Self Improvement International - June 2020

Self Improvement International June 2020 Issue What is the Law of Attraction?

Office Politics is Everywhere What is Ghostwriting? and many more !!!

Wealth of the Wise

Self Improvement International Wealth of the Wise JUNE 2020 Issue

Copyright Š Thejendra Sreenivas. All Rights Reserved

Self Improvement International June 2020 Issue Editor and Publisher - Thejendra Sreenivas Bangalore, India.

Website - www.thejendra.com Email - thejendra@yahoo.com & thejendrabs@gmail.com

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.

Image Sources - All Images used in this magazine for the articles are from sites like Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay, etc., that are free for both personal and

commercial

use,

and

used

as

per

the

recommendations of fair use. My full thanks and credits to the respective artists.

Licensing - This digital magazine is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or gifted to other people. If you would like to share this with others, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

If you are reading this and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the publisher’s work.

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In this issue

From the Editor’s Desk

01

What my Lawyer makes me say

04

What Else?

07

What is Law of Attraction?

Personal Development

The Approachable Manager Workplace Leadership

10

24

In this issue (cont’d) Video Calls are an Elegant Nuisance Stress Management

Office Politics is Everywhere Workplace Leadership

The Story of the Slow Bamboo Spirituality

WRITING & PUBLISHING

What is Ghostwriting?

Writing and Publishing

36

51

67

77

79

In this issue (cont’d) Book Review – 50 Prosperity Classics Writing and Publishing

CHILDREN SECTION

Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia

An Earthly Voyage A Poem by Karthik Thejendra

I am a Gorgeous Grape Children Health

88

97

98

105

108

A Few Questions FAQs

About the Editor

112

118

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 1

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Development, Stress Management, Humor, Frugality, Leadership, Resiliency, Workplace Issues, Spirituality, Life Skills, Satire, Writing, Publishing, and an occasional Harsh Advice.

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. The text font is also optimized to be easily read on all smartphones, tablets, and computer browsers so that you don’t have to pinch and zoom to read the contents.

Like a basket of delicious fruits each issue can dramatically transform your personal and 2

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

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

3

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.

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

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. 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 Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay, etc., that are free for personal and commercial use.

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

My full thanks and credits to the respective artists.

Back to Contents

6

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 7

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

and not for money. But writing involves enormous effort and we don’t live on such magnanimous money-free planets. By becoming a customer of this magazine and sharing information about this with all your friends you help me create valuable content for writers and executives. Thank you for being so generous.

Also, if you are a generously giving kind of person, then I am a happily accepting kind of person. 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 8

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

me to scribble more articles that could be of use to someone, somewhere on our lonely planet ď Š

Back to Contents

9

What is Law of Attraction?

Personal Development

T

he Law of Attraction (LOA) has been a subject of curious debate over the last two

decades. It’s also known as a Miracle Law and has been very popular worldwide, and has also created a nice cottage industry with plenty of

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

books, coaches, video courses, blogs, newsletters, etc.

So what is this mysterious LOA? As per the gurus, it’s the most powerful law (or a miracle law) in the universe that gives you the magic ability to attract whatever you want (good or bad) into your life merely through your thoughts or whatever you are constantly focusing on. This law will mysteriously translate whatever

is grinding

in

your

mind and

materialize them into reality if you don’t give up.

In other words, if you always expect nice things like

wealth,

health,

miracles,

happiness,

abundance, etc., they will come to you. Similarly, if you always expect bad things like disasters, gloom, and doom, they will also come to you.

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Does it really work?

The answer depends on who you ask - the believers or the cynics. The first set of people are its countless believers, including many top celebrities, who strongly believe in it and claim that this law has brought them wealth and happiness beyond their wildest dreams. And the second set of people is the cynics who dismiss it as a mere con game or a psychological gimmick.

And both parties have their long list of arguments and evidences for and against it.

However, regardless of how much or how long you argue, no scientific evidence can be provided for any supernatural stuff. Just like spirituality, astrology, palmistry, occult, black magic, and other divine stuff, LOA is also one of life’s 12

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

greatest mysteries and it’s left to the reader to personally dive in, experiment with it, and document the results before accepting or rejecting it.

How does it work?

LOA works on the principle of Like Attracts Like. The gurus of LOA say that if you are feeling happy, excited, thankful, passionate, joyful, appreciative, etc., then you emitting or sending out positive energy into the universe. Similarly, if you are feeling bad, gloomy, depressed, angry, revengeful, etc., then you are emitting or sending out negative energy into the universe. Now the universe will also respond back to you with the same or more energy. It doesn’t decide which one is better for you. It just responds to whatever 13

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

energy you created and gives you more of the same. You get back what you put out there.

Or understand this in a different way. If you are appreciating someone with good and nice words they will also reciprocate with the same or higher goodness. But if you are abusing someone with bad and nasty words then they will also hit back with the same or higher nastiness.

How to use LOA? Now that you have understood how LOA works why not experiment with it? For this you need to start sending out energy or thoughts that resonate with what you desire or want to be. Just like consciously managing your money only for useful purposes you now need to consciously manage your thoughts to attract only good into 14

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

your life. Obviously, this will mean wealth, health, growth, happiness, etc. LOA is a three step process – Ask, Believe, and Receive.

