Self Improvement International - March 2021

Self Improvement International March 2021 Issue The Amazing Story of Amazon What is an SLA? How to Publish Audiobooks? and many more !!!

Wealth of the Wise

Self Improvement International Wealth of the Wise March 2021 Issue

Copyright © Thejendra Sreenivas. All Rights Reserved

Self Improvement International March 2021 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.

For Subscription Please Visit

In this issue From the Editor’s Desk

01

What my Lawyer makes me say

04

What Else?

07

How to Develop Mental Toughness Personal Development

The Joy of Having Pets Stress Management

What is a Service Level Agreement Customer Management

10

23

32

In this issue (cont’d) Why Companies need a Social Media Policy?

45

Workplace Leadership

The Amazing Story of Amazon Business Knowledge

Astrology for Performance Appraisals Workplace Humor

WRITING & PUBLISHING

How to Publish Audiobooks?

Writing and Publishing

56

64

70

72

In this issue (cont’d) CHILDREN SECTION

Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia

I am a Gentle Guava Children Health

A Few Questions FAQs

About the Editor

82

83

90

94

100

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 – March 2021 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 professional life. Think of this magazine as your 2

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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 – March 2021 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.

5

Self Improvement International – March 2021 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 and not for money. But writing involves 7

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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 me to scribble more articles that could be of use 8

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

to someone, somewhere on our lonely planet 

Back to Contents

9

How to Develop Mental Toughness Personal Development

I

t’s relatively easy for most people to become physically tough through some exercises and a

good diet. But it’s extremely difficult for most people to also become mentally tough and develop resilience. Now, what is resilience? A general dictionary defines resilience in many 10

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

ways as, ‘Ability to recover quickly from misfortune; able to return to the original form after being bent, compressed, or stretched out of shape. A method to quickly recover from disruptions

and

misfortune

without

being

overwhelmed or act in a dysfunctional or harmful way.’ The word resile is derived from the Latin word ‘resilíre,’ which means ‘to leap back.’

Society, circumstances, and bad experiences can often destroy people as not everyone is blessed with natural resiliency. Emotional resilience is partially inborn but it can be further enhanced and developed as this article will show.

By learning resiliency you can successfully adapt to difficult and Herculean life experiences. And you can gradually overcome adversity, bounce back from setbacks, and thrive under extreme 11

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

pressure without losing your marbles. For example, losing your job suddenly for no fault of yours can wipe you out emotionally if you are not resilient. But if you are resilient you can simply turn it into a blessing in disguise to change your life for the better.

Here are some ways to become mentally stronger and as a result more successful in life.

Act as if you are in complete control – This is a thinking trick that gives you mental strength.

Ignatius, a Spanish priest once said - "Pray as if God will take care of all; act as if all is up to you."

Most successful people believe that good luck always plays a role in their success. They test this by jumping into action. This means they don't wait for good luck to drop on their lap or worry about being attacked by bad luck. They pretend 12

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

as if success or failure is completely within their control. By not wasting mental energy worrying about what wrong might happen to you they put all their effort into making the right things happen. Remember, you can't control good or bad luck, but you can definitely control yourself and your actions.

They develop optimism - The media always shows that the world is a terrible place with wars, famine, politics, hunger, poverty, crimes, and so on. This barrage of negative news 24x7 makes it hard to have a positive outlook on life. But strong people don’t let bad events that happen to someone somewhere on our planet affect them personally. Frankly, why should you bother if some crime or disaster happens to someone unknown to you in some far-off place just 13

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

because the media is hollering at 100 decibels?

The world is both a good and bad place and has been this way for eons. Strong-willed individuals consciously don’t get caught up in these negative things and develop a higher dose of optimism as a tonic to banish worries. Instead of trying to change things they can’t control, they focus their energies on their individual pursuits and achievements instead of worrying about all the world’s problems.

