Set Goals To Be A Winner

All of us desire something each day and once we have it, our wish list renews itself. This is true for anyone irrespective of their age, income or cultural orientation, for example; a need to raise your standard of living, to increase your income, or a dream to loose a few pounds in three months.

However, if these people were asked if they have set any specific goals, they would probably say no. This is because they have not committed these to a paper and have not resolved to achieve them. Start with setting specific short term goals which are realistic, measurable, attainable, relevant, and have timelines attached to them. This is called SMART goal setting, S-specific, M-measurable, A-attainable, R-relevant, and T-timely.

Having set these goals, just start on working them and periodically compare your performance with the targets set. This will give you a clear idea on whether you are lagging behind, are in-sync with the standards, or way ahead of your schedule. This periodic analysis will give you control over re-setting your goals or making changes in the strategies to pursue them.

People often feel that they need someone to motivate them to achieve their goals. But the truth is that only you can motivate your own self. Reward yourself for achieving these milestones which will be your stepping stones to the much bigger goals of your life.

And last but not the least. In order to help yourself achieve these goals, all you need is to take the first step. I read somewhere that any activity followed for continuous 21 days eventually becomes a habit and then it takes no special effort to include it in your routine. But you must do it for 21 days religiously and enthusiastically.

In a nutshell,

* Set SMART goals,
* Go-retro, put them on a paper,
* Keep your spirits high, always and all ways,
* Reward yourself on achieving them, and
* Practice them on a regular basis.

Go set your first goal right now!

Blogging: Showcase Your Business

Art of Blogging

We all need attention. This is all the more important in entrepreneurship. Effective marketing is integral to success in business ventures which helps us reach out to the audience and eventually sell business ideas, concepts, methodologies and so on. In the age of the World Wide Web where everything is conducted online, the best way to achieve this is to have your own web space or a blog. This modern day tool is a great way to let the world know who you are. Blogging can prove to be extremely effective in creating your image as an expert on the subject as well as driving traffic to your business website.

Getting Started

• Don't rush: Many people make the mistake of setting up a blog without first understanding or planning what they want to achieve with it. As a result, they end up not just choosing the wrong blogging tool but also posting vaguely on it. Such an approach does not bring in any results and instead frustrates the blogger.

• Set clear-cut goals: Be very clear in your mind about what you wish to communicate, who is the audience, what is the objective, whether you want to use it to drive people to your business website or make money out of it.

• Investigate or research: There are so many great blogs out there. Subscribe to them and make a note of what you like or dislike about them, how does the blogger organize the content (text or pictures), and how do people react to the posts. If you do not like something, how would you yourself accomplish it? It is always a great idea to even start commenting on the posts and in the process building a relationship with the blogger and other contributors.

• Choose the right blogging tool: Once the objectives have been set and you are confident enough, choose the right tool for your blog. There are thousands out there but only a few will suit your requirements. Platforms such as Blogger, Wordpress, TypePad are all great and popular tools and each has distinct features and advantages over each other. Again, be careful with your choice and select the one that is most consistent with your blogging objectives.

• Posting on your blog: When the blog has been set up, it is now time to start punching in content in the form of text, pictures, and videos. You are the best judge here but it is usually a good idea to post a mix of everything in the right balance. Keep your audience in mind while creating the content and remain focused about their needs.

Principles of Effective Blogging

• Maintain a calendar of thoughts: Business owners need to take care of a lot of things other than marketing. So it is important that you archive your blogging ideas as and when they come to your mind. Creating and maintaining an Editorial Calendar is the best way to achieve this. Keep track of what you have already posted and intend to post in future as well as the schedule and frequency of posting.

• Frequency of Blogging: There are no hard and fast rules on this. However, it is always best to choose a pre-defined day and time and then stick to that. After a point of time, you will notice that the visitors schedule their visits to your blog based on your posting plan.

• Should I monetize my Blog? Again, you are the best authority to decide on this. If you already have a business website that brings you revenue, it is best to use your blog as a medium to promote it. Else, there is no harm in monetizing your blog. After all, people are willing and happy to pay for great advice and writing pieces. The proven ways of monetizing the blog are using subscription plans (let them have a short trial-run first) and using keywords or anchor text to increase your page rankings so that more and more visitors get attracted to your blog.

