Self Improvement International - June 2019

Self Improvement International JUNE 2019 Issue

The Power of Laziness Become a Modern Artist How to Write Non-fiction and many more !!!

Wealth of the Wise

Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels

Self Improvement International Wealth of the Wise June 2019 Issue

Copyright Š Thejendra Sreenivas. All Rights Reserved

Self Improvement International June 2019 Issue 82/1, Second Main Road, Sheshadripuram, Bangalore 560020, India. www.thejendra.com

Publishers - Thejendra Sreenivas & Karthik Thejendra Email - thejendra@yahoo.com & thejendrabs@gmail.com Single Issue: Rs 30 (India) & US$0.99 (Worldwide) Annual Subscription: Rs 360 (India) & US$9.99 (Worldwide)

Self Improvement International is a monthly electronic magazine edited and published by Thejendra Sreenivas on behalf of his private Seven Sages Consultancy, Bangalore, India.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval

systems, or in any language without the written permission of the editor.

For Subscription Visit

In this issue

From the Editor’s Desk

01

What my Lawyer makes me say

03

What Else?

05

When the Hard Way is the Easy Way

07

Leadership

Become a Modern Artist Humor

17

In this issue (cont’d) How to Express and Accept Bad News Workplace Leadership

How to Write Non-Fiction Writing & Publishing

Stop Defining Yourself Self Improvement

Believe Everything is a Divine Plan Spirituality

The Power of Laziness Self improvement

26

38

56

66

79

In this issue (cont’d) Children Section Writing & Publishing

Review on Harry Potter Article by Junior Navya

Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia

A Few Questions FAQs

About the Editor

92

94

98

106

112

From the Editor’s Desk

H

ey, thanks for subscribing to my unique and delightful Self Improvement

International magazine. This is a magazine to be read, retained, remembered, and re-read from your electronic bookshelf. Each magazine carries a bunch of sparkling articles on Personal Development, Stress Management, Humor,

Frugality,

Leadership,

Resiliency,

Workplace Issues, Spirituality, Life Skills, Satire, Writing, Publishing, and an occasional Harsh Advice.

1

Self Improvement International – May 2019 Issue

Simplicity is the hallmark of this treasure chest. Unlike the hordes of dazzling magazines that you see in the newsstands the contents here are eye and eReader friendly, and not crowded with complex cosmetics, awesome advertisements, and gorgeous graphics that can distract or irritate your eyes.

Like a basket of delicious fruits each issue can dramatically transform your personal and professional life. Think of this magazine as your electronic personal coach who can make you superior to the rest of the crowd. Give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.

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2

What my Lawyer makes me say

D

isclaimer: Although this magazine has been prepared with utmost care, neither

the author, publisher, seller, editor, or any other party associated with this magazine can accept any liability for any direct or indirect damages caused by following the advice given here. All opinions, ideas, and advice expressed here are largely my personal or the contributor opinions and don’t necessarily represent the opinion of any other organization or person, including my employer, my clients or their agents.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Any reference to any persons or businesses, whether living or dead, existing or defunct, is purely

unintentional.

Self

Improvement

International cannot vouch for or certify the claims made by advertisers and is not liable for any cause of action arising out of such claims.

All disputes are subject to the courts and competent forums in Bangalore, India only.

Images used in this magazine are from open image sources like Openclipart, Pexels, etc., that are free for personal and commercial use.

My full thanks and attribution to the respective artists.

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4

What Else?

W

ise men say that one should never have any desire for wealth and must

always be prepared to lead a life of virtuous poverty. Also, writing articles is viewed by many as a hobby that doesn’t deserve any compensation for the writer as they must write purely for the passion and not for money. But writing involves enormous effort and we don’t live

on

such

magnanimous

money-free

planets. By becoming a subscriber to this magazine you help me create valuable content 5

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

for writers and executives. Thank you for being so generous.

Also, if you are a giving kind of person, then I am an accepting kind. So, if you have any unused excess wealth stashed away in Swiss Banks, Spare Jewels, Precious Gems, Spanish Gold Bars, Priceless Paintings, Rare Dinosaur Bones, Asteroid Pieces, Unused Rolls-Royce, Private Jets, Luxury Ships, or even an Exotic Island or Kingdom somewhere, please feel free to donate them to me along with all applicable taxes. Such humble gifts can nudge me to scribble more articles that could be of use to someone, somewhere on our lonely planet ď Š

Back to Contents 6

When the Hard Way is the Easy Way Leadership

Photo from Pexels

F

ew stories have gained wide fame in the way a small inspirational story of ‘The

Star Thrower’ written by the late scientist Loren Eiseley has. The story is like this. There 7

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

was once a wise man who used to go to the beach frequently to get ideas for his writing.

One day, as he was walking he saw someone throwing something into the sea. As he got closer, he saw a young man picking up starfish and gently throwing them into the ocean. The wise man asked ‘Young man, what are you doing?’ The young man replied, ‘Throwing starfish into the water. The sun is rising, and the tide is out. If I don’t throw them in, they will dehydrate and die.’

For this, the wise man said, ‘But don’t you realize that there are miles of beach and thousands of starfish all along it? You can’t possibly make a difference!’ The young man bent down again and picked up another 8

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

starfish and threw it the sea. Next, turning to the wise man he said, ‘See it made a difference for that one.’

