70 Reasons to Stop Complaining about Rising Inflation (Plus 1 More)

# POST 0053

Emergency Post: 70 Reasons to Stop Complaining about Rising Inflation (Plus 1 More)

Credit to Original Poster : Vishal Khandelwal (safalniveshak.com)

I know…I know how much you cursed the government last night for raising petrol prices by Rs 7.5 per litre!

I know how much you’ve started loving all those ‘revolutionaries’ who are calling for a nationwide protest against these hikes!

It’s funny to see all those queues outside petrol pumps with people waiting to get their vehicles pumped up with as much fuel as possible…as if that is the only fuel they will need for the next several years. (They must’ve burnt more fuel waiting to get their tanks filled up!)

(By the way, the reason for this ‘emergency’ post is that if I had not written this today, many of my readers would’ve unnecessarily burnt their blood for an additional 24 hours before they read this) 

“These politicians are thieves! They’ve ruined my life!” exclaimed a friend who just returned from a long foreign holiday.

“How will a common man survive when prices of petrol and everything else are rising so fast?” he asked me as if knew the answer to his question.

“Don’t revolt. Rebel!” I told my friend in a saintly voice.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

“Revolution is when you give away control to the revolutionaries (like the protestors) who portray themselves as fighting for your cause. Instead, they are fighting for their own cause…to get more powerful!”

“But…” he interrupted.

“Wait, I’m not done as yet!” I said, “On the other hand, when you rebel, you try to take things under your control. Instead of revolting against others, you become a rebel by trying to change yourself.”

“Now did you get me?” I asked.

“No!”

“Good! Let me explain it the other way. Don’t expect medicines to cure your sickness. Instead, avoid sickness by remaining healthy!”

“What the …!” he said, visibly disturbed. “Why can’t you make it simpler?”

“Okay. I was trying to tell you things that could’ve served as lessons for a lifetime. But since you insist, let me get down to the specifics.”

“Now that’s good!” he said.

“See, what I’m trying to say is that instead of blaming the government for raising prices of petrol and worrying how it would hurt you, why don’t you worry about things that are under your control?” I asked.

“And what are those things that I can control?”

“Simple…cut your living costs as much as you can. When you save money in other places, even a fuel cost hike won’t pinch you much!”

“Wow! And how do I cut costs and save more money than I’m already doing?”

“Well, here are the ways…”

70 simple ways to save money

A. Food

1. The best thirst quencher is water, not juice or cola (plus there are great health benefits).
2. Cut back on the convenience foods (learn some cooking instead to help your wife).
3. Instead of going out to eat at work, take your own lunch.
4. Eat a good breakfast before leaving for office (it decreases your desire to buy and eat a big lunch in the middle of the day).
5. Pack food before you go on a road trip.
6. Avoid that expensive (and fatty) dessert at the restaurant. Go for a walk and have an ice-cream instead.

B. Clothing

1. Instead of throwing out some damaged clothing, repair it instead.
2. Go through your old clothes…and find ones that you can still use.

C. Shelter

1. Look for a cheaper place to live.
2. Avoid an interior designer…learn to design your own home (you’ll love it!).
3. Paint your home.

D. Fuel

1. Use your car less. Use public transport…or simply walk whenever you can.
2. Go for reliability and fuel efficiency when buying a car (if you are bent on buying one).
3. Air up your tires (it helps in improving mileage).
4. Carpool to work (saves fuel plus helps a lot in networking).
5. Don’t speed (it helps save fuel, plus you don’t have to pay the traffic fines).
6. Unless you drive a Ferrari, don’t buy premium fuel.

E. Communication

1. Go through your mobile phone bill, look for services you don’t use, and ditch them.
2. Talk less on your landline or mobile. Instead use emails, letters, and free online services (like Skype).
3. Cut unnecessary Internet costs – avoid using 3G.

F. Entertainment

1. Invite friends over instead of going out.
2. Swap books, music, and DVDs with friends instead of buying new.
3. Hit the library – hard.
4. Read more. Reading is one of the cheapest – and most beneficial – hobbies around.
5. Cut down on your vacation spending. Instead of going on long foreign trips, pack up the car and explore beautiful India.
6. Travel during off season.
7. Book tickets and hotels early to get early-bird discounts.
8. Watch morning shows at theatres (better wait for CDs/DVDs).
9. Keep distance from lavish, high-flying friends (this is most important!)

