Change: You Are In Control

Change is something that we all have strong feelings about. Some changes are fun and exciting, while others are terrifying. We look forward to the exciting changes and we dread the terrifying changes. No matter what the change is, we have very significant feelings before, during and after each one.

The difference between a fun change and a scary change is often minor. More specifically, the difference comes down to two things. There are two important factors that determine how we feel about change. These same two factors also determine how these changes go for us.

The two factors that determine how we feel about change are not unlike what determines how we feel about anything else. The two factors are:

Perception and Preparation

Perception determines how you feel about change. It's pretty simple: if you look at something as scary, you will not look forward to doing it and as many of us have experienced, it will likely be scary for you as you go through it. If you perceive something as fun and exciting, you look forward to it and it generally goes well for you.

Preparation is what determines how the change will go for you. You can perceive something as scary, prepare accordingly and actually change the outcome because you are prepared for the situation. Preparation is what we do to get ready for a change. Preparing doesn't guarantee success, but it is difficult to reach it without some preparation.

Change may be what drives major impact in our lives, but if it is perceived as part of the routine, it becomes part of the routine and therefore, it's no big deal.

The big deal in many lives right now is health. We all want to be healthy, but the statistics show that most of us are not. It is not the fault of fast food. It is not the fault of work. It is not the fault of our families. If we are unhealthy, it is because we are doing unhealthy things.

Change is a big part of this. The fact that many are unhealthy is often related to change. It is a change that they are afraid to make that is causing the current situation. Often it can be a minor change that leads to the major results that they are looking for, but there is a problem preventing them from making this change.

The problem involves the perception of the change, the preparation they have made or are willing to make regarding this change, or all of the above. When it comes to living healthy, the perception is often that it will be very difficult or that it will not be successful because of the difficulty. With this mindset, many choose not to prepare simply because they know how difficult it will be. Well, guess what, you just fulfilled your prophecy.

Perception becomes reality. What happens when we prepare for a great vacation, think about how much fun we are going to have and allow ourselves to do just that? Usually, the vacation does turn out great. We relax, let go and enjoy ourselves from start to finish.

What happens when we assume that the work day is going to long and difficult? We continue to see task after task come our way and we continue to struggle with them. The day gets more difficult until it finally ends when we say: "Wow, that was long and difficult day." Just like you thought it was going to be and just like you prepared for it to be.

Preparation is not something that just happens. We do it no matter what, but how we prepare and what we prepare for is what makes the real difference. Preparing for a day that is out of control is easy. All we have to do is say: "OK, day, go crazy and I will just wait for it to happen."

If you are preparing to be unhealthy, I have some good news for you. You don't have to do anything. When you get up in the morning, just eat whatever is in front of you and let your schedule be in control of you as you just float through the day.

Perception and preparation come together. When they do, that is when we have success.
They come together when you are able to perceive something clearly and realistically and prepare accordingly. Notice, I said clear and realistic. I didn't say easy. I didn't say that in order to do successfully make a change, it has to be an easy change. That is not the case. If you can perceive a change for what it really is, you can prepare to take action as you will need to. When you do that, you will be successful.

Health is all about change. Making changes to your daily routine will bring you results that pay off for life. In order to make these changes, you have to perceive them as something you can actually do. If you look at a change as an impossible dream, you will never realize it.

Setting goals becomes the best way to make perception work for you. Set a goal that you can actually reach. Reach it and set another one. Keep doing this and you will be changing. As you change, remember how well you are doing compared to your perception.

Change does not have to be scary. Change is good as long as you are ready for it. Perception and preparation are the keys to making change work for you. If you can perceive it as possible, you can get started. If you can prepare for successful completion, you can take the steps you need to take.
You are in control of the changes you can or cannot make. You decide whether you can change or not.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6968686

kumaran nadaraja

Why we need Life Insurance & Medical Card

Always comes into our mind...Do I really need a life insurance or medical card? Is that so important for me? It's okay, my company covers for me, and also medical card, then what for I need an additional one?

