Self Improvement International - April 2019

Self Improvement International April 2019 Issue Apple - Top Secret Strategy 2020 Writers - Don’t quit your boring jobs The Folly of First Impressions and many more !!!

Wealth of the Wise

Self Improvement International Wealth of the Wise April 2019 Issue

Copyright Š Thejendra Sreenivas. All Rights Reserved

Self Improvement International April 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.

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In this issue

From the Editor’s Desk

01

What my Lawyer makes me say

03

What Else?

05

The Folly of First Impressions

08

Leadership

Sportspersons- It’s time to retire if Humor

26

In this issue (cont’d) Apple Top Secret Strategy - 2020 Business Management

Writers – Don’t quit your job unless Writing & Publishing

Smartphone Addiction Test Technology Humor

Supplement your strength with a great team

31

37

51

55

Leadership by Brian Donovan

The Difficult Art of Saying NO Self Improvement

61

In this issue (cont’d) Simple Ways to Start your Own Business Entrepreneurship

Children Section Writing & Publishing

Music Class for Children Article by Junior Sannihita Nadella

Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia

68

78

80

86

In this issue (cont’d) A Few Questions FAQs

94

About the Editor

100

Books by the Editor

101

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.

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Self Improvement International – April 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.

Back to Contents

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 – April 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 5

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

magazine you help me create valuable content 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

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Back to Contents

7

The Folly of First Impressions Leadership

Photo by Craig Adderly from Pexels

I

t has often been said that you don’t have to commit a great deed for someone to like or

hate you. You can be admired or despised for 8

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

just about anything you do, or don’t do. And everyone on our planet has their share of admirers and haters from various people they know or don’t even know. But have you ever wondered why people automatically like or hate someone, even the ones they have never met before or personally interacted with? The obvious answers could be plenty, but the starting trigger for this judgmental behavior usually lies in one hidden reason. And that hidden reason is the ‘first impression’ or a ‘memory burn’ that occurs with the very first encounter we have with someone.

A large percentage of people make their lasting impressions and judgments about others within the first few minutes of an encounter. The encounter can be in the form 9

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

of a meeting, reading, or just hearing something (positive or negative) about them.

In many cases, people can form pleasant to completely warped opinions of someone just by looking at a photograph of a person who they may not even know personally. And first impressions are so powerful that its effects can often last a lifetime and will influence all future mutual interactions.

While this could be a popular method of framing judgments by millions of people, blindly following such a method always can often do more harm than good. Though many people swear by first impressions, but on close examination they are often wrong and misleading in most of the cases. For example, to see how easily we can be influenced by 10

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

what we read about someone let us use a small joke that I had read somewhere. The slightly modified joke is as follows.

Suppose it’s time to elect a new world leader and you have to take a decision to select him or her. But you have to make a selection based only on the candidate's description without knowing who exactly they are, while their real names are inside a sealed envelope. Now, who would you vote for?

Candidate-A:

Associates

with

crooked

politicians, and consults with astrologists. He's had two mistresses, chain smokes, and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate-B: He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, arrogant type, used 11

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

opium in college and drinks a quart of whiskey every evening.

Candidate-C: He is a decorated war hero. He is mostly a vegetarian, always smiling, loves his own people, doesn’t smoke, drinks an occasional beer, and has never cheated on his wife.

Which of these candidates would be your choice? It will most probably be Candidate-C. Now open the envelopes and read out the names.

Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt Candidate B is Winston Churchill Candidate C is Adolf Hitler

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

The above example will show how you can be easily fooled by what you read and easily frame opinions about someone if you don’t dig further. This is how people normally get misled by first impressions. We quickly frame opinions and judgments of others without even meeting them based on what we hear, read or see about them from various sources. It happens to each one of us many times in our lifetime. So, if you had all along believed that first impressions were useful or guaranteed judgment methods here are a few reasons why you should never solely depend on them.

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

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

On our planet, a very large percentage of people give too much importance to first impressions

to

form

their

permanent

perceptions about someone. But it’s wrong to brand a person permanently based on what you saw or heard for a brief time. Maybe, you caught the person at the wrong time or wrong place.

