I want to start this post by thanking all those who don’t burst crackers but if you still do that, I humbly request you to stop bursting crackers this Diwali. That doesn't mean that you can burst them next year. Bursting crackers might give you some pleasure but just look at what happens to the environment and other people near us because of these crackers. If you don’t burst crackers, please share this with the ones who do and if you do, please take a careful look at this article and then decide if you still want to go ahead with it.
1. They cause air pollution
This is one of the most visible effect of bursting crackers. According to this article, air pollution goes up by 30% during Diwali.
2. It takes time for the harmful gases to go away
There’s nothing better than inhaling some Nitrous Oxide on an auspicious day
If there is no rain and proper wind, the harmful gases take longer time to get cleared
3. Did I forget to tell you about the ailments and diseases that are caused by these gases?
Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrous Oxides and many other harmful gases are released because of crackers causing respiratory problems and diseases. You definitely don’t want to inhale them.
4. You are helping to increase global warming
Now this is a bit over exaggerated but I hope you got my point.
CO2, Nitrous Oxide and other greenhouse gases “Like this”.
5. Noise Pollution
Crackers create high decibel sound and most people feel numbness in the ears after bursting crackers. It can also make you deaf.
6. Garbage
Well, garbage disposal is a perennial problem in India but crackers just add to the existing problem.
7. Babies, pregnant women, old people get affected
Just look how much this young kid is enjoying the loud noise.
Now why would any good person want to trouble them?
8. Animals get scared
Why do you want to be evil? Animals are so nice and cute. Please don’t scare them.
9. Underage kids make crackers
Seven year old Nurba isn’t playing, she’s working because you want to buy crackers. Source
That’s true, you are promoting child labour.
10. People get injured
Do I need to show you anything else so that you will believe me? Make peace, not firecrackers
11. They cause fires
isn't it obvious that firecrackers causes fires?
12. This isn’t how we celebrate Diwali traditionally
This is how you should celebrate Diwali. With lights, not some miniature bombs
Deep(light) avali (rows) means a row of lights, not row of high noise making crackers. Celebrate it by lighting lamps and distributing sweets and presents.
13. You are wasting your hard earned money or your parents money
There’s nothing better that spending Rs 100 on a product that bursts and makes a deafening sound.
Trust me, these crackers are just a waste of money.
14. Bursting fancy crackers has become a status symbol
Please put an end to this idiocy
15. In case you are very religious, I want to tell you that people are blowing the gods and goddesses
Hasta la vista goddess Laxmi
Congratulations! You just blew up the gods whom you worshiped some time back. If paintings of gods by some artists has offended you in the post, this should offend you even more than the paintings.
Most of us go through life pretending that we don’t have any special goals or ambitions or desires when really deep down inside we do really want more. We block ourselves and we use these words almost like we’re in a trance, like we’re sleep-walking through life, that we find ways to cancel out our dreams, that a lot of things that we want to do, a lot of places we would like to go, a lot of things we would like to experience, and we just stop at “but.”
But will cause you to hide out behind fear, but will cause you to come up with all types of excuses that you can validate your inaction and not acting on your dream. ”But” is a dream-killer.
But most people, you know what they do? Most people go through life quietly and safely tiptoeing to an early grave. We’ve been holding back, we have ideas we that don’t act on, things that we want to do, we’re afraid to take chances. A lot of people say no to things and they don’t even know what they’re saying no to! Don’t allow but to keep you in the corner.
A lot of people say, “But I tried once,” or “twice,” “and it didn’t work out,” and so they use that as an excuse not to ever come out again. Even if things don’t work out, even if I experience defeat or failure, that does not make me a failure. There’s a difference between failing and being a failure. If things don’t work out, if you don’t produce the results you want, that’s all, but don’t confuse who you are with the results that you produce. Do what you can where you are with what you have, and never be satisfied. Yeah, don’t get satisfied with yourself. Always know that wherever you are, you can enjoy more, that you deserve more. Why don’t you decide now that you can expand your world, that if other people can learn you can learn, too.
If you’re working on you dream, sure they’re gonna be times when you’re gonna want to give up, sure there will be times when life will knock you down and catch you on the blind side, but the challenge is to hold on. And if you hold on tenaciously, I say the universe is on your side. If you don’t decide to act on your dream, if you don’t decide to make a decision to live your life, if you don’t decide to step into your fears, if you don’t decide to say yes to your life, it will never work for you. You’ve got to live what’s in life, life is too short and unpredictable.