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As Leah Weiss, a Stanford professor says “Anyone can learn to be optimistic. The trick is to find purpose in work and life. When we work with purpose or live with purpose, we feel more fulfilled and better equipped to see the glass half full rather than half empty.”

They don’t complain or whine – Words have a special power. They can uplift or depress you.

Whining about your problems will make you feel worse, not better. So if something is wrong, don't waste time grumbling. Use your mental energy into making the situation better. Why waste time? Don't talk about what's wrong. Try to fix it with your power and energy. Indulge in self-talk about how you can make the situation better.

And do the same experiment with your friends or colleagues. Don't give your shoulder for them to 16

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

cry on. Avoid friends who constantly whine and make you miserable and lose confidence in life.

They don’t need validation – Every person is different, which makes it inevitable to get into disagreements. But the fact is you can’t please everyone. So, why even bother trying to please everyone? Trying to get praise from everyone results in social anxiety and this leads to stress and can even have dire impacts on your general well-being and health. Frankly, you don’t need validation from others if you have good selfesteem.

Read inspirational quotes - When things get tough and you feel like you are not making progress inspirational quotes by famous people can help you puncture your stress. So, read and 17

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

document a bunch of such quotes that can give you mental energy when you feel depressed.

Words of encouragement and motivation are like a mental tonic and can give you the courage to handle a bad situation. Remember you are not the only person who is facing trouble in life.

Millions are also in the same boat and millions in the past have endured hardships a hundred times more than what you are currently facing.

They keep their bodies fit – Mental toughness requires the body to be healthy. If you are sick with multiple ailments then it’s difficult to get the necessary self-motivation to get anything done. Sickness will cause depression and vaporizes your courage. But a healthy body will make your mind healthy and thoughts become positive.

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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

Imagine getting up in the morning and having a cough, cold, headache, and various body aches.

What work can you do when you are frequently down like that? You will have to constantly depend on others for even the simplest of tasks.

But with regular exercise, you will notice a remarkable change to your body, metabolism, heart, and spirits. Good health will counter depression and eliminate stress.

They have patience – They don’t expect results immediately or rush things before their time. They strongly believe in what Ovid said – everything will happen gradually at its appointed hour. Hence, even when things are going slow or they get hit by frequent roadblocks they just view it as a temporary halt or a work in progress and not a permanent stop. They don't complain 19

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

about the things they have no control over. They view failure as an opportunity to grow and improve and not as a reason to give up. So always be willing to keep trying until you get it right.

Similarly, there are plenty of other ways in which you can develop mental toughness. But the above seven methods are usually sufficient to develop a high level of mental strength to handle various disappointments in life. Once you start practicing the above you can incorporate other methods easily into this basket of mental toughness methods and become extremely resilient in life as you grow older.

Some Famous Quotes Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get 20

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

stronger and more resilient. - Steve Maraboli The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived - Robert Jordan The human capacity for burden is like bamboofar more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance - Jodi Picoult You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it - Margaret Thatcher Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again - Nelson Mandela I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it - Maya Angelou Fall seven times, stand up eight - Japanese Proverb 21

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

If you're going through hell, keep going Winston Churchill Blows that don’t break your back strengthen it Arabian Proverb

Back to Contents

Wife – Does this new novel end happily?

Husband – It doesn’t say that. It only says they married.

22

The Joy of Having Pets Stress Management

T

here are several commonly known methods to reduce stress. But did you know that

having a pet can also reduce your stress? Yes, it is a fact. Owning a pet can positively impact your health and also your lifestyle. Nothing compares to the delight of coming home to a loyal 23

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

companion waiting eagerly for you. Pets can also decrease stress, improve heart health, lower blood pressure, and even help children with their emotional and social skills. Pet owners are also more likely to interact and get to know other people in the neighborhood who own pets.

Having a pet at home also helps children by teaching them about empathy and responsibility towards animals. Whether you own a dog, cat, bird, or any other creature, pet ownership is a wonderful adventure.

Here are a bunch of reasons why you need a pet in your life.

Social Life - Pets can improve your social life.