This simple starfish story has been widely used in many corporate leadership lessons about the power within each one of us to make a positive difference to others. And this story can also be interpreted in a different way where the wise man is unconsciously seeking the perfect solution to throw all the starfish into the sea in one go, rather than the clumsy way of doing it one by one. He sees no easy way to cover miles and miles of scattered starfish, and the tiny effort of picking one by one seems basically futile and tiresome. And since it’s never ending exercise why even 9

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

attempt such a job and strain yourself? As normal people, most of us would instantly agree with this argument. Naturally, it’s quite common to refuse, avoid, and grumble about anything that takes a long time, or is inefficient, is not automatic, needs too many steps, does not have a final everlasting solution, etc. However, there are ample reasons why one should not wait for the perfect solution or grumble about the lack of perfection or clarity in anything we do.

Firstly, perfection and making things elegant is a costly business.

While the pursuit of

perfection is not a crime, it may often be unachievable. For example, in order to make something perfect or extremely simple for 10

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

everyone to use (or afford) tons of money may have to be spent. Simplicity is often very expensive. Hence, a mediocre way that is readily available for use now can often out beat a perfect way that is still unknown or light years away. So, a mediocre way that produces at least a handful of results at the end of the day is far better than not doing anything at all, or waiting for someone to invent the perfect way as Mother Teresa used to say, ‘Don’t wait for leaders. Do it person to person.’ All great cooks, doctors, artists, surgeons, lawyers and teachers know and practice this simple philosophy.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, ‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.’ Often, 11

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

in many areas, an imperfect, clumsy, hard or goofy method is the only way possible to get things done. But people often live in an illusionary world believing everything can be done in several excellent ways to ease the burden on humankind. And it’s common to argue that there must be a better way or many spectacular ways of doing a particular activity.

True, a single piece of work or activity can theoretically be done in many flamboyant ways. But the harsh reality is, the mediocre way is probably the only viable way in the given

circumstances,

compulsions

and

limitations. For example, while dealing with bureaucratic governments you must go through a series of outdated processes that 12

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

don’t make sense no matter how much you grumble. But if you don’t follow their method you don’t get your work done. So, if you have to fill sixteen lengthy forms by hand in triplicate to get something done you have to do it, though you can endlessly argue about a better system, implement computers, webenabled, click of a button, etc.

Somebody once said, ‘The path to perfection leads to procrastination. Don’t let perfect ruin good.’ While seeking the perfect solution for something is not a crime, not attempting anything till that perfect solution is visualized or found is dumb. A perfection paralysis often stops you from starting any work. People often fear to announce or to execute a half-baked 13

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

plan because it attracts ridicule. So, the risk of being laughed at freezes people into taking no action at all, or just wait perpetually. But nothing would get done at all if one waited till someone could do it so well that no one can find any find fault with it. So, even if that ultimate solution is a million miles away it’s better to start something however small it may seem.

Finally, we can conclude this chapter with a great quote from Lee Iacocca who said, ‘I have always found that if I move with seventy-five percent or more of the facts that I usually never regret it. It’s the guys who wait to have everything perfect that drive you crazy.’

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Article continued after next page. Have a pleasant eye-break for a minute.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

16

from Pexels Photo byPhoto Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels

How to Become a Modern Artist Humor

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash

Ladies and Gentlemen! Are you interested in the world’s greatest and easiest job? Do you want a profession that is too good to be true?

A

career

so

unique 17

that

requires

no

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

educational qualifications, age limitations, tough training, work timings, or mental and physical qualifications for the candidate.

Secondly, no other profession on this planet has the freedom, flexibility, liberty, elasticity, autonomy,

uniqueness,

independence,

excitement, thrill, adventure, ecstasy, and variety that this unbelievable job offers.

Thirdly, there are no interviews required and the paycheck can exceed a million dollars or more. Forget the dull jobs that require you to slog 24x7 with eternal headaches like bad bosses,

bad

colleagues,

office

politics,

recession, downsizing, outsourcing, etc, etc.

And there is absolutely no catch. Sounds interesting?

“I think you are just kidding.”

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

“No, no. Honest, such a job does exist!”

“All right, tell me what it that job.”

“Simple, just become a Modern Artist and start earning millions. Stop dreaming of slogging in Fortune 500 companies for peanuts.”

“That sounds crazy! Anyway, how do I become a modern artist?”

“Good, I thought you would never ask that question. Let me enlighten you on how to become a modern artist and what is great art all about. Just flip the pages for some examples. You can also scribble similar art and a wild description and within hours you can also become a magnificent modern artist.

Simple, isn’t it?”

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Exhibit-1 - The Angel - US$75,000

The Angel - Immortalized in timelessness, perfectly melding into a dreamscape. Vivid imagination with childlike innocence presented to the art universe forever.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Exhibit-2 – Anger - US$95,000

Anger - A masterpiece with a medieval touch of the beast in the human mind. Revenge on the injustice to a troubled soul. Tears, blood, pain dancing in an eternal circle of hopelessness.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Exhibit-3 - Road Ahead - US$275,000

Road Ahead - Unique directionless direction to the future encompassing the universe.

Mystifies the artist’s clear vision in a classic elegance.

22

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Exhibit-4 - The Puzzle - US$300,000

The Puzzle - The quest for knowledge of the untiring brain immortalized in canvas. A rare treat to the art lovers around the world.

Imitated by never reproduced.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Exhibit-5 –Tears - US$350,000

Tears - The joy of sorrowed soul crying out in the wilderness encapsulated in a mystique of tears. Elegant Imagination from the depths of the soul. A timeless marvel.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Exhibit-6 - The Geek - US$1,000,000 The Geek - The emperor among masterpieces, comparable to the Mono Lisa, representing a brilliant jewel in the crown. Beyond compare, beyond criticism, mystifying the art lovers throughout the world. Virtually hypnotizes the viewer into an ecstasy of artistic exuberance.

Displays the artist’s complete mastery over the subject.