But what do we say? ”But there will always be tomorrow.” Oh, no. There’s no guarantees that you’re gonna show up tomorrow. Always something there, the reason you can’t move on, the reason why you can’t grow to the next level, why you can’t being to manifest your greatness, why you can’t begin to live life on your terms, that you’re gonna say “it’s not worth it.” Yes, that’s going to be right there for you, it’s going to be in your face, telling you to go back. So if you want to do something, if you’ve thought about something you want to do, take it head-on. Life will never be the same.
A couple of months back during my visit to Mumbai, I observed that one of the most charming things visitors to the Imperial Towers will see is a sign at the entrance which, rather than the customary 'Residents' and 'Non-residents', reads 'Belongers' and 'Non belongers'.
I've come to find the term 'Belonger' amazingly powerful. When a nation embraces its own as 'belonging here', as opposed to just living there, it breeds a wholly different form of loyalty. It reminds us that this is where we belong, and so, our efforts are not just on our behalf, but also to benefit to the community.
This set my mind to wondering how such little, seemingly semantic details apply to the business world: what if companies had belongers rather than employees? Does what we call each other make a difference in other contexts?
Over the years I've been called a lot of things, many of which are not fit to repeat here! The handle I get most often these days is 'entrepreneur'. I remember having to look the word up in the dictionary when I read an article about a 'budding entrepreneur'. At the time it sounded pretty cool- 'a person who initiates and organizes new commercial enterprise, usually involving considerably risk', according to my dictionary.
These days all kind of people claim the title 'entrepreneur'. On the other hand, a title that hasn't received nearly the amount of attention it deserves is entrepreneur's little brother, 'intrapreneur': an employee who is given freedom and financial support to create new products, services and systems, who does not have to follow the company's usual routines or protocols'.
While it's true that every company needs an entrepreneur to get it under way, healthy, innovative growth requires a smattering of intrapreneurs who drive new projects and explore new and unexpected directions for business development.
One example that springs to my mind was at Sanghvi Ispat Industries, about 3 years ago. One of our iron cutting machine broke out, the estimated time to replace was about 10 days, but our new young manager, volunteered to fix it. We set him loose, and the within a span of 3 days he fixed it with an 'outside the box' creativity. How to unleash the power of intrapreneurs like him? The key is to enable them to pursue their vision.
But people don't always think of leaders within a company - the managers, the executive and the CEO as people who enable others. As I learned back, 'The CEO of a major corporation might only make a couple of decisions a year, but those decisions can affect the lives of million'. What a terrible way to run a company!
So since this seems to be true throughout the business world, clearly it's time for a major shake-up in the nomenclature of business. What if CEO stood for 'chief enabling officer'? What if CEO's primary role were to nurture a breed of intrapreneurs who would grow into tomorrow's entrepreneurs?
Perhaps the greatest thing about this form of enabled intrapreneurship is that often everyone becomes so immersed in what they're doing that they feel like they own their companies. They don't feel like employees working for someone else, they feel much more like... well, I think the only word to describe it is 'belongers'.
Entrepreneurs who are looking to raise money - whether from banks, angle investors or venture capitalists - face tough conditions. In my own case, I have to share 35% of all the Profit with the developer. Which means 'Profit we share- while the losses will be all mine.' Your best bet is to keep it simple, and be sure that your new business presentation touches on these five key areas:
1. What's in for them?
Occasionally, an entrepreneur hoping to launch their first business puts so much thought into the concept that he or she neglects the financial and legal plan - and unfortunately, this often becomes apparent early in a meeting, when an investor can lack clarity in what exactly the proposed deal is going to look like.
Before you set up any meetings, gather your team and decide on your foals for your business and how much capital you need to inject to achieve them.
Will you accept money in exchange for a stake in the business, or does it make more sense to take out loan? What conditions are you willing to have tied to those investments? How much in terms of shares of the company or of its future profits would you be willing to give up in return for start-up financing? Your potential financiers will likely ask these question, so be ready to give clear, well reasoned answers.
