained to detect several other eye related diseases, apart from the reading of your eye power.

~ Wear antiglare glasses while driving or at work

“Antiglare glasses are mainly used for focused light — such as full beam car headlights — and serve well for night driving. These can also be used while working on the computer,” says Dr Belvi.

Using a pair of antiglare glasses while working on a computer can reduce the strain on the eyes to a certain extent. If you wear contact lenses, wear a pair of zero powered antiglare glasses for the same purpose.

~ Use re-wetting eye drops

An office environment that is predominantly air-conditioned, coupled with a computer intensive job, this is the perfect combination for dry eyes.In such cases, you can use re-wetting eye drops to give relief to your eyes. Why? “When dry eyes occur, the aim is to get the tears back into our eyes — whether it is naturally (by simple blinking exercises), or artificially (if the problem aggravates),” says Dr Belvi.“Re-wetting eye drops have a similar in composition to natural tears. One should go for eye drops that do not have any preservatives. Eye drops with preservatives are toxic to the eyes in the long run. You can use re-wetting eye drops as and when required, but preferably span it to a minimum of four to six times a day. If the problem persists, visit your ophthalmologist as soon as possible.”The two most commonly used preservatives in all eye drops are Benz Alkonium Chloride and Chlorbutol. Read the contents of the bottle carefully and avoid eye drops with these preservatives.~ Reduce your smoking and alcohol intake“Smoking and alcohol consumption (either alone or combined) causes irreversible optic nerve damage. As both nicotine and alcohol are nerve toxins, they affect the nerves in the long run. Over a period of time, this can lead to poor or weak eyesight,” warns Dr Belvi.~ Never rub your eyes

If dirt enters your eyes, do not rub as this may cause the dirt to stick inside. “Blink several times to start your tears flowing; this will help flush out the dirt,” advises Dr Belvi. “If you rub your eyes, the dirt particle will keep disturbing your vision and irritate your eyes. In such cases, seek your ophthalmologist’s help immediately.”

Quick tips for eye care

~ Shelf life

Preservative-free re-wetting eye drops have a shelf life of about a year, if the seal is unopened. Those with preservatives last around two years, if unopened.

~ Discard

All eye drops should be discarded within a month after opening their seals. Once opened, the medicinal properties tend to deteriorate due to exposure to the external atmosphere, making it unsuitable for your eyes.

~ Protective eye gear

While driving, wear protective eye gear — especially if you are wearing contact lenses (for night driving) or sunglasses with UV protection (for day driving). Make sure the gear covers the sides of your eyes as well.

Being healthy is a personal choice and one has to work hard at it. A balanced diet, regular sleep habits, a balance between work and rest, ad exercises — all play a vital role in restoring our health and helping us maintain our eyesight