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	<title>Living Smartly</title>
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	<link>http://living-smartly.com</link>
	<description>Be Healthy, Wealthy and Wise</description>
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		<title>What is Rat Race?</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/what-is-rat-race/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/what-is-rat-race/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:39:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awareness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/?p=8</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit. Definitions: Fierce competition to maintain or improve one&#8217;s position in the workplace or social life. For example, You may not realize what a rat race it is to get research grants. This term presumably alludes to the rat&#8217;s desperate struggle for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Definitions:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Fierce competition to maintain or improve one&#8217;s position in the workplace or social life. For example, You may not realize what a rat race it is to get research grants. This term presumably alludes to the rat&#8217;s desperate struggle for survival.(The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer)</li>
<li> any exhausting, unremitting, and usually competitive activity or routine, esp. a pressured urban working life spent trying to get ahead with little time left for leisure, contemplation, etc. (Random House dictionary)</li>
<li> a mad scramble or intense competitive struggle, as in the business world (Webster).</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ratrace conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape whilst running around a maze or in a wheel. In an analogy to the modern city, many rats in a single maze expend a lot of effort running around, but ultimately achieve nothing (meaningful) either collectively or individually.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Shows succumbing to the present and not keeping the big picture in mind. It shows a lack of wisdom and a prioritization of what is essential. It also shows being afraid of being functional.  You will lose tomorrow to look cool and be with the crowd today</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Like a child on a first trip to Disneyland- many people are getting beserk because of lack of prioritization.  Sucumbing to pressures from colleagues and extended family members – they get addicted to perpetually pursuing the ‘cool things’ to ‘appear’ good to others.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This could include many things:</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li> Joining a course because everyone is doing that or worse still you may not be considered intelligent so you join this course instead of what you really like.</li>
<li> Buying a bigger house than required or buying in a certain area – otherwise you will feel left out.  People in the rat race are extremely concerned about being left out.</li>
<li> You buy the more expensive shoe or jeans because you will not feel left out. Even though the cheaper shoe or jeans fits you well and is more functional</li>
<li> You buy the less functional motorcycle or car because it has a cool image. While the more practical motorcycle or car will mean you stand out from others.</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Sadhu’s go away from people to remote hills to get wisdom. While people in the rat race get extremely anxious on being left out on anything.  They just want to be in the ‘in circle’.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">“No matter what you do in the rat race, success is not guaranteed, but if you do nothing failure is” .Paul Ulasien– Author of : The Corporate Rat Race: The Rats Are Winning</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you&#8217;re still a rat.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">To be out of the rat race requires strong convictions and a belief in tomorrow.  Otherwise, the pressure to conform to the majority way of thinking is very high.</p>
<p><strong>You may also like to read:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/house-poor/">House Poor</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/living-below-means/">Living Below Means</a></p>
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		<title>Living Below Means</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/living-below-means/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/living-below-means/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:39:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awareness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/?p=5</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Live below your means. Most people mistakenly think they understand what it is to live below their means. Most of people prepare budget on monthly basis i.e. whatever they receive income, they use for entire amount for that particular month only. By the end of month nothing remains in hand, again they start spending when [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Live below your means. Most people mistakenly think they understand what it is to live below their means. Most of people prepare budget on monthly basis i.e. whatever they receive income, they use for entire amount for that particular month only. By the end of month nothing remains in hand, again they start spending when they receive income.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Manage your money wisely so your money does not manage you. Living below your means saving some percent of amount from your income and living your life with the rest of the money.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Live a comfortable life. Don&#8217;t get sucked in the game of impressing others. Don&#8217;t chase material things and fool your self into thinking you will be happy by having those possessions.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you are looking to save money or get out of debt, one of the most obvious methods is to live below your means. That is a suggestion that has many meanings. The key to realizing this idea however is to understand that status in life is about presenting an image and true financial freedom is the ultimate status symbol.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">You can spend a lot of money on a car and house that will impress your neighbors and friends, but you&#8217;ve actually made yourself less secure and less wealthy. All those trappings that are intended to make you feel wealthy are actually making you poor. That car will lose value every year. That house payment is very likely paying for space you don&#8217;t need. Why pretend to be rich, when you can just become rich instead?</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Stop competing with your neighbors &amp; friends on material possessions. This prevents you from reaching financial freedom. Live a simple life, save a part of your income and this will reduce stress level and make your life closer to heaven.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Here are top 10 things helps you to live below means and helps you to become wealthier.</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Make your own financial plan i.e making record of your expenses for entire month that you are going to meet.</li>
