How to Strategize for Success

In my last post I mentioned the importance for strategising for success. In this post focuses on how to strategize. As mentioned earlier, purpose of strategeizing is two fold. First it helps us to solve a problem and more importantly it helps us to get to the solution in a cheapest manner compared to the resources we use. When strategizing we aim to be effective instead of striving for perfection. We are then ready to compromise with achieving around 80% of the expected full value with the least investment.

Doing this in the long run, helps us have enough free time for fun while achieving more than average success rate in all the spheres where we work.

3 Good Ways to Strategize

1. Decide How much is important
   It is easier to focus on less. Do not commit the mistake of trying 100 percent of the area. Then you would not able to strategize. For these you need to take the following approach.
   First identify which part is absolutely essential to the task and without which essence of the task will be lost. Do not let it be more than 60% of the total task. Make sure that this portion is done perfectly. Then identify the tasks which are not as important as the first part but can give boost to the output with least amount of efforts. Do not let these to be more than 20% of the total task. Concentrate on this 80% of the task and finish it as fast as possible without losing focus.


2. Look For Help
   If you are going to start a task on which you have little knowledge, identifying the important portions mentioned in the point 1 may also be difficult. Also you may know what you need to do but do not know how to do that. For this best is to look for a person who has knowledge on the subject or google it. This will help you to eliminate the mistakes and wastage of time by avoiding the wrong paths. While you do that be aware that it is not guaranteed that the path suggested may be the best path. Think over the solution before you start. It is possible that once you have the insight you may be able to come up with a better solution.


3. Start working on the Work
   Once you cross the first two steps start to work on the work as soon as possible. You determination and energy is at their peak at the beginning and you should use that energy to quickly get over large portion of the task. This will give a boost to your chances of finishing the task. Most of the tasks which we do not ever start working on is due to the delay in starting it. If you eliminate this obstacle then chances of succeeding increases many folds.

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Optimum Path Strategy For Success

One of the key difference which sets the successful people apart from the others is once they decide to achieve a particular challenging goal is that they strategize and maximize their chances of success with minimum efforts. They strategize on how to attack the problem or grab the opportunity and then go for it with all their energy. They choose a optimum path to achieve a goal.

An example could be that if a giant corporation is launching a product they can spend millions of dollars in marketing and launch to ensure success. The resources which the giant corporations have are not available to every individual. Now if an individual wants to launch a product he would need to strategize so that using his limited resources optimally chances of success are improved significantly. By resource I mean money, individuals at disposal, raw material or time. “Resource” here is basically any thing which can be used for productivity.

Another example is, if your exams are coming nearby or you are about to face an interview then you tend to put your full energy into the relevant studies. I have talked to many students and lots of them say that they study the most during the last two days of the exams. What they do is grab the question papers of last few years, mark out the sections from which questions are most likely to be asked and then prepare those sections. Most of them are successful in doing this and get good grades. Though I am not in favor of this approach because for me knowledge more important, but in the current education system this somehow fits nicely. The point I want to make here is that when these students put whole hearted efforts for only a few days the results are good. So they have strategized on how to use their time effectively by intelligent guessing and decreasing the preparation time.

These students do not plan to get 100% marks but use the time in other activities. Therefore they are sacrificing some marks but then their goal is not full marks but to get “Good” enough marks without spending too much time.

Other examples of Using Optimum path strategy

Similarly for success in other fields, for example a small business which you want to start this approach will serve you quite well. This strategy can also be used to test market your ideas before you go full fledged with more money and resources.

Optimizing Test Marketing For Success

Let us say you want to start a business of supplying handicraft articles which are quite beautiful and unique. Now you want to start mass production but you are unsure of the market. You can use this approach only for finding out the market demand and to decide the pricing before you start the business to maximize your chances of success with least investment.

First you will need some samples. That will help you to find out how much cost will be incurred in the production process. The cost may reduce when the articles are manufactured in mass.

Now you decide to approach 5 retailers every day for next 30 days come what may. If you feel afraid in approaching the retailers think his way “At present I do not have this retailer as my customer so I have nothing to lose. Best possible outcome will be that I will be able to add him as my customer and worst thing is the status will remain as it is so I am not going to lose anything from here.” You can refer to “How to increase your comfort zone” which will help you to increase the comfort levels.