All this is a common question that use to rings in our head. I, personally don't blame if you too have this same questions in your mind. Who I'm gonna blame then. On my perception, my own perception, its the Insurance Agent's fault. Why I need to blame them instead? Because, few of them never educate their clients on the importance of Life Insurance...they never give proper advise to their clients...the plan they proposed to clients doesn't meet the clients' needs and purpose....no proper service after sales...they just tend to forget about their existing clients, no proper service and move to another client just to make more money and income. And due to these few Agents, clients' feel insecure, never taken care of, resulted to never believe in Insurance. Certainly, its not Insurance Company's fault, but the Agents itself.

But, there is successful Insurance Agents that fulfill the client's needs, deliver the proper message and service whenever the clients need it and that is why they are successful. They take care of their clients very well. Take care here means, the Agents is always reachable whenever been contacted by the clients.

Now, back to our previous questions above. Before you answer that questions, please answer yourself to this question. Do I really need a car insurance? I believe, everybody will say YES...the reason is to protect us against a loss or accident which may result in serious damage to our car or injury to another person. When we purchase a car insurance, we are in fact protecting our investment, which, at today's prices, is probably the second most valuable asset after our home.

And, how about OUR LIFE...YOUR VERY OWN LIFE...who gonna protect yourself with enough protection rather than you yourself? Who gonna pay for our medical bill when we are in need? Who gonna take care our family when we are no more around?

And that's the reason I say, we really really need Life Insurance and Medical Card. Just to make sure, we don't give trouble to our family members or others when we are hospitalised or after our death.

Let's say, we have Life Insurance and Medical Card, do we need to worried too much on the cost when we are hospitalised, whereby at the same time, mentally and physically we are weak too due to our sickness or injury? Do we need to worried much of our family if we no longer live in this world? I believe, the answer will be 'NO', because your Life Insurance can reduce the burden in term of financial part. Thats the main reason.

Anyway, don’t blindly accept that you need to buy a policy. Instead, consider these 10 reasons why we need life insurance. 

1. To replace lost income for your family - The most obvious reason why we need life insurance is to provide money to replace our income if we die so that our families can maintain their standard of living. Even in two-income families, the loss of one income can be overwhelming without adequate life insurance.
2. To cover burial and funeral expenses - Even if you don’t have family to provide for, you still need life insurance to pay for your burial and funeral so that you don’t financially burden adult children, siblings, or others with those costs.
3. To pay medical expenses associated with your death - Unfortunately, many deaths are prolonged and a mountain of medical bills can accumulate. 
4. To pay off a mortgage or other debts - Medical bills aren’t the only debt you need to worry about. A life insurance death benefit can allow your surviving family to eliminate monthly house payments, car payments, credit card bills, or other debt obligations.
5. To provide money for settling your estate - If there is an estate to be settled, death benefits are paid immediately upon death, so money will be available to pay costs related to the estate (e.g., taxes) while it’s being settled.
6. To leave an inheritance - A life insurance policy is a great way to leave money behind for your family or for a charitable cause.  Unlike capital gains, death benefits are not usually taxable.
7. To provide for future needs of children - A life insurance policy can supply money for children to go to college. Or, in the case of special needs children, it can provide for ongoing care and living expenses.
8. To provide a source for emergency cash - Many insurance policies allow for cash accumulation, from which you can borrow. Although this borrowing will reduce your death benefit, you may want to have the option if a personal financial crisis arises.
9. To maximize your pension - When you retire you will likely be given an option to receive a higher pension in exchange for allowing the pension to stop when you die. With a life insurance plan, you can eliminate the need for an after-death pension, freeing you to select the higher-pension option.
10. To allow for business continuity - If you own or co-own a business, then life insurance that benefits the company is a way to protect the company’s future in case you die. The same issues that apply to families apply to businesses—if a vital income creator dies, there needs to be money to make up for the loss.   

As there are many reasons why we need life insurance, buying life insurance is a purchase no one should put off. But don’t rush it, either. Buying life insurance off a website or by going directly to a major carrier is a fast way to buy insurance, but it’s not the wisest.

Be smart with your money. Consult an independent Life Insurance Agent who understands all the reasons why we need life insurance and has the market experience to find the best deal to meet your specific needs.

kumaran nadaraja

Don't kill your talent...Take a chance on your inexperienced people

Just  a few days ago, I read an article in The Star, dated 27 March 2012 which was written by Mr Roshan Thiran, a firm believer that talent is developed and not genetic, and has made it his mission to build leaders in Malaysia through his social enterprise, Leaderonomics. Thanks to him for this beautiful article.