• Quality of Content: Last but certainly not the least, ensure that the content you post is high in quality and valuable to your audience. Maintain the originality of the ideas, get the posts proof-read from your friends, colleagues, or family members prior to posting, and avoid references to caste, gender, or communities.

Time-Management – Timeless Mantra to Success

Before I start writing big things about how managing your time can make you a king and vice-versa, I must confess that I have myself been very poor at it, until recently. Partly on account of laziness but mostly out of ignorance, I never seriously appreciated the usefulness of a powerful success tool that all of us have – Time- management. When used smartly, it can make our lives whole lot efficient and productive.

I have been following some of the proven and documented techniques on how we can achieve our goals by simply organizing our daily activities and have seen my daily routine getting amazingly transformed. Try these and see if they make a difference.

Manage your time instead of time managing you: If you leave it to the latter, there are chances that you are always late at the office, anniversary parties, meetings etc. But how do you manage time? Keep an organizer. It can be the MS Outlook program or even a simple diary. These days, there are organizers in cell phones too.

Eliminate the culprits: It is always difficult to let go of habits. However, in order to be successful at managing you time, you must eliminate activities from your schedule that lead to nothing. Gossiping, unnecessary phone calls, surfing the web unnecessarily, spending too much time checking personal mail or browsing social networking sites are absolute crimes in the Bible of Time-Management.

Set goals: Set goals for every activity. For example, if you wake up early, schedule a session for a quick jog or meditation. That is your goal behind rising early.

Divide your time: Reading and answering your mail can eat your entire day if you let it. Spare an hour or half-hour as you see fit in the morning to define your day’s schedule. Allocate the time to activities that occur during the day. How many hours you will spend in the office (you can further divide this into office activities), spend time with the family, or simply pamper yourself (yes, stress-busters are important).

Delegate work: This is true for individuals who manage teams or run businesses. Often, managing large number of activities leads to slippage of time we allotted to our tasks. So delegate tasks to others and keep only the important ones to yourself. Don’t get paranoid about the fact that someone else will not be able to do the task as well as you do.

Stay connected: Some irritations during the day are unavoidable and have the potential to ruin your schedules. Waiting for the train or a client, unimaginable traffic, rework on an assignment, are just a few of them. When stuck in such situations, try to make the best use of time. Make important calls, read the office report, or go through the official mails.

A Visit to the Queen

To me, the idea of a perfect holiday is spending time in the beauty and splendor of nature. So when its time to relax the nerves, I make a quite retreat to the hills. And when I say hills, I mean Shimla, the grand old town that is so very deservingly called the Queen of Hills. So well tied is the place to the idea of an Indian holiday that it is highly unlikely that you have ever contemplated a vacation without the name springing at the back of your head.
Situated in the North-west Himalayas, Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh, the Hill state of India. Although over the years, increasing number of tourists and vehicles have had their toll on its natural beauty, it still exudes a rare mystical charm. I have been a regular visitor since childhood and do not blame me if you see me getting carried away in describing its beauty.
Situated at a distance of about 350 kms. from New Delhi, the capital of India, Shimla is easily accessible through road as well as by air. During the British rule, Shimla was the summer capital of the Earstwhile British government whose mighty officials frequented the place for fun and frolic as also to escape the scorching heat of the plains. Even today, most of the official buildings in Shimla carry the same architecture reminiscent of the colonial era.
If you are travelling to Shimla for the first time, I strongly recommend the rail route to get there. Now a part of the World Heritage sites, the approximately 6-hour long journey across the Kalka-Shimla railway line makes it through 806 bridges and 103 tunnels, each complementing the abundant natural beauty surrounding it. For a taste of it, you will have to take the road route till Kalka, a small sleepy town from where there are regular trains to Shimla.
Once there, the first thing you want to experience is a quiet walk on the Mall. Usually bursting with tourists from all over, it gives you a nice panoramic view of the hill city. Also situated on the Mall are the ancient Christ Church (the second largest in North India) and the Shimla state Museum. From the Mall, you could trek to the Jakhu Hill, the highest point of Shimla at 8000 ft. It has an ancient Hanuman (a famous Hindu God) temple and provides a great view of the snow laden Himalayas.
Another magnificent building you cannot afford to miss is the Institute of Advanced Studies. Constructed sometime in 1884 and home to the Viceroy (aptly called the Viceregal Lodge) during the British rule, it is now a centre for research inhabited by leading scholars from all over the country. Surrounded by majestic Pine trees and lush green grounds, you will be amazed by the quietness and serenity surrounding the area. At a short distance of 5 kilometers is Summer Hill, the home to Himachal Pradesh University, one of the leading universities in the country. Mahatma Gandhi spent considerable time here when visiting the hill state.
I could go on and on raving about the wonders of this beautiful hill city but I guess, an easier thing to do would be to refer you to the official website of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism (http://hpshimla.nic.in/). It has tons of information on the do’s and don’t’s, places to visit and everything you wanted to know about Shimla.
One word of caution though! The weather remains cold during April to September and absolutely freezing during the rest of the year when it snows heavily. So take appropriate clothing with you.
I can safely assure you that this rendezvous with the Queen shall remain etched in your memory for a long-long time.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shimla