G. Shopping (Now this is the biggest list!)

1. Sign up for every free customer rewards program you can (but still try to avoid shopping!).
2. Write a list before you go shopping for groceries (avoid ‘I-may-need-this’ syndrome).
3. Do holiday shopping right after the holidays.
4. Avoid designer labels (if you are not a celebrity).
5. Avoid extended warranties (if your new TV won’t last three years, perhaps it’s not worth buying in the first place!).
6. Shop online…you can get some great deals.
7. Have a snack and drink a large glass of water before going shopping.
8. Ask for discounts on products and services (just ask…you may be surprised!).
9. Before making a large purchase, calculate how many hours of work it takes for you to make that much money.
10. The highest-markup items at the grocery story are on the shelves at about chest level. Reach up or kneel down to select the cheaper brands.
11. Beware of ‘discount store syndrome’. Just because you’re in a discount store doesn’t mean you’re getting the best price on every item. So stay aware.
12. Be alert of overly-helping salespeople. They usually don’t have your financial interests in mind.
13. Have the courage to say “No!” to your wife (at least sometimes  )

H. Kids

1. Don’t spend big money entertaining your children. Spend some quality time with them instead. They’ll love this more.
2. Learn to say no! Let them know that money is earned via hard work and doesn’t fall freely from the ATM.

I. Utilities

1. Turn off the television. Seek an evening hobby instead.
2. Remove all unwanted television channels.
3. Use less of your washing machine and air-conditioners.
4. Be diligent about turning off lights and fans before you leave.
5. Install CFL (or, even better, LED) bulbs wherever it makes sense.
6. Pay your bills on time to avoid late penalties.

J. Miscellaneous

1. Make your own gifts instead of buying stuff during birthdays and festivals.
2. Instead of giving a gift, write a heartfelt letter to someone.
3. Clean out your closet and sell useless stuff online.
4. Give up expensive habits, like cigarettes and alcohol.
5. Keep your hands clean to avoid unnecessary medical bills.
6. Give a gift of a service instead of an item.
7. Get rid of unread magazines, newspapers, and online subscriptions.
8. If something’s broken, give a fair shot at repairing it yourself before replacing it or calling a repairman.
9. Exercise at home or in open air instead of paying for the gym. Develop a ‘prison workout’ system.
10. Avoid trying to keep up with the Joneses. It’s a costly illness. Chances are they’re in more debt than you are.

K. Money

1. Switch to a lower interest home loan.
2. Switch to term life insurance.
3. Buy low cost mutual funds.
4. Don’t trade…invest. Avoid excessive brokerage.
5. Clear your credit card debt in time (better still, destroy all your credit cards).
6. Shop around for cheapest medical insurance.

4 more ways to save (and earn) money

1. Live like your parents lived. If you don’t know how, just ask them.
2. Make a budget (first allocate money for savings, then spend with the rest).
3. Master the thirty day rule. Whenever you’re considering making an unnecessary purchase, wait thirty days and then ask yourself if you still want that item. Quite often, you’ll find that the urge to buy has passed and you’ll have saved yourself some money by simply waiting.
4. Use your talent to earn extra cash…like teaching guitar or writing skills to kids on weekends (you are more talented than you know!)

Finally…
Even if you can make just 10 money-saving choices from the above list, you’ll do wonders for your financial life over the long term.

Here’s a simple math. If you can just save Rs 50 per day, or Rs 1,500 per month…and invest the same consistently, you will have Rs 49 lac in your kitty by the end of 25 years (assuming 15% average annual returns during this period). Sounds good?

Some final thoughts…whenever the struggle against rising inflation feels like it’s too much, know that there are millions of underprivileged souls out there fighting for the sake of their survival (forget petrol, all they want is a petty meal a day). Look for ways to help them!

As Warren Buffett once said, “If you’re in the luckiest 1 per cent of humanity that has money, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent.”

