DECISIVE MOMENT

Every one of us should decide the decisive moment in our life. People take decisions when things are going smoothly for them. Glen McGrath the Australian Cricketer was doing pretty well in his career when he decided to retire from the game. Same is the case with Oprah winfrey who hosts the famous Talk Show in American Television. She intends to put a stop to her activity by the year 2010 after being in the limelight for 25 years.

Routine is what defeats us in our mundane life. The game plan that one has, should include the immediate game being played but doesn't necessarily exclude the rest. Very often it's better to leave the moment behind before the moment has left us - because it always does.

Hence it is better to decide our decisive moment before the moment has left us. I am sure all my followers and readers of this page will agree with me and take appropriate decisions at the appropriate time. The saying goes that “Time and Tide wait for no man”

Hope you enjoyed reading this page.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

CONTROL YOUR DESIRE

I recently read an article on philosophy and it made an indelible impression on my mind. I came to understand and got convinced that by restraint you can win the things you want.As you may be aware, everything worthwhile in life takes time. Once you learn to restrain your desires, anything becomes possible.

Take the case of PATTINATHAR who was a king in the beginning and when he became a realized soul renounced everything in life and became an ASCETIC and finally attained Samadhi.

"For its very existence, a culture has to impose restrictions on an individual and his appetites. In this sense there is an ascetic in all of us and asceticism is, at its root, very much domestic, very much social."Some evolutionary biologists even talk of an innate tendency towards renunciation, an ascetic instinct similar to the language instinct. This ascetic is at home, everywhere.

Be Blissful

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

WINNING AS A TEAM

Does it sound good to win as a team? Yes indeed, to win as a team is a wonderful thing happening and is also joyful for the team members. This is called team spirit and one will be overjoyed on achieving success as a team.

You can achieve success as an individual but your joy will be much more when you win together as a team. The team spirit will be at a much elevated level as you have to take the view points of others in your team, use them as separate resources, make them perform their tasks as required, motivate them and there by influence them in fulfilling the desired tasks and achieve success.

A player in a team will know his position is in danger if he fails to perform well. But one must have a strong mind, to be in a team. It is important for the captain to infuse confidence in his players to mould the team into a winning combination. “As a captain, one should be a person who does not have an ego. The team should be infused with confidence particularly during the failures.” "Only team effort could help you win a match."

Creating teamwork is a challenging process. Typically, a team shares leadership and is interdependent, meaning they depend on each other for information, services or products to achieve a team goal. A leader (manager, supervisor) spearheads a group; members work on their own most of the time with little or no dependence on other members to do their job. There may be a group effort but it is not a team. You can't have the same expectations of a group as you do for a team.

A team should have a common framework for every member so that they perform well at all times. A team is a mass and every member of the team should get motivated and get involved in achieving the objective. In this way one can see a happy environment around him and within the team. If you involve it is for certain that you will evolve.

In life and in work we find that we have to work with many others and achieve certain goals which will keep our spirits high. We have to forget our individuality and try to place ourselves as a contributing member and a resourceful person of the team. Saying this is easy but performing the act is a difficult one especially when one (a person) is not used to working in a team situation. It requires a dramatical change in the attitude of the person and this in turn will change his position as an acceptable member and a resourceful person in the eyes of his team members, his subordinates and by his superiors.

Thus we can clearly see that winning as a team has its own plus points. The single most is the leadership quality and acceptance of a person in working as a part of the team as one of the team members. This definitely will give more joy to any one on this earth (so called mundane world) than winning an award as an individual. Team performance is always a greater achievement than individual performance as it produces that synergy effect to achieve the success that we are looking for.

I am convinced deeply that winning as a team is a wonderful thing. Your happiness will get multiplied, the joy will be fulfilling and enjoyment will be total as a team together.

Hope my readers of this page enjoyed this topic as well. Be blissful.

S.SEKAR Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

PENSION AND TENSION (Retirement Planning)

Every one of us who has reached nearer to the age of retirement is interested in living a happy retired life. Towards this proper plans are to be made and worked out perfectly so that you don’t feel the pinch in your way of living as planned earlier. Saying this is easy and doing or implementing this is a difficult one. You must put in your efforts in advance and work out things which are needed by you and build the resources which will be handy in your retirement age.