Step-1: Ask the universe for only what you want like a better job, start your own business, recover from bad health, help a dear friend, become wealthy, etc. Avoid asking or thinking for what you don’t want like trouble, poverty, headaches, bankruptcy, bad news, etc. You must become more conscious and deliberate about what you think and feel. For example, if you want to create financial abundance, then imagine or focus on prosperity and money flowing into your life. Imagine the flow of payments coming into your bank account. Some even recommend that you write a cheque for the amount of money you dream of and paste it in a visible location to 15

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

motivate and inspire you. Every time you see it, believe that it’s possible to reach that goal.

Visualize what it would be like to reach that goal.

Next be thankful for everything that you already have. This acknowledgment will create a vibrational match for the financial abundance that you are seeking to attract into your future life.

Step-2: Believe that you will get what you want. This means you have to maintain a positive and strong expectancy or trust that it will definitely happen. You have now put your future in the hands of a higher power than yours with a rock solid conviction that what you are seeking will absolutely happen. This is not always easy as we are naturally prone to doubts. But just like believers in God who won’t change their trust no 16

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

matter what you must also believe that you will achieve your goal. So dream big and don’t curb or contaminate your thoughts with negative doubts, whether it is really possible, and so on.

Let the universe worry about that.

A guy knows he's in love when he loses interest in his car for a couple of days - Tim Allen

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

There is no need to know every single step that it will take to achieve your goal. Decide what you want, strongly believe that you deserve it, and release those positive thoughts into the universe.

As someone once said, if you can figure it all on your own, then your dream may not be big enough.

Step-3: Receive what you want by creating the right vibrations. This means you must become a vibrational match for what you are seeking to attract into your life. The way to do this is to always focus on creating positive thoughts of happiness, joy, appreciation, and gratitude throughout the day. You can also practice or pretend to be already experiencing the happiness of getting what you want.

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

For example, you can pretend that you have already received the million dollars that you had always been fondly dreaming of, and now you are content and secure in life. Remember, you should do these thought processes only in your mind and not go around with a drum telling everyone. This LOA is your personal conviction and belief. As with everything, LOA takes time and practice. However, the more conscious effort you put into attracting what you desire and follow the three steps, the easier it will become over time.

LOA is not a Magic Wand LOA should not be considered as a magic wand that will give you anything you want just by wishing for it and not doing anything. You still 20

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

have to the worldly tasks necessary for achieving your goal. For example, it will not help you pass an exam with great marks if you don’t study for it. Or it won’t bring wealth if you don’t concentrate on your business activities. LOA is a positivity enhancer that will eliminate your selfpity, doubts, gloominess, sadness, etc., and keep you motivated with a powerful conviction to reach your goals.

Celebrities who have used LOA LOA has been directly or indirectly used by many top celebrities who have achieved great success. Here are two examples.

Jim Carrey – He says - I would visualize things coming to me that I wanted. I had nothing at that time but it made me feel better. At that 21

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

time, all it really was for me was making me feel better. I would drive home and think - Well, I do have these things. They’re out there, I just don’t have a hold of them yet but they’re out there. He claims that he even wrote a cheque for ten million dollars and kept it for motivation, and he made that money in the film Dumb and Dumber.

Oprah Winfrey - Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.

Famous Quotes on LOA You are what you think about all day long - Dr. Robert Schuller All that we are is the result of what we have thought – Buddha

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen – Ralph Waldo Emerson What the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind of man can achieve – Napoleon Hill

Back to Contents

When reading something online if you see a term or person you are interested in and want to learn more just right-click on it in your browser and choose the "Search Google" option in the menu. Your browser will open a new tab and show you search results on the topic.

23

The Approachable Manager Workplace Leadership

S

ome years ago I was watching a program on a business TV channel where a bunch of

reputed and elderly CEOs were the judges for a young business entrepreneur program. Each young participant, probably in their twenties, was expected to present some business case or 24

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

an entrepreneurship idea for the winning entry.

However, the program was going nowhere as the judges weren’t allowing any participant to complete their presentation or even go beyond a couple of sentences, as they were bombarding them with tough and cynical questions. This was causing the youngsters to become nervous and lose their flow of thoughts. The judges were even firing smart questions at each other and answering every question with another question.

Mercifully, the program ended soon as one of the participants was awarded a prize with something inscribed on it, while the others walked out dazed and gasping for breath.

What the above incident teaches you is the world today is full of people who love to ask tough questions. Interviews, talk shows, blogs, 25

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

corporate

seminars,

meetings,

vendor

discussions, business strategies, IT support, journalism, service level agreements, etc., all love bombarding someone with truckloads of smart and intelligent sounding questions. Today, asking questions that others cannot answer is the favorite hobby for many people, especially corporate managers. Such executives take great pride in asking complicated and smart questions to their team members to make them squirm, shut their mouth, or run away from the scene.

Also, many managers believe that just asking a tough question settles the matter without the need to get involved to solve the issue. Secondly, a large percentage of such managers ask tough questions just for the heck of it, especially in meetings. The basic reason why such people ask 26

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

tough questions is mainly to satisfy their ego of making others uncomfortable, cover up their lack of knowledge, or just to impress others.