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25

How to Express and Accept Bad News Workplace Leadership

Photo from Pexels

N

obody likes bad news, and nobody wants to convey bad news to others. Yet, we all

have to deal with bad news every day. If you observe any news closely over a period of some days you will notice that 90% of the 26

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

news items are mainly bad news in some form or the other. Similarly, there will be plenty of issues in the workplace that can be called bad news. As a resilient person one of the most important strengths you must cultivate is the ability to handle and manage bad news that affects you without going berserk.

How you handle bad events in your life determine if they will strengthen you or destroy you. In most cases bad news is often handled in a bad way. One of the biggest reasons why employees don’t tell bad news to their managers is the fear of getting their head chewed off. Jeff Rich, the CEO of ACS says, ‘I think the day that your people stop bringing their problems to you is the day you stop leading. They’ve either concluded that you don’t 27

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

care about their problems or that you cannot help them. And leaders have to be in a position to help.’ But in many organizations, a typical discussion can be as follows.

Sales Trainee: ‘Sir, we lost that Abacus account to our competitor.’

Sales Manager: ‘What the hell happened? You always come to me with problems, not solutions. It was your @#$% job to look after that important client. Anyway, you are fired!!’

Today uncooperative statements like, ‘Don’t come to me with bad news or problems, come to me with solutions’ are fast becoming fashion statements

in

the

business

world.

It’s

becoming a crime to ask your manager or seniors for help when you are struck with a 28

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

problem or bad news. In many cases such statements are also very convenient to avoid getting involved in realities and simply pass the buck. A statement like the one above can be highly counterproductive and demoralizing.

Secondly, it does not create an environment of collaboration and problem solving. Instead, it builds an environment that legalizes a shoot the messenger approach.

In

many

organizations

bad

news

is

suppressed at all costs. For many executives suppressing unpleasant news is a convenient method for career advancement and growth.

In such organizations if you tell truth your budgets may be cut, you may be sidelined, you may get poor performance appraisals or you may lose your job. So, you start lying and 29

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

downplaying burning issues and soon it becomes the norm. Often bad news discovered at lower levels does not reach the senior management at all, or may even get white washed as good news. A shoot the messenger approach is often followed, and many managers believe if they keep punishing the bearer

of

bad

news,

bad

things

will

automatically stop happening.

Gradually, employees and managers will start telling only the things that top managers like to hear and suppress things they don’t like to hear, until one day the earth caves in beneath their feet. The mega real estate busts, subprime crisis, recessions, corporate collapses, etc., were all due to companies suppressing bad news and ignoring good advice. But 30

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

resilient people must know how to handle and accept bad news. In fact, one of the keys to your resiliency is the willingness to seek and overcome bad news. If you avoid bad news you can never become resilient.

Telling bad news in the workplace about business and work related issues is not the same as telling bad news to a weak heart patient. Have you ever seen or heard of any business manager die of shock, or have a heart attack listening to bad news in some project?

Highly unlikely. Everyone knows things get screwed up, projects fail, stock markets crash, people

make

mistakes,

and

there

are

numerous reasons for failure. Hundreds of complex factors are involved. You cannot blame it on a single person in many cases. You 31

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

should learn to tackle the issue not the person.

In some cases bad things do happen due to the acts of a single person, but even that can be investigated and corrected in a professional manner. So, cultivate the habit of telling and receiving bad news in a professional manner without fear even if it means some personal sacrifices. Gradually, you will realize its significance and importance in making you a truly resilient professional.

Tips for practicing this technique No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, but sometimes even the best employees’ goof up or something goes wrong with the project, business, etc. Bad news told upfront is actually good news as you may get some time to 32

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

prevent it from becoming worse. Hiding bad and unpleasant news from concerned people is a big stress creator, which can definitely lead to more problems later. But, make sure it is bad news first. Get the facts and double verify them before passing it on to others. As a resilient person you should not run away from bad news.

Conveying bad and unpleasant news to someone is not fun. Some people hate bad news and other people’s opinions and suggestions. Some believe every bad news is always the messenger’s fault. But these emotions should not be a reason for you to keep quiet on important issues or bad news.

For example, if your project is going bad 33

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

someone has to speak up before it’s too late.

And that someone should be you.

Often when a project is in trouble no one wants to go to senior management and admit it. That is because it might start a witch hunt, investigation, blame, and retaliation. So, team members try to bury the bad news or may even quit the project rather than face an ugly situation. But if you are a true leader you should not be afraid of facing the truth. So never

delay

informing

the

appropriate

person(s) even if it means getting some shoot the messenger remarks.

Think about a solution if you can. But also remember every problem cannot have an instant solution or have several fascinating 34

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

alternatives just because the customer or boss is shouting or creating a loud ruckus.

Be precise and don’t use any business jargon to confuse things. As Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver.

Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time--a tremendous whack’.

You don’t have to go around with a drum and a trumpet to state bad news. Just because there is some bad news it does not mean you go and inform the CEO directly, or send an email to all and sundry. Know who exactly to tell the bad news or whether it is worth telling everyone.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Quotes by famous people about this technique It is always the best policy to speak the truth, unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar. Jerome K Jerome Be frank and explicit. That is the right line to take when you wish to conceal your own mind and to confuse the minds of others. Benjamin Disraeli I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby We are all failures - at least the best of us are. J M Barrie You must study to be frank with the world: frankness is the child of honesty and courage.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Say just what you mean to do on every occasion, and take it for granted that you mean to do right. Robert E Lee Frankness is a jewel; only the young can afford it. Mark Twain

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37

How to Write Non-Fiction Writing & Publishing

A

general dictionary defines non-fiction as writing about real events and facts.