The following lines will talk about earning a decent amount even after retirement to take good care of your health and wealth and continue to have a sound mind and a sound body. We can see the opportunities which are available for a decent living during old age. In this context by old age I mean people who have reached the age of sixty and above. We will see all the avenues available in the Indian context as I am an Indian living in India.

If we look at the options available for earning continued income we can come across many avenues Viz. Pension scheme (a form of Retirement plan) as well as other schemes like fixed deposits, Public Provident Fund etc. Government of India has introduced New Pension scheme from May 2009 onwards in the larger interests of the people of India. The saying goes that reforms are a precondition to successful development but the same reforms can backfire if they are not well conceived. Any pension scheme devised should offer long term benefits to an individual. The new pension scheme by government of India intends to give an individual a choice of savings and investment products with different asset allocations , professional fund management, centralized administration and an option to transfer pension rights from one job/location or from one fund manager to another at low cost.

On looking into the inner details we find that the pension regulator has failed to mention clearly how an individual would accrue the income and be taxed on it under the scheme every year. We will try to unleash the mysteries of the NPS and see what it talks about and how it pits against other retirement products.

Broadly we can see that as per the current provisions, withdrawals from the scheme would be taxed. The NPS will provide all Indians an option to manage their own pension. Unlike existing pension funds that offer assured benefits, NPS has defined contribution and individuals can decide where to invest their money. The returns will purely depend on the conditions prevailing in the market at that point of time. As per the current provisions, withdrawals under the NPS attract tax under the EET (exempt-exempt-taxable) system. By this way, the tax is exempt for contributions to the NPS and for the returns, while withdrawals attract tax.

The pension fund managers appointed to handle the NPS are to manage three separate schemes, each investing in a different asset class viz. Equity, government securities and credit risk - bearing fixed income instruments. (Subject to a cap of 50 percent in equity). For smooth function of the mega pension facility, the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has appointed 22 points of presence (PoP) and six pension fund managers. As per the scheme, the investment in equities would be only in index funds that replicate either 30-share BSE sensitive index (Sensex) or the 50-share (Nifty) of the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The pension subscriber will have the option to decide on the proportion of fund investment in the three asset classes. The NPS for all citizens will not have any mandatory obligation for employers to give matching contributions to the pension fund.

If comparison is made with other retirement schemes such as PPF and EPF, it is non-tax friendly. The scheme offers no guaranteed assurance on security of capital fund and interest income. Withdrawal attracts tax implications under the EET model. The pension regulator, however, is lobbying hard with the government for parity in treatment like in the case of other government retirement schemes. From a tax perspective, PPF right now appears far more superior or for that matter, even a bank recurring deposit compared to this new scheme.

One must spend time to work out his cash flows, including future requirements carefully before he decides to invest in the scheme. Since the scheme offers low liquidity and it comes with no guarantee as to the security of your funds, it is advisable to meticulously read the fine print relating to the fund type you opt for. It appears that one must be careful to commit substantial amount in the scheme as there is no assurance as to the principal.
Particulars : (1) New Pension scheme (2) EPF (3) PPF (4) Insurance Linked Pension plan
TAXABILITY
Contribution: (1) Exempt max 100000 (2) Employees U/s 80CCD Contri. Max 100000Exempt (3) Exempt U/S 80C Max 100000 (4) Exempt U/S 80 CCC Max 100000
Accumulation: (1) Exempt (2) Exempt (3) Exempt (4) Exempt
Withdrawal: (1) Taxable (2) Exempt (3) Exempt (4) Commuted pension exempt
(Upto 1/3 of total). annual pension-taxable.

From the foregoing it is implied that the decision making process in arriving at the right plan of investment is not an easy one. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, one must dwell deep into the various retirement plan options available in order that you maximize the returns to the extent possible. After all Retirement is a major milestone in one’s journey through life. We have to make sure that we don’t simply retire from something but have something to retire to.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