<li> Buy things what you require. Don&#8217;t go for status and brand.</li>
<li> Don&#8217;t spend on unnecessary things if you don&#8217;t have cash i.e. don&#8217;t use credit cards, overdraft accounts etc. Think twice before you spend.</li>
<li> Don&#8217;t borrow money unless you truly need</li>
<li> Cut present expenses (which are not useful) wherever it is possible.</li>
<li> Save money by bargaining or use discount coupons or promotion coupons when you purchase.</li>
<li> Don&#8217;t go to fancy restaurants. Don&#8217;t over order food at the restaurant.</li>
<li> If you need to have a party see if you can arrange at home. You can get many times very good food at reasonable prices from some places which are good for parcel. However, they are not good to sit around and have decent time with friends and family.</li>
<li> Book tickets in advance if you need to go a vacation instead of booking in urgency. It helps you in not paying extra service amounts like tatkal fee with railways. Some times higher fares are charged for last minute bookings.</li>
<li> When buying something stay focused on your requirements. Don&#8217;t buy fancy items  i.e. item contains many models with unnecessary features which may be rarely useful for you and there is a lot of price difference. Many times such fancy models are prone to develop faults earlier than basic models.</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Becoming wealthy is not earning more money, but becoming frugal and spending less than you earn.</p>
<p><strong>Related Links:</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.mycashcompany.com">Cash advance online</a></p>
<p><strong>You may also like to read:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/2009/09/what-is-rat-race/">What is  Rat Race?</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/house-poor/">House Poor</a></p>
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		<title>Permanent cure for Acidity (Nobel Prize Awarded)</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/permanent-cure-for-acidity/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/permanent-cure-for-acidity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Feb 2010 07:27:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/?p=135</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Acidity changes the entire lifestyle of an individual. People continue to suffer from it for their entire life but fail to solve the issue. People live with acidity, peptic or duodenal ulcers for decades and follow restrictive dietary habits and suffer heartburn. They assume that acidity is aggravated by alcoholic beverages, smoking and hot food [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Acidity changes the entire lifestyle of an individual. People continue to suffer from it for their entire life but fail to solve the issue. People live with acidity, peptic or duodenal ulcers for decades and follow restrictive dietary habits and suffer heartburn. They assume that acidity is aggravated by alcoholic beverages, smoking and hot food items. They have been told that this is a long term medical problem with no solution and that you can only reduce the symptoms and live with it all your life. Whenever they suffer from acidity, they just pop up few pills of antacids to reduce the pain. Using antacids only alleviates acidity temporarily but in turn it also increases the risk of developing ulcers and gastric cancer.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It can come as a knock on the head if someone is informed that they can be permanently cured of acidity. One can find it hard to believe that there is a magic bullet that can help get rid of acidity once and for all. The solution to this problem was found in early 1980’s by Warren and Marshall when they proved that many stomach ulcers and gastritis occurs due to infection caused by H. pylori bacteria. Their works remained in oblivion for long period and gained credibility only after they got Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2005 for their work.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>About H. pylori bacteria:</strong><br />
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium which can infect or contaminate the human stomach, using the stomach&#8217;s mucus lining. It is a common bacterium infecting nearly half the world&#8217;s population. This bacterium can lead to digestive illnesses, peptic ulcers (sores), gastritis and even cancers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">H. Pylori increases the secretion of stomach acid, which allows acid to burn the sensitive lining which is beneath the protective mucous layer of the stomach and duodenum. Gastric ulcers (in stomach) or duodenal ulcers (in duodenum) are caused due to irritation of lining by both acid and bacteria and also creates holes (or perforation) if not treated in time.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">H. pylori can survive in stomach acid as it secretes enzymes which will neutralize (nullify) the acid. This process makes H. pylori to safely survive in the protective mucous lining. The bacterium’s spiral (helical) shape assists in burrowing through the lining.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Symptoms of H. pylori infection:</strong><br />
The reason why many people will not sense symptoms of the presence of H. pylori in the digestive system, as increase of stomach acid or lowering of acid&#8217;s PH which generally obstructs the bacteria from migrating. Symptoms of H. pylori infection are burning abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bloating (swelling of belly), sudden weight loss, problems in swallowing, bloody vomit or stools.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diagnose of H. pylori:</strong><br />