Your pet could be the perfect conversation starter when you go for a walk or have an online 24

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

call with your friends and co-workers. For example, showing off your pet can enhance those work-from-home video meetings. Pets can also help you unwind after a long stressful day at work. For example, stroking your cat, dog, or simply watching fish swim around in a tank can make your worries melt away.

Mood Improvement - According to scientific studies, spending time with your pet triggers an increased level of oxytocin (also known as the love hormone). This is chemical creates a feeling of closeness and increased bonding with your pet. It can also increase your overall mood.

Companionship – If you are living alone or don’t want to live with other people, then having a pet can give you companionship. Another 25

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

advantage is you can’t get into arguments with your pet.

Social Interactions - A dog is naturally curious about its environment, including other dogs and neighbors. This can be a catalyst or conversation starter for social interactions. If you own a fancy or special breed of dog you might even find strangers approaching you to find more about them.

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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

Online Friendship - Pets can also help in finding online friends. For example, if you post pictures of your cats and dogs online then other people online may find it interesting and start a conversation with you.

Security - Owning a pet like a dog can make you feel more secure. Large and strong dogs like German shepherds and Rottweilers can protect you from attackers and muggers when you are on a walk and also guard your house when you are away. Burglars are less likely to target a house that has a dog. Pets also increase security for children. For example, having a pet in your children’s room can make them feel more secure than sleeping alone.

Exercise – Owning a pet like a dog will also give you a chance to exercise like walking, 28

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

running, and playing with it. Indirectly, you become physically active. A dog is possibly the best free personal trainer you could get.

Helps Children - Having a pet can boost a child's confidence and empathy levels. Children feel more comfortable talking to a pet than their parents. Pets can also be the inspiration for them to become creative. For example, they can teach a dog to obey them, shake hands, roll over, and do other tricks to keep them entertained and amuse friends.

Money – Though maintaining a pet involves expenditure you can also make money from them. For example, you can sell high-breed puppies, kittens, and birds ranging from hundreds to even thousands of dollars to other 29

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

owners. You can also enroll your pets in exhibitions to win prizes.

Fun – Finally, pets can also be entertaining for everyone. For example, you can teach dogs to do various tricks. Birds like parrots can mimic a human voice.

Some Famous Quotes A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself - Josh Billings.

Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail - Kinky Friedman Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and nurture and care for all life - James Cromwell Pets are humanizing. They remind us we have an obligation and responsibility to preserve and 30

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

nurture and care for all life - James Cromwell In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this - Terry Pratchett

Back to Contents

Girlfriend – Wow! Is this a real diamond ring?

Boyfriend – It better be. Otherwise, the jeweler has cheated me of ten dollars

31

What is a Service Level Agreement?

Customer Management

A

Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a documented contract that establishes a

set of deliverables or activities that one party has agreed to provide another. This agreement can exist between a business and its customers, or one department that delivers a recurring service 32

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

to another department within that business.

SLAs are a critical component of any outsourcing or technology vendor contract. Beyond listing expectations of service type and quality, an SLA also provides remedies and penalties when customer requirements aren't met.

Why are SLAs important? – Let us assume that a financial company that deals with stocks has outsourced maintenance of their computer servers and network to a third-party IT Company.

As you may be aware, a stock market company is always

under

high

pressure

to

provide

information and trading-related activities like buying or selling to their customers. Every minute is important. But if their computer network is frequently down then they cannot conduct their stock trading business in a reliable 33

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

manner. This can seriously impact their revenue and reputation. This is when they should consider having a strict SLA with the IT Company on how they should maintain their computer network. The IT Company should outline what services they will provide, how fast they will provide, and what penalties they will pay for deficiencies in service. They should clearly state metrics, responsibilities, and expectations so when technical issues happen neither party can plead ignorance. In short, an SLA ensures both sides

have

the

same

understanding

of

requirements.

Such a document will ensure that IT company takes its responsibilities seriously and the finance company will have the necessary guarantees and assurance that their computer network and 34

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

business operations are in reliable and in safe hands.