When you read nonfiction, you're reading about something that really happened and not a story that somebody made up. This type of 38

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

writing requires facts and research checking.

Writing a non-fiction book can be a wonderful experience as it will show you as an expert in some subject. This article will give you a bunch of tips on how to write a non-fiction book.

What to write? There are plenty of subjects on which non-fiction books can be written, but that does not mean you can write on any subject under the sun. To write non-fiction must have some knowledge and clarity about what you are writing. So, choose your subject or topic carefully. Also, think whether you can really write 100 to 200 pages on the topic you choose because many topics are only suitable for long articles and not full-length books.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Many topics cannot be stretched beyond a few pages or a couple of dozen pages.

Also, visit bookstores to see what kind of new books are getting published and what genres are popular. Talk to booksellers to get ideas and suggestions of what readers ask for.

What is the latest fad? What genres of books are selling like hotcakes? What subjects do readers find interesting? Then explore writing books on those subjects.

For example, some of the popular types of books that help people are, motivational, selfhelp,

inspirational,

cookbooks,

memoirs,

biographies,

how

history, to

books,

textbooks, true stories, scientific books, reference guides, travel guides, manuals, 40

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

religion, philosophy, spirituality, politics, etc.

Such books can be read again and again. You can also write books from your own experience or profession. For example, if you have worked in a chemical industry for many years, then you would have gained enormous knowledge that you can pass on to newcomers with your book.

Read like an author: Even if you have extensive knowledge of some subject or topic, it is not easy to quickly write a book on it. To be a good author you must also be a good reader. When you choose to write a book on some subject, first read three to five books that are similar to the topic you have chosen.

Also, read many articles on the same subject.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

42 Pexels Photo from

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

But your reading should be more intense and focused than a casual reading. By intense I mean you should carefully focus on how the information and chapters are formed. For example, some books will be all fluff, or too difficult for the intended audience, or not explained properly, or may use a dozen sentences to explain something that could have been explained in just five sentences, or may even contain many useless chapters just to fill pages, etc.

Also brainstorm on what is missing or difficult for the average reader to get in those books. That is, find out what the author has not explained in his book but perhaps should

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

have been included. Make a note of all such gaps and then start writing your book.

Audience: Every non-fiction book must be aimed at a specific type or category of readers.

Next think of the age group for your book like busy executives, novices, CEOs, employees, students, etc., so that your book will help or appeal to those readers. Ask whether your book

topic

has

a

local,

national

or

international audience? For example, if your book solves or tackles a widespread problem, then it will probably sell more because such books have the potential to help thousands or even millions of readers. That is, you should know exactly who you are writing for in order

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

to decide on what to write and how much to write.

How to begin? Then begin by asking questions to yourself about the topic you are writing. For example, if you want to write a book on stress management then start jotting down several questions like what is stress, why is it caused, who gets affected, what harm does it cause, how to eliminate or reduce stress, etc. These are the basic questions that any ordinary reader or a layman will want to be answered. Then start answering each question.

The first draft: When you start writing simply jot down all of your ideas and thoughts, and start filling the pages. What I mean by this 45

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

is you can just start scribbling and don’t worry about

the

chapter

names,

preface,

acknowledgments, etc., initially. They can be framed and improved once you have about 6070 pages of useful info. Besides, no one can write the final version of a book in one shot.

Use famous quotes: It is always a good idea to use interesting quotes from famous people in your book wherever possible. For example, if you are writing a book on leadership make generous use of quotes from famous people like Gandhi, Churchill, Lincoln, etc. Such quotes are like sprinkling diamonds and can greatly enhance your book. But remember to mention the names of the people who stated those quotes. Secondly, you can also try to write 46

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

funny and interesting quotes of your own.

Sometimes, entire paragraphs and examples can be written based on a great quote.

Article continued after next page. Have a pleasant eye-break for a minute.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

48

Photo by Sean Sandoval from Pexels

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

Simplicity:

Choose

simplicity

over

complexity. When writing a book there will always be a temptation to write in a pompous manner

using

complicated

words

and

sentences. For example, if you see many college textbooks you will quickly notice such books

would

have

been

written

in

a

complicated way that only top professors can understand and not by ordinary mortals. Now ask yourself, do you want your book to be read by a large number of people or only by a few brainy college professors? Unless you are a megalomaniac, the answer will obviously be a large number of readers.

Hence, bring yourself down to the level of an average reader. Think in their terms. Use 49

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

the words and sentences that they can understand. Eliminate all complicated words that ordinary people don’t understand. Also, avoid

writing

long

awkward

sentences.

Instead, split them into two or three sentences.

The book you write must be easy and useful for a large number of readers. Remember you are writing a book for others to read and not to read it yourself. See an example below.

Example of a useless book: When I was in college there was a physics textbook written by an extremely intelligent professor. The theory explained in this book was quick and short. Each chapter also had a few easy and simple solved problems. But at the end of each chapter

there

were 50

heaps

of

awfully

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

complicated problems that no student could solve by reading the theory and examples provided in the same chapter.

To make matters worse, only the oddnumbered problems had the answers (without the solution steps) printed at the end of the book. To make matters even worse that professor would not solve those tough problems even in the classroom and expected the students to brainstorm and solve on their own. So, the professor’s method was to help students to solve simple and easy problems, but let the students tackle the tough ones without any clue on how to solve them.

Secondly, due to his ferocious short temper, no student

would

approach 51

him

for

any

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

assistance. To summarize the story it was a bad textbook written by an intelligent professor who was unable and unwilling to realize that he was a bad author as he was not interested in helping his readers. Soon every student realized they could pass no exam if they studied only that tough textbook.