Watching

someone

squirm

gives

a

self-

congratulatory sadistic pleasure to many people like, “Hah, you should have seen that bozo’s face when I asked him that tricky question”. But it doesn’t mean people will be using tough and rude questions with everyone, but they will definitely not miss an opportunity to fire it on someone they can afford to be rude with.

The Harm caused by Tough Questions Now let us look at the damage caused to your team by tough questions. Asking questions is not a bad habit, but deliberately asking questions that you or others cannot answer is dumb. You 27

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

can keep asking such questions to eternity, but you will not get any correct answers or solutions.

Rude and rubbish questions, even smart sounding ones, often create a lot of problems.

Very often, managers ask tough questions because they think a tough question will get the necessary answer. But the fact is people avoid people who ask tough questions.

Bombarding anyone with tough questions is a futile exercise because you will never get the right answers. It only makes people avoid you, or give you evasive, defensive, and incorrect answers. Besides, a shoot the messenger approach will make employees tell lies and cover up bad news to prevent their head from being chewed off. Secondly, rough and tough questions simply create stress, anxiety, and fear to a lot of 28

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

junior people. Such questions make people commit more mistakes because the brain goes numb with fear. Toughness prevents the truth from being said and they will invent excuses and lies. And the list can go on and on. Maybe rough and tough questions are useful in police interrogations, but rarely necessary in business life.

I really didn't say everything I said - Yogi Berra

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

So what’s the Solution?

Bob Parsons once said, “Every business everywhere is staffed with imperfect human beings and exists by providing a product or service to other imperfect human beings”. So, if you are a sensible manager you will understand the limitations of our species. To get correct answers or solutions from your team you need to become an approachable manager. Now how do you become such a manager? The answer lies in changing the way you ask questions to your team members from now on. If you have been a tough questions loving manager, then make the following changes immediately.

Start asking questions that don’t have any toxicity, cynicism, or tricky content into it. It’s a 31

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

question that does not trap people or put them in an awkward position. It can even be a straightforward or direct question, but it’s asked in a non-threatening or non-intimidating way.

Ask workplace questions in a way that doesn’t hurt sentiments, or make your team members defensive, or point fingers at them in an accusatory manner. Don’t make anyone lose face in front of others. People make mistakes and will continue to do many mistakes in their lifetime.

It’s quite possible for someone to have completely goofed up on something, lost a major sales account, or did something really stupid.

Except in rare cases, there will always be a valid reason for it. Do not forget the mistakes that you have

done

when

you

inexperienced.

32

were

young

and

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Non-threatening questions create pleasantness and collaboration. It removes fear and extracts right answers even if the answer is bad news.

Successful managers know how to get the right answers

from

employees

by

not

being

intimidating in their approach. Their objective is to solve an issue or a problem, and not get a mischievous

pleasure

by

making

people

uncomfortable. Such questions help you achieve that.

Most importantly, your questions should not have a “Shoot the messenger” approach. If you develop this good habit, then people will approach you openly for help and advice, instead of thinking, “Here comes the ogre to chew our head off”. Also don’t thump your fists on tables, or demand an explanation immediately, or try to 33

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

find a scapegoat. Finally, to summarize, the challenge for you is to frequently pause and observe yourselves to see if you are asking the right questions. And we can conclude this article with two quotes The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment Dorothy Nevill 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 care about their problems or that you cannot help them - Jeff Rich

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

If you are searching for something on Google but getting bogged down with too many results, then wrap your query in quotes. By doing this, Google will only show results that exactly match of whatever you have in quotes. This makes it easier to find what you're looking for.

35

Video Calls are an Elegant Nuisance Stress Management

Video conference calls are an elegant nuisance especially if you are working from home.

T

here I said it. Are you surprised why I am making such a harsh statement when the

whole world is now going hyper on video? I will tell you why. Recently, I tried to contact a few of 36

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

my friends and some sales representatives of a training company for some information. I tried calling on phone, there was no reply. I sent an email, still there was no reply. Even though they were all at home working due to the Covid outbreak I could not reach them for hours and it was the same story the next day also. Much later they returned my call to explain why they couldn’t respond to me. Their answer was they were on video calls for office work and it was tiring them out more than working in office.

Keep reading to know why.

Ever since the Global COVID-19 outbreak millions of employees are working from home.

This is easily possible due to the availability of powerful laptops, HD webcams, high speed internet, and the necessary remote access 37

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

hardware and software to securely connect to their office networks. Remote working has been a boon for countless employees worldwide who don’t have to waste time long hours in traffic, spend money on eating out, etc., if all their work can be done on a computer and doesn’t require their physical presence. This is also great for employers to reduce their office space as they don’t need to dedicate a desk for every employee.

While this may seem the only practical way during this crisis it has also started a new headache caused by constant video calls. Because every laptop has a webcam, speaker, and microphone executives have started using video conferencing recklessly to communicate with

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

each other. This is a big stress generator as the below points will explain.

Before Covid when people went to offices the standard methods of communication were through emails, phone calls, or chats. Or they would have physical meetings at their desk or a conference room to discuss issues. Video calls within the office between team members of the department were zero, minimal, or even unnecessary. Secondly, there were office network bandwidth limitations and hence video was mostly used by senior management in their cabins or by teams if it was absolutely necessary like cross-country communications.