Above approach will solve two positive purposes. Either you will have a new retailer in you bag to whom you may supply your goods and if the retailer refuses to become your customer then ask his honest opinion on why. You will gain good insight on the market and any existing competition if any. Another benefit will be that if so are able to create a good rapport with the retailer you may approach him in the future also with any new products which you may come out with during that time. To make this approach even better ask him if he can refer someone who can be

With the above strategy you will be able to talk to around 150 prospective customers. The chances are very high that you will be able to get some customer if you approach right type of retailers. If you are not able to sell the idea to these retailers then it should give you an idea that that product which you want to come out may not have much demand.

On the other hand if you still have strong conviction in your product then you may want to approach a different market like trying to sell on the ebay on the internet. This way you will save a lot of money and increase the chances of your success.

Similarly you can strategize the way you will try to crack a problem. For example if you face a technically challenging task during your work, your approach may involve looking for the probable causes of the problem, talking to colleagues or searching the internet for probable solution and then picking the solution which best fits the current environment. Usually talking to you colleagues who have faced a similar problem in the past if the fastest way to solve any problem so you strategy should be to go for that option first.

Strategizing and finding a optimum path helps you to achieve success faster and at a lesser cost of time and money. Initially this may be difficult to do when you are not habituated to this. But when you keep on applying this approach repeatedly you will be able to innovate and strategize more easily which will take you to your designated goals sooner than ever before.

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How to Relax and Rejuvenate Yourself

Every once in a while I go and get some myself face and head massage. It is rejuvenating and I feel nice and energetic after that. I usually do it on Sundays and really feel good about it. I frequently look forward to it. Indulging ourselves heals the body and the mind alike. Relaxation is an important component in anybody's life,

Most of us worry too much about the future too much and it forget to take care of ourselves today. When our today is full of worry and anxiety there is no point in trying to make the future bright. Even if there are lot of problems and difficulties, point is you should still be able to steal good moments for yourself.

Things You Can Do to Relax
Basically any actions which makes you feel better is usually relaxing. Breaking the routine taking breaks is a nice way to feel relaxed. Each one of us have different ways to relax. Some of us want to laze around while some others want to get away to some distant place away from the familiar environment.

What better way to feel good than pampering self with some good massage. It is important that we learn to relax ourselves to avoid stress and burnout.

Spending time on yourself is a good way to heal yourself both physically and emotionally. That gives you time to introspect and is a wonderful way to grow. Pampering also helps you in rejuvenating and getting back renewed energy and enthusiasm and ready to face the day to day challenges.

Vacations are great stress busters. Make sure that from time to time you go for major pampering like holidays and more frequently you should go for minor pampering.

Here are few ways to relax yourself

1. Get a Ayurvedic Herbal Massage for the entire body. This will rejuvenate your entire body and helps remove stress and detoxifies you.


2. Go for a holiday to a hill station or to a sea side and become unreachable to your work location. Make sure you do not travel too much and enjoy that place. Take walks in the evenings or morning and enjoy.


3. Do some light exercises or practice yoga.


4. Practice Meditation and Pranayama


5. Watch a comedy show on TV.


6. Go for a light movie.


7. Take a candle light dinner with your partner.


8. Take a facial and head massage massage. Makes your face shining and you feel good.


9. Buy some new clothes or shoes.


10. Eat something you enjoy even if not too much. For example chocolate.


11. Talk about your problems to someone close


12. Participate or arrange for a potluck with friends

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How to Expand Your Comfort Zone for Success

Comfort zone can be defined as the situations or the actions in which you can work without any inhibitions or most confidently. You are not conscious of your surroundings and even if you know that people disapprove your action are not as much bothered as to stop the activity. Your productivity in any work is related to the comfort zone in which you are present. Your productivity can be at its maximum when when you are in your comfort zone and decreases substantially when you are outside your comfort zone. It is a sort of psychological safety zone in which you can work with minimum stress. Basically any environment in which we feel physically and emotionally safe can be described as out comfort zone.