Maybe, you were not getting the complete picture or facts. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time is not a crime or always avoidable. Everybody cannot be in the right place at the right time. Or say the right things at the right moment to make a stunning first impression. The same rules apply to you also.

Hence, people need several impressions both ways to know and understand each other. It 15

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

takes a long time to understand someone and cannot be based on some singular or brief incident.

Appearances can be deceptive. It has been said people look normal until you get to know them better. The reverse is also true. People can also look abnormal until you get to know them better. Hence, you should always aim to know people leisurely, and you will soon discover they just have faults different from that of yours. And history is full of numerous cases of people who have made awesome first impressions but failed miserably later.

For example, a well-dressed and smooth talking

person

displaying a great first

impression may eventually turn out to be a con 16

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

man, while a mediocre person with an initial shabby personality may prove to be an honest trustworthy person.

To quote another example, when we first met our college biology professor most students were taken aback by his small meek structure and somewhat odd behavior. But when he started his lectures on botany he was awesome. His lectures were so electrifying that he could hold the entire class into a hypnotic trance through his powerful teaching and great anecdotes. Though a lot of students were aiming for engineering, nobody would miss his class, and not a single cranky student would disturb his session.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

First impressions should not be confused with intuition, which is entirely different.

Intuition is a mysterious message we get that can give us a warning about someone. The first impression I am referring is mainly about realworld stuff like physical appearance, dress, handwriting, mediocrity, shyness, weak or strong handshakes, color, speech abilities or disabilities, nervousness, etiquette issues, ignorant and unintentional acts, cultural behaviors, etc.

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

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Don’t judge a book by its cover. Lack of flamboyance is not a lack of capability as believed by Mary Kay Ash, the legendary founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, a billion dollar cosmetics giant. It has often been said she never paid much attention to anyone's physical appearance, and always focused on who he or she was as a person.

Positive dressing and impressive displays, though necessary in the business world, can never be a substitute for getting things done and achieving results as a reputed manager once said, ‘Give me a team in denims and Tshirts who can do the job efficiently, caring for the customers and who are real and secure about themselves than people with very little substance.’ Often, people who spend too much 20

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

time dressing and behaving elegantly to make great first impressions are usually hollow, as they spend too much time in front of the mirror and too little time growing their knowledge, products, and people.

Many people proudly claim they have the magic or psychic ability to easily judge a person just with one glance or a brief encounter. But such a claim is completely naĂŻve and misleading. Only ignorant or gullible people take first impressions as permanent characteristics.

Except in some hard-core cases, the person you may have seen last year is not necessarily the same person next year, as human beings are dynamic creatures and constantly changing 21

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

(or evolving) for better or worse. But true professionals,

leaders

and

credible

establishments like the law courts in most developed and democratic countries never get influenced or carried away by first impressions.

They

always

believe

in

a

thorough

investigation, facts, proof, etc., no matter how tedious or long it takes. They always make their independent assessments about someone based on facts. Otherwise, if first impressions were assumed to be correct and let loose, then thousands of people will be hanged, lynched and buried alive based on media hype, overwhelming public opinion, and trial by media, newspaper reports, etc.

However, with all the above arguments against first impressions, there are certain 22

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

areas and a percentage of cases where judgments based on first impressions are true and correct.

On our planet, nothing is 100% right or wrong. So, for example, while dealing with street punks, people who are a menace to society, the stubbornly obnoxious, criminally oriented, and those who deliberately exhibit boorish or uncouth behaviors, etc., you can easily take your first impressions as final without bothering to investigate further. But you must consciously remember that such cases will normally be applicable only to a small percentage of cases, and any negative experiences based on such encounters must not be universally applied to the remaining large percentage of cases.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Finally, we can conclude this article with a great quote from Violet Asquith, who said, ‘The first time you see Winston Churchill you see all his faults, and the rest of your life you spend discovering his virtues’

Back to Contents

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

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

25 Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels

Sportspersons – It’s time to retire if Humor

Photo by Kaboompics .com from Pexels

D

octors who treat your injuries start whispering something to your selectors,

who then start staring at you with a worried look from then on.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

The sports board wants your suggestion for buying wheelchairs, crutches, and other sports injury equipment.

