MAKE YOURSELF MORE USEFULL

         Make yourself more useful.
 Everybody will crave for your attention.

         Make yourself more useful.
 Everybody will die for your well being.

         Make yourself more useful.
 People will give you the choicest things.

         Make yourself more useful.
 They will take you to the skies.

         What happens when usefulness is lost?
One becomes a burden for one's own children.

         When one is dead with no utility, he is cremated by his own kith and kins.

         The world regards you according to your utility. That is why Nokia, Samsung, Tata & other companies spend millions & billions on research to increase their usefulness day by day.

ACT IN GOOD FAITH BUT WITH DUE DILIGENCE

“Life is unpredictable.We can not tell what will happen in a minute.We have no control of tomorrow, and it's details. Live a careful life.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

Section 10 of NI Act stipulates to act in good faith and without negligence. But, unfortunately, we often give too much weight to acting in good faith and acting without negligence remains ominously lacking.

  A bank officer was on leave for three days; after his return, he verified, in good faith, one DEBIT CARD entered into the bank's system three days ago. But due to apparent workload, he did not check carefully all the details of the person who got the debit card. Later on, staff knew to their dismay that a fraud took the debit card and withdrew Rs.1, 10,000/- from the account of another customer. Now the officer, who verified the debit card, in good faith but without due diligence, fell in deep trouble. 

We often hear in our day to day life that somebody acted in good faith and was duped by fraudsters. Once a crook, impersonating himself a bank employee, asked a customer, his debit card number, and password for verification. The customer revealed the requested information in good faith. Later on, the fraudster used all the balance of customer's account for the online purchase.

  Acting in good faith and helping others is not a crime but it must be done with due diligence and without negligence. So whenever you are going to act in good faith, for God's sake, take all due cares also & be double sure that you are doing right things.

TIPS TO AVOID MISUSE OF 498 A

498 A is a dreaded draconian law. It is more misused than used. Once one honorable Chief Justice of India termed this law as,"LEGAL TERRORISM." This law appears to be pro women but the travesty of the fact is that it works against women also. During its misuse the false case under this section is filed against all women of the family including old ailing ladies. According to one survey highest number of women have been arrested under this section. Although now the honourable supreme court has ordered not to arrest the accused persons automatically, yet it is very much necessary to know tips to avoid its misuse since none knows who will become its victim.

Generally small differences in the family culminate in filing false cases under 498 A. Therefore it is very much essential that marriages are made in the families of same background. It has been seen that if someone marries with the girl of richer or more well to do family. The bride refuses to adjust with the groom's family members.  There is a pressure on the groom to  break away from his family members. If the groom refuses to comply, the resulting tension sometimes culminates in false 498 A case. In one such case the bride committed suicide and the hapless groom's family had to face criminal trial under section 302 B.

Recently I interacted with two families which became victims of 498 A misuse. Both of them told that their very close relatives were involved in the marriage. So they did not make proper and discreet enquiries about the bride and her family. In one case the bride was mentally challenged, the groom's family tried to adjust but could not succeed. In another case the the bride used to lose temper frequently. Her husband took her with him at Delhi where he was doing job. But she could not adjust there also. She left the groom's house and after some months filed false case under 498 A. The Police came and arrested groom's mother, father, brother and brother's wife. The ladies were released after sometime and rest were sent to jail. All this could have been avoided if there were proper and discreet enquiries about the would be life partners and their families. So even if some close relatives are involved in marriage negotiations, never forget to make proper and discreet enquiries yourself, since it is you who will have to face the music.

If you are suspecting misuse of 498 A, tell your parents to legally disown you by advocate's help. You may also contact other sites such as 498a.co.in and www.498 A. org etc., for guidance. 

ASK, ASK & ASK

  Ask and It shall be given to you; Seek and You shall find; Knock & it shall be opened to you. -- Saint Matthew

 Even an infant does not get milk, unless and until it asks its mother by gestures.

Ask yourself what do you want from your life? Only you can give yourself the "Best and choicest things."  Others will present you just peanuts. Therefore, you must ask yourself in detail, what do you want from your life and don't forget to prepare the list of things, you are ready to sacrifice since everything nice has its price and there is no gain without pain.
 If you want to top in your university exams, you must sacrifice many comforts of life. 