This article really attract me and soon I believe, everybody in this world born with a talent, doesn't matter whatever talent it is, it might be administrative works, craft works, management, business or anything, but we never realise it until we ourself started to believe in it. For me, it's a long term process to really believe in our own talent where during that process we learn, we feel the pain, we struggle, experience and finally dare to take the risk (scary word for certain people, but thats the fact) to finally bring forward our talent which ultimately will bring us the success.

I really hope, this article written by Mr Roshan Thiran will be beneficial for all and do enjoy reading it. Its a very long article but I believe, in the end of it, you'll get the beautiful and meaningful message.

  

"SOON after India obtained independence, Prime Minister Jawahar Nehru chaired a meeting to discuss appointing a chief general for the Indian Army. As key leaders discussed candidates and options, Nehru disappointingly claimed: “I think we should appoint a British officer as the general as we don't have anyone with enough experience to lead.” Everybody nodded their heads in support and they started discussing possible British candidates.

This same conversation Nehru had with his leaders half a century ago is the same conversation taking place in many global organisations today. There are always big vacancies to fill yet no one experienced enough to fill them. And most leaders look outside their organisation and even outside the country for that perfect “experienced” person. Nehru's story though, ends differently.

One of Nehru's officers abruptly interrupted Nehru as he started contemplating which British “expat” to bring in: “I have one point, sir. Can I interrupt?”

Nehru nodded: “Yes, gentleman. Speak.”

The officer responded: “Sir, we don't have enough experience to lead a nation, too, so shouldn't we appoint a British person as the first Prime Minister of India too?”

The meeting hall suddenly went silent. Nehru had an “aha” moment and later decided against appointing an “experienced” general but a high potential local.

Almost every business leader I meet complains to me about the same issue they don't have enough good talented people to take their businesses to the next level. According to McKinsey's “War for Talent” study, the most important corporate resource over the next 20 years will be talent. It's also the resource in shortest supply. In fact, the search for the best and the brightest has become a constant, costly battle, with no end in sight. Talent has become the prime source of competitive advantage.

Yet, most of us unknowingly “kill” our talented people. How are we “killing” our talent? By not allowing our people to fulfil their potential. And we do this by curtailing their experiences.

Real learning

Talent can only be developed through experiences and failure. You cannot send a person to a three-day classroom programme on swimming and expect them to become great swimmers. To learn to swim, you need to practice in the pool. No matter how much you listen, read or watch about swimming, without pool practice, you won't be able to swim. Real learning happens when applied in the workplace. Nehru learnt to become Prime Minister of India through the school of hard knocks and experience. Even if he was sent to a “Prime Minister School” (if that existed!), his learning would still ultimately come from doing the job. But when you block your people from the roles they crave, because of their lack of experience, we thereby ensure they never learn.

I recall going through succession planning reviews with a number of senior business leaders in my capacity as a HR leader. Each year, these business leaders would highlight specific talent they had in their teams. But much to my dismay, every single year, those highlighted were deemed “not ready” to take on bigger roles, claiming they needed a few more years to become “ready.” Four years later, the same excuses rang. The story never changed or ever will. As long as we hoard our best talent and never allow them to grow through new experiences, they will never be ready.

Thomas Edison correctly stated that “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Based on research done by Anders Ericsson, we now know just how much “perspiration” is required to become a genius apparently three years at a job or 10,000 hours. Ericsson's research indicates that if you are at your job for about two to three years (depending on how many hours you put into your work), you will master the role. But once you have mastered it, your learning subsides. And for you to keep growing, you need to learn something new.

The most talented people have figured this out and so if you do not give challenging work to them, they leave. They may claim they leave for money or other reasons, but in reality, if you truly give them challenging work which forces them to learn, they hardly leave. (It may be also because they are so busy being challenged, they have no time to do up their resume!)

However, the less talented employees, who love being in their zone of comfort, will stay on (maybe forever). The job becomes easy making it “wise” to continue in this zone of comfort. The real talents, however, know that if they don't keep getting new experiences and developing themselves, they may never achieve their dream. And so they pack their bags to gain new experiences, if you don't provide them.