The media and book publishers want to know when you will start writing your autobiography.

The media cameras seem to focus more and more on your grey hair and the bald patch on your head.

Motorbike and sports car manufacturers suddenly start shunning you, while hair dye manufacturers, contact lens, and baldness cure clinics start pestering you for advertisements.

Your chauffeur not only opens the door for you but also insists on helping you get in and get out.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Your signature bat starts looking like a walking stick.

Your hard core fans start applauding and appreciating even when you score the lowest possible runs, while your former fans start burning your effigy.

Your fans start sending calcium and vitamin tablets as gifts for your birthday.

Your team members start calling you uncle and make you sit in the shade whenever possible.

Your coach insists you wear a sweater and a woolen scarf during early morning practice.

Your fastest run seems like slow motion on TV.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

The sports board's official painter seeks an appointment for painting a portrait of yours for the sports museum.

Your sports psychologist suddenly starts discussing strange things like midlife crisis, arthritis, Generation-X, etc., with you.

You need your selector's permission to say you are under no pressure to retire.

Statements like old goat, in spite of his age, imagine-at his age, etc., start appearing in newspapers and TV with startling regularity.

Your confidential fitness report is the talk of the town.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash 30

Apple’s Top Secret Strategy - 2020 Business Management

O

kay, by now you would have seen some 10K articles published and maybe a

million tweets by techies and non-techies on the new iPhone. And for the next one year 31

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

people will be buying and talking non-stop about this gadget.

But the question of what next is the topmost worry for all Apple fans and business analysts.

What is the next big thing in the pipeline?

What will Apple do after that, say by 2020 and beyond? What revolutionary creative product will Apple release next? And so on.

Now as a geek can you guess what Apple will do next? No? Really? But why not?

Well, that's because everyone knows Apple guards its product strategies very carefully and no one other that a secret core team will know what product will be released next.

Hmm, that may be true but let me confidently tell you that in spite of all their 32

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

secrecy it’s still possible to accurately predict what groovy products will be released by Apple in the next dozens of years using a very simple formula that I discovered after years of backbreaking research. To understand my simple formula just observe that Apple has always has always concentrated and designed its products around some part of our body like, The Ear: It developed a hearing device called an iPOD for our ears to listen to music The Eye: It developed a seeing device called an iPAD for our eyes to see some brilliant photos, videos, etc.

The Mouth: It developed a talking device called an iPhone for our mouth to talk.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

And slowly their techies came sliding down our wrist and handcuffed us with an iWatch.

Getting the drift? See, the secret product strategy of Apple is always to target some part of our body and design a smart device for that.

After all, their engineers are also humans with an identical body just like you or me, isn't it?

Now after having almost exhausted the main parts of our head (eye, ear and mouth) my guess is it will soon attack the remaining parts of our head, body and lifestyle needs to secretly launch unique gadgets like, An Apple Smart Comb and Hair dryer An Apple Smart Shaving Set An Apple Smart Hearing Aid An Apple Smart Back Scratching Device 34

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

An Apple Washing Machine An Apple Refrigerator An Apple Vacuum Cleaner An Apple Smart Pet Dog & Cat An Apple Smart Mixer/Grinder/Blender An Apple Smart Cooker An Apple Smart Oven An Apple Smart Bicycle, Car, and Motorbike And soon Apple will secretly diversify the in the exact way that many oldie companies like Panasonic, Philips, Sony, etc., did for their business survival from decades. Didn't those oldie companies also start with a simple groovy electrical gadget years ago and then 35

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

slowly diversify into hundreds of other gadgets useful for humans? So, what have these oldie companies not done in terms of R&D from decades that Apple will eventually not imitate?

So, to summarize the story, Whatever has happened will happen again; whatever has been done will be done again.

There is nothing new on earth. History merely repeats itself but with better packaging, more noise and more costs, because originality is nothing but judicious imitation and the art of concealing your source. :-)

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36

Writers – Don’t quit your job unless Writing & Publishing

Photo by David Fagundes from Pexels

O

nce the elderly mother of a rich businessman was being interviewed on

TV and the host asked,

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

“So, mom, how does it feel to be the mother of the richest businessman in town?”