Who provides the SLA? - Most IT service providers have standard SLAs reflecting various levels of service at different prices. For example, an IT service provider can have two or three types of SLAs that customers can choose from. A company that can wait for its computers to be repaired leisurely can choose the low-cost option, while a company that needs a speedy resolution can opt for a high-cost SLA. These should be reviewed and modified by the customer and legal counsel, however, since they are usually slanted in favor of the supplier.

When sending out a Request for Proposal (RFP) to service providers, all customers should include 35

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

expected service levels as part of the request.

The expected service levels should be reasonable, practical, and humanely possible for the service provider to respond. If a customer puts impractical demands then no service provider will respond. For example, a customer cannot demand 100% uptime for your computer network regardless of what happens.

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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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Secondly, high expectations will come with high costs. If a customer wants a service engineer to respond within half an hour to every hardware trouble, then the service provider will have to install onsite support engineers to handle such support tickets. This will increase the cost for the customer. But if the customer is willing to wait a few hours to get their hardware faults rectified then there is no need for onsite support engineers and costs can be reduced. Hence, companies have to review their expectations carefully before asking for RFPs. What's in an SLA? - The SLA should include a clear description of the services to be provided, expected service levels, out of scope items, metrics by which the services are measured, duties and responsibilities of each party, 38

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

escalation methods, remedies or penalties for breach, payment terms, legal aspects, and a process for adding and removing metrics. Metrics should also be designed so that bad behavior by either party is not rewarded. For example, if a service level is breached because the client did not provide information in a timely manner, then the supplier should not be penalized. Also, it’s not enough to just document an SLA and store it somewhere. All SLAs should be periodically reviewed to remove unwanted services, add new services, improve reports, handle SLA breaches, etc. Otherwise, service levels can deteriorate and costs or downtime will increase if the customer is not carefully monitoring the metrics.

What metrics should be monitored? - The types of SLA metrics required depend on the 39

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

services being provided. Any number of items can be monitored but the items should be kept as minimal and simple as possible to avoid confusion, excessive cost, and effort on both sides evaluating unnecessary metrics. Hence, customers should examine their operations and decide what is most important. The more complex the monitoring the less likely it is to be effective since no one will have time to properly analyze the data. Automated systems are best since it is unlikely that costly manual collection of metrics will be reliable. Depending on the service, the types of metrics to monitor may include the following.

Service availability – This is the amount of time the service is available for use. For example, the customer can insist the service provider 40

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

maintain 99.5 percent availability required between 8 am. and 6 pm. Higher availability is also possible if the customer is willing to spend money on backup systems, onsite spares, etc.

Such aggressive SLAs like 99.99 percent uptime is a common requirement for a site that generates millions of dollars an hour.

Support tickets – In a customer support type of SLA it’s important to count the number of tickets that were raised by end users and measure them. For example, if 100 support tickets were raised by customers in a week and 40 of them were rectified beyond the agreed resolution timeframes of three hours it means the SLA is working at just 60%. This needs to be reviewed seriously and both the customer and service provider must provide answers. For 41

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

example, the service provider may not have enough service engineers or spares. Or, the customers may have raised tickets and not available at their desks.

In a similar way, SLAs can run to several pages and modifications and upgrades should be incorporated by both the customer and service providers over time to become a fully mature document.

Some Famous Quotes Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends – Walt Disney Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the customer gets out of it – Peter Drucker You’ll never have a product or price advantage 42

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

again. They can be too easily duplicated. But a strong customer service culture cannot be copied – Jerry Fritz If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will – Bob Hooey Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game – Tony Alessandra It takes months to find a customer… seconds to lose one – Vince Lombardi

Back to Contents

Two friends met each other after a long time. One of them was using crutches but walking perfectly.

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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

“Hello, what happened?” asked his friend.

“Car accident,” said the man with crutches.

“Oh, when did it happen?”

“About three months ago?”