Body Language - Now that people are working from home suddenly video conferencing usage 39

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

has become exponential as the communication happens via the internet. While being able to communicate via video may seem great many are finding it exhausting and irritating but are unable to admit it. This is because being on a video call requires you to be more focused than the other methods of communications like email, phone, or chat.

With video you need to constantly worry about your facial expressions, screen presence, body language, talk more, shout more, repeat more, listen more, etc. All these can make you mentally tired. For example, you can privately feel irritated or frown when someone asks stupid questions or yaks non-stop on a phone call, but with a video call you have to control your emotions and pretend to be diplomatic.

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Everyone will have to worry about how they look and feel and suppress all their natural emotions because you are being watched. When you are on a video call you know everybody is looking at you. It’s as if you are on a drama stage and hence you have to appear perfect like an actor concerned about the audience. This fake acting can be very stressful.

Starting Trouble - With group video calls a lot of time is wasted on adjusting audio and video, participants getting cutoff, lighting issues, audio and video voice clarity issues, need for repeating, etc.

Privacy Issues - Video calls are also an invasion on your home privacy. Not every employee will have a private soundproof space at home to be 41

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

engaged in non-stop video calls. For example, if you are engaged in a lengthy video call sitting in your bedroom or living room all your family members will be disturbed and also have to be cautious about not disturbing you for hours and hours.

Secondly, family members cannot use the room freely when you are on a call. This is not practical every day. Besides, there will be external noise from neighbors, traffic, dogs, visitors, children, etc., over which you have no control. And if there are late night calls it will disturb the family members and cause them to lose sleep and get stressed.

Dressing - For video calls you also have to be appropriately dressed and not seen in unkempt 42

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

hair, your pajamas, or other shabby dress you may normally wear at home.

Wasting time – Video calls also waste time.

For example, what you can communicate in writing with a couple of minutes will easily take 10 to 15 minutes if you have to explain or revert back using video calls.

So what’s the Solution?

Why Video? - If you are a manager first ask why do you need to see the faces of your team members every day and for every call? Can’t you clearly communicate with a plain phone call, email, or chat about what you want them to do?

Are your team members not aware of their roles and responsibilities? Are they not qualified or mature enough to complete their tasks if you 43

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

don’t supervise or breathe down their neck by using video? Secondly, if you are a talkative manager who doesn’t know when and where to stop nobody will remember what was discussed even if they take notes. Thirdly, since employees are now in home prison due to lockdown many taskmaster managers and customers think their team is always available for office work.

If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score? Vince Lombardi

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

To quote from personal experience I come from a workplace era where we did not have instant email, chat, internet, a phone at every desk, etc. And we have successfully implemented multimillion dollar projects just by using faxes, slow email, a short weekly phone call, instruction manuals, floppies, and tapes being couriered to customers and service engineers.

Our project and business managers used to sit in different countries with time zones of several hours and yet we were able to complete the projects. But I am not asking you to go back to that vintage era, but what I am saying is endless video calls are a plain nuisance and work can be successfully done if you use it sparingly and not make it a regular practice.

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

To

summarize

the

story,

written

communication is always far superior than verbal or video communication. As a Chinese proverb says – The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory. With written communication like email or chat you can pause, think, give an accurate answer, and close the issue. But when talking on video you can’t understand or answer everything on the spot, will talk unnecessary things, and will have to resort to answers like – I will get back to you after the call with an email or call you on phone.

Also, watching a video, listening intently, and answering back while avoiding background distractions and noise requires more energy and is more stressful than just thinking and answering an email. Does this mean I am against 47

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

video calls? No, I am not. Video calls can be useful when you are introducing a new team member from somewhere, talking first time to a new customer, attending an interview, seminars, trainings, etc. But if you are familiar with the people you deal with then avoid video and get to the point with email, chat, or a quick phone call.

Save time and avoid fatigue both ways. Just because you own a hammer doesn’t mean you have to keep banging it non-stop. Similarly, just because you have video capabilities doesn’t mean you have to constantly communicate over video at the drop of a hat.

Some Famous Quotes The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place - George Bernard Shaw 48

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

If you have nothing to say, say nothing - Mark Twain The wise rest at least as hard as they work Mokokoma Mokhonoana Burnout occurs when your body and mind can no longer keep up with the tasks you demand of them. Don’t try to force yourself to do the impossible. Delegate time for important tasks, but always be sure to leave time for relaxation and reflection - Del Sugg

Back to Contents

Don’t think coffee is harmful. It’s actually very healthy. It is high in antioxidants and studies have shown that coffee intake in moderation increases longevity and 49

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson, and Alzheimer’s diseases, and numerous other illnesses.

50

Office Politics is Everywhere Workplace Leadership

D

ecades ago, when I joined a certain organization I was given an email id for

official use. That was my first encounter with email and I did not even have a personal email at that time. Secondly, as I was accustomed to getting things done by talking to people I never 51

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

took email seriously and used it very sparingly.

But I saw a lot of senior employees in the organization bury themselves in email, even to communicate with people sitting a few feet away, which seemed strange to me. I would often think why can’t these employees talk to each other and sort things out.