“Oh, it feels fine. But I still wish he had a steady job.”

“Steady job? Why does he need one? He is earning tons of money.”

“Maybe, but there is no pension when he retires.”

While this may seem like a funny answer there is enormous wisdom in what that mother said. Most writers (including me) have this burning desire that if one or more of our books become bestsellers we can easily quit our day jobs or other boring professions and happily dive full time into writing. But this is a dangerous dream that can get us into trouble 38

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

soon if we make such sudden jump in case our books start selling well or becomes a bestseller. My advice to avoid this trouble is not to quit your day job (or your other ordinary professions) even if it’s boring or earning small amounts of money for as long as possible.

To understand why I am giving this greedy advice let’s take some examples of famous celebrities. Most people think celebrities like top movie stars, sportsmen, and pop stars don’t have to worry about frugality or retain past tiny incomes. But frugality is required even for such stars. Only extremely few celebrities

can

maintain

their

luxurious

lifestyles for years and decades. For example, look at the rise and fall of some famous 39

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

celebrities whose names you may have now forgotten, Michael Jackson was a famous pop star but was supposedly $400 million in debt when he died unexpectedly in 2009. He also had to foreclosure on his famous Neverland home. He could not even pay salary for his employees.

Reckless spending made him take loans, many which he never paid back. MJ’s money problems got worse once he got involved in numerous expensive lawsuits.

Nicolas Cage was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, earning $40 million at peak, but also one of its biggest spenders. He purchased many houses, automobiles, and rare artifacts. The tax department fined him more than $6 million for 40

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

failing to pay his 2007 tax bill. Cage’s risky financial situation made him sell many of his personal belongings, including a treasured comic book.

Mike Tyson was a heavyweight champion and earned $300 million when he was at his peak of his career but ended with a $23 million debt. He declared bankruptcy, had to go to jail, and went through rehab before he again reached financial stability. By 2003, he owed tons of money to the IRS, British tax authorities, lawyers, personal trainers, financial managers, music producers, and several others.

Hangal was a famous actor in India. With 200+ films under his belt, he was a well-known face of Indian cinema. However, even his fame 41

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

couldn’t keep the hard times at bay. Late in his life he went bankrupt and couldn’t even pay his basic medical bills.

If you ever want something badly, let it go. If it comes back to you then it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never yours to begin with - George H. Powell

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

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

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Photo by Zetong Li from Pexels

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Similarly, there are countless celebrities in sports, films, etc., worldwide who have met the same fate. So, I created a small table that summarizes how celebrities like pop or rock stars rise and fall.

Age 20 Years: Annual income - Five million dollars,

luxurious

lifestyle,

fancy

cars,

mansions, advertisements, sponsorships, name and fame.

Age 22 Years: Annual income - Four million dollars, Dip in popularity starts.

Age 24 years: Annual income - One million dollars, rapid reduction in fan base, fame, and hardly any new opportunities.

Age 26+Years: Out of the limelight, forgotten by media and public, sporadic 44

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

income, high debts, unable to maintain lifestyle, depression, drugs, etc.

When top celebrities who earned millions can collapse writers can also meet the same fate if they become famous and think that’s now the golden path to eternal exponential income. Hence, it’s better to control your freedom urges and don’t abruptly quit your day job though it’s boring or earning small amounts of money unless the reason is for downsizing, reorganizations, retrenchment, bankruptcy, etc. Let the tap keep dripping its tiny amount of water. That bucket of water it collects may (and usually will) help you someday in the distant future.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Even if you confidently decide to quit, don’t increase your standard of living based on a temporary windfall. Think long term, very long term, and then start the status climb. You will never know when and how the wind will change direction in a couple of years.

Remember, even mighty rivers dry up in the summers and don’t revive for years.

The problem is when our income starts increasing we gradually increase our standard of living to keep up with the Joneses. But to maintain that higher standard of living we must constantly earn more and more money, which may not be possible for years and decades.