So stop revolting…start the rebellion. You’ll love it!

Anyways, can you think of some other money-saving tips not covered above and that can be of help to others? Let us know in the Comments section below.

Keep the Spark Alive - by Chetan Bhagat !!

KEEP THE SPARK ALIVE

 -  by CHETAN BHAGAT - at Symbiosis Pune 

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party several months in advance, just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. 

Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. 

 - The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. 

 - The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. 

But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. 

Just getting better from current level s feels good. 

If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. 

No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity.

 If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worke d up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. 

Some IITians kill themselves over low grades how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it's life.If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment' s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. 

After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me fi ve years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved - Movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly. 

"Seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result" at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan  - I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it  not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You.

Work Life Balance !!

#POST 0041

Are you a person who says, “I will do whatever it takes to be successful at work”? If so, I would encourage you to continue reading.

A stereotypical day of a working professional would be along the lines of- a painstaking commute to work in the ‘always backlogged’ roads, a team meeting or two, constantly checking emails, working on project tasks for the day, taking a few breaks, making a few phone calls and the same grueling commute back home at an insane hour of the night. After this, all you are left with is – stress, anger, frustration, fatigue and the most important of all, a big paycheck.

What has been written above has become the norm and the worst part is, you have learnt to live with it!!!. In such cases, the term ‘work-life balance’ barely makes sense, because of being unfairly flexible at work and inflexible with others.

Family, Friends and Work are the three most important things that we claim to care about. From a mathematical outlook, these three form the sides of a triangle. To reach the pinnacle in whatever you are set out to achieve, balancing the three sides is very important.

If this is your 24 hours: Work & Commute = 14 hours, Sleep = 8 hours, Getting ready to work = 2 hours, your work is consuming your life!!!.  The family and friends sides of the triangle are no longer in the picture and your career is a simple, predictable, no-fun straight line. !!!! . There is a famous saying, “What goes around, comes around”. If you don’t have time for your family and friends today, the same will come back to you sooner or later where they will have no time for you and that could be devastating.

I’ve observed and learnt how crucial this work-life balance could be and its impact on normalcy in one’s life, during my career in Mumbai.  From the daily-waged workers to professionals, people in the United States have set a great example to the rest of the world on mastering the work-life balance and how flexible they can be. These are my simple observations, learning’s and recommendations.

• When your boss asks – How flexible are you? – Be honest and set the right expectations. If you or a family member has commitments that would prevent you to work beyond a certain hour or over the weekends, tell him so.
• Hard workers and smart workers are in mixed proportions in any project/company. Be the smart worker who can execute and deliver his tasks within a normal 8 working hours for which you are paid for.
• Long hours at work are required when you accept a task that does not belong to you or is not your area of expertise. Analyze your core strengths and weaknesses and accept work based on that.
• Effectively estimate your tasks. The benefit is twofold – your schedule for the week or month becomes predictable to you/your family/your friends and your project manager.
• Communicate – Be it a visit to the doctor, a friend’s wedding, a birthday, your kids parent-teacher meeting, an anniversary or just a casual night in the town – Plan it accordingly, inform your reporting manager that you will not be available during the planned date and time.
• A project deadline that will prevent you from attending to your family can very well be taken care of by another resource within the company. But, no one can take your place in the family.
• Unless you have signed-up for a 24hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year job, do not entertain work related calls beyond a certain hour of the day and switch off your mobile phones over the weekends and holidays.
• Minimize socializing with co-workers. After a tiring day at work, if you have a cup of coffee with a co-worker and discuss the mutually interesting topic – work!!!  , the impact of stress just doubled.
• Listen to good music, talk to your friends and family (using your personal time) and give them a sense of belonging that you are there for them. What will reciprocate is simply beautiful and loving.
• Leave work at work. Do not discuss or bring work to your home or when you are on a flight/train to your vacation destination. Shelve your laptop, BlackBerry and get off the communication radar. Now you will have all the time on earth to spend with your family during the vacation or the evening.
• Break the norm – If you have set an example to your employer that you are available 24×7, it is never too late to break the barrier, set new expectations and regain control of your life. Go for it!!