And as you prepare your presentation, remember that your future backers will want to know how soon they can expect to see a return on their investment as well as possible 'exit strategies'. 2. Be concrete
Winning the trust of an investor means demonstrating a thorough knowledge of your concept or industry and laying out your step-by-step plan for offering something that's new, innovating and will deliver healthy returns on their investment aka 'ROI'.
Explain how you will turn your great idea into a terrific service or lay out your manufacturing plans in detail. Demonstrate how your approach will provide this for less than people are willing to pay, therefore covering your costs and turning profits.
Look them in the eye and inject lots of positive language like, 'we will deliver' and avoid whisy-washy phrases like, 'it is hopes that', 'this should be the luck' or 'could well result in'.
3. Be unapologetically disruptive
Emphatically explain how your new company will give your customers a better deal than your competitors. And if you think you don't have any competitors, think again. If there is true potential for your concept then you can count on someone else rapidly jumping in to try and exploit the same opportunity.
If a bank or other investor is looking at your business they have almost certainly looked at your competitors as well. In your presentation, therefore, it's imperative that you understand your competition and irreverently explain why your business will do better. Blow them away! Avoid being overly negative. At best, you will seem humourless and self-important, and at worst, like you don't take your competitors seriously enough. 4. Prove that growth is sustainable
There will forever be new markets and new sectors emerging as things change and old business reach the end of their life-spans. Nothing stays the same for long, so explain how you plan to tackle the inevitable technological changes and market shifts that are heading your way.
Infinite growth may be impossible in a world of finite resources: so discuss your challenges in terms of resources and waste, and present a plan that inspires confidence in your new venture's ability to sustain the community and the environment. 5. Demonstrate bench strength
Do you have the team in place to take your business forward for the next decade, and do their CV's suggest that they'll be up to the job? Show prospective investors that you have founded the right people to work at your new company. Your backers will want to know their money will be in good hands. You also need to show that you have someone on the team who can take over from you the day you decide to move on to your next brave new venture.
The gloom about the global economy means your competitors may be scrambling to hold onto their customers. This is a great time to offer innovative approach. There are investors and banks that realise this and, if pitched the right way, are still willing to take risks.
So be assertive, keep your pitch confident, concise and clear and you may soon be seeing that unforgettable first investment cheque. Good luck!
There used to be a school of parenting whereby children were supposed to be 'seen and not heard'. Countless generations of kids grew up in homes where the only justification a parent would ever have to offer for just about anything was "Because I say so!".
Not surprisingly this carried forward into classrooms and workplaces where teachers and bosses simply replaced the parent as authority figures whose word was law. Even I grew up in a household where healthy debate was certainly seen once in a blue-moon.
Once one of my school teacher said I was never destined to be anything than my owns boss. It was offensive for me. Perhaps, therefore, it is odd that if there is any one phrase that is guaranteed to set me off it's when someone says to me, "Okay, fine. You're the boss". What irks me is that in 90 per cent of such instances what that person is really saying is 'Okay, then, I don't agree with you but I'll roll over and do it because you're telling me to. But if it doesn't work out I'll be the first to remind everyone that it wasn't my idea.'
I compared it to today's business world and I see a classic image of 'the boss' as a total anachronism. It may work in certain connotations like 'organised crime boss', 'union boss' or 'pit boss', but being bossy in itself is not an attribute that I have ever seen as desirable in a manager or anyone else for the matter.
Some might say this is only a matter of semantics, but I truly believe that forward thinking workplaces benefit from a pronounced absence of traditional hierarchical labeling systems. Much of it starts with the image of 'the guy in the corner' office, something that is perpetuated throughout much of the corporate world by bricks and mortar.
I always wanted to create a healthy environment with the employees be it at Sanghvi Ispat or my own online venture Fylis. I personally believe in avoiding the glass and concrete headquarters where the bosses lodged in upper level corner office. I'd prefer working from a house, hammock or even pool clubs rather than those high-octane headquarters. A business owner's major part of life is spent in offices so why can't it be fun?
I have long been a big fan of open-plan offices with lots of communal brainstorming spaces, lounges, play areas, pool tables and kitchen areas where co-workers naturally come together and chew fat. Office walls, doors, desks and counters are nothing but barriers to communication.
But back to the trouble with 'the boss': the old militaristic image of the general bossing his troops from far behind the front line, as opposed to leading them into battle, is not that different from the way many companies are running today. Make no mistake: a leader is a very different animal from a boss.