Once while installing some software on a senior manager’s desktop, I noticed he had a folder exclusively to store read receipts. Those who are accustomed to corporate email know it is possible to get an automatic electronic acknowledgement (or read receipts) from a receipt when they read the sender’s email. When asked why, he laughed and said that it was to protect him from office politics. I did not fully understand what he meant by that. Then he 52

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

added, ‘Boy, you are still young and new in this organization. You will get to know the importance of keeping a record of everything as you gain experience dealing with various types of people.

There is too much politics here.’ Obviously, he has had some bad experience dealing verbally over some official matters.

Now let us dive in. Often when we hear the word politics we assume it must be related to politicians. But politicians are not the only people who play politics. The workplace has more vicious politics than the political arena and there is probably no workplace on this planet that doesn’t have some degree of politics. Office politics has always existed in every organization ever since the beginning of industrial revolution.

It’s an evolving beast and no organization on this 53

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planet is free from politics regardless of the tall claims of professionalism organizations make.

Office politics is something you can recognize and feel. It exists in various forms and shapes and can easily wreck employees, projects, careers, and reputation of an organization. You don’t have to work in an office for years and years to be familiar with office politics. Anyone who has ever had any job even for a short time knows that politics play an important part in how things work inside.

When working in a politics infested office, in addition to concentrating on your work troubles, you must also constantly watch your back for backstabbers and saboteurs. Politics is very difficult to control as it is always very subtle and done behind people’s backs. For example, 54

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

spreading a false rumor about good employees or credit grabbing by jealous employees can cause an irreparable damage to the career and health of an employee, or an entire department.

Ruthless politics have caused, and continues to cause, job losses, resentment, bitterness, and even murders in organizations worldwide.

Also, some of the deadliest silent politics and backstabbing exist only at senior levels of management. The stakes of getting high salaries, promotions, golden parachutes, etc., are usually very high at those levels. There could be dozens of valid reasons for this, but it can easily destroy an employee who is out to do some good work.

Millions of dollars are lost every year due to backstabbing and counterproductive politics.

Hence, it’s necessary for every employee to 55

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

understand and learn how to handle office politics.

What's another word for thesaurus? - Steven Wright

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

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Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

How to Handle Office Politics Office politics can never be eliminated, but it can be controlled and managed to your advantage by knowing how to press the right buttons. I am not saying you should deliberately indulge in politics and start screwing others to get ahead. But, you can definitely ensure that office politics does not have a corrosive and corrupt effect on you.

You may naively believe that if you just do an outstanding job you will impress your superiors and get ahead in the organization. The sad fact is you are totally wrong. In order to grow in organizations one must be aware of the kind of politics and credit grabbing that goes on underneath. Only in an ideal organization every employee would receive salary increases, get 58

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

promoted, and share the profits the organization earns. But, you don’t live in an ideal world to have ideal organizations. So you should accept politics as a necessary evil and stop grumbling. In other words, you should get used to successfully handle office politics.

Tips for Handling Office Politics Realizing

the

fact

that

politics

exists

everywhere on our planet is, in itself, a big relief to those who plan to quit one company and join another due to office politics. Just because you quit one company and join another doesn’t mean you will get rid of office politics. It may just delay the effects for some time. But, once you settle down you will definitely experience a new flavor of politics in the new organization. Leaving a 59

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well-paid job in a small company and joining a famous, reputed company will not eliminate politics.

Do not indulge in politics yourself even if the dividends seem attractive. But if politics is going to harm you then be ruthless in dealing with it.

Simple tricks like putting things in writing, having the courage to give a formal or informal complaint against an abusive person, confronting your slimy workplace enemy diplomatically and humorously but armed with powerful data to counter their lies, taking the heat for your team, investigating rumors, etc., are all ways to control office politics.

Develop the courage to intimidate your tormentors without raising your voice, getting angry, or doing anything illegal. Have no fears 60

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about tormenting your tormentors if the situation demands. Remember knowledge is power. Let your coworkers and supervisors know and believe that you cannot be tackled easily through

unprofessional

means.

Don’t

be

overwhelmed by the apparent superiority or popularity of your workplace tormentor. Many popular employees and managers are known to switch their charm on and off depending on whom they are dealing with. It’s quite possible for a popular manager to be extremely charming with you, while behaving like a beast with someone else in the same department.

Remember Hitler? He was a very sweet and charming leader to his fellow Germans, but look at what he did to others. Remember Saddam Hussein? He was the best daddy to his children 61

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and grandchildren. He even built luxurious palaces to each one of his family members. But he poison gassed thousands of Kurds in the city of Halabja in Iraq.

Remember workplace monsters are different from regular gangsters. Physical strength and muscle power cannot and does not work in professional organizations. For example, you manager cannot beat you up or threaten you with a knife for asking a deserved pay hike or promotion. Everything has to be governed by labor laws and management ethics.

Live and let live. Help others earn and sustain their families and livelihood. Be a trustworthy friend. Learn the job. Share knowledge. Protect your company’s interests and reputation. Break no man’s rice bowl. Avoid politics to the 62

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maximum extent. But, if office politics is going to threaten and ruin your livelihood, then do not sit quiet. Certain kinds of office politics are unforgivable or unpardonable.