Fortunately, there was another textbook written by some other professor containing detailed theory and fully solved problems explained beautifully, which every student would quietly buy to pass exams and the earlier tough textbook would just remain as an ornamental piece.

Edit-Edit-Edit: -After having written some sentences or paragraphs revisit them after a 52

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

few hours or days. When you give it some time and return to revise it with fresh eyes you will suddenly discover many ways of improving it further. Writing a book involves plenty of editing,

polishing,

deleting,

rearranging,

moving, revising, etc., without hesitation. So, do not hesitate to chop entire paragraphs, or change the story entirely if necessary to make your book better.

Don’t overwrite: Often while writing nonfiction you will not realize that you could be saying the same thing over and over again using different sentences. Learn to recognize this writing mistake. Saying the same thing in different ways will only frustrate the reader

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

and will also add unnecessary fluff to your book.

So, read every paragraph carefully to see if you have repeated something multiple times.

Practice condensing paragraphs and retain only the simplest and best possible sentences.

Also don’t be afraid to ruthlessly cut unwanted lines or paragraphs or sometimes entire chapters if you feel they are repeated even if you have slogged earlier to write them.

Write slowly: Take your time and don’t hurry. Even if you write just half a page a day, then in about three to five months’ time you will have a 75-85 page book that you can be proud of. Then, you can add items like a table

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

of

contents,

preface,

copyright,

acknowledgments, etc.

Finally, we can end this article with a quote

by Ellen Hopkins - Nonfiction speaks to the head. Fiction speaks to the heart. Poetry speaks to the soul. It's the essence of beauty.

The essence of pain. It pleases the eye and the ear.

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55

Stop Defining Yourself Self improvement

Photo from Pexels

L

et us start this chapter with a joke and a couple of real-world examples.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

A sixty-year-old person walked into an army headquarters to inquire if he can apply for a soldier’s vacancy. The surprised sergeant bluntly said, ‘You are sixty years old. How can you even think of applying for a soldier’s job?’

Pausing for a moment the old man then asked, ‘Okay then, how about making me a general?’

Some years ago there was a newspaper incident about a mother lifting a heavy car and saving her child which was pinned underneath.

And in 2008, there was a case of a woman attacking a leopard that was holding her child in the Katarnia ghat wildlife santuary, Uttar Pradesh, India. The woman pounced on the leopard with some weapon she had and forced the big cat to release her child and run away.

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Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

The above examples can actually teach you a valuable lesson. And the lesson is that every human being is fundamentally capable of exhibiting various behaviors ranging from pure cowardice to extreme forms of bravery. Under normal circumstances, these ladies would have never pounced on a leopard or lifted a heavy car. But the fear of losing their kids gave them some temporary superhuman strength to tackle the situation.

So, as you can see every human behavior is relative, situational and not exactly definable.

Our behaviors are actually dependent on several factors and triggers. However, one of the biggest mistakes you can do to limit your capabilities is to mistakenly typecast yourself as an individual of a specific nature or 58

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

behavior. For example, you may define yourself as a calm person, a shy person, a tough person, and so on. Apart from your personal beliefs, there are also countless surveys and self-assessment tests that try to define what sort of a person you are based on the answers you give to various questions. And in

most

organizations

HR

departments

frequently try to classify employees into various categories like future leaders, trainers, top guns, mediocre, etc.

Even astrology tries to define people based on the months or dates on which they were born or on some star signs and so on. But all these are only partially true as you will shortly see. While the classification of humans can happen due to various reasons, very often you 59

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

blindly accept such conclusions as real and start believing in them. If an assessment survey, manager or a questionnaire conclude you do not have any leadership skills you unconsciously (and foolishly) start believing it as absolute truth. But, unknown to yourselves, such things can put a serious mental roadblock on you and make you develop an inferiority complex.

More importantly, they cause unnecessary stress, anxiety, and fear to be constantly active inside you. For example, if you believe yourself as a timid person you will always get scared of meeting tough people or tough situations, and will never be able to handle them. But, the reality is most people don’t know that every human being is capable of releasing many 60

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hidden strengths and weaknesses should the situation demand.

A Buddhist teacher, Lama Zopa Rinpoche preaches as follows – ‘Leave the mind in its natural,

undisturbed

state.

Don’t

follow

thoughts of this is a problem, that is a problem.

Without labeling difficulties as problems, leave your mind in its natural state. In this way, you will stop seeing miserable conditions as problems.’

Now slightly modify this great teaching and stop trying to define yourself as any specific type of person. Don’t call yourself brave, tough, good, bad, timid, shy, coward, etc. Your actions are all situations or circumstances based. You can exhibit various behaviors 61

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depending on the circumstances or situations.

History has been full of true stories of how ordinary people have done extraordinary things because they were pushed to the wall.

Essentially, you are capable of moderation or extremes should the situation demand. That is the beauty and ferocity of human nature. Once you understand that you are capable of complete flexibility you become truly resilient.

Tips for practicing this technique Never try to define yourself in absolute terms. All your behaviors are relative and situational. Remember, you are capable of various drastic behaviors depending on the situation or if pushed to the wall.

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Never underestimate yourself or anyone else. Do not be overwhelmed by the apparent superiority of an opponent. Remember, how a small child David eliminated the giant Goliath.

In order to eliminate the habit of defining yourself as a specific person do not classify yourself as a specific type of person. Think of yourself as completely flexible ranging from pure timidity to absolute violence should the situation demand. Essentially, such thinking can release you from the invisible shackles that limit your true capabilities.

Not trying to define yourself as a specific type of person can also help you in handling various degrees of responsibilities and difficult tasks. For example, if you define and believe 63

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yourself as a weak person you will never be able to handle apparently tough people. But if you completely flexible in the way you look at your strengths it gives you the psychological power to handle any type of person and situation calmly. Such thinking can make tough situations less stressful.