Final thoughts

I am not at all advocating that experience has no place in our business. In fact, experience is necessary for big roles where failure should be minimised. However, one cannot attain that experience unless someone gives these people a break. We cannot gain experiences unless given a shot at the big stage.

What I want to emphasise is that this “talent disease” which is plaguing our nation can somewhat be curtailed if we build in talent development as part of our business agenda. So, what are some practical things you can do:

1. Demonstrate your commitment to employees by preferring to develop from within versus hiring from the outside. Give your “inexperienced” people a chance. Sure they may take some time to “learn” the job, but in the long term, it will be better for your business.

2. Keep pushing your people outside their comfort zone. They need experiences. Give them projects outside their silos. And when they fail (which they will!), help them get up and learn from their failures

3. Empower your employees make them partners in their own development. Make sure they understand the importance of hard work, learning and pain.

As my three-year-old son always says: “No pain, no gain.” The same goes for all of us.

We need to go through the pain and struggle of new experiences to keep growing. And business leaders need to go through the pain of pushing their best people out to new roles and to take chances on the less experienced. Someone after all took a chance on you previously. Nehru took a chance on his general. So can you."

 

Article picked from The Star (StarBiz Section), 27 March 2012.

kumaran nadaraja

Ways To Combat Gout

Gout is a painful inflammatory condition that affects millions of people worldwide. A form of arthritis, gout is characterized by sudden flares of joint pain and tenderness. There are treatments that can reduce the severity of gout and reduce painful flares.

The build-up of urate crystals inside a certain joint of the body causes gout to occur. These crystals form when levels of uric acid are high inside the body. Uric acid is broken down in the blood and excreted in the form of urine in the kidneys. Those who produce excessive amounts of uric acid or who fail to excrete adequate amounts of uric acid, may develop the formation of painful urate crystals inside certain joints of the body.

The primary symptoms of gout are joint pain, often in the big toe. Gout can also cause pain in other joints such as knees, ankles, wrists and hands. Most bouts of gout are characterized by sudden, intense attacks that occur with no prior warning. Once the acute phase of gout is over, there may continue to be joint pain that lasts up to several weeks after the original attack. Those who have gout may also experience increased redness and swelling in the affected joint.

The newest treatments for gout include corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone. These medications help control inflammation in the joints which can reduce pain. Corticosteroids are taken by mouth or they can be injected into the body. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAID's are also commonly used to treat gout. These medications come in over-the-counter variations such as ibuprofen or naproxen. NSAID's are also available in prescription strength to treat severe pain.

Those who have many gout flares, may require medication to prevent painful attacks. These medicines work by blocking uric acid production in the body, preventing painful attacks from occurring or reducing their frequency. All medications have side effects that can cause adverse health effects. Corticosteroids can cause patients to be more susceptible to illness and develop thinning bones.

NSAID's often cause stomach pain and can increase the risk of developing stomach ulcers. Drugs that block uric acid can cause low blood counts, rash and impaired liver function.

Certain factors contribute to the development of gout. People who consume excessive amounts of alcohol, often develop gout. Some diseases can also increase the risk of gout, including diabetes, hypertension and narrowing of the arteries. Taking diuretics daily also increase gout flares, as well as daily aspirin use.

Gout occurs most often in men who have a family history of gout attacks. Most men develop symptoms of this condition between 40 and 50 years of age. Women can also suffer from gout, but the condition typically occurs after menopause.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6956215

kumaran nadaraja

 

Better Health Today

What Actually Is Health?

What Does Good Health Mean?

The Old English word for 'health' was simply hale, meaning 'wholeness' or being whole, sound, or well.
A more modern definition created by the World Health Organization says that... "health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

More recently the definition presented by the WHO states that health is not a: "state of complete physical, mental and social well-being: Nor is it "merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

To fully understand Health and the definitions of Health in our present age one must introduce an era embracing new understanding of disease at the molecular, individual, and societal level. Today, most people recognize Health can be divided into two broad aspects: Physical Health and Mental Health.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Physical Health or physical well-being simply means good body health which is healthy because of regular physical activity (exercise), good nutrition, and adequate rest.

Physical Health or physical well-being is something a person can achieve by developing components of a health-related lifestyle. This type of fitness would include: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and body composition.