Do everything in your power and limitations to protect yourself. Remember the principle of, ‘love for love, kindness for kindness, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and bullet for bullet.’ If someone uplifts and helps you grow, then you help him or her in every way you can. But if someone or somebody deliberately tries to trample you, have no qualms or hesitation of pulling him or her down.

Do not expect instant results. Tackling politics is a slow and patient game. It is the art of timing and what you say and where. Have no hesitation 63

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to ‘tar and feather’ your tormentors. Even a simple white lie at an inappropriate time and place

can

ruin

the

credibility

of

your

troublemaker. But you should know that politics is a double-edged sword and can cause you as much damage as it does to others.

Some Quotes on Politics The art of politics consists in knowing precisely when it is necessary to hit an opponent slightly below the belt - Konrad Adenauer The essential ingredient of politics is timing Pierre Trudeau The first requirement of politics is not intellect or stamina but patience. Politics is a very long run game and the tortoise will usually beat the hare John Major 64

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

There are no true friends in politics. We are all sharks circling, and waiting, for traces of blood to appear in the water- Alan Clark Never break a person’s rice bowl or let him lose his face - Chinese proverb Turn on to politics, or politics will turn on you Ralph Nader Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process - John Fitzgerald Kennedy There will be a time when loud-mouthed, incompetent people seem to be getting the best of you. When that happens, you only have to be patient and wait for them to self-destruct. It never fails - Richard Rybolt 65

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Back to Contents

Sunlight is a great source of vitamin D. But most people don’t get enough sun exposure, especially those who work for long hours in artificial light like offices, warehouses, airports, etc. So, if you are unable to get enough sun exposure, then vitamin D supplements are a good alternative. Their benefits include improved bone health, increased strength, reduced symptoms of depression, and a lower risk of cancer.

66

The Story of the Slow Bamboo Spirituality

Failure, Delay, Dead-end, Disappointment, and no light at the end of the Tunnel.

These are the standard difficulties that everyone on our planet will face countless times in their lives. Nothing can be more frustrating than seeing all your time, effort, and money go 67

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down the drain again and again. And when one fails constantly it’s very tempting for many people to give up thinking there is no use in trying anymore. But giving up hope is no way to live. Just because you haven't achieved what you wanted by a certain time doesn't mean that you will never achieve it in the future. And for that to happen one should never give up or stop trying.

Yes, it’s not easy to continue when you have failed many times in the past. So how do you keep yourself motivated to continue? The answer is to read the story of the Bamboo and the Fern.

One day, a businessman who had incurred continuous losses decided it was enough. He went to the forest to have one last chat with God.

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There in the silence of the forest he shouted, “God, can you give me one good reason why I shouldn’t quit?”

God answered and said, “Look around you. Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”

“Yes,” the businessman replied.

God continued.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo, I took very good care of them. I gave them both equal amounts of food and water. I gave them sunlight and also protected them from the storms.

The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant leaves soon covered the forest floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year, the fern grew even more splendidly than before but nothing 69

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came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Still I would not quit.”

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But day by day the sprout grew. First a shoot, then a seedling, and finally a cane. Within six months, the bamboo cane had risen to a height of 100 feet. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle. Did you know that all this time you have been struggling, you have been growing? Growing the roots that you need to 70

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produce your fruit. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will not quit on you.”

“Don’t compare yourself to others. All of my creations have different purposes, different journeys, and different timescales. The bamboo had a different purpose from the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful. Your time will come. You will rise high.”

The businessman was now relieved and thanked God for this wonderful advice and restarted his business with greater energy and vigor and rose to higher levers.

Now let us look at the multiple morals of this story.

Don't assume you know or predict how things will turn out. Just because something is not 71

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working today or producing results it means you will fail forever.

Don't think that just because you haven't succeeded in your goals yet, you will never succeed.

It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it - Sam Levenson

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Don't conclude that just because you can't see any evidence of growth, you have stopped growing.

Finally, success is not a race even if everyone starts at the same time. For example, if you and your friend start a business at the same time he may succeed immediately and grow well, and you may not grow for years. But three years down the line your business may start improving and he may go bankrupt. So, even though you both started at the same time he fizzled out and you started growing after three years. This is why success is not a race and the winners have already crossed the winning line because there is no such thing as a winning line in success.

Finally, as Ovid said, everything happens gradually at its appointed hour.

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Back to Contents

When you are travelling don’t draw attention to yourself.

People who look like they are from out of town are always vulnerable to theft and cheating. So, try to blend in as much as you can. Choose ordinary clothing that won't attract attention. Be discreet when looking at maps and approach people carefully if you need directions.

Also wear protective clothing and gear that will make it more difficult for pickpockets to steal money and other personal items.

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Writing and Publishing

T

his section is dedicated to the wonderful world of Writing & Publishing and covers

topics on self and traditional publishing, art of writing, formatting your print and eBooks, how and where to publish, marketing your book, and so on. Learn how the publishing industry works and how to get your books published in 77

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Paperback and all eBook formats on all international sites.

78

What is Ghostwriting?