“Well, I saw you walk perfectly. Why are you still using those crutches?”

“Correct. My doctor says I don’t need them. But my lawyer says I have to use them till the case is won.”

44

Why Companies need a Social Media Policy?

Workplace Leadership

U

ntil a few years ago social media policies in most organizations were rare or too

simplistic. Unlike policies for telephone usage, office computer, and email most company management didn’t think it was important to 45

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

write a policy because they considered social media activities of employees as their private business. But social media has erased that distinction and now introduced several direct and indirect threats to companies.

Organizations have now realized that no matter how separate an employee’s social accounts and office work may be ultimately

someone, somewhere can link that employee’s unacceptable actions on social directly to your organization. This means an employee’s private post and behaviors on social media can adversely impact a company’s reputation if they post something unacceptable. So, most companies nowadays have realized the importance of having a clear social media policy to protect them from unnecessary hassles caused by 46

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

immature employees.

Reasons for Social Media Policy Threats to Company’s Reputation – Any business that opens social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, etc., for the purpose of posting news and marketing information about their products and services will soon realize that they can be hit by various comments, replies, and screenshots by anonymous users worldwide. This can be both good and bad. For example, an employee may be doing his job perfectly in office. But at home if he is doing unacceptable things and exhibiting abusive behaviors on the internet then someone somewhere on the planet may link or post screenshots of that person’s behaviors on his company’s social media 47

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

accounts or comments section.

Many employees are naïve about social media.

They think that their posts and tweets are only being read by friends and family. But they don’t realize that their comments on social media sites can spread very quickly and leak out into the wider world. People's friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc., are not really their friends. They are just contacts and followers. You can’t trust them to safeguard your reputation.

So an employee’s nasty comments can be viewed by other employees, public, competitors, media, lawyers, and so on and this can have a serious reputational issue for the company. So, without a clear policy, your company will risk being embarrassed by what employees post and may even face legal issues in case of grave 48

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

mistakes by the employee.

Employee Awareness – To avoid the above hassles, a good social media policy must spell out what is (and what is not) appropriate for employees to post about their company on social networks. A mature social media policy will have clear "dos" than "don'ts" to help employees understand ways they can use social media to help achieve business goals. It should clearly state that employees shouldn't write anything unacceptable that may get splashed across the public and media. The policy should also cover the

consequences

of

posting

unflattering

information about the organization. Such a policy will educate all employees that anything they post online - even if marked as private - can and will be used against them and their 49

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

employer. In spite of a policy, some employees may do mischief. But now companies have a clear documented policy to take disciplinary action on the employee.

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Authorized personnel – The policy should also spell out who in the organization is the official voice authorized to deal with the public and the media. Employees should know who they should refer online questions about their organization to and not answer themselves even if they know.

For example, imagine a journalist calling or chatting with a random employee of a company on social media and the employee blabbering whatever

he

wants,

including

revealing

confidential information. This can have a serious issue if the journalist spices it up and prints it in the news the next day.

Legal Review – It’s not enough if a bunch of HR reps scribble a social media policy and think that is enough. It also needs legal safeguards. It's a good idea to get a lawyer to check your social 52

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

media policy to ensure you are adequately protected in accordance with the state and country’s laws. It should withstand the scrutiny of law if the sacked employee takes the company to court. For example, companies cannot fire or bully anyone for frivolous reasons if the employee posts some general comments on some political issue or dislikes a comment made by his manager.

A social media policy should also apply to all internet platforms and everything employees post online. Some employees may think that while they use LinkedIn for business purposes, their Facebook is personal and can, therefore, post

indiscriminately.

However,

employees

should always keep in mind that they are still company representatives and inappropriate 53

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

posts may damage their employer’s reputation as well as their own careers.

In a similar way, the policy should be periodically reviewed and enhanced over time to incorporate newer threats. Periodic internal trainings are also necessary for new and existing employees to ensure they remember the guidelines in the policy.

