Giving Back to Mother Nature!

The below is something that I have thought to write about for a long time. Infact, I have been writing this article for a long time too. I don’t intend to preach, but I want to share a few things that even if a few of us start following would make a change! Let’s save Mother Nature. I would say that I follow 80% of it except the alternative fuel part. It might be a long one, but am sure definitely worth it! Happy reading!

As Always,

Rajkumar K.

GREEN

• When you construct a new building be it a house or a multiplex, please ensure that you consult an architect and ensure that your building is GREEN in terms of energy consumption! There are quiet a lot factors like more walls less glass to retain heat, meaning good insulation.
  
• Solar powered devices; Start using them to at least heat water for bathing. These instruments have matured and probably a bit cheaper than earlier.
  
• Green Energy: Wind Energy, Nuclear energy etc., try to start using it! Of course we need to generate. Nuclear Energy rests with the Government. At least for the wind energy, if you have the financial capacity and the will, please do so. You are saving not just your children, but future of the humans as well!
  

Power

• Switch of unwanted lights and fans or any other electrical equipment. 
  
• Defrost your refrigerator twice a week.
  
• Start using the CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps). We all know it consumes only a 1/4th of the electricity and lasts longer.
  
• Check for the models from the manufacturers whose USP is energy efficiency. This will help reduce electricity consumption and reduce emission as well.
  
• Educate people on how to utilize the free electricity they get. Many rural areas in TN, Bihar etc.., receive it and it would good if they have good counseling on how to utilize it. For instance, stop the pump sets when required promptly. Usage of one min extra means loss of both water and power! Educate them on energy efficient pump sets rather than free TVs!
  
• Shutdown your computers; they consume a lot of energy during stand by mode (as much as 3 X 60 watts bulb). And most importantly switch off your monitors too!
• At work or at a shopping mall or places that have elevators, avoid using them! Am sure most of us are healthy enough to climb up stairs!
• Remember, power saved is power gained!

WATER

• Use Drip irrigation for big cultivation lands and sprinklers for your own lawn. 
  
• While applying soap on you or while shaving shut your taps. 
  
• Use Dishwasher if possible!
  
• Improve ground water level; Water harvesting!
  
• Recycle water!
  

Fuel Efficiency

• Buy Fuel efficient cars. For every litre of Petrol burnt 4 kgs of CO2 is released into the atmosphere! So try to pool cars as well. You could end up saving your money and also fuel and also the environment. For shorter distances say up to 2 kms take a walk or even a bi cycle, so that petrol is saved. If your public transport system is too good, please take it. 
  
• If you have to travel to some place for a meeting, try to close the meeting over a phone. This will save a lot of time and of course fuel as well. Imagine for a meeting for two days, travel from Shanghai to San Diego in Chile (an exaggerated statement though it happens in reality)! What a waste of time/money/fuel?
  
• All of us know that our tyre pressure directly linked to the performance of our vehicles. Constantly check the pressure and particularly after leaving you vehicles idle for more than 3 days.
  

Alternative Fuel

• Create Alternative fuels. There are quiet a lot from bio diesel to ethanol.
  
• Start looking at auto motives that run on alternative fuels.
  

Save Nature

• Plastic Bags: Well a lot has been said about this. We all know the environmental problems faced by this factor. Ground water levels going down to emission levels because of those decaying bags!
  
• Paper: Stop wasting paper. Do not use them unless absolutely necessary. Even while printing a document, you can have print options set to “Print on both sides” and “print 2 pages in a sheet” It saves three sheets of paper for a document of four page size.
  
• Plant Trees: Let us allow nature to come back to what it was. Let’s not cut trees. Lets Plant trees! Imagine if every one of us will grow one tree each we would have planted 2.5 billion trees between the Chinese and the Indians.
  
• Water Harvesting!

People

• With the environment pollution being at its worst, we should prepare ourselves for natural and epidemic disasters. Ensure that time and again you are aware of how the local hospitals are best placed in case of such disasters!
  
• If you are buying something, absolutely be sure that you need it. Else do not buy! We know all of us get tempted by the look of something. But let’s try to restrict ourselves. With the current look of the global economy, I think it makes sense!
  
• Create awareness on the environmental pollution among your friends and fellow citizens of earth!
  
• Be the first to make the change rather than questioning the system!
• http://www.uttishthata.org/2007/07/06/a-letter-to-every-indian-apj/

7 Principles of Influence

Dear Friends,

Life is all about "influence" and "influencing".