In order to get confirmed that symptoms are caused due to an ulcer, the doctor will perform an upper gastrointestinal (GI) series (X-ray of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum) or an endoscopy. If an ulcer is detected in these tests, then the doctor will test for H. pylori. This test is necessary because treatment for an ulcer produced by H. pylori and an ulcer produced by NSAIDs is different. H. pylori bacteria is diagnosed or recognized using blood, breath, stool, and tissue tests of which blood tests are most commonly conducted.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Treatment for H. pylori infection:</strong><br />
H. pylori peptic ulcers must be treated with drugs which can destroy the bacteria, reduce the secretion of stomach acid, and protects the stomach lining.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Treatment generally includes a combination of antibiotics (to kill bacteria), acid suppressors (H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors), and stomach protectors. The most convinced effective treatment for H. pylori infection is a 2-week course of treatment known as triple therapy. This therapy involves consuming of two antibiotics and either an acid suppressor or stomach-lining shield. Recent studies proved that 2 weeks of triple therapy is ideal and excellent even though it had some side effects.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Causes of H. pylori infection:</strong><br />
Swimming in or drinking contaminated water and lack of hygiene serves as a source of bacteria. H. pylori bacteria are contagious and get transmitted mostly through oral to oral or fecal-oral route from the infected person. The process of how H. pylori spreads is not known to anyone, so prevention will be difficult.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Even the Pharma companies are reluctant to actively promote a permanently cure for acidity. Recently allegations are being made that big Pharma companies unnecessarily flared up the swine flu scare to rake in huge profits. In similar way, the Pharma companies, inspite of knowing that acidity is caused by H. pylori did not actively promote this information and increase awareness among affected people. May be, loss of decades of antacid sales from each patient was a big disincentive.</p>
<p><strong>Related Links:</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.drugalcoholtest.com/Marijuana-Drug-Testing-Cards-p-16133.html">thc drug test</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rapiddrugdetection.com">Employee drug testing</a><br />
<a href="http://www.drugteststrips.com/Marijuana-THC-Test-Card-c-258-pr-16140.html">Marijuana drug testing</a></p>
<p><strong>You may also like to read:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/12/why-good-doctors-are-forced-to-give-bad-advise/">Why Good Doctors Are Forced To Give Bad Advise?</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/11/medical-awareness-is-essential-component-of-being-educated/">Medical awareness is essential component of being educated</a></p>
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		<title>Delayed Gratification</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/delayed-gratification/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/delayed-gratification/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2009 06:44:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[Delayed gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. This ability is usually considered to be a personality trait which is important for life success. People who lack this trait are said to need instant gratification and may suffer from poor impulse control. Michael Mischel conducted experiment in 1960&#8242;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Delayed gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. This ability is usually considered to be a personality trait which is important for life success. People who lack this trait are said to need instant gratification and may suffer from poor impulse control.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Michael Mischel conducted experiment in 1960&#8242;s with a group of children 5 – 8 years old to explain the how important self control to success.  He tested 10 – 15 children one after the other. The test began by offering one cake with one condition i.e. later they may get another cake if they wait till he return back. He left for apporximately 15 minutes. In the gap many children played with cake, few people ate it before he came.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Fourteen years later, the simple study demonstrated the significant differences between the two groups of children. The children who delayed gratification and waited until Michael Mischel return were more positive, persistent when faced with life difficulties, more self motivated and were able to delay immediate gratification in order to pursue their longer term goals.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The children who chose 1 cake didn’t fare as well. They were more indecisive, mistrustful of others, less self confident and often more troubled in general. They were more obviously unable to delay immediate gratification.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Comparing the SAT scores of the 1 cake students to the 2 cake students showed that students that chose 1 cake scored an average of 210 points lower than the 2 cake students. Why? 2 cake students are able to sacrifice immediate activity in the interest of more focused study time for a longer term benefit. The one cake students were far more impulsive resulting in higher distraction and less focus on their school work.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This article explains the two important traits delay gratificaion and impulse control. These traits are very important for success. People who invest in delayed gratification associate hard work with high rewards. In simple words, delayed gratification is the highway to real success.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Note:</strong> <em>In the original list marshmallows were used. For easy understanding for Indian audiences here cake is taken instead of marshmallow.</em></p>
<p><strong>Suggested Reading:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/11/shopping-addiction/">Shopping Addiction</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/indian-salaries-have-more-buying-power-than-foreign-salaries/">Indian  Salaries Have More Buying Power Than Foreign Salaries</a></p>