If you want an increase in pay, ask your employer courteously and expectantly and also explain why you deserve a raise and how much useful are your contributions to the company?

If you are spearheading a social cause, ask like minded persons for support with all courtesy and expectations.

If you want a bargain price, ask the seller for it.
 If you want the attention of the society, ask for it by making some remarkable contribution to the community.
 Even the Prime Ministers and Presidents have to ask for votes.

Never feel shy about asking. Asking is the key to getting things in life, whether small or big. 
Ask firmly; make others feel you are serious about your demand. 
Ask politely and courteously so that the ego of the other person is not hurt.
 Ask tactfully, expectantly and persuasively so that you smoothly get what you ask.

 Asking is a fine art. The more you practice, the more proficient you become.  HAPPY ASKING. ALL THE BEST.

DRIVE PROCRASTINATION AND INDECISION AWAY FOR EVER

 Sticking to your decision during execution hours is a 5 in 1 formula to eliminate procrastination, obviate indecision and save lots of time, trouble & money.

 The human mind has a peculiar trait of hoodwinking itself for remaining in a comfort zone. Procrastination does this trick and keeps us in our comfort zones. The only antidote to this treacherous demon is starting work at the pre-scheduled time without hesitating at all.

 If someone resolves to get up at 5 A.M. and go for a walk; his mind starts searching for many justifiable alibis for not executing the earlier decision when the alarm rings.
 My one prompt friend leaves his bed immediately as soon as the bell rings & proceeds for the brisk walk leaving no room for procrastination. Start executing your rational decisions steadfastly; procrastination will evaporate like petrol.

Indecision also meets the same fate accomplish. It is true that no decision is perfect and none is one hundred percent self-confident. Therefore, many falter in executing previously taken well-thought decisions. The antidote to this problem is to implement your wise decisions in time. The result is good in most of the cases.

Many persons visit a shopping mall with their diligently prepared buying list but purchase something appealing impulsively, later on, to find that the impulsive purchase upset their many months budget.

 Many persons purchase shares on broker's recommendation without giving a second thought. I also did this foolishness once.
 On one beautiful morning, a broker called me and informed that one particular company has got the large real estate, and value of its share will double in a few days. The stock was trading dirt cheap since company's cars had lost interest from customers. I ordered 500 shares and sold them in a few weeks at half of my purchase price.
Share brokers are not alone; lots of persons are ready to sell you many things at throw away prices provided you pay immediately without giving any thought, but, later on, you feel duped in most of the cases.

Therefore remember the Golden Rule," Stick to your well-thought decisions during execution hours; don't act impulsively. 

This golden rule will make you happier, wealthier and more successful than others.

i

AVOID THE DEBT TRAP

“Rather go to bed without dinner than to rise in debt.” - Benjamin Franklin.

The debt trap is one of the root causes of the lethal depression. Thousands of innocent persons commit suicide after being badly tortured by their heartless and cruel creditors. Debt Trap is a situation where one has to borrow fresh money to repay his current debt but his debt obligations go on increasing day by day. This is the most painful situation. The victim spends sleepless nights & restless days. Many of them embrace the cold and cruel death to evade their ruthless creditors.

The billion dollar question is how one can pre-empt debt trap or get rid of it to lead a tension free life? First, let's diagnose the severity of the problem by drawing a simple balance sheet. 
Please take one piece of   paper and draw a vertical line in the middle. Please write liabilities on the left side and assets with their market value on the right side. This is a simplified balance sheet and we will not go in pure accounting standard.

               LIABILITIES                                                             ASSETS

Consumption Loans                                                                Demanding Assets:

a) Such loans that are used to finance consumables and         a) Such assets which always ask cash e.g.

e.g. luxuries                                                                                 Your car, air conditioner, refrigerator, etc

credit card loan, car loan, house decoration loan etc.,

Development Loans.                                                             Contributing Assets.

a) House Loan, Education Loan for studies in good              b) Such assets which give you passive         

    Institutions where getting knowledge will help in earning       income in the shape of rent, interest etc e.g.     