So, ask yourself some tough

questions like how you can afford a higher lifestyle for years and decades. Ask where is 46

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

the money going to come from? Are you sure your books will always sell by the tons every year for the next 5, 10, 15 years? So, think hard and cultivate a simple lifestyle that you can afford to live with for the rest of your life.

Let’s take the example of Warren Buffett who is the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and one of the world’s richest men with a net worth of several billion dollars. Yet, he hasn’t let his billions go to his head. He still lives in an ordinary house that he brought in 1958, today valued at about a few hundred thousand dollars, while his billionaire friends live in gigantic multimillion-dollar houses with tall compounds, lawns and dozens of security guards. He also drives an ordinary car 47

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

purchased many years ago. Does this mean Warren Buffett is a stingy miser?

While it may appear so, the reality is he is neither stingy nor miserly. In fact, he donates billions of dollars to charity every year. The truth is he has mastered the art of creating wealth and rejecting unnecessary expenses. He knows the difference between necessity and luxury, and the difference between need and greed. This frugality has helped him grow his wealth exponentially. When people ask him why he still stays in a small house when he can afford a palace he answer is something like, ‘Look, I don’t want to manage 10 houses, and I don’t want somebody else doing it for me, and I don’t know why the hell I’d be happier. And extra ten bedrooms are not going to make any 48

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

difference’. This is the golden wisdom of a true minimalist. Now if Warren Buffett can do it in spite of having billions surely you can also do it on a smaller scale.

Conclusion - Writing is a passion, selling is a business and a strong passion for anything may not necessarily be a viable and sound business option. Not every passion can generate a sustained income for years and years. So, before jumping ship give it a hard thought whether that passion can bring you enough money to lead a decent life. The job you love to do may not necessarily feed you (and your dependents) on a sustained basis.

Don’t do anything stupid like abruptly quitting your monotonous job based on a sudden windfall and put yourself or your family in 49

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

trouble after a couple of years. It’s better to have a job that regularly brings in some money than follow a passion that may or may not shield you and your family from financial troubles.

Remember, you owe your family a decent living and a paying job would pay your bills, provide health and life insurance, your kids’ fees, and protect your family. So, learn to love your monotonous job or a bad boss for the pay check and the security it brings for as long as possible. Finally, we can conclude this article with a quote by Jules Michelet who said, “He who knows how to be poor knows everything.”

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Smartphone Addition Test Technology Humor

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

O

kay, now that you have purchased that super-duper smartphone and learnt how

to use all its 350+ exciting and 200+ hidden features it’s now time to take that smartphone 51

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

addition text. This test is essential to all smartphone lovers. Let’s begin the test. Select the answer that is most appropriate for you.

Q1 - I can live without peeking into my smartphone for, A1 - More than three minutes.

A2 - Less than three minutes.

Q2 – While walking busy roads and offices, A1 - I still bump into people, pillars, and doors accidentally.

A2 – I can now magically avoid hitting people, pillars, doors, etc.

Q3 – While crossing the road with my earbuds blaring music at 100 decibels, A1 - I find it difficult to hear what other people say to me.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

A2 – I know how read the lips of those who are yelling at me or the cars honking furiously.

Q4 - When I get notifications from my 50+ apps, A1 - I can respond to 15 notifications within 30 seconds.

A2 - I am embarrassed to say that I still haven’t achieved that speed.

Q5 - When doctors tell me about the hazards of constant smartphone usage, A1 - I like to read all those articles on my smartphone.

A2 – I love to read all those articles on my smartphone.

Q6 - Whenever you see me, A1 - I am staring at my smartphone.

A2 - I am looking at my smartphone.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Q7 - When my smartphone is charging, A1 - I feel uneasy for not having the smartphone in my hand.

A2 - I get angry because the charging is so slow.

Q8 – To carry my smartphone, A1 – My one hand is permanently dedicated.

A2 – It’s possible to carry my phone in a bag.

Q9 - if I lose or break my smartphone, A1 - I go berserk.

A2 - My world comes to an end. Goodbye earth.