Nature influences us; we keep influencing each other in day-to-day business. Great people cast their influence through good work or good words.

In this context, here is an article,"7 Principles of Influence - How to Win People's Cooperation“.

Hope you all will enjoy reading it.

 - Rajkumar

 

":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":":"

Influence is the art of winning people's cooperation when you do not have, or do not want to use, the authority to make them do what you want them to do. It involves shaping the way people feel and think.

"Power lasts ten years. Influence not more than a hundred."

-Korean Proverb

1. Make people feel understood.

Spend less time trying to make people understand what you want, and more time making them feel understood. In an ideal world people might make decisions, commitments, and judgments based on logic and sound reasoning. But in this world people act in response to their preferences, feelings, and social influences they're not even aware of. If they trust you and feel that you care about them, they are much more likely to cooperate with you.

2. Find common ground.

Show people how their needs, values, and dreams mesh with yours. To do so, you have to understand their values and concerns. See things from their point of view. Be sympathetic with their feelings. Then show them how cooperating with you can help them achieve what they want.

3. Listen.

Listening is the best way to make people feel understood and, at the same time, to find common ground. Ask open-ended questions, the kind that invites people's careful consideration and honesty. Try to understand what people mean, without getting hung up on the literal meaning of their words. And acknowledge their thoughts and feelings (which isn't the same thing as agreeing with them).

4. Don’t argue.

In business (and at home, too) the person you defeat in an argument today may be the person whose cooperation you need tomorrow. Arguments make people stake out positions and defend them. And the more you try to prove them wrong, the harder they will resist you. People may feel overwhelmed and stop arguing with you. But that doesn't mean you've won them over. Most of the time, when you win an argument, you lose an ally.

5. Care about the people you want to influence.

If you are concerned about the people you're trying to win over, if you value their needs and dreams, they'll know it. And they'll reciprocate. They'll communicate more freely, speaking their mind more openly and listening more attentively. They'll give you the benefit of the doubt. And they'll want to cooperate.

6. Help people believe change is possible.

People often know, although they won't often admit, that they need to change. They feel a vague uneasiness, sensing that things won't pan out the way they want. But they persist in doing what they've always done, thinking they're doing the best they can. Show them a better way, but more importantly, convince them that it's possible. Don't just give them a solution. Offer them hope.

7. Time your request well.

There's a time and a season for everything, especially for asking for support. When people are feeling stressed out, anxious, angry, resentful, or threatened, they're not really receptive. Do what you can to reassure them and to make them feel safe and you increase your chances of winning their support! Look for "moments of influence," times when they feel capable and confident, and make your best case then.

Good Thoughts

I never realized that writing blog every day is this difficult. So I thought I would better copy paste few posts/email fwds etc.,. in here so that everyone could read! Starting with one such classy one!

TRUST is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation.

A telephone operator told me that one day she received a phone call. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she heard a lady's voice, "Oh, so this is PUB. Sorry, I got the number from my Husband's pocket but I do not know whose number it is."

Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".

NO POINTING FINGERS

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?"
The father-in-law answered in a smile, "Never criticize your wife for her shortcomings or when she does something wrong. Always bear in mind that because of her shortcomings and weaknesses, she could not find a better husband than you."

We all look forward to being loved and respected. Many people are afraid of losing face. Generally, when a person makes a mistake, he would look around to find a scapegoat to point the finger at. This is the start of a war. We should always remember that when we point one finger at a person, the other four fingers are pointing at ourselves.

If we forgive the others, others will ignore our mistake too.

CREATING PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS?

A person visited the government matchmaker for marriage, SDU, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one." The SDU officer said, "Your requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous, sporty, knowledgeable, and good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour, if I don't go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest." The officer listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television."

There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband, because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up a nd discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

NO OVERPOWERING

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another, or demands too much. People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character."

It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness.

It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations..

RIGHT SPEECH

There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation." Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other, we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party.

A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted, "Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school." On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, "Luckily you married me. Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker." She answered, “You should appreciate that you married me. Other wise, he will be the millionaire and not you."

Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It's like a broken egg - cannot be reversed.

PERSONAL PERCEPTION

Different people have different perception. One man's meat could be another man's poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home, a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them ride on the donkey? "Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey.

Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman."
The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders.

It seems to be the only choice left. Later, on a narrow bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river. You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future.

Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear..


BE PATIENT

This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, and hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.

Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, "Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "But when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide.

Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or u wish to take revenge. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired.. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge.

People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.

"Good Life starts only when you stop wanting a better One"

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"