If you aren't frequently out there in the front line, leading the charge in lockstep with your employees, you simply cannot stay in touch with the realities of your business. Sitting in the boardroom listening to even the most comprehensive reports from the front can never compare with being there to see it and hear it first hand.
One of my favorite latin word is 'educere'. I remember being greatly surprised to learn that the root of the word 'education' actually means 'to lead forth'. Until that moment I had thought of education as 'cramming in' but in reality it is supposed to be about 'leading out'. While a bad school teacher, like a bad boss, will indeed teach or manage by cramming their opinions into their charges, a good educator or corporate leader will do the opposite and draw opinions and ideas out of their students and associates.
So next time someone says to you, 'Okay, you're the boss' as they head for your office door, stop them in their tracks with 'Not really, we're all in this together. So come back here and tell me what you'd be doing with this if you were in my place?' Better still, next time go and visit them in their office or sit down with them in the canteen and week out their opinions on how things are going. Good examples of leadership can be infectious.
Perhaps the new corporate mantra should be 'bosses should be seen and not heard'.
“It isn’t what happens to us that causes us to suffer; it’s what we say to ourselves about what happens.” ~Pema Chodron
You know that foreboding fear we all have—that something will go terribly wrong and life will never be the same again?
Well, I always wanted to be an Entrepreneur and my parents wanted me to be an Engineering Graduate. A couple of months back I was admitted to one of those college. I tried to convince them but nothing was going in the way I wanted it to go. Then one day they blamed me for smoking a cigar, gambling etc, well that was just because I took some bad decisions while making friends. I tortured myself with fear that why was this happening to me?
I was frustrated, depressed and I even thought of running away. I couldn't help thinking that 'Right now My life sucks'.
And this wasn't the first time I'd thought that.
A few years back, I'd felt much worse when my life had no goal!
And before that when my best-friend was lost to insomnia and depression and wouldn't take any calls.
And when my high school result wouldn't be satisfying.
And a million more times.
Every single one of us has these moments. It’s just the way life is. It’s what we do in those moments that matters.
For the better part of my life, I've felt flustered and incapable of handling these moments. Over time, I feel like I've figured out a few things that I can start doing to bounce back.
I'm sharing these with the hope that some of you will find them as useful as I do,
1) REPLACE ""WHY ME?"" with ""WHAT NEXT?""
Its natural; when things go wrong, one of the first thought is likely to be; "why me?"
Here’s the thing though—“Why me?” is a weakening phrase. It only serves to increase our feeling of victimhood and makes us feel incapable of dealing with the situation.
By intentionally catching ourselves thinking “Why me?” and replacing it with “What next?” we not only gain back a feeling of control, but also figure out what we can actually do.
Rather than screaming, 'Why me? Can I please catch a break?' I'd try convincing myself to face it off.
2) Force yourself to practice Gratitude.
Rhonda Byrne the author of the famous book The Secret published one of its sister books The Magic. The first chapter of that book was to count your blessings.
Well, it is hard to feel grateful when you are dealt a blow—no matter how big or small it is.
I was devastated when the people I care the most were blaming me for things I hadn't. Every time I was asked whether I was a smoker. I'd thank I was lucky enough as it was just about smoking not dealing with drugs. I practically forced myself to practice gratitude.
3) Quit Blaming.
When you’re hurt, it is equally natural to look for someone to blame.
In my case, I was tempted to blame myself, my friends, God, parents, and so on.
But blame only serves to prolong the hurt. It makes it harder to let things go. It makes us angry and corrodes us from the inside. It brings negativity into our life.
So just stop.
If something is meant to be, it will happen. That’s it. Deal with it and move on.
4) Don't give in to Fear and Despair.
This is a tough one. It’s so much easier to just give in and surrender to the fear and grief. But we need to stand tall—even when we feel two feet too short.
It was very hard for me to mask my worries from my friends and family and project confidence. But I’m so glad I did.
Back then, for a while, I’d actually started to wonder if something was wrong. The foreboding fear that was my constant companion kept telling me that something bad was going on.
But slowly, fear gained from my projected confidence and grew more confident herself. And got back to its business.
And my worries started to fizzle.
When it comes to fear and despair, you have to fake it till you make it. And, sooner or later, you will make it.
5) Never give up.