Not defining yourself does not mean you get the right to act irrational or cranky. And it does not mean you can wear a clown suit for a business meeting. You still need to adhere to laws, decency, respect, proper communication, acceptable behavior, etc. It just means you develop an inner self-confidence that can give you the courage to rise above your fears, limitations, inadequacies, etc., if the need arises.

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Finally, we can end this chapter with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt who said, ‘Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell them, 'Certainly, I can!' Then get busy and find out how to do it.’

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Believe Everything is a Divine Plan Spirituality

H

ave you ever noticed that sometimes even your best efforts can land you in

trouble? During such periods nothing will seem to go right, no matter what you do. You get attacked from all sides. Sometimes even frank communication, knowledge, money, power, honesty, professionalism, data, planning, best practices, polishing,

friends,

trust,

godfathers,

loyalty,

politics,

appleindustry

contacts and everything you believed would protect you will now not work for you. Your 66

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luck goes haywire and everything you touch turns into worthless mud. One day you have everything, the next day everything is gone, just washed out. You see mighty CEOs get downsized or lose everything within hours or days. Call it the hidden hand of fate, bad luck, or sin. This is the time when you need to start believing in the fact that you are controlled by a greater power that is beyond science, rationality and common sense.

Irrespective of your rational and scientific beliefs, there comes a time when you need to believe you and everything in your very life is part of a mysterious and divine game. You may have noticed that those who are spiritual tend to be more resilient as they know why life has 67

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its ups and downs, and that the healer in the sky is always in charge.

So, whether you like it or not certain bad things will happen to you no matter how hard you try to avoid. This is the time to let go of your plans and let God or a higher power take over. Your creator knows what He is doing.

You need to start believing in the idea that some power greater than yourself is really in charge and it hopefully knows what it is doing.

So when God does not allow you to succeed through your own efforts, you have to simply give up trying for some time. After all if He keeps fouling up your plans again and again, then it now His headache to take care of you.

Simply believing and putting yourselves in the 68

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hands of a higher power can actually reduce the stress caused by dozens of factors.

Let us look at a couple of cases.

A cousin of my friend was a bank manager of a reputed bank in the commercial capital of India, Mumbai. He had enormous contacts, influence, and reputation in the industry. One day he bought a diamond from a jeweler, much to the opposition of my friend’s father who believed in astrology. Believe it or not, within weeks the bank manager’s life went upside down. That was the time of the biggest stock market scam in the history of Indian financial markets. When the big fish and scam king, Harshad Mehta got arrested, dozens and

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dozens of bank employees and managers were arrested on suspicion of helping him.

This manager was also arrested and had to spend several weeks behind bars, with the very high probability of going to jail for many years.

None of his industry contacts, lawyers, friends, track record and influence could bail him out.

Then his family turned towards the occult. An astrologer advised them to get rid of the diamond. Reluctantly, his family disposed the diamond and miracles started happening.

Within weeks, he was acquitted of all charges and could get back to his job peacefully. How do you explain this miracle? Let us look at another case.

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In 1990, I heard that an acquaintance of my friend lost a well-paying job in Kuwait and had to come back home to India. Naturally, he was simply inconsolable at his great loss.

But,

within weeks of his coming back the whole world saw Saddam Hussein invade Kuwait. If he had not lost his job he would have been either dead or captured in the Iraqi massacre of civilians that took place in the area he was working.

Article continued after next page. Have a pleasant eye-break for a minute.

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So, something bad actually turned out to be good for him and his family. The job loss saved his

life.

Similarly,

sometimes

criticism,

workplace harassments, loss of jobs, and various other tortures you undergo will soon turn out to be good in a certain bizarre way.

Tips for practicing this technique Think of God or a higher power as your free stress management consultant or personal coach and pour your troubles to Him. Then leave it to His miraculous ways of solving things for you.

Read religious books, whatever religion you believe in. There is a highly mistaken myth that religious books are only for old people.

But, there is nothing wrong or embarrassing if 73

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youngsters read religious books. Unknown to many people (including many management gurus) religious books are actually fantastic people management books. All religious books have a lot of stress management and selfcontrol tips in them. All great leaders throughout the world have turned to religion for their power and perseverance. Mahatma Gandhi used to read religious books from all religions like the Bible, Koran, Buddhism, Judaism and the Bhagavad-Gita. Gandhi would often say, ‘When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face and I see not one ray of light on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me, and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow.’ 74

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If you can tackle your troubles within your powers do it. If you can’t do anything about it, just let it go. Remember what is destined to happen will happen. Believe in the fact no matter what you face, you are not alone. There is a higher power guiding things.

The Muslims believe in a concept called ‘Mektoub’, which means, ‘It is written.’ All pious Muslims believe in this wonderful concept that everything is controlled by a higher power and that He knows what he is doing. They leave all matters to the divine healer in the sky. They accept good and bad things in life with the same enthusiasm and don’t worry about it.

They very often repeat the words, ‘Inshallah,’

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which means ‘God Willing.’ and take good and bad in their stride.

Religion can even give terrific mental power.

When the Italians caught Omar Mukhtar of Libya and tortured, he could look at his torturers in the eye and read verses of peace from

the

Koran

as

he

was

brutally

interrogated. And while he was being hanged, they asked if he wished to say any last words.

He simply replied, ‘From God we have come, and to God we must return.’