Here are few examples.
When you join a new organization your comfort level is quite less and as the days and weeks pass you grow used to the new environment and start performing better. Usually companies provide some buffer time to anybody who are new joiners so that they can develop their comfort zones. Similarly if your boss is very short tempered you will feel threatened all the time and not be comfortable. This can also affect the performance.

Another example can be any newly married lady who moves to the in laws place. For initial few months she may not be comfortable as she does not knows anyone in the new house. Gradually as she become comfortable with the new new home and the family her comfort zone increases and she can stay and behave more confidently.

These were examples of social comfort zone. There can be skill related comfort zones like learning a new Software or operating a new gadget. In my opinion social comfort zones are more important as most of the time we deal with people.

Comfort Zone and its Role in Your Success
More comfortable you are in difficult situations, more successful you are in doing them confidently. People who can do tasks which most others cannot are the ones who are the highest paid and the most rewarded persons. If your comfort zone is much bigger than others than it you will be able to take actions more easily where people with smaller comfort zones may not be able take actions and that will keep you ahead of others and make you look stand out.

People who take risks are able to take those because there have face many uncomfortable situations and expanded their area of security so much that they will that they can handle new uncomfortable situations also although they may also be unfamiliar and uncomfortable in the new tasks.

Basic principle is to do small acts of bravery which can instill more confidence and make you familiar to the experience so much that you are able to develop the comfort zone in that situation. Once you reach that level then you can increase your comfort zone by selecting some tasks which are difficult. This way you can increase the volume of your comfort zone till it becomes a big dome.

Here are few tasks which will increase your comfort zone

I am mentioning all the tasks which will increase the comfort zone at social level since most of us face challenge more at the social level compared to any other situation.

1. Look into the eyes of 3 people
   Try to look into the eyes of 3 people each day till they back out. This will be quite uncomfortable for both of you but you aim is to increase your comfort level. In case some one takes offense then tell them that he/she reminds you of some old friend. If you do this regularly will end up more comfortable with people.


2. Talk to Strangers
   While in a mall or on a traffic signal ask what time it is or ask how to reach a particular place. You may also ask silly question like what time it is, or when will the sun set today and say that it is really important for you to know that it can be a life saving decision. Just make up any story and talk to someone.


3. Sing in the public place
   Try singing in a public place like road or mall. Do it when you have quite a few people in the audible distance. If you have really bad voice that should be more the reason to do this :) Initially you can hum loudly till you gather enough courage though.


4. Change your hair style or facial hair
   Take a completely different hair cut compared to your usual style. If you are male then try our different things with your facial hair like beard and moustache. I used to be real conscious of this and for year stuck to one hair style. First time I shaved my moustache I was ashamed to go to office and kept on think what the people will think. Now I am more adventurous and keep on changing style every few months. Now I look forward to people's comments and if they are negative I brush them aside.


5. Wear clothes the wrong way
   Wear two socks of two colors or wear the dress inside out. Make sure that people notice that and then observe their comments. Say that you were in a hurry so did that and refuse to make it correct the entire day.

If you feel afraid to try these then there is even more reason to go for these as these actions will definitely increase you comfort zone. One thing is for sure, at the end of these exercise you will have some interesting stories to tell. So try these and see how interesting your life becomes.

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My Ebook on Back Pain Cure with Yoga

I have published a ebook on Back Pain Cure with Yoga. It is titled "Lower Back Pain Cure With Yoga"


Lower Back Pain Cure With Yoga -

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How To Overcome Fear

Most of us afraid of something and when we need to face that moment we freeze. We feel trapped and feel how we can escape. Fear stops us from enjoying various things which life has to offer us and it can lead a feeling of deprivation when you observer that you are not able to enjoy things like others.

Usually reasons of fear are not totally know and could be related to some past experiences. Those could be some childhood experience which could have impression in the mind. So whenever you face a similar situation, brain brings back that stored impression and the body reacts in the defined manner for that impression. For example when you meet a friend after a long time you automatically smile or laugh and this is due to the impression in the brain for this event. It could also be due to some experiences of past life. Although some of people you find this hard to believe I personally feel that experiences from your past life plays an important role in how you behave and feel in a certain situation. I may write more on this in some later posts.