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54

Supplement your strength with a great team around you Leadership by Brian Donovan

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

D

ianne had a great team of people around her. Her strength was that she could

paint an exciting vision of the future that inspired her stakeholders to take urgent 55

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

action. Her team was great on detailed thinking and execution; she could make herself do that if she really must, but it was not her strength. As she advanced in leadership roles, she figured out that she needed a great team to help her play to her strengths if she was to make the difference she knew she wanted to make.

Dianne did not just select talented people; she also set them up for success in their roles.

She developed their leadership capability and gave them plenty of authority to run with projects and innovation programs that they instigated. She set clear accountabilities and was not averse to the hard conversations if team members needed reminding of their 56

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

commitments. She was comfortable letting people shine and presents the results of their work

to

senior

management

and

key

stakeholders.

She had not always put her faith in a great team. In an earlier phase of her career Dianne had earned a reputation as a control freak. She would tell herself it was better to channel everything through her in case her team members stuffed things up. The turning point for her was the realization that she could not keep across everything, if she was to truly accomplish big things. She knew that playing to her big picture strength was the path to producing game-changing results. She decided to supplement her strength with people who 57

Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

were strong in her weaknesses. She built a new reputation as a game-changing leader.

Most of us have little clue what our key strength is, yet alone how to take it to a new level. Research by Zenger Folkman concluded that “great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence

of

clear

strengths”.

In

their

Extraordinary Leader study, they found that leaders with one to three key strengths were placed in the 60th to 80th percentile in their leadership effectiveness.

Do you know your strength and do you have a great team to supplement it?

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Read more in his new book – Leadership Is Changing the Game – The Transition from Technical Expert to Leader.

About the Author

Brian Donovan is a dedicated advocate of powerful and practical leadership. His commitment to the field is informed by 40 years’ experience and energized by an ongoing program of research and scholarship. His passion for transformational leadership is infectious.

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Self Improvement International – April 2019 Issue

Always at the forefront of management theory and practice, Brian founded Donovan Leadership to share his knowledge and passion. Since 2007, Donovan Leadership has been actively inspiring professionals to new heights, uncovering new perspectives to expand possibilities, and transforming technical specialists into leaders who succeed. http://www.donovanleadership.com/

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60

The Difficult Art of Saying NO Self Improvement

Image from Openclipart

A

re you one of those nice people who have learnt

plenty

leadership,

of

useful

writing,

skills

like

communication,

management, communication, etc., over the years but somehow couldn’t learn one important skill because it was too difficult and embarrassing? Do you know what that skill is?

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Don’t know? Really? It’s is a simple two letter word called no and the firm art of refusing to people. But don’t be concerned. You are not alone. Learning to say “No” is one of the toughest skills as we are taught from an early age that it’s wrong, impolite, and insulting to turn someone down when they make a request. But there will come a time in your life when you have to start saying no and get out of that habit of saying yes to everything.

“Okay, but to who exactly should I say no?”

Answer - To all those capable folks who think that you are always available to help them, carry out errands, and think you are their bellboy. For example, it is quite common for spouses, children, relatives, neighbors, and 62

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certain friends to invent or extract some work from you the moment they see you. They take you for granted and expect you to be their free errand boy all the time. Even when you come home exhausted they will gleefully dump half a dozen activities on you even though they can do many of those tasks themselves. Have you observed this?

All your plans get ruined because of their incessant demands. But if you are unable or unwilling to say no to certain demands, then it can make you stressed, exhausted, and irritable. It also results in you wasting time, money, and energy. Trying to meet the needs and demands of everyone around you can be exhausting and can also have an impact on your physical and mental health. This is why 63

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you must learn to say no to people. However, this jump from yes to everything to no to many things should be done gradually to avoid conflicts and putting yourself in trouble. Here are some pointers to help in your no journey.

Ask who is requesting you to take on some responsibility or task? Can they do it themselves? Do they know how to do it? Is it actually their job? If it’s yes, then find an excuse to say no as you are well within your rights to decline.

Weigh the consequences before saying no. If you decline will it create a conflict between you and the other person? Remember, some people have a hard time taking “no” for an

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answer especially if you have said yes to everything they had asked before.