Quotes by famous people about this technique It is interesting to note many of these sayings are by scientists, businessmen and people who did not take up religion as their 76

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careers. This proves that god had influenced them in their lives, and made them believe in the concept of a higher power I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn’t need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about? - Henry Ford God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight - Reggie White When you face the perils of weariness, carelessness, and confusion, don’t pray for an easier life. Pray instead to be a stronger man or woman of God. -Luis Palau

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God always answers our prayer. Either He changes the circumstances, or He supplies sufficient

power

to

overcome

them

-

Anonymous ‘Come to the edge,’ He said. They said, ‘We are afraid.’ ‘Come to the edge,’ He said. They came. He pushed them... and they flew.

Guillaume Apollinaire

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The Power of Laziness Self Improvement

A

Photo from Pexels

general dictionary defines laziness in several ways like - The quality of

being unwilling to work or use energy, idleness, disinclined to activity or exertion, not energetic or vigorous, etc. From time 79

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immemorial laziness has a bad reputation.

Right from childhood you have always been taught that laziness is bad, useless, and should be avoided and even ridiculed.

Students who exhibited laziness were often insulted by teachers, parents, and other students. Even in the adult world, lazy people are considered as not worthy of any respect.

This is why every day you are bombarded with tips, articles, and speeches about how to be always active, be productive, work more, sleep less, not waste time, and increase speed, etc. Basically, you are forced or expected to do more and more with less time and less money. You now live in an artificial world obsessed with speed, doing 80

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everything faster, cramming more and more into less and less time, racing against the clock, etc. This is why you have speed dial, speed reading, power lunch, power nap, speed walking, speed yoga, etc.

Caught in this speed mania, you soon lose sight of the damage that this sort of living does to everyone. You fail to notice the toll it takes on your health, diet, work, relationships, environment, and even our community. Though many people don’t like speed living they are afraid to admit it openly and reluctantly join the rat race mainly for the fear of being branded as a lazy

person.

This

fear

is

perfectly

understandable because in this dog-eat-dog world being branded a lazy person can be 81

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detrimental

to

your

career

growth,

promotions, reputation, job opportunities, social relationships, status in society, etc.

This is why everyone tries to portray a picture of high productivity and availability regardless of whether their body, mind, and soul rebels against it. For example, this is why we see employees come early and stay late in the office throughout the year, take work home on weekends, pretend to be excited and passionate about everything, etc., to give an impression that they are always available and productive.

But is laziness really a bad and useless thing? If so, why is this biological feature coded in our mind and body by Mother Nature? Is it just for fun, or is there some 82

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higher reason behind this? For example, even in the world of manufacturing will a car manufacturer add a few parts and features that are of no use? Obviously no.

It will be a waste of money and hence there will always be a design purpose behind each and every feature and parts of the car.

Similarly, the fact that this laziness feature exists within us means there is some nature’s purpose behind this that we are either unable or unwilling to explore due to society’s pressures. But in reality, there is a higher reason behind all our human strengths,

weaknesses,

and

biological

features. Laziness is what makes us human but it’s one of the most useful but a highly misunderstood

feature.

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Unfortunately,

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most executives and organizations are unable or unwilling to accept this concept and believe 24x7 productivity is the only way that employees must cultivate, while preaching about work-life balance at the same time. But there is one surprising fact about laziness and that is such people have an edge over others who work hard and are often suited for leadership and creativity roles in organizations. Surprised? To know why just keep reading.

Article continued after next page. Have a pleasant eye-break for a minute.

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Photo by Sebastian Molinares on Unsplash 85

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In the mid18th century a Prussian Field Marshal with a long name, Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke, developed a means to classify his officers. He divided them into four major types, Type-1: Dumb & Lazy – Such folks are suitable for simple, menial, repetitive, and unchallenging tasks. Such officers had usually reached their career peak in the army and were generally not troublesome.

Type-2: Dumb & Energetic – These were officers who required constant supervision as they were dangerous and troublesome.

Such officers would usually get eliminated by dismissal or transfers.

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Type-3: Smart & Energetic – He would say - I make such folks my General Staff Officers because they make intelligent plans, make the right things happen and make sure orders are carried out in perfect detail. But such people suffer from micromanagement and would often be poor leaders.

Type-4: Smart & Lazy – These were mentally bright but physically lazy fellows.

Von Moltke felt they are suitable for highest levels of command and leadership.

He claimed that such people not only make the right things happen, but also find the easiest way to accomplish that. They were motivated by their laziness to choose the 87

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easiest and simplest method to solve complex issues.

Summary - As you can now see laziness is not such a bad thing after all. Remember, laziness doesn’t mean you become a sloth, lose interest in life, and become a useless bum. It’s about putting brakes to your 24x7 productivity and start listening to the STOP signals from your body and mind. Halt the moment it tells you that it’s tired. It’s only when you respect your body signals that it will reward you with good ideas and quality work. But if you force it to work non-stop, then it will punish by making you produce lousy output. Periodically give your brain some mini mental vacations. Give such breaks and switching off completely gives 88

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your intuitive right brain the chance to come up with better solutions.

When you switch off and return to it with fresh eyes you can see many ways in which a task can be improved. Starting today, learn to do the one thing that you never dared in the past, and that is to confidently relax, enjoy the peace and quiet, and do nothing for a few hours every day without any embarrassment or regret. This is necessary to recharge your mind and body.

All you have to say is “Challenge Accepted” and start your laziness journey.

Finally, a few quotes to help you start.

Nature never hurries. Yet, everything is accomplished – Lau Tzu. 89

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Progress isn’t made by early risers. It’s made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something - Robert Heinlein, an American science fiction writer.

Laziness, according to the modern view, is like an illness or something we need to be coached out of. Instead, the reverse is true it is something senior executives need to be coached into – Lucy Kellaway.