My Personal Fear
Let me admit, I have a huge fear of heights. I shiver at the prospect of riding any rides in the theme parks. I remember several instances where I have not been able to enjoy the rides due to this fear. Somehow my body tightens up and I feel that entire thing is out of control for me.

I start sweating profusely and my blood pressure and heart rate goes up. I remember that one I went to Six Flags in Wisconsin Dells in USA and was able to ride very few rides and even in those felt very unsafe. I have faced similar situations lot of times and wondered why I become so much afraid. I have tried to ride some easier rides but then also the fear remains the dominant feeling.

How to Reduce Fear?
Key factor in reducing fear is to accept it that you are afraid but still tell yourself that you will attempt the task which makes you afraid, though it may be a small step. Taking small but brave steps reduce the fear atleast to some extent. When we keep on taking them it may gradually eliminate the fear. You need to keep in mind two things here. Firstly the fear will not go away quickly, and it will take time. Second and more important is the person involved should be willing to take that baby step.

1. Take Baby Steps
   Be supportive to the person and if you are the victim then seek support. People may have ideas to help you. Most people have fear of public speech and if they need to make some speech it is really difficult and some people dread any social occasions where they may need to speak. If you suffer from this fear you can try to speak in front of close family members first and then when confidence increases then try to speak in front of extended family and friends. Tell them in advance that you will speak to them for only 5 minutes. When you do that your confidence will surely increase. Keep on taking further baby steps till the day you are able to give a talk to a large group of people.


2. Develop a Superiority Complex
   Before starting think that if others can do it I can also do it, after all they are no way superior to you. If you have this feeling it will give you courage. For example, when I was starting to learn driving a bike or car I was afraid. Then I thought that if most of the people whom I know and who are in no way superior to me can learn then why not me. That provided me the required courage to learn.


3. Think of you past fears and use them
   When you are afraid to try or fail after first few attempts here is how you can have more courage. Think of lot of things which you tried in the past and were not able to do initially and now able to do them easily. Which means that as we keep on attempting a task it surprisingly becomes easier to do. Then apply this knowledge to your situation.


4. Think of the Good Things
   Imagine the good things which you can enjoy when you are able to overcome the fear. Use that imagination to provide you the courage. For example imagine how you will feel when you come down from the stage and people congratulate you after a great speech.

Now continuing my story of fear of heights. I was afraid to ride a horse also, but in a recent trip I had to ride a horse in the mountains and I thought that if old ladies can do that why not me. That gave me confidence. I relaxed my self and decided to enjoy. It was a 12 KM ride and it made me really comfortable riding a horse. Now I look forward to riding horses, camels and elephants.

Recently I decided to take on my fear and rode a Giant wheel. Initially I was really afraid and just as I rode it I thought I had take a wrong decision. Then I noticed that my body was really tense which was making me more miserable. I opened up and relaxed my arms, stomach and the legs and started looking at the things. I saw that things look different from the top. This has increased my courage and once it was completed I was really glad with what I did. Though it is easy stuff for lot of people for me it is a baby step in the right direction. I plan to ride more rides in near future to reduce my fear. Now one of my aim is para jumping which involves jumping from a plane.

Remember everyone is afraid, it is just that they are able to control the fear and in fact use that fear to have thrill. I have talked to lot of people who like to take rides and they all say they are afraid but that is the source of the thrill. I was an introvert and never talked to girls. I was extremely self conscious but now I have given a lot of public speeches many times. Initially during a speech I am also nervous, but I have learned to control that nervousness. The secret is every great speaker is afraid initially.

If you try the above steps you will not only be able to reduce the fears but start enjoying more. May you conquer your fear.

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How to Achieve More Goals This Year

Every year lot of us make new year resolutions and start with a bang. Then after a week or so the enthusiasm level starts falling and by the end of January the resolutions are lost and forgotten somewhere. Then at the end of the year we again dig up the ghosts of the past year's resolutions and put them in new clothes and they are again ready for the next year. Usually the cycle repeats each year.