MONEY OR MATRIMONY

Till recently this thought (Money and Matrimony) never occurred to me and my mind was clear about the subject on money and matrimony. They had no impact on me and my life so far, as I treated both as different from each other. I was proved wrong when I saw with my own eyes that Money and Matrimony go hand in hand and not looked at independently from each other. The very thought of it disturbed me but looking at things happening around me I kept my cool and started to dwell on this subject further.
The current happenings around us are real and not virtual. I find the younger generation are in a virtual world and think big in terms of their wants and needs but not doing enough home work to act and win the heart of another person. I agree that money is required by every one of us except an ascetic whose thought process is always about the welfare of everyone in this society unlike us who are selfish and think only about our family who we feel are near and dear to us.
Thus we can see that a situation arises where a person who is in the process of choosing his life partner or soul mate has a different thought in his mind. He believes that the earnings made by him makes him feel low even of his own parents in terms of their wealth and their way of life and also looks up on at the parents of his would be life partner as lower than him. He can accept a person of value, only if he possesses enough money or wealth and assets like a palatial bungalow more than what he has. If you look at the educational and family background of the parents who would be his in-laws they are professionally qualified and cultured but fate has made them not rise up in their life beyond a point for no mistake of theirs. This is called karma theory. What one has done by way of good deeds or bad actions in his previous birth gets carried on to his present birth. Believe me or not, no matter how you perform, you will not be able to go up the ladder in your professional pursuits even though you know you have performed well and continue to do your best. This is what that happens if you believe in the theory of karma. This has been elucidated in “Bhagavad Gita” by way of Lord Krishna’s teachings to Arjuna.
It should be understood that if a person likes the look of another person in his mind and also is cool with the other person’s behavior, outlook, talks and actions he can confirm his approval for her. We can also find persons who will wait and watch looking at different people on different occasions and waiting for any length of time to find his choice of life partner as per his thinking. Being a person of this taste it becomes very difficult for him to make a choice at any point of time since he waits to have a look at some more persons who may have all the parameters and also wealthy. Time passes on and keeps going and he finds himself unable to make a choice at any point of time. This happens as he feels there is always someone who will have all the traits that he is looking for. He finds that his wish doesn’t fructify for a long time and he passes off year after year trying to find a mate of his choice. The end result is that he is unmarried even after his middle age where his youth would have gone. He remains unmarried forever. This is also karma.
The answer, I believe to all the above mentioned aspects of life, lies in what is called contentment. People have desires and are not contented with what god has given them. One can be ambitious but I find people are avaricious. This leads us into a treacherous path and we are pushed into a pit and we cannot climb up thereafter.
Again contentment is misunderstood by many. If you are contented with what you have, others say that you are unable to get more and that is why you mentioned the word contentment. To make others accept and believe you is very difficult and impossible at times. It is because of the unholy combinations and unwanted comparisons being thrust on you to make you feel an unworthy person compared to others. To prove what is contentment beyond a point is difficult. One has to gulp the words of others and remain silent. Remaining silent also conveys the meaning of acceptance. In either way you are caught in the midst of things where you remain where you are and can’t move this way or other.
Thus we find that in this kali yuga, present day life is full of challenges and has to be faced by every one of us in different ways as it poses different situations in front of us. It is not enough if we do different things. We should do things differently. That will make us different from a conventional person.
I find conventions are not liked by many people and family traits are absent as it is not passed on properly from father to child in the primary years (Formative age) and religion has lost its relevance and it is absent as people are not orthodox and have become different. Beliefs are questioned and rituals are not followed and they are forgotten by many. This being the current situation there is no relevance in saying that I have amassed wealth but do not follow my religion or perform the rituals or possess the traits which are called for from me. The very sanctity of husband and wife relationship appears to be missing. It is fading away and will be lost into oblivion. There will be a situation where you do things according to your whims and fancies and make a statement that your children and my children are playing with our children. Is this the matrimonial relationship that we are looking for?

What is right is what each individual thinks in his mind about his own activity as hundred percent correct. How to confront this situation is a million dollar question as there is no right or wrong answer.
I start tending to believe that Money is an important criteria for Matrimony other things being equal. How will anyone decide the quantum of money that one should have? What you may think is sufficient may be inadequate for the other person as his aspirations may be more than your wishes.
Before I conclude I wish to make a statement here.
Everyone wants to show that he is important. We should know that “It is nice to be important but it is more important to be nice”.
I find that nobody has the inclination to listen to your point of view as they think they are always right. To err is human. If anyone has the inclination to know more on this subject I have the time to dwell and share our thought process for our mutual understanding and benefits.
S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

MOTIVATION - A SUCCESS STRATEGY

Every one of us feels very happy when we are motivated by any other person. The reason is obvious. It lifts the energy of an individual and drives him to give more of himself in fulfilling the tasks set by him. Thus motivation helps a person to perform more than what is desired.