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		<title>House Poor</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/house-poor/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/house-poor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:42:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awareness]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[A situation that describes a person who spends a large proportion of his or her total income on home ownership, including mortgage payments, property taxes, maintenance and utilities. House poor individuals are short of cash for discretionary items and tend to have trouble meeting other financial obligations like vehicle payments. People typically become house poor [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">A situation that describes a person who spends a large proportion of his or her total income on home ownership, including mortgage payments, property taxes, maintenance and utilities. House poor individuals are short of cash for discretionary items and tend to have trouble meeting other financial obligations like vehicle payments.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">People typically become house poor because they buy more house than they can afford, but there are other ways that people can become house poor as well. For example, some people will become house poor after the birth of a child, when one spouse decides to stay at home with the new addition, rather than going back to work.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">&#8220;House poor&#8221; is the term for those who spend too much on house payments and maintenance. It&#8217;s a common affliction. Sufferers starve their retirement accounts and miss pleasures such as dining out and taking nice vacations. Being house poor can even fracture a marriage.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In homeownership, as in all things, moderation is best, says Tahira Hira, professor of personal finance and consumer economics at Iowa State University.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Definitions:</strong></p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li> The condition of having very little cash because nearly all of one&#8217;s net worth is tied up in one&#8217;s house. (Investor words)</li>
<li> People who are short on cash because most of their money is tied up in their homes are &#8220;house poor”. (Dictionary by farlex)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Suggested Reading:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/what-is-rat-race/">What is Rat Race?</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/living-below-means/">Living Below Means</a></p>
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		<title>Why Good Doctors Are Forced To Give Bad Advise?</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2009/12/why-good-doctors-are-forced-to-give-bad-advise/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2009/12/why-good-doctors-are-forced-to-give-bad-advise/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:13:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Social Skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/?p=90</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Have you ever asked doctor the reason for your sickness? Or why it has occurred? If not asked anytime, do it when you go to doctor next time. They are afraid that they will lose patients, if they provide technically accurate response that is suitable for educated patients. Since only a small number of people [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Have you ever asked doctor the reason for your sickness? Or why it has occurred? If not asked anytime, do it when you go to doctor next time. They are afraid that they will lose patients, if they provide technically accurate response that is suitable for educated patients. Since only a small number of people behave in an “educated” manner, doctors hesitate to give good advice for a variety of reasons. The most important reason being first to survive</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Clinic requires lot of patients to make it viable</strong><br />
After the completion of medicine, person will not be immediately appointed as a doctor in hospital as they are already preoccupied with well established and experienced doctors in good number. Moreover, there will be social pressure to earn money. So, a person after completion of medicine should establish small health center like clinic and provide treatment to people for some time period. In order to handle expenses like office rents, advance to place, pay salaries to attenders, cleaners, paramedic staff etc., he needs to invest a lot of money, for which he cannot depend on his family further because they had already spent so much money for his education to complete medicine. So, the only option left for him is to earn money by giving treatment to patients and to retain these patients i.e to make them comfortable to come to him in future for any health problem, so that he get more income to handle all his expenses. Even though he is good at his treatment or work, he needs to keep his patients comfortable in order to survive</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>There is peer pressure to be successful</strong><br />
For a person, to complete medicine he requires nearly eight and half years whereas an engineering graduate can complete education in four years. The person who completed graduation in any other field like engineering (except medicine) will get settled in a short span of time after completion of education. He owns almost everything like car, house etc., by himself, by the time a person completes MBBS and MD courses. So, the person after completing his medicine tries to establish a good practice as early as possible, since they feel they are already too late. This can be achieved by having a good medical practice, which means they need to cater to many kinds of educational backgrounds to come to them.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Patients do not cooperate with doctor</strong><br />
Doctors try to provide best treatment to patients by saying good things. However, there will be old-fashioned patients who are not educated and may strongly disagree with the suggestions given by doctors. For example when doctors suggest that consumption of citrus fruits like oranges reduces cold, old fashioned patients are not aware of this and claim that taking of these fruits causes cold. If Dalai Lama, a great peace preacher approaches Afghanistan terrorists and preach them about peace and its importance for few minutes, will they change their attitude? No. Similarly, attitude of old-fashioned people cannot be changed in 10-15 minutes even if doctor gives good advice. Many patients will follow old beliefs and circulates negative feedback on doctor&#8217;s treatment if they try to change their outdated beliefs. So doctors are afraid in confronting the beliefs of such patients and do not give scientific advice to them, as they could lose patients. Doctors provide treatment to patient based on their attitude and on how educated the patient is.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So, an educated person should ask a doctor for the cause of his health condition or sickness. Unless you establish that you are an educated person and only after the doctor is fully convinced that you are genuinely seeking a scientific opinion does the doctor give technically accurate (modern) diagnosis. If you do not convince the doctor that you are educated, you are likely to be treated as an ignorant villager.</p>