We also need to recognize that sometimes, being lazy is far from a sin. After all, isn't getting to take a deserved break why we expend effort in the first place? - Jon Jachimowicz.

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Children Section

T

his section is dedicated to articles for children and also their own contributions.

You can also submit articles, drawings, and paintings done by your kids for consideration.

This is to encourage them to cultivate the awesome habit of writing and reading books and magazines, instead of thinking that their computers, smartphones, and tablets are only for playing games and chatting.

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Photo by Renato Abati from Pexels

Review on Harry Potter

By Junior Navya

I

have read many books in my life and I am going to write a review blog about one of

my favorite books so far.

My favorite movie is Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets if you have not even started reading the Harry Potters series the first movie is Harry Potter And The chamber of secrets. But what if you did not like reading books you can go ahead and watch the movie of the book I liked the movies more Who is the author ?

The author of the whole Harry Potter series is J.K. Rowling she is a record-breaking Harry Potter author she has narrated many other 94

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movies like fantastic beasts she has over 450 million copies of all her books in each country they have been translated into 79 languages.

She has narrated seven movies but has written eight books the one book she has not made into a movie is the cursed child she has not made this book into a movie because that book is actually a scripture.

What kind of movie is it ?

The movie is mostly fiction like the parts where they do the magic and they petrify some of the people and parts where it is written on the wall with blood and we don’t know what is going to happen next so that part I was very curious that I did not even get up from the sofa.The movie was full of 95

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mystery like you don’t know what is going to happen then we will be like oh my god what is going to happen and then we will start getting very excited all the parts were mostly fun to watch in the night but at some parts it was also a bit scary.

Why would I recommend this movie?

I would recommend this movie because it is a movie which any aged person could watch and the curiosity will never go away even after we watch this movie even a thousand times we will still be curious in what is going to happen.

I would recommend this movie because it has magic and spells which cannot be reversed at all or spells which can have a lot of impact on you or even spells which can kill us. The movie 96

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is not that scary when we watch it in the morning but it will be scary in the night so it feels like some extra effect is there when we watch in the night.

About the Author Navya , a very active 10 year old girl, who is very Tomboyish and loves sports, loves books and is awesome in gymnastics too. Her blogs come with personal experience, creative thoughts and she loves to write about fun and exciting topics.

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Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia

T

his section is dedicated to remembering the golden era of comics that lasted from

the 1930s till the late 1980s. When we were kids we didn’t have dozens of TV channels, Smartphones, Apps, Internet, Social Media, etc.

Our main sources of entertainment were movies in theaters, a radio set, books, magazines, playgrounds, and the wonderful world of comics.

Dozens and dozens of brilliant graphic comics would hit our magazine newsstands every month ranging from as low as 10 cents to 50 cents. The arrival of our favorite comic 98

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every month was always a gala affair that would send a thrilling chill down our spine. We even had awesome libraries that would lend us comics for a small fee. Practically, every child on our planet grew up as diehard fans of various comic book heroes, heroines, and villains. Collecting and protecting our comics was a thrilling exercise, and we had to guard our precious comics from our mischievous friends, cousins, relatives, etc., who would vanish with our priceless treasures.

Each comic book’s hero, heroine, and villain would take us deep into their imaginary wonderland and make us laugh, cry, giggle, angry, and even get furious. The stories used to so great that countless comics could have 99

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been easily been made in super movies. Did you know that each comic were meticulously hand drawn and colored by those great comic artists as there were no graphic softwares like today?

Want to know how those golden comics looked? See the next few pages for some awesome covers. Some lucky grown up child will be having these lovely treasures stored in their attics or cupboards somewhere on our planet (sigh!).

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Watch out for more awesome covers in next month’s issue.

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A Few Questions FAQs

How do we contact you?

Via

email

on

thejendra@yahoo.com

or

thejendrabs@gmail.com.

I am a writer and want to submit articles to your magazine. Will you accept it?

Yes, but with some conditions like you must have your own website, blog, and preferably be a self-published author with your books available on amazon and other sites. If you want to contribute regularly, then I would prefer you become my magazine subscriber.

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This link contains the submission details and template.

Do you pay for articles?

Not yet. This is still a new magazine and to pay you my circulation must improve. But I will provide a PDF copy of the magazine if I include your article in this magazine.

What kind of articles do you accept?

Your articles must be related to selfimprovement, stress management, leadership, management, writing, publishing, and so on. It must help the reader learn something useful for their life skills. Also, your article must be your own and not copied from anywhere. All 107

Self Improvement International – June 2019 Issue

images used must cite sources and must be free for personal and commercial usage. I can also consider publishing articles, drawings, and paintings done by your kids to push them towards the habit of reading books and magazines.

Do you accept advertisements in your magazine?

Yes, you can have a half-page or a full-page advertisement. Half page is US$10 and fullpage is US$20 (see samples next page).

Authors can also advertise their books and its short summary for just US$5/-. For half page send a JPG or PNG file of size 5 inch x 3.75 inch and for full-page send a 5 inch x 7.5 inch size file.

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I have some other questions.

Just send me an email.

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About the Editor

Thejendra Sreenivas is an Author and Life Skills Coach and offers personalized coaching in Book Publishing and Personal Development. He has also written 20+ mild & wild books on a number of subjects. His inspiration for writing unique books comes from Toni Morrison who said, “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Please visit his web cave - www.thejendra.com for details of his books, magazine, and coaching information.

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Books by the Editor

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Books by the Editor

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Books by the Editor

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Books by the Editor

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Past Issues of this Magazine

I hope you enjoyed the ride. If you liked this magazine please coax all your friends to subscribe.

For Subscription Visit

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Wealth of the Wise