Wishing you a well deserved, balanced work and life!!. Cheers.

3 Idiots- Life’s Learning

3 Idiots- Life’s Learning

When was it last time that anyone tried to come out with a list of useful lessons from a Hindi movie? I certainly cannot remember and it not surprising considering the cheap entertainment formula Hindi films follows.

But Aamir Khan is different and his movies are worth waiting for. I certainly do so and try to watch his movies on the first day. His choice of subject and production team has been impeccable in the last decade or so.

3 idiots turned out to be better than all my expectations and I cannot stop myself praising it. Here is an article which has very beautifully listed all the lessons that one can take from this great movie. Here is the list with my comments. Think over each point and you will not regret reading it.

1. Never try to be successful, pursue excellence• Success is the bye product & the result

• Excellence always creates Success & it is a process of continual improvement
• Never run after success
• Let it happen automatically in life

How true! It is well said that common sense is not that common otherwise why do we keep pursuing success knowing fully well that there are no shortcuts to success.

2. Freedom to Life - Life is beautiful• Don’t die before the actual death
• Live every moment to the fullest as if today is the last day
• Life is gifted to humankind to live
• Live & Live happily towards happiness

This is so difficult to imbibe but I am sure that those who do so are happier.

3. Passion leads to Excellence

• When your hobby becomes your profession , the passion becomes your profession
• You will be able to lead up to excellence in life
• Satisfaction, Joy, Pleasure & love will be the outcome of the passion
• Following your passion for years , you will surely become somebody one day

4. Learning is very simple-Never stop• Be humble
• Teachers do fail Learners never fail
• Learning is never complicate or difficult Learning is always possible whatever rule you apply
This is not much different from what another favourite of mine Sachin Tendulkar has quoted very often. He believes in “whatever level you reach getting better never stops”.

5. Pressure at head
• Current education system is developing pressure on students head
• University intelligence is useful & making some impact in the life but it cannot be at the cost of life

6. Life is management of emotions & not optimization of intelligence• Memory and regular study have definite value and it always helps you in leading a life.
• You are able to survive even if you can make some mark in the path of the life.
• With artificial intelligence, you can survive & win but you cannot prove yourself genius.
• Therefore, in this process genius dies in you

7. Necessity is mother of invention

• Necessity creates pressure and forces you to invent something or to make it happen or to use your potential
• Aamir Khan in this film, 3 idiots, is able to prove in the film by using vacuum pump at the last moment.

8. Simplicity in life• Life is need base never want base. Desires have no ends.• Simplicity is way of life and Indian culture highly stresses on simple living and high thinking, and this is the way of life: ‘Legs down to earth and eyes looking beyond the sky’ Money, material comfort and happiness are not related. The richest man is not the happiest man for sure and all the so called middle class also get a fair share of happy moments in their life.

9. Industrial Leadership• Dean of the institute in 3 idiots is showing very typical leadership. He has his own principles values and ideology and he leads the whole institute accordingly.
• This is an example of current institutional leadership. In the present scenario, most of the institutes are fixed in a block or Squarish thinking

10. Love is time & space free• Trust your partner
• Love is not time bound and space bound
• It is very well demonstrated in this movie same love was demonstrated by Krishna and Meera.
• Love is border free, time free, unconditional and space free.

11. Importance of words in communication• If communication dies, everything dies.
• Each word has impact and value in communication.
• One word if used wrongly or emphasized wrongly or paused at a wrong place in communication what effect it creates and how is it affected is demonstrated very well in this movie.
This is so true and this why people with the best of communication skills are at the helm everywhere.

12. Mediocrity is penalized• Middle class family or average talent or average institute is going to suffer and has to pay maximum price in the life if they do not upgrade their living standards.
• To be born poor or as an average person is not a crime but to die as an average person with middle class talent is miserable and if you are unable to optimize your potentiality and die with unused potentiality then that is your shameful truth.• One should not die as a mediocre He/she has to bring out genius inside him/her and has to use his/her potentiality to the optimum level

The summary of this big lecture is “Seek excellence & Success will follow”