Some Famous Quotes If I maintain my silence about my secret it is my prisoner. If I let it slip from my tongue, I am its prisoner - Arthur Schopenhauer A secret spoken finds wings - Robert Jordan Be Wise about whom you confide In - Lindy Tsang A fish with his mouth closed never gets caught 54

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

Fuad Alakbarov If people can't abide by the confidentiality of the cabinet room, then they should leave the cabinet - Ian Macfarlane The secret to happiness is to face the fact that the world is horrible - Bertrand Russell

Back to Contents

Teacher – Child, name eight animals that give milk.

Child – Camel, Goat, Buffalo, and Five Cows.

55

The Amazing Story of Amazon Business Knowledge

H

ow Amazon Got Started - The year was 1994. A young, then 30 years old, Jeff

Bezos was working in Wall Street. That was when he began to see the internet revolution take place and decided to quit his job and start an internet company. The wake-up call was this was 56

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

an amazing statistic that showed web usage in 1994 was growing at the rate of 2,300% a year.

This got him thinking as he knew things just don’t grow that fast without a reason. He asked himself - What kind of business plan might make sense in the context of that growth? Then he made a list of the top 20 products that he could potentially sell on the internet. He first decided on books because of their low cost and popular demand.

Amazon first launched in 1995 as a website that only sold books. But that was just the beginning of an amazing journey that fate had decided for him. Amazon soon became a leader in the sector and enabled them to offer a wider selection of books than its bricks-and-mortar bookstore rivals. While still selling books, Jeff 57

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

Bezos had a clear vision for the company's explosive growth and e-commerce domination.

He knew from the very beginning that he wanted something like ‘an everything store’. He recalls that when he started selling books everybody told him, 'Look, you're just computer guys and you don't know anything about selling books.' Nobody tells him that now.

Article continued after next page.

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In the late 1990s, Amazon decided to start selling other goods, starting with music and DVDs. Soon, Mr Bezos's empire grew to include electronics, toys, and kitchen utensils. Ten years later, Amazon had become the biggest online seller in the US and around the world. Then eBooks arrived and Amazon was smart enough to become a key player in that market too. Today, 25 years on from when it started, Amazon is one of the most valuable public companies in the world, with Mr. Bezos now the world's richest man, thanks to his invention.

So how has the Amazon Empire been built? Bezos's success has been driven by his firm's global expansion and by expanding into a wide variety of other sectors. Video streaming services and devices, cloud services, and even groceries 60

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

(by the acquisition of Whole Foods Market) have allowed the company to compete with giants such as Facebook, Apple, Google, and Netflix.

Amazon Prime was launched in 2005, offering quicker shipping for selected items. This boosted sales of all sorts of goods. More than 100 million paying

customers

are

now

members

of

subscription service Amazon Prime, which also offers video and music streaming.

Amazon never forgot its bookselling origins.

When eBooks started to become popular, Mr. Bezos launched the Kindle in 2007, eventually becoming the global leader in the sector.

The Amazon smart devices department grew exponentially, facing fierce competition from Apple and Google in the early 2010s. Amazon, 61

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

however, was the first company to launch a smart device: the Echo speaker, equipped with the firm's own artificial intelligence system, Alexa. It is now the third-largest seller of smart devices in the US. Today the future of Amazon looks a bit more complicated than just selling products on the internet. What will Amazon be in another 25 years? We'll have to wait and see.

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Jail warden – I don’t see any of your relatives coming and meeting you. Any reason?

Prisoner – They don’t have to. They are all here and I can 62

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

meet them whenever I can.

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Astrology for Performance Appraisals Workplace Humor

I

n a recent scientific study the World Health Foundation has discovered a new type of

deadly workplace sickness spreading among all modern employees of this planet. Code-named EPR (Employee Performance Reviews), this 64

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

modern sickness has already seriously affected millions

of

employees

worldwide

and

is

spreading out of control. Doctors have claimed that there can be no cure for this, and is usually caused by a certain wretched electronic, or paper document given to all employees by their managers. Modern science is currently unable to cure this epidemic. Hence, doctors and top business managers are increasingly turning to astrology to accurately predict the strange effects

of

performance

appraisals

on

organizations and employees.