    More.                                                                                   Fixed deposits, shares, bonds.            Now add the value of your assets and liabilities. Your total assets - Your total liabilities is your net worth. Now please concentrate on
 1. Increasing your total assets every month with special attention to increasing your contributing assets.
 2. Decreasing your total liabilities every month with special attention to decrease your consumption loans.

 Ideally, one should not have any credit card loan or other consumer durable or personal loan. There remains no collateral security to secure these loans. Banks try to recover these loans within a short span of time, therefore, their loan repayment instalments and interest rates are kept high.  Moreover, consumer durables such as air conditioners, refrigerators, cars etc, consume your hard earned money continuously on their maintenance. Thus, they become big reasons to put persons in a debt trap.

If you are already in a debt trap, please analyse your income and expenditure details and curtail avoidable expenditure. Please involve all the family members in this exercise. They must know how bad the situation is? Their suggestions will not only generate synergy but they will also refrain themselves from demanding unavoidable things. Before demanding costly  things, my son always asks, "Can Papa's budget accommodate it?"

 Thus, you will be able to save some money. Use this money to repay your credit card loans and other high-interest loans .Please keep your family members abreast of the improving situation. They will become involved in the process and will discover more ways to cut avoidable expenditure. You may also contact your bank to convert your credit card loans into personal loans. 
You can't extinguish the fire if you don't restrict it. Simultaneously to cut the debt trap you must immediately stop availing fresh loans. However, you may explore a possibility of converting high- interest loans into low-interest loans. Also, use a little self-control and willpower to start liquidating highest interest paying loans by curtailing avoidable expenditure.

 After liquidating all loans one by one, start using your savings for obtaining contributing assets. Your contributing assets are like your good sons. They will continue to contribute to your income even after your retirement and make you stand upright with dignity and self-respect.

 Please also read my another article "SAVE,SAVE & INVEST MONEY." which is both useful and interesting. Please don’t wait for any auspicious day, start today itself, "Well Begun is Half Done". 

YES, WE CAN ENJOY 100 YEARS HEALTHY,HEARTY & WEALTHY

The number of centenarians is growing rapidly in the world. We can also enjoy 100 years with good health, big heart, and ample wealth. Regular physical exercises, playing mental games, taking controlled, balanced, healthy diet and positive thinking is the simple requirements to achieve this feat.

Noted Actress Mrs. Zora Sehgal turns 100 on 27-04-2012

Today I met Shri Jagdish Sharma, father of my friend Shri Devanand Sharma. He is 82 years old without any major problem. Uncle told that his one relative Shri Chuman Thakur was 106 years old and his aunt was 96 years old. Shri Jagdish Sharma also expects to hit 100 years healthy, hearty and wealthy.

SAVE, SAVE & INVEST MONEY

 “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Benjamin Franklin.

 You don't become rich from what you earn; you become rich from your savings and investments. Every Rupee saved or invested becomes your best servant, it continuously works day and night to give you passive income in the shape of interest, rent dividend, etc. Therefore, start saving soon and ploughing back the revenue generated from your savings/investments to enjoy the compounding effects which is the greatest wonders of the world.

 If you deposit Rs 5000 p.m. for 30 years, it will grow to Rs. 90, 95,093 & may give you more than 67,000 p.m. for the whole life if invested in fixed deposit at the same rate. The beauty of the scheme is that your legal heirs will inherit the original Rs. 90, 95,093 and give your soul tons of blessings.

 Many will ask," How can I save from my small income which is barely sufficient to meet my necessities?

Your necessities are your creation. You may curtail them. But your income is not in your hands. You can't increase it at your sweet will. A part-time sweeper of our Majahaulia branch was saving so much that many full-time employees used to borrow from him.

 When you look downstairs, you will find that many persons are managing themselves well with much lesser income. Therefore, stop making the fuss about your small income and start saving 25% of your income from the very beginning. Make up your mind firmly to make both ends meet with 75% of your income. Gradually you will accumulate enormous wealth. Then you will be in a position to enjoy lavishly with 75% of all your active and passive income.

Many persons commit the mistake of treating their car, motorcycle or freeze purchase as savings. But they are not savings; they are expenditure since their value becomes zero with the passage of time. Hence plan to buy these comforts of life within 75% of your income.

You may reserve 25% of your income for consumer durables, and use the remaining 50% for other expenses.