When this happens for a few successive years, people stop making any resolutions at the beginning of the year. They stop feeling guilty or sorry at the end of the year. All the guilt free years come back to you with interest though later. As years pass by and when we look back we start feeling what we have lost by not taking any actions and wonder what we may have achieved if we had worked to achieve even 50% of those goals. This has happened with me as well as and when I am more focused I can see what an time waster I have been.

If you do not act on your goals then they are just your wish list and unfortunately we do not have a genie who can fulfill our wishes.

Here is how we can do to achieve our Goals?

1. Write Down Your Goals
   I have found it myself after implementing it. I have been reading this for a long time but once I wrote it down it somehow becomes easier to focus and achieve the goals. Here is a post on importance of writing down your goals. If you really serious about your goal write it in paper and stick it either in front of your computer or mirror or anywhere where it will be visible everyday.


2. Have a Goal which will excite you.
   Selecting an exciting goal is very important. It should be challenging and at the same time should be something which will make you proud when you achieve that. There should be some attraction from the goal itself which draw you to the goal. For example if you want to lose weight choose a bigger picture. if you are in middle age think you will look when you shed all those flab. If you want to get a better paying job then think you will feel when you get that job everyday. You can add some excitement by making it bit difficult to achieve.
   
   Here is an example. For example if you want walk for 1 mile every day for a month, then you can have a goal like "Start walking every day for 30 days. Start with 1 mile and at end of 30 days I should be able to walk the XYZ trek which is 5 miles long and at a altitude." Here I have presented very simple way, but you can manipulate this to suite your situation.


3. Take Actions Every Day or Frequently
   Taking Action(s) Frequently.
   Work on your goals to reach close very frequently. Take actions frequently like daily or every two or three days is very important. This keeps you on track and does not let you lose focus. The frequency can depend on the goal. For example, if you want to quit smoking, read anti smoking literature every day. Create a check list of the items which will help you to avoid smoking and read that every day.
   
   If you are planning a dream vacation as your goal then daily action may not be required. But you may set a checklist like checking a cheaper hotel booking, planning and booking the flights at the right time to get discount, saving money and see if you not spending the money on the items which you plan to avoid to fund this vacation.


4. Start with a Short Term Goal
   If you have failed to achieve most of your goals previously then go for a shorter term goal first. Start with a goal which can be achieved in a week or so. Then move on to month long duration goal. Making sure that you are achieving these goals will give you confidence to achieve long and bigger goals. Make the shorter goals stepping stone to bigger goals in your life.
   
   Thing to remember is do not make the short term goals easy. They should be equally important for you to achieve and make you feel excited as mentioned in point 2.
   

Having goals are important for us to reach near our potentials and having a richer life and with the above steps you can achieve many of your dreams this year and in the years to follow.

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How to get higher rate of Interest from a Bank FD or CD

We all know that fixed deposits(FD) in bank are a safe bet and provide better returns than savings accounts. Usually FDs have 3 to 4 percentage more returns than the savings accounts. Another advantage of FD is that usually they are safe and you almost have guaranteed returns. Many people who do not understand stock markets put their money in FDs.

Till few years back FDs used to return more than 12% in India and people put all their money in the FDs. Due to economic policies it is not longer possible for the banks to provide such high interest rates. Now currently in India the rates are around 7.5% for FDs which is quite less if you put all your money here.

Simple way to have more interest rates for your FDs

Instead of bank FD go for company FDs. They will provide you more interest rates. Usually companies raise money through public issues, but certain times they go directly to public and offer them Fixed Deposits. Since people trust the banks more than the companies, therefore the FDs from companies offer more interest rates.

It is quite easy to get around 3 to 4 percent more than the bank rates. Last year I had some spare cash and did the same. You should be careful while choosing the company. Just make sure that they have good track record to ensure the safety of your investment. For example TATA is is trustworthy company in India and going for FDs offered by them is a safe bet.

You need to keep in mind that some of the FDs may have a lock in period and you may not be able to withdraw before that period.

Some companies offer FDs to only their shareholders or offer them slightly higher rates. If you want to go for those companies but do not want to purchase too many share then go for only one share of the company and then purchase the FDs.

Investing the money in FDs over longer period have superior returns and managing our money wisely will ensure financial freedom to us and our family.

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