The Rose Festival

Chandigarh, my home town, has abundant greenery (a rarity in these times) largely due to the fact that its residents like to be close to nature. So even though, Chandigarh is like any other urban city of the world with its high volumes of traffic, tall buildings, and ever increasing population, It has still managed to create and preserve huge chunks of land as gardens and lakes. One of such wonderful delights is the world famous, Zakir Rose Garden. Named after India's former President, Zakir Hussain and created in 1967 under the expert guidance of Dr M.S. Randhawa, Chandigarh's first Chief Commissioner, the garden has the distinction of being Asia's largest. It is spread over sprawling 30 acres of land and is home to 50,000 rose-bushes of 1600 different species. Apart from its wonderful layout and colorful Roses, its popularity has one solid reason, the Annual Rose Festival that takes place in the closing days of February.

The timing is just right as foggy and freezing days make way for a nice warm sunshine ahead of spring. Celebrated mainly as a tribute to the magnificence of Rose itself, the attractions remain food, drinks, joy rides, and contests of varying nature (photography, gardening, landscaping, bonsai, and Rose prince and Princess). The best bit about the contests is that they are all open to the residents or institutions from nearby places. So if an amateur does photography or gardening just for the pleasure of it, this event provides a window to show-case his or her talent. Equally, it also allows professionals from their respective fields to display their prowess in various skills. So if your idea of a weekend excursion is fun, frolic, indulgence, or simply basking in the sun, this is the place to be during this time of the year.Chandigarh has a dubious distinction, among outsiders, of being a dull city devoid of swanky shopping malls, food joints, and especially night-life. I have found this a rather illogical assumption, although I admit that I am myself a laid-back kind of person, not exactly the kind you would call a social animal. So my judgment can be highly misleading in matters such as these. In any case, when events like the Rose festival happen, they not just promise a welcome break to the otherwise hectic routine of the weekdays but also help knocking out the baseless myths related to the City Beautiful. Flocks of families make their presence count, get dressed in the brightest attires, and set out to enjoy the sun and the festivities. And since no festivity is ever complete without lots of food and drink, you can be assured of the best Punjabi cuisine to satisfy your gastronomic senses.

In these times, when growing population is exerting an undue pressure on the earth and its resources, such festivals go a long way in making people aware of preserving green belts. I have fond memories of the garden dating back nearly two decades, when I used to frequent it along with family and friends, either for small family picnics or this annual extravaganza. Although its beauty and green cover has certainly taken some beating in all these years but yet it has retained its charm, thanks to the administration that has focused a lot on maintaining it as a peaceful sojourn for the weary travelers, love-struck couples, morning joggers, and children alike.

It is our duty to ensure that its beauty and tranquility is preserved so that future generations can also partake in its beauty and serenity.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes on DVD: A Review

I have grown up much like others in my generation reading the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective, Sherlock Holmes and his inseparable companion Dr James Watson.
The quality of mystery, intrigue, and drama in all the fifty-six short stories and 4 novels sets them part from any other detective series. The only other writer worthy of that distinction being the acclaimed Agatha Christie and her sweet and amazingly intelligent Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Other than the remarkable and tightly woven narratives, the secret behind their exceptional success is the instant chord that they strike with the reader. So much so that when Sir Arthur decided to kill Sherlock in The Final Problem, there was such public furor that he was compelled to bring him to life in The Return of Sherlock Holmes (also a part of this series).