Ask if you have the time, money, and energy for taking on additional work? Are you taking on too much? For example, if you have worked a 12-hour day and your family member asks you to drive them somewhere nearby, or assign some task when they are perfectly capable of doing it themselves, then simply say no without any explanations or regret.

If you want more time, freedom, and energy then start saying no. Give yourself some courage to say NO without feeling guilty or selfish. Anyone who gets upset or expects you to say yes for every request or demand doesn’t have your best interest at heart.

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You should also learn to say no to tasks and projects that are not right for you, demeaning, or you know you can’t do it. You can also say no to certain people who are incompatible with your style of working, or because of the past bad experiences in dealing with them. You can also say no to bad ideas or strategies suggested by people who have no experience or know less than you. Remember, you don’t have to accept things you are not okay with.

If you don’t say a firm no to people who can do the jobs themselves, then you will be eternally postponing your plans, hobbies, and will fall sick by exhaustion. Their urgencies shouldn’t always become your emergency. It’s only by saying NO that you can concentrate on things that are important to you.

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Finally, we shall end this article with some famous quotes.

“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” Josh Billings “No is a complete sentence. It does not require an explanation to follow. You can truly answer someone’s request with a simple no.”

Sharon E. Rainey “Sometimes no is the kindest word.”

Vironika Tugaleva “You don’t have to stay committed to something just because you’re good at it.”

Brittany Burgunder

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Simple Ways to Start your Own Business Entrepreneurship

Photo by Huy Phan from Pexels

S

tarting your own business can be a scary thing. We are all accustomed to

think in the traditional way of getting a degree, find a suitable job, slog 24x7, climb the corporate ladder, and then reach the 68

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success helipad. While this is still a good idea in many parts of the world, it’s also a good idea to start a small business in parallel that can earn you some extra income and real world experience. Starting a business is also a personal adventure that gives you long term benefits and valuable connections. As a Chinese proverb says, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Who knows where it may lead you? So, go ahead and make that tiny jump with these simple ways and reasons for starting your business.

If you have the skills, experience, passion, and energy for anything, then think of starting a small business even if it just earns only a few dollars a month. For example, if 69

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you are a writer then think of writing and publishing small useful books. Today, it’s very easy to self-publish on Amazon and other top online sites and get a generous royalty for each sale. Similarly, think of monetizing every skill you have. It can even be an offline business. For example, a retired teacher near my house, who was earning a pittance while in employment, is now earning five times her salary by taking tuitions for high school kids by working only three hours a day.

It’s not necessary to spend enormous amounts of time for your new business. You can spend an hour a day or on the weekends to slowly erect the building blocks for your business. Study books and 70

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articles on how others have started similar businesses to gain tips and avoid pitfalls.

Take it easy and don’t hurry. Everyone has the same amount of time. The only difference is how you will spend your spare time.

Every entrepreneur will definitely be scared of starting a business. But don’t let your fears hold you back. Start small and don’t quit your old jobs. Take small baby steps without jeopardizing your regular jobs. Secondly, it’s not necessary to go around the world telling everyone that you are now an independent businessman or woman.

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Don’t invest huge sums of money or take loans unless you are sure that the idea will succeed or you have someone trustworthy and experienced who can guide you to be successful. So, always invest money that you can afford to lose in case your business bombs.

Think long term about why you are starting a business. If you are an employee anywhere you can be sure that someday your job will be restructured, downsized, or outsourced regardless of how indispensable you may think you are. Also, nowadays employers hire contractors, not employees.

At the current trend, the majority of the experienced workforce or even college graduates will be asked to do freelance 72

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instead of getting full time jobs in the future.

You control your own destiny and make decisions. In other words, owning a business saves you from having to work for anyone else, maybe someday in the future. Be patient. Don’t assume that your business will take off within months. Even if it earns a few dollars a month let it continue.

You don’t have to do everything yourself.

Get your family members to help. Show them the monetary benefits. Delegate whatever you can to them. Also, request your family members, relatives, and friends to spread the word about your business constantly.