Astrology, the ancient science of the gods, can be effectively used in all business areas. This is because astrology is more accurate than business predictions. The probability or success of a grand business strategy, market analysis, business plan, 65

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

or predictions ranges from 0% to about 4%, whereas an astrological prediction can be as accurate as 70% to 100% and can be predicted years and decades in advance. All astrologers use identical

methods,

processes,

logic,

and

calculations for their mysterious science. So, here are some accurate astrological predictions that will definitely come true during every company's performance review festival.

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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

Jupiter warns of an unexpected truckload of work and stress.

Mercury will influence everyone to be wicked and settle old scores Saturn recommends going home once a week.

Avoid issues like sickness, death, external factors, etc., from interfering with your business goals.

Your brilliant performance will be adversely affected by the planetary positions of your team members and cousins of every customer.

Start chanting words like synergy, vision, long-term, change management and lots of adjectives.

Watch out for friendly enemies let loose by Uranus.

LEO

Old and forgotten useless issues will be in the limelight.

Accept your mistakes for causing failure of rains, global warming, disappearing rain forests, stock market crash and so on.

Bosses and Customers will be harsh to you due to Pluto’s conflict with mars.

Don't be afraid to commit anything the customer desires Lucky numbers 1, 2 or A, B. LIBRA

SCORPIO

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SAGITTARIUS

VIRGO

CAPRICORN

Document and classify your normal genetically encoded behaviors into groovy categories like "Leadership", "Communication", "Conflict Management", "Quality" and so on.

Venus predicts a sudden demand for your leadership, communication and customer focus skills.

CANCER

AQUARIUS

PISCES

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI Switch of team work for four weeks. Time to concentrate on self appreciation and unique achievements charades.

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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69

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 70

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

and how to get your books published in Paperback and all eBook formats on all international sites.

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How to Publish an Audiobook?

Writing and Publishing

M

ost self-published authors are familiar with and know how to publish a

Paperback or an eBook. But very few authors know how to publish an audiobook. But did you know that the audiobook industry is growing rapidly and many authors have still not made the 72

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

dive yet? The reason why audiobooks are becoming popular is due to the rise of smartphones and long commutes to offices.

Instead of reading a book on a small screen, it’s easier to listen to an audiobook using an earphone or on their car stereo just like listening to music. So, why not take advantage of this new trend and publish all your books as audiobooks?

This article will show what is needed to convert your regular book into an audiobook.

First, determine if the audiobook industry is right for you. The audiobook market is growing, but it doesn’t mean every book can be converted to an audiobook. For example, if you have a technical book with full of images, charts, tables, etc., it’s not easy to convert it to an audiobook.

Also, audiobook production is time-consuming 73

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

and expensive. So, evaluate if your book is worth converting to an audiobook and then dive into its production.

Audiobook production is the process where your written book is narrated and recorded into an audiobook (mp3 files). There are two ways to do this. You can record the audiobook yourself or you can hire a professional to record your audiobook.

Recording an Audiobook yourself - To narrate your own audiobook you will the necessary software and hardware, and a quiet place to record it. But this is easier said than done.

Narrating an audiobook requires a certain degree of voice, breath control, and tone expertise. This means you cannot have irritating pauses, breathing noises, coughing, sneezing, etc., while 74

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

you

are

recording.

Secondly,

you

need

professional audio editing software, equipment, and knowledge to turn your recorded files into professional high quality audio files. This is easier said than done. Instead of this, most authors prefer to hire a professional narrator to create the necessary files.

Hiring a Narrator – You can find excellent narrators catering to every budget on sites like Fiverr or Upwork. Many narrators listed there also have sample audio files that you can download and listen to. If you find the voice of a particular narrator suitable you can chat with them and ask for