Other components of physical well-being may include proper nutrition, body weight management, abstaining from drug use, avoiding alcohol abuse, responsible sexual behavior, and getting the proper amount of sleep.

MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health includes a person's cognitive and emotional well-being. A person who does not enjoy good mental health usually has some sort of mental disorder.

Again according to the WHO, mental health is "a state of well-being in which the:
individual realizes his or her own abilities;

• can cope with the normal stresses of life;

• can work productively and fruitfully; and

• Is able to make a contribution to their community."

Unfortunately, measuring mental health has been a very subjective assessment. Often times it has been easier to tell what mental illness is, rather than mental health.

Most of us agree that mental health again refers to the "absence of mental illness." Unfortunately that measurement varies greatly from individual to individual.

In reality mental health includes:

• the ability to enjoy life;

• the ability to bounce back from adversity;

• the ability to achieve balance or moderation;

• the ability to be flexible and adapt;

• the ability to feel safe and secure; and

• the ability to make the best of whatever you have.

Quite naturally each individual must personally learn the attributes of good health. You can go through life learning them the hard way or you can seek out advice or information that helps you develop a course of action. Developing a course of action seems like the BEST WAY.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6954269

kumaran nadaraja

80th Floor...LIFE

There were 2 brothers who lived on the 80th floor of a building. On coming home from office one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not working and that they had to climb the stairs home. After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them the next day.

They left their bags on the 20th floor and climbed on.

When they reached the 40th Floor level, they had gone sufficiently mad and irritated. The younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel. They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarreling all the way to the 60th floor.

They then realized that they had only 20 floors more to climb and decided to stop quarreling and continue climbing in peace. They silently climbed on and reached their home at long last. Each stood calmly before the door and waited for the other to open the door.

And then they realized that the key were in the bags which they had left on the 20th floor.
.
This story is the reflection of our life and times. All of us climb the tall building called life. Some till the entire 80th floor and some less. Many of us climb under the expectations of our companion.

Time to time these is our friends and parents till 20th floor then our spouse or our dear ones till the next level of the building. We seldom get to do the things that we really like and love and under pressure and stress that by the age of 20, we get tired and decide to dump the load. Being free of the stress and pressure, we work enthusiastically and dream about ambitious wishes.

By the time we reach 40 years old, we start to loose our vision and dreams. We begin to feel unsatisfied and start to complain and criticize. We live life as a misery as we are never satisfied.

Reaching 60, we realize that we have little left for complaining anymore and we begin to walk the final episode in peace and calmness. We think there is nothing else to disappoint us, only to realize that we could not rest in peace because we have unfulfilled dream. A dream we abandoned 40 years ago. So what’s your dream?

Know your dreams and follow them so that you do not live with regrets. Help others and thank GOD. Never complains

Accept yourself...Believe in yourself...Love yourself.

kumaran nadaraja

new guy hitting the blog...

Thank GOD...Finally, I managed to own a blog and pen down my feeling, ideas or what so ever to share with you, readers...hahaha...the post will be mainly on insurance, health, finance management, and other related subjects...and not to forget to express my thought too on life...never crossed my mind to write in a blog like this coz I thought its just a waste of time...but today's world has changed me a lot...communication...how could I communicate with others around the world whom I never seen before...whom I never talked to before....how am I gonna share my ideas...my thoughts...share knowledge...or anything which could benefit others...which could help others...other than texting thru phone, emails etc...but now I believe, blogging could do what other method of communication system couldn't do...

So, Readers....

What I'm gonna share here, in my blog is totally on insurance, health, money managing, sometime on sports, etc etc which could benefits you...when someone started to talk about insurance, the perception will be negative to few people...sincerely, I'm not blogging to sell any insurance plans to anyone...I'll never do that...instead, as an insurance agent, my responsibility here is to give better awareness on the importance of insurance and knowledge to my blog readers...while on health subject, I would pick few health topics which written by famous medical practitioners and post it here so that this blog could be a "1 Stop Health Blog" to all of you...reason I do this, to educate my beloved readers and stress on the health related issues.

Dear Readers...

Anything I'm gonna write here in this blog totally to educate everyone...nothing more or nothing less than that...so, just enjoy it and share with anyone you knows...and please do not hesitate to give response or clarify any related issues...

"h@ppy re@ding"

kumaran nadaraja