In the real life we can find motivation is lacking in many people and they show a lesser performance than what is expected out of them. This is because they want to be motivated from outside which will show a change in them and enhance their productivity and performance. On the other hand every individual can motivate himself and be blissful for his achievements and be cheerful which is called self motivation. It is similar to auto suggestion. Thus we find that staying motivated is a struggle. We are constantly faced with negative thoughts and anxiety about the future. Walking on the road I watched other people’s faces which are filled with doubts and depression. What separates the highly successful is the ability to keep moving forward.

There is no simple solution for lack of motivation. Even after beating it, the problem reappears at the first sign of failure. The key is understanding our thoughts and how they drive our emotions. By learning how to nurture motivating thoughts, neutralize negative ones, and focus on the task at hand, you can pull yourself out of a slump before it gains momentum.


On deep probing into this matter we can see that we lose motivation on account of the following reasons

- Lack of confidence – You have to believe in yourself in order to Succeed
- Lack of Focus – You should know what you want for your Success
- Lack of direction – You should know what to do in order to get motivated.


When we motivate ourselves, it transforms you into a happy mood and you start giving more of yourself and achieve your desire and dreams very easily. Happiness can be triggered by your own self (self motivation) or by another person. Each of us have motivational hot spots. We need to keep this in mind while we try to create situations that motivate others. All said and done, we can conclude that motivation lies within us. Motivation comes from within – people motivate themselves more often than not as we cannot motivate others so easily. The only thing a supervisor, a manager, or anybody else can do is to create the conditions for people to motivate themselves.

Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates. Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.

Increase knowledge of the subjects that inspires. The more we know about a subject, the more we want to learn about it. A self-propelled upward spiral develops.

Take calculated risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.

S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com

INTENSION AND ACTION

In our daily mundane life we come across situations where we feel we have missed the goal in spite of putting our best efforts. The reason is that we are having good intention to achieve the end result desired. If we do not convert the same into proper action we cannot hit the target. Thus an intention is to be transformed into action to be successful in one’s pursuits.

Our intentions are the means to arrive at the end result that we desire. If our intentions are good the end result will be good and Vice versa. We can see that we cannot be guided by our intentions as it is only a feeling that is in our mind. Results are judged only by action in almost cent percent of the cases. Hence we should have a positive mental attitude and perform our duties confidently and bravely in order to achieve positive results.

Intention that arises in our mind has to be followed by proper and right action in order to attain success or else it will be fruitless even though our intentions may be right. That is why we have to choose performance over promise where you intend to promise and show performance by your action.

A few scenarios/ statements of intention (an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned action) are as under:

“I intended to finish the project before the due date.”
“I had every intention of being on time”
“I have been wanting to take a class, write a book or volunteer.”

The truth is that our intentions are clear and are all meaningful. The reality is even the most sincere intention has no value without action. The world is full of dreamers and lacks doers. If we put our intentions in motion we get into action mode.

Results are arrived at by action and not by our intention. Telling me you’re going to do something and not carrying it out is intention: it is not action. Our lives are shaped by what we do consistently. Few people actually do what they know needs doing. Any time you put momentum behind your plan you are already ahead of the crowd. The stronger your conviction, the stronger your action. For any intention to become a reality it has to be launched into orbit.

To get ahead you have to get started. While the majority of people have ideas: only a minority do something about them. Thinking about what you want to do or hoping something will happen, gets you nowhere. If you don’t make things happen, things will happen to you without your consent. Every action is a step that will increase your strength, your skill and your confidence. Getting started has its own reward. Action energizes. It strengthens one’s resolve to do more.

Putting your thoughts into action requires focus and determination. Begin where you are and go where you want to be. Implement a plan and get started. Tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. Do what you’d rather not do to prepare for what you want. Choose performance over promise. Choose action over intention. If you involve you’ll evolve.

I am sure that my followers and other readers of this page will choose action based plan rather than intention based. Ultimately it’s the action that counts and will uplift you in your chosen field of activity. Be blissful.

S.SEKAR

Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com