Between the period 1878 to the present, when Sherlock made his first appearance and rose to become a household name, several adaptations have been attempted in the form of both plays and cinema. The Guinness World Records has consistently listed him as the "most portrayed movie character" with over 70 actors playing the part in over 200 films. Basil Rathbone starred as Sherlock Holmes, alongside Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, in fourteen films (two for 20th Century Fox and a dozen for Universal Pictures) from 1939-1946.

However, Jeremy Brett is generally considered the definitive Holmes of recent times, having played the role in four series of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, created by John Hawkesworth for Britain's Granada Television, from 1984 though to 1994, as well as depicting Holmes on stage. Dr. Watson was played by David Burke and Edward Hardwicke in the series. This original series is scantily available in India, although you can order it from Amazon for a price that is slightly high but well worth every penny. I have always been proud to own the collection and it remains one of my most prized possessions.

It is generally known that an adaptation of a famous writing does little justice to the written plot. Viewers tend to form an image of characters in their mind and when you actually see the characters and incidents on screen, there is a sense of missing link. Having said that, the portrayal of Sherlock by Jeremy is so nearly identical to the original that die-hard fans of the detective are left pleasantly surprised. He has brought out to perfection the different moods that Sir Aurthur’s sleuth was known for. The excitement and passion for detection, addiction to opium, moodiness, long bouts of silence, straight talk often translating as rudeness and loneliness are remarkably depicted. Although, Edward Hardwicke, hailed as the true Watson, was intrinsically more involved with the series due to David taking early leave from playing the character after the first few episodes, he too leaves a daunting impression with his unique addition of a comical dimension to the role. Some stories have been twisted from their original narratives to suit the compulsions of drama but it only adds more punch to the tales.

It comes as a set of 12 DVDs and shall easily leave you occupied for a great deal of time. I would strongly recommend it to even those who have never had a chance to read the stories. If you have a passion and liking for detection and suspense, this is where your money belongs.

A Rendezvous with Linux Ubuntu

Back in the year 2000 when I got my first Windows machine, it was a default choice and the only one that I had heard of and could scantily understand. And although, Windows 98 looked horrible and was nowhere near what you would call visually appealing, I would still spend hours playing with the computer. Most of us who are hooked on to computers since that long have never ever contemplated our boxes without the familiar Microsoft sound that welcomes the user upon booting and the desktop icons along with Bliss, the default desktop image.

Yes, this is the Windows world! No matter how many times the computer crashes, no matter how difficult it is to reinstall the OS along with the drivers, and no matter how awfully long it takes to boot itself up to a working state, Windows is still the software that regulates our tech-savvy lives. It’s a love-hate relationship we cannot do without.

About a few months ago, I happened to lay my hands on a monthly issue of the extremely popular magazine on open-source software Linux. One of the titles on the cover page went something like “tired of driver Issues in XP, go Ubuntu”. Now I am not one of those technically-advanced geeks who are fascinated by technology, coding, and tons of technical jargon about the hip-hop gadgets around. I am just a regular guy who uses computer for some fun (don’t get me wrong). But those words hit me. Yes, I am tired of Windows! Let’s face it. Apart from the infamous driver issues and countless installation pains, once you get the system right, I have to keep updating the OS with regular security updates (don’t even get me started on the Windows Validation trap), install Office suite, anti-virus, anti-spyware, music and video players, and tons of other apps just to get started. So out of pure curiosity, I read through the entire article that boasted of an alternative to Windows called Ubuntu 8.04 (based on the extremely powerful Linux kernel) that could not just perform everything that windows did but even outshine it in some of the departments.

The article aroused such curiosity in me about trying this Ubuntu thingy, that I spend the next couple of weeks browsing the Web researching about it. This was about a couple of months ago. Today I have only Ubuntu 8.04 on my modest and somewhat ancient Pentium III serving me dollops of unadulterated fun and a browsing experience that I have never known.