Writing & Publishing

R

ecently a famous basketball player released a book (his autobiography) of nearly 200+

pages that was published by a top publishing house and written in excellent English. But what was surprising was he was just a high school dropout, had no writing skills, and his speaking 79

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

skills were also mediocre. Yet, he wrote a top quality book that was published by a famous publisher. Of course, he could easily get a top publisher because he was famous. But the question is how did he write a book that met their

stringent

writing

and

grammar

requirements? As you are aware even excellent writers don’t get a publishing deal if they are not famous. So, what was the writing secret of that football player?

The answer is simple. He hired a ghostwriter to write his book. Now what is a ghostwriter? A ghostwriter is someone who writes articles, speeches, books, blog posts, newsletters, etc., for someone and doesn’t get any credit for that work. The credit goes to the one who pays them to do the writing. In this case, the football player 80

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got his book written by some top ghostwriter, paid him a large sum of money, and then simply put his name as the author of the book. But isn’t this ridiculous or unethical. The answer is no and the reasons are below.

Why hire a ghostwriter? – Many people have knowledge and experience in various fields. But they may not have the time, interest, patience, or the writing skills needed to sit and write a book that may take several months. Popular examples of such people are CEOs, sportspersons, actors, politicians, etc. They will have the knowledge but no time for a patient activity like writing a book.

Such people will hire a ghostwriter and get their book released for a fee. However, all the ideas, examples, and other content for the book will be provided by them and the ghostwriter will 81

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organize, edit, and make it into a neat little book ready for publishing.

How does it work? – Assume that a top CEO wants to write a book. So, he will hire a ghostwriter who specializes in business books, negotiate the pricing, and start the work. The CEO will have to narrate his business and leadership adventures to the ghostwriter who will then summarize that into various chapters.

As the work progresses, the CEO will also review the book for any suggestions, remove mistakes, or correct any misunderstandings. Finally, the book will be ready someday and the author of the book will be the CEO. What about credit and ethics? – Now you may still be thinking that it’s not ethical to not get credit and somebody puts his or her name on the 82

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book you wrote. But it is no so. Hiring a ghost writer can be considered as equivalent to building a house. You may have the money and an idea of what kind of house you want. But it doesn’t mean you can build the house yourself.

So you will hire a civil engineer who will build the house to your specifications. The civil engineer gets the payment and you finally put your name in the house records when it is over. Ghostwriting is also similar.

Secondly, ghostwriters jump into this job fully knowing they won’t get credit for this. They are only working for the money by selling their writing skills and not bothered about the credit.

Many writing industry experts like journalists, publishing industry employees, etc., become ghostwriters after they retire or just to start their 83

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own business. They may already have plenty of contacts in the industry that may approach them for ghostwriting jobs. So, credit for every writing job is not really a top priority for them.

What does it cost? – Ghostwriting is an expensive business. The prices for a book job will start from 5 cents a word to as high as 50 cents a word. So, if you want a 25,000 word book written by a top expert you may have to pay US$12,500 for your book. Note this is only for writing the book. Designing the cover, finding a publisher, making the changes they require, etc., have different costs. So, someone who hires a ghostwriter will have to consider all these costs and then dive in. Of course, US$20K may not be a big amount for a CEO or a celebrity, but for ordinary people it can be a big sum.

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Where to find ghostwriters – Freelance sites like

Fiverr,

Freelancer,

Upwork,

personal

websites, etc., are the popular places to look for a suitable ghostwriter. Download samples of their writing to study the tone, complexity, fluff, etc. Also decide your maximum budget before approaching a ghostwriter. If you keep adding more and more information the word count will go higher and will increase your project cost.

Confidentiality – The ghostwriter should have excellent confidentiality and ethics to not reuse your book material and publish a book themselves. This may be difficult to find out but most respectable ghostwriters will provide a noreuse contract to assure you.

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You should also compare the charges and writing styles of a few ghostwriters to see who is suitable for your book. Just because someone is charging a high amount doesn’t mean they are the best fit for your book. So, if you are planning on hiring a ghostwriter, don’t be in a hurry and select the first one you see on the internet. If you scout around it’s quite possible that you can hire a low cost freelancer and get a nice little book done without paying a ransom.

Some Quotes on Credit It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit - Harry S Truman The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them - Benjamin Jowett

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The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit - Alfred A. Montapert No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it Andrew Carnegie

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Book Review – 50 Prosperity Classics Writing & Publishing

T

he 50 Classics are a set of excellent book summaries on topics like economics,

politics, spirituality, self-help, and so on written

by Tom Bowdon. Each book is an extremely well written and condensed summary about a book written by a famous author. The 50 Prosperity 88

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Classics contains short and crisp summaries of fifty popular books on money, wealth, and abundance. All these are books are about mastering the inner game of wealth and abundance. Capturing the essence of a book in just six or seven pages is not an easy task. But Tom Bowdon has this unique skill and probably one of the rare authors capable of such an achievement.

This book is a gold mine of information and advice for attracting, creating, managing, and sharing wealth. Everything you wanted to know about the nuts and bolts of personal finance and metaphysical abundance is included here.

Anyone interested in understanding what is true prosperity and demonstrate a higher level of fulfillment should read this amazing book. It also 89

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

highlights how the creation of wealth can fulfill your potential and peace of mind.