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Have a simple website that concisely outlines your products and services, and multiple ways to contact you like phones, emails, business cards, and social media options. Avoid using those awful web forms to contact you as they don’t work properly.

Some people make it difficult to contact them by giving only social media ids like Twitter or Facebook and provide no email id or

phone.

Customers

cannot

have

meaningful communication if you use such methods.

If you are selling any product or services customers will want to know your prices immediately. Make it easy for them to know prices instantly like an Amazon product page. Don’t play irritating marketing games 74

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like many companies websites normally do where it’s impossible for you to get the required details like specifications, cost, etc., quickly without first wading through several kilometers of jargon describing how great the company is, their fantastic ever smiling people, their immense passion for serving you, and so on.

Avoid heavy graphics, tiny fonts, and unwanted

cosmetics.

People

want

information fast and are no longer interested

in

seeing

cartoons

and

advertisements popup on their webpages. If they can’t get the information, price, and contact details within a couple of minutes they will simply move to other websites 75

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regardless of the great information you may have dumped on your site.

Finally, we shall end this article with a quote by Fabrizio Moreira who said, “Many people dream about being an entrepreneur, starting their own business, working for themselves, and living the good life. Very few, however, will actually take the plunge and put everything they've got into being their own boss.”

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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 Nico Glassman from Pexels

Music Class for Children

By Junior Sannihita Nadella

H

ello Readers! Don’t most of us like music? Yes! So, now you have an idea

that in this blog of mine I am going to talk about music. I am going to music class for the past six months. My music teacher’s name is Mrs. Padma. She is really a talented singer and sings like a nightingale. I love the way she teaches and the way she makes us sing. Her style of teaching motivated me towards music.

We have two classes a week which is on Monday and Wednesday.

We are currently learning the 15 Melakartha Mayamalavagowla. My teacher teaches us how we are supposed to modify our voice at 80

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different times and many more things. That is called modulation, pitch, tone etc.

Actually, listening to music refreshes and relaxes our mind which helps us to concentrate on what we are doing. Music helps us to: 1. Sleep 2. Study 3. Increase productivity 4. Refreshed our mood How music helps us to sleep?

One study has found that 45 minutes of listening to music at bed time for three weeks resulted in longer duration of sleep and being active throughout the day. Especially listening to classical music has more effects on our 81

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sleep. If you can relate this, that is why we usually sing lullabies to put children to sleep.

Music makes their mind calm and relax, so they get a good sleep and they will be fresh when they wake up.

How music help us to study?

The research by scientists has proved that music helps a person study because the sound signals enter our nervous system and increases our energy levels, our mood and mental processing abilities. Can you memorize your school books quick or the lyrics to song quick?

Obviously, lyrics to song- because of the music and tune. So, children – you can try to add a tune to your subjects and learn them quickly

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because the tune will help it to stay longer in the memory.

How music help us to increase productivity?

Music helps us to focus and enjoy what we are doing. Like for example, when we are meditating

there

is

always

a

peaceful

background music which is played .This music is played so, that our mind relaxes and there is more effect on what we are doing and we get a better result from what we are doing .And also when we cooking a few people play music an cook that is because they enjoy what they are doing.

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How music help us to refresh our mood?

In parties do you know why they play these happy music? That is because when they play happy music the mood of the people will change into happy even though they were sad.

If someone is sad and you start playing this happy music their mood also changes. This tell us that music and are related.

Few facts about music: 1. Music day is celebrated on 21 June.

2. The most expensive musical instrument is Stradivarius violin that costs $15.9 million. The first was made on December 18, 1737 by an Italian family.

3. Your heartbeat mimics the beat of the music you’re listening to.

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4. A song that gets stuck in your head on repeat is called an ‘earworm’.

About the Author Sannihita is a thirteen year old blogger, who is a creative child and who loves to work on art and craft, singing, blogging and also try any new art that is being introduced to her. She is a sincere elder kid in the house, who tries to bring the best in her. Genuine efforts and innocence with a scoop of fun defines her writing styles. You can read her blogs at, www.creativesannihita.wordpress.com Contact her on nadellasannihita@gmail.com

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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 86

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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 87

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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 95

Self Improvement International – April 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