Open Source Software (OSS) is a term coined to denote a community or network of programmers who volunteer to work on projects. Thanks to this revolution that started sometime in the early 60s, largely with the introduction of the Internet, today we have scores of apps delivering goods as efficiently as their closed-source counterparts. Some of the most popular being the HTTP Apache Server, the Internet Protocol, and Mozilla Firefox but the most successful of such ventures has to be the Linux operating system, an operating system similar to Unix.

As I said, the world of computers is clearly dominated by Microsoft and although I have huge respect for the multi-billion dollar company and its esteemed ex-CEO Bill (after all, he is solely responsible for bringing computers and technology to the world), over the years Microsoft has been diseased by the same plague that spreads with monopoly, the I-don’t-care syndrome. For long, users have been complaining about the unstable platform, loose security holes, issues of hardware compatibility, long release cycles, and worst of all, ever increasing costs of software. Yet, even today, Windows Vista, the latest offering remains the same old wine in a new bottle.

All this while, Linux has been slowly spreading its wings by improving its kernel with every subsequent release. For the benefit of the unaware, Linux comes with various distributions or flavors such as Red Hat, Suse, Mandriva (formerly MandrakeSoft), Ubuntu and several others. Basically what happens is that different groups of individuals, high school students, engineers, and programmers take the fundamental Linux source-code and transform it into their own packages also called distributions. Linux has for some years now dominated the Enterprise Server market but its foray into the desktop section is recent and some distributions such as Ubuntu and Suse have been consistently receiving rave reviews. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS code named Hardy Haron assumes special significance due to its resemblance to its big brother Windows. Linux, they said is all about executing commands through the command line and hence unsuitable and un-usable for non-techies but the recent Ubuntu distributions have changed that so much so that this latest release has been touted as Linux for Human Beings.

While the idea of building a Windows machine has the potential of unnerving even the most seasoned professional, a less technical user like myself was done installing Ubuntu right from the scratch in just under 50 minutes. With built-in applications like Open Office 2.4, Firefox 3 as the default browser, music and video players, and amazing out of the box support for all hardware (It may sound freaky but I didn’t even have to configure my internet connection), I did not need to install anything extra.

Apart from the ease of installation, the speed at which the system performed was also much improved, although I am sure that with faster processors of today, it will literally fly.


The biggest edge that Ubuntu or any other Linux distribution has is greater security. Windows is a vulnerable OS prone to all kinds of virus, spyware, and malware attacks largely due to its popularity but mostly due to its loosely built architecture and design. So a sound antivirus application is more of a compulsion rather than a choice on Windows. Contrary to this, the concept of virus on Linux is virtually unknown. Not that there aren’t any viruses for Linux but its design is so fool proof that you will have to be ridiculously stupid to infect your machine with any of it. I say this because for any virus to invade a Linux machine, it will have to first download itself to the system, then gain root access, and finally install itself. Only the root user has those kind of privileges and so as a root user, all you need to be sure of is the applications that you download and install on your system.

Is it any wonder then that Dell Inc, the largest computer manufacturer has decided to pack the Ubuntu punch in its latest laptop offerings? Check out http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/linux_3x?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

Did I miss something? Well! Save the best for the last, goes the saying and in case you are wondering what this Ubuntu hoot is all about, guess what! It’s absolutely FREE. You do not shell out a single penny for enjoying the wonders of a great operating system that is so efficient and complete. True, it may not be perfect (and so isn’t any software in the world), but it is on the right track and with periodic releases every six months, it promises to bring even more joy to the computing fraternity.

If you are even half as tempted to try Ubuntu as I was not long ago, get to the Ubuntu website at www.ubuntu.com and download or order your copy. It should be easy. Once you have the CD, you can get a glimpse of the complete OS by booting from the CD itself without modifying anything on your current system. I recommend this check to ensure that your hardware is compatible and working with Ubuntu. If you like it, go ahead and install it in a dual-boot mode.

Initially, as your secondary operating system, you will love it. However, as you move on, you will get so addicted to it that I won’t be surprised if it becomes not just your primary but the only operating system.