  Your habit of saving will also take care of your mental health and will help keep depression away since most of our worries are due to our financial problems. We often wonder what will happen if our job is gone or if we are no more. These thoughts make us depressed.

Allocation of your savings into different assets such as in fixed deposit, insurance, mutual funds, equities, etc. is also important, but this is a very tricky task. It will be better to take help of a financial planner for this task.

 However, one may keep his six months income in saving funds or fixed deposits so that he can live up to six months with his present lifestyle even if his source of income stops abruptly. One may also get insurance cover worth ten or twelve times of his annual income so that his family members could enjoy the same lifestyle even after his unfortunate demise. You may allocate according to other requirements which may differ from person to person.

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Many employers such as banks etc., offer their employees easy loans since they quickly recover the instalments of the loan from their salary. Please don't fall prey to easy loans for consumption purposes if you cannot pay instalments from seventy percent of your income.

Every rupee borrowed becomes your master and sucks your blood in the guise of interest even when you are sleeping. But loans may be availed for productive purposes where capital appreciation is more than the interest paid. 
Persons with great desires have small pockets. Therefore, practice to manage your wishes within seventy-five percent of your income.

 None, not even Kings, and Emperors could fulfill all their wishes.

ENHANCE YOUR KNOWLEDGE DURING PASTIMES

  I called on my brother-in-law once around 9 P.M. I was very exhausted, so I slumbered soon after having the dinner. My brother-in-law was disappointed, so he complained the next morning about my not talking at all. Therefore I spared one hour to talk with him about our family members, our profession, and other topics. I also asked about some common diseases. My doctor brother-in-law happily enhanced my general knowledge.

There is one Hindi idiom," Aam ke aam aur Guthli ke Daam" which exhorts making a double profit from a situation. 
When we ask our friends about their expertise, they happily tell lots of things. You just need to be a good listener to enhance your knowledge. Moreover, your friend may also appreciate you for your nice talking skills. The world’s famous author Dale Carnegie, in his bestselling book, "HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE," wrote, “He got much appreciation in a social gathering for his excellent talking skills; however, he did hardly talk except encouraging his botanist friend to talk more about his expertise.

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 Students may also use this method for preparation for exams by making a group of diligent and bright friends. They may discuss relevant topics of the syllabus when they gather at any place. Thus, their eyes get rest, but their mind will enhance the knowledge.  So start getting fun along with improving your knowledge. All the best.

BE A BURNING CANDLE

Be a burning Candle if you cannot be Sun just now, at least, you can give light to a few persons.

Be a burning Candle and expand more and more light in all directions.

Be a burning Candle and light other candles, thus, you can become a source of infinite light.

Be a burning Candle and burn all the rotten thoughts.

Be a burning Candle and help other candles to burn because sharing, caring and helping others make our lives meaningful and we also get help from unknown sources when we are in need.

FOREVER BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.

You must be wondering I am talking about what nonsense? However, it is painfully true that we often hoodwink ourselves. Many of us harm ourselves much more than what our worst enemies can do.
 A drug, alcohol or nicotine addict inflicts upon himself deadly diseases such as liver cirrhosis, cancer, etc.

   Even Smugglers and criminals practice honesty very meticulously in their Profession. Dishonest crooks are mercilessly annihilated in crime syndicates.

 Who would like to keep a black sheep in his company?

 The companies like TATA, Maruti, Microsoft, who honestly give maximum value to their customers for the minimum possible price, are thriving by leaps and bound.

 Thus, honesty rules high in this world, being widely perceived as dishonest.

Everybody must completely and continuously be honest both with himself and with others. If someone becomes dishonest with others, the society mocks at the crook, but if someone is dishonest with himself, life ridicules him, and he will never make his dreams true.

It is high time that we honestly fulfill all those promises that we make to ourselves. However, we must be selective in making promises. The commitments must be so demanding that we make extra efforts to fulfill them but impossible resolutions like reaching on the moon in one hour, serve no purpose but lower our morals. 

 Grenville Kleiser rightly told," By constant Self Discipline and Self Control One can develop greatness of character."
 Let's start to fly high in the sky of super success with the strong wings of Self Discipline & Self Control. Amen.