No matter where you’re at or what you’re going through, don’t give up. Try just one more thing; maybe it’s just the thing that will resolve it for you.
I don’t care how disappointing it might’ve been as you’ve been working toward that dream, but that dream that you’re holding in your mind,
That's possible!
That some of you already know.
That’s hard, it’s not easy.
It’s hard changing your life.
That in the process, of working on your dreams, you are going to incur in a lot of disappointment, a lot of failure, a lot of pain.
There are moments when you’re gonna doubt yourself.
You'll ask God, why, why is this happening to me?
I’m just trying to take care of my children and my mother, I’m not trying to steal or rob from anybody
How does this have to happen to me?
For those of you that have experience some hardships, don’t give up on your dream. The rough times are gonna come, but they have not come to stay, they have come to pass.
Greatness, is not this wonderful, esoteric, illusive, god-like feature that only the special among us will ever taste.
It’s something that truly exists, in all of us.
It’s very important for you to believe, that you are the one.
Most people, they raise a family, they earn a living and then they die.
They stop growing, they stop working on themselves, they stop stretching, they stop pushing themselves.
Then a lot of people like to complain but they don’t wanna do anything about their situation.
And most people don’t work on their dreams, why?
One is because of fear, the fear of failure, “what if things don’t work out”?
And the fear of success, “what If they do and I can’t handle it”?
These are not risk takers.
You spend so much time with other people, you spend so much time trying to get people to like you, you know other people more than you know yourself, you studied them, you know about them, you want to hang out like them, you want to be just like them.
And you know what?
You’ve invested so much time on them, you don’t know who you are.
I challenge you to spend time by yourself.
It’s necessary, that get the losers out of your life, if you want to live your dream.
But people who are running towards their dreams, life have a special kind of meaning for them.
When you become the ‘right-person’, what you do is you start separating yourself from other people you begin to have a certain uniqueness, as long as you follow on other people, as long as you being a ‘copy-cat’, you will never, ever be the best ‘copy-cat’ in the world, but you will be the best you could be, I challenge you to define your value.
That everybody won’t see it, that everybody won’t join you, that everybody won’t have the vision… it’s necessary to know that.
That you are an uncommon breed.
It’s necessary that you align yourself with people and attract people into your business,
who are hungry!
People who are unstoppable and unreasonable,
people who are rebuilding to live life just as it is and who want more!
The people that are living their dreams, of party winners, to attach themselves to.
the people that are living their dreams, are the people that know
that if it’s gonna happen it’s up to them
If you want to be more successful,
if you want, have and do stuff you've never done before,
I’m asking you, to Invest in you!
To Invest in you!
Someone's opinion of you, does not have to become your reality.
That you don’t have to go through life, being a victim.
And even though you face disappointments, you have to know within yourself…
that I can do this, even if no one see it for me , I’ve must see it for myself.
This is what I believe and I’m willing to die for it.
Period,
No matter how bad it is or how bad it gets,
I’m going to make it!
I wanna represent an idea. I wanna represent possibilities.
some of you right now, you want to go to next level.
'I want a council, I want to be an engineer, I want to be a doctor.” Listen to me:
You can’t get to that level.
You can’t get to that level economically where you want to be, until you start invest in your mind.
You are not reading books.
I challenge you all to go to the conference.
I dare you to invest time!
I dare you to be alone!
I dare you to spend an hour to get to know yourself.
When you Become who you are,
when you Become the person that you are created to be, designed to be who you were.
When you become an individual.
What you do is: take yourself and you start separating yourself from other people.
I’m challenging you, to get to the place where people do not like you or do not even bother you no more. Why? Cause you are not concerned to make them happy.
Because you try to blow, you try to the next level.
I need you to invest in your mind.
If you still talking about your dream.
If you still talking about your goals.
But you have not done anything
JUST TAKE THE FIRST STEP!
You can make your parents proud,
you can make your school proud, you can touch millions of people lives and the world will never be the same again, because you came this way.
Don’t let nobody steal your dream!
After we face a rejection and a “NO” or we have a meeting and no one shows up, or somebody said, you can count on me, and they don’t come through
what if we had that kind of attitude that cause reposses, nobody believes in you, you're lost again, and again, and again! the lights are cut off but you still looking at your dream, reviewing it every day and saying to yourself:
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