Some of the popular books covered in this treasure chest are, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne - This book summary explains how you can become a powerful magnet and attract into your life whatever you are strongly feeling or thinking about, both good and bad.

Ask And It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks – This book summary explains that as long as you are in a state of mind that is ready to receive, you can have whatever you want.

The Path to Prosperity by James Allen – This book summary explains you will become truly 90

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prosperous only when you discipline your mind and subdue your negative emotions.

Multiple Streams of Income by Robert G. Allen - This book summary explains that the rich and prosperous don’t depend on only once source of income but will have several streams of income.

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki – This book summary explains that before anything else, the fundamental purpose in starting any new enterprise is to create meaning. It says start by catering to a small market, and if what you are doing is valuable, other opportunities will emerge.

Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard 91

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

Schultz – This book summary explains that nothing great was ever achieved without people making frightening leaps of faith and giant enterprises can be built by giving people a small moment of joy in their day.

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley & William S. Danko – This book summary explains that most people don’t become millionaires by inheritance or winning the lottery. They do so by earning a good income from work they enjoy, living well below their means, and investing their savings.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham - This book summary tells you not to be someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Invest in stocks and consider yourself part owner of a company and not as just a trader.

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Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey This book summary explains that more than money, what most people need is peace of mind.

And you will lose your peace of mind if you don't control your finances properly. If you can’t control it then it will control you no matter how much you earn.

The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie This book summary explains that wealth creator has a moral obligation to enrich the lives of others in whatever way they can.

Whether you are just starting on creating wealth or you are already rich you will definitely learn a lot from this book. Also, the chapters are not just straight summaries of the books, but thoughtful reflections on why we should care 93

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about creating wealth for achieving success and peace of mind.

All the chapters begin with the key quotes from each book, a short summary, and a list of other books that are similar. Even if you own all the fifty books it’s not possible or practical to read all the books again and again. Secondly, if you observe closely, most nonfiction books reveal their big ideas and examples in the first two or three chapters. The rest of the book will just be fillers where the authors rehash the same concept again and again using different sentences or more examples. But this book is not so as it captures the essence of all those fifty books in a few pages and hence you can read or refer this book again and again. Within half an hour you can grasp the essence of a popular 94

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prosperity book without owning or reading that entire book. In short, this is a fantastic book for people who want to save time by reading one book instead of fifty books. Finally, if you are gifting a book to someone keep this series of book as your first priority.

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Children Section

T

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

You can 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.

Back to Contents

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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.

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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 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

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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 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

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attics or cupboards somewhere on our planet (sigh!).

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104

An Earthly Voyage A Poem by Karthik Thejendra

Going across the eternal sea On an audacious journey I'm reminded of a sobering fact The world is in raze because of our impact

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Braving the snow storm mountains There is an imbalance in the fountains Of life, about 20 years back We humans, weren't so paranoiac Not much of the once great forests are intact Most of them, he always has to subtract I never knew man could be such a maniac We all need to cooperatively counterattack We have all heard or seen man's earthly mutiny But this devastation can't be our destiny We have the power to change our fate For doing a good action, it's never too late

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We need to protect our sanctuary of life Be it in any fierce strife Every small effort is valuable In making the earth once again admirable.

Back to Contents

107

I am a Gorgeous Grape Children Health

I

am a small amazing fruit. I normally come in violet, red, and green color, and with or

without seeds. Many people even call me the world’s greatest fruit. I am superbly woven together into nice bunches by God so that you can pluck and eat me one by one. I also have 108

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

wonderful things like vitamins, potassium, manganese, etc., that can magically make you healthy. But remember to wash me well with warm water before eating me to remove all the tiny dirt sticking on me.

My juice is also very tasty. It can help in improving your heart health by reducing bad stuff like blood pressure, high cholesterol, blood pipes becoming hard in your heart, etc. But I am no good for your cavities. So make sure you clean and rinse you mouth properly with water after eating or drinking me. Otherwise, I will make your teeth go bad.

By the way, I also have plenty of other delicious friends who can help you in many ways.

Together we control the world of health. We are 109

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

the jewels of your dining table. We come in all shapes, sizes and colors. We exist to make you humans happy. We help you avoid doctors and their expensive treatments like painful injections and bitter medicines. We can also make you run faster, jump higher and help you do great things in your school and college.

Do you want to know how we do all that magic? I will tell you how. We can do such wonderful things because some of us are good for your brain, some for your heart, some for your skin, and some for your bones, and so on.

We are like warriors and can easily fight with all those nasty troublemakers hiding in your body.

Aren’t we fellows’ great? But if you don’t eat us then those horrible troublemakers will always make you sick, tired, and weak. Then you will not 110

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be able to play sports or climb a hill. Now I am sure you don’t want to be such a weakling, do you?

Okay, next month I will introduce another mighty friend of mine. Don’t run away!

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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, as long as the article is related to personal development topics. It would also be good if you have your own website, blog, etc., for readers to contact you. If you want to contribute regularly, then I would prefer you become my magazine

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subscriber. 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 images 113

Self Improvement International – June 2020 Issue

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 full-page 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.

I have some other questions.

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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.

Check out his other unique books.

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Past Issues of this Magazine

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Wealth of the Wise