<p><strong>You may also like to read:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/permanent-cure-for-acidity/">H. Pylori Bacteria Causes Acidity In Stomach</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/11/medical-awareness-is-essential-component-of-being-educated/">Medical awareness is essential component of being educated</a></p>
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		<title>Good Family Upbringing Develops Strong Soft Skills In Kids?</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2009/12/good-family-upbringing-develops-strong-soft-skills-in-kids/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2009/12/good-family-upbringing-develops-strong-soft-skills-in-kids/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:22:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[attitude]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awareness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[career]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[communication skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[degrees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jobs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[positive impact]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Living]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soft skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[softskills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[upbringing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/2009/12/good-family-upbringing-develops-strong-soft-skills-in-kids/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Of late, Indian companies have started expecting new job applicants to already posses the right set of soft skills from the day one they join the company instead of training new employees on these skills. According to NASSCOM, every year over 3 million people (graduates and post-graduates) are added to the workforce in India. Of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Of late, Indian companies have started expecting new job applicants to already posses the right set of soft skills from the day one they join the company instead of training new employees on these skills. According to NASSCOM, every year over 3 million people (graduates and post-graduates) are added to the workforce in India. Of these, only 25% of technical graduates and 10-15% of other graduates are considered employable by IT and ITES sectors. Even after employing these graduates, most companies have to spend considerable amount of time and invest heavily in training so as to develop the skills required by the industry. Ultimately, with the talent shortage resulting in increased salaries and high attrition rates, experts cautioned that India could soon lose its competitive advantage in the IT sector. Already India has lost a lot of market share in call center market to countries in Asia, Europe and Latin  America</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Most of the parents have a preconceived notion that most expensive/ luxurious schools will teach good soft skills to their children and hence indulge in paying huge fees to these schools. It has been observed that if the parents are with strong values, integrity and positive attitude, they can inculcate in their children a set of solid values like fairness, honesty, discipline, justice, integrity etc. right from their childhood. Even the school in which a person has been brought up, also influences his soft skills, if the school itself is with bad environment or bad culture, how can one expect to have good soft skills in a person who has been brought up in it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When a person is looking for a job those with good upbringing will possess a strong set of soft skills that helps them to get selected for good jobs. Remember any thing that can be bought with money is a commodity. Sending a kid to the most expensive school is not enough.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The attitude of &#8216;Charity&#8217; in the mind of a person starts from his home. Similarly, a person&#8217;s behavior and development of his soft skills starts from his home right from his childhood. How good or how bad a person&#8217;s soft skills are? mostly depends upon how well he has been brought up by his family members and the society to which he belongs.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Parents ignore the fact that it is their fundamental duty to instill a strong set of soft skills in their children right from their childhood by educating them about the acceptable attitudes and behaviors to be followed in the society. Thus, parents have to realize that proper upbringing helps in building the right foundation for their children in developing good soft skills.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">So, good family upbringing plays a major role in helping the development of good soft skills and teaching to act appropriately in the society. Probably, the strongest influence in a person’s life and on his soft skills is the family he grew up in. The birth order, the personality of parents, treatment from siblings, the socioeconomic status of family, and education will shape the soft skills of a person.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If the person had no good relations in between and among the siblings of his family, he automatically carries the same to outside the home, may be to educational places and work places etc., which leads to poor soft skills. On the other hand, when a person has good communication and good relations in and among the family members or the siblings, then he tend to practice good communication skills, a positive attitude, and good negotiation skills etc., which are a part of soft skills.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In some families, parents never cared for their children and they grew up not knowing much about the outside world. As a result, the kids do not even know how to behave in the society and lack in their soft skills. On the other hand, when the parents care about their children and teach them how to behave in the society, how to talk with the people, how to understand the people, and how to tackle the hard situations etc., it has a positive impact on the kids. The children will develop a positive attitude, a tendency of facing challenges and builds empathy, which slowly develops a set of good soft skills for the child as he grew up in his life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">It has been also said that, confident and skillful parents adopting a &#8216;tough love&#8217; approach to parenting in the upbringing of a child by balancing the affection and discipline seems to be most effective in terms of generating the characteristics such as purpose, self-regulation and empathy, which are considered to be good soft skills for a person. Parents cannot ignore their responsibility of giving a good upbringing to their kids. So, every parent must not forget that it is their duty to bring up their children not only giving good education but also good kind of attitude and culture.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When a child has a good family upbringing along with a good school education, that child is likely to do very well in life. Children who have been molded well by their parents &amp; teachers, whose rational mind has been strengthened and good character has been build, can look forward to a bright career and contribute significantly to their employers success. Such individuals are valued greatly by employers.</p>
<p><span id="more-93"></span><br />
<strong>Related Links:</strong><br />
<a href="http://www.adventuresofscubajack.com">Educational dvds for kids</a></p>
<p><strong>You may also like to read:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/role-of-soft-skills-in-a-persons-career/">Role Of Soft Skills In A Person’s Career</a></p>
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		<title>Indian Salaries Have More Buying Power Than Foreign Salaries</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/indian-salaries-have-more-buying-power-than-foreign-salaries/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/indian-salaries-have-more-buying-power-than-foreign-salaries/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:16:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/?p=137</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Disappointed your salary looks low compared to H1 visa holders or people working in foreign countries? Next time when you get salary, don’t compare with the person getting more in US doing the same job and get disappointed. Instead multiply your salary by three times as it costs more than 40 percent more to buy [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Disappointed your salary looks low compared to H1 visa holders or people working in foreign countries? Next time when you get salary, don’t compare with the person getting more in US doing the same job and get disappointed. Instead multiply your salary by three times as it costs more than 40 percent more to buy a basket of the same goods in the US than in India.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">With offshoring creating many job opportunities in India, many people are getting into MNC’s operating from foreign countries, particularly from US. Once they get into a company, they will be happy with their payouts for few months. But later, they start comparing their salaries with their counterparts in US and get disheartened. But what they forget is that the purchasing power of the money in India is three times more than that in US. Let us consider the cost of living in India and US to understand better.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Food</strong><br />
Food is cheap in India. Let us look at the prices of the basic groceries in India and US. A standard loaf of bread costs between Rs.16 to Rs.20 in India where as the same costs more than Rs.50 in US. One dozen eggs cost around Rs.33 in India, where as the same costs around Rs.60 in US. 250 grams of tea powder costs around Rs.70 in India, where as the same costs around Rs.190 in US.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Maid</strong><br />
You can probably get a maid for Rs.1,000 per month to clean dishes, wash clothes and even clean the floor daily. Where as for the same amount in US, you can hardly get a maid to work for 2 hours.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Transportation</strong><br />
Autos in India are very cheap and they will cost you nearly Rs.12 for first 1.5 km and then Rs.7 per km. Even if you book a private cab you will be charged Rs.30 as minimum for first two Kms and Rs.15 for every subsequent Km. Where as in New York City minimum taxi fare is Rs.225.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Apartment rent</strong><br />
A 2 bedroom flat in a nice locality costs around Rs.7000 in India where as the same costs around Rs.54,000 in US. However both the flats will not be the same. Flat in US includes central AC, fridge, gas burners, and some furniture etc. Flats are not available without these facilities in US.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other utilities</strong><br />
In India, the government subsidizes gas prices. So, they are very cheap. You can get a gas cylinder for Rs.315 in India but the same amount of gas in US costs around Rs.2250. For high quality cable pictures, you can install set top box, which would provide a reasonable amount of channels at a maximum of Rs.400 per month. But, 70 channels through cable TV in US costs around Rs.2250. The yearly subscription price for the newspaper, Wall Street Journal costs around Rs.5355 and its equivalent in India, The Economic Times costs around Rs.1260.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Other expenses</strong><br />
Haircut in US costs around Rs.350, but the same thing in India costs around Rs.50 only. Healthcare is very cheap in India. You can consult a private doctor for Rs.150 in India. Consulting fee of a doctor in US will be somewhere around Rs.6750.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Somebody in US may be making money, but they are surely not saving because the prices are very high and the value of services you get in US is very less. This is because of the ‘Purchasing Power Parity’.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Purchasing power parity</strong><br />
PPP is an economic theory that measures the amount of adjustment needed on the exchange rate between different countries in order for the exchange to be equivalent to purchasing power of each currency. Simply, PPP is the amount required to buy a certain basket of goods that can be bought in the given country with the money it generates.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Due to PPP, some of the basic and important needs of a person such as food, shelter, clothing, transportation and entertainment are cheap in India. The purchasing power of Indian rupee is more compared to the US dollar. This is also the reason so many people who have gone abroad are returning back to India even at lower pay.</p>
<p><strong>You may also like to read:</strong><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/11/shopping-addiction/">Shopping Addiction</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/09/delayed-gratification/">Delayed  Gratification</a></p>
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		<title>Medical awareness is essential component of being educated</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2009/11/medical-awareness-is-essential-component-of-being-educated/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2009/11/medical-awareness-is-essential-component-of-being-educated/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:15:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Living]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/?p=64</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[People generally get emotional for various minor or major illnesses. People try to put patient in panic about the disease a person is suffering from. People with lower socio education are involved in this. The main reason for poverty in India is health problems. As poor people and middle class people lack medical awareness, they [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">People generally get emotional for various minor or major illnesses. People try to put patient in panic about the disease a person is suffering from. People with lower socio education are involved in this. The main reason for poverty in India is health problems. As poor people and middle class people lack medical awareness, they get exploited when they are caught by health problems. A person need to be socially educated in order to have knowledge on different types of diseases and for which diseases a doctor must be consulted.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Health conditions that can be treated at home:</strong><br />
All diseases are not dreadful. Few diseases can be cured at home with few changes in diet and taking rest. Preventive measures and medicine can be prepared at home itself. Some health problems that can be treated at home without going to hospital are Headaches, Poor digestion cause stomachache, Common cold, viral fever, small cuts, injuries etc. People try to contact the doctor even for these minor problems and pay huge amount of fees. These ailments get cured by themselves, but it takes some time. It seems to be ridiculous for an educated person even after knowing these facts tries to consult doctor for minor diseases.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diseases that need doctor&#8217;s prescription:</strong><br />
Some diseases can be treated after the prescription given by the doctor. People should follow the strict instructions given by doctors. If these diseases are not identified at initial stages, then there is possibility that a person can die. Some diseases that can be treated after going to hospital once for prescription are Measles, Small pox, Jaundice, Hepatitis, Malaria, Sinus congestion, Piles, and Disc prolapse.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diseases that require doctor&#8217;s supervision for long time:</strong><br />
Some diseases are caused through hereditary and they trouble the patient forever. There are some diseases, which need to be always supervised periodically by the doctor, and proper medication should be taken for whole life. If the patient discontinues the medication at any point of time, then it may lead to death. Some diseases that take more time to get cured are Diabetes, Hyper tension, Migraine, Allergic asthma, AIDS, cancer, Arthritis of different kinds and paralysis.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Diseases that require Hospitalization immediately:</strong><br />
There are some situations or diseases, which require hospitalization immediately when recognized. If not hospitalized in time, it may lead to death of person. Some diseases for which hospitalization is required are accidents caused due to collision of vehicles, when drowned in water, when met with fire accident, heart attack, Swine flu, dengue fever, and Tuberculosis.</p>
<p><strong>You may also like to read:</strong><br />
<a href="../2009/12/why-good-doctors-are-forced-to-give-bad-advise/">Why  Good Doctors Are Forced To Give Bad Advise?</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2010/02/permanent-cure-for-acidity/">H. Pylori Bacteria Causes Acidity In Stomach</a><br />
<a href="http://living-smartly.com/2009/11/lack-of-health-awareness-creates-problems-to-patients-and-doctors/">Lack of Health Awareness Creates Problems to Patients and Doctors</a></p>
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		<title>List of Virtues to Achieve Moral Perfection by Benjamin Franklin</title>
		<link>http://living-smartly.com/2010/07/moral-perfection-virtues-benjamin-franklin/</link>
		<comments>http://living-smartly.com/2010/07/moral-perfection-virtues-benjamin-franklin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:52:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Virutes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Benjamin Franklin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moral perfection]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://living-smartly.com/?p=274</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Benjamin Franklin was one of the most influential &#8216;Founding Fathers of the United States&#8217;. He was a noted polymath, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, soldier, diplomat, a leading author and printer. Franklin defined the roots of American values and character which include hard work, education and community spirit. He published a popular [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;">Benjamin Franklin was one of the most influential &#8216;Founding Fathers of the United States&#8217;. He was a noted polymath, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, soldier, diplomat, a leading author and printer. Franklin defined the roots of American values and character which include hard work, education and community spirit.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">He published a popular yearly almanack called Poor Richard&#8217;s Almanack and took a fictitious name, &#8220;Poor Richard&#8221; or &#8220;Richard Saunders&#8221;. It was very popular for its extensive use of wordplay, with many examples derived from the work surviving in the contemporary American language.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Benjamin Franklin formulated a set of virtues he sought to attain in his own life, without the aid of any church or minister. Through this list of virtues, he sought to achieve &#8220;moral perfection&#8221;. Here it is, as he presents it in the autobiography.</p>
<ol style="text-align: justify;">
<li><strong>TEMPERANCE</strong><br />
Eat not to Dullness<br />
Drink not to Elevation</li>
<li><strong>SILENCE</strong><br />
Speak not but what way benefit others or your self. Avoid trifling conversation.</li>
<li><strong>ORDER</strong><br />
Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time.</li>
<li><strong>RESOLUTION</strong><br />
Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.</li>
<li><strong>FRUGALITY</strong><br />
Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.</li>
<li><strong>INDUSTRY</strong><br />
Lose no Time – Be always employed in something useful. &#8211; cut off all unnecessary Actions.</li>
<li><strong>SINCERITY</strong><br />
Use no hurtful Deceit.<br />
Think innocently and justly;and, if you speak; speak accordingly.</li>
<li><strong>JUSTICE</strong><br />
Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty.</li>
<li><strong>MODERATION</strong><br />
Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve.</li>
<li><strong>CLEANLINESS</strong><br />
Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Clothes or Habitation.</li>
<li><strong>TRANQUILITY</strong><br />
Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable</li>
<li><strong>CHASTITY</strong><br />
Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dullness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another&#8217; s Peace or Reputation.</li>
<li><strong>HUMILITY</strong><br />
Imitate Jesus and Socrates.</li>
</ol>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The list is an interesting for what it leaves out as for what it includes. His virtues would all pass the test of usefulness that he had assigned as the reason for their being commanded, presumably by God. And it will be seen that his own conception of usefulness included being useful to others. All his surviving papers testify to his lifelong wish to be useful to his friends, to his countrymen, and to mankind in general. Franklin devoted most of his life to public service. But his list of virtues is focused on habits of behavior that would be useful to him personally and would not usually be considered essential ingredients of moral rectitude like temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, moderation, cleanliness, and tranquility would make for a happy life but neglect of them would not usually be regarded as morally evil except as it might indirectly affect other people. The remaining four – sincerity, justice, chastity and humility – would affect his relations with others. These four are framed not as a positive duty to others but rather as ways of not doing them any harm.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">What is totally missing from the list is charity, love of one&#8217;s fellow man. And charity, it will become evident, was actually the guiding principle of Franklin&#8217;s life. It is tempting to conclude that he left it out because it was a virtue that Christians so often failed to exhibit while professing to hold it above all others. By exhibiting it conspicuously in his own life while making no pretension to it, he was perhaps affirming to himself the superiority of a “moral perfection” that had nothing to do with Christianity.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Franklin placed temperance at the top of his list, and Poor Richard enjoins it again and again in different guises: Eat to live, and not live to eat; To lengthen thy Life, lessen thy Meals; Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water; He that drinks fast, pays slow; Nothing more like a Foll, than a drunken Man. All these were in the first almanac in 1733, and in subsequent years he found a hundred different ways to say the same thing. The most frequent admonitions, for which Poor Richard became famous, were those to industry and frugality. There were so many of them that in his last almanac, for 1758, he collected them in a speech he attributed to one Father Abraham. It was immediately reprinted separately and continued to be, usually under the title “The Way to Wealth”. There were over a hundred editions in more than a dozen languages over the next fifty years.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Because of the popularity of this tract and the title given to it by publishers (not by Franklin), his name has been associated ever since its publication with industry and frugality, as though these were the guiding principles of his life, with wealth as his objective. Franklin certainly did value industry and frugality, along with the other virtues on his list, and they did bring him wealth, enough so that he could retire as the age of forty-two, when he placed the running of his business in the hands of his partner David Hall. He was still a young man, and if wealth had been his objective he could probably have had it in as large a measure as anyone in America. But Franklin had never thought of <strong>industry and frugality as the way to wealth but as a way to contentment</strong>, and Poor Richard warned that “Contentment and Riches seldom meet together.” Franklin was struck by “the general Foible of Mankind, in the Pursuit of Wealth to no end.” Poor Richard phrased the thought for him: “If your riches are yours, why don&#8217;t you take them with you to the other World,” for “<strong>the use of Money is all the Advantage there is in having Money</strong>.” And in a letter to a friend, Franklin gave his view that “what we have above what we can use, is not properly ours, we possess it.”</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Source:</strong> Benjamin Franklin by Edmond.S.Morgan</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Notes:</strong><br />
1. The list is the most lasting list of virtues compiled by him. He has modified his previous lists based on experience and new thoughts.</p>
<p><strong><em><a href="http://hyderabad-india-online.com/2010/06/moral-perfection-virtues-benjamin-franklin/">Reproduced</a> with permission from <a href="http://hyderabad-india-online.com/">HIOC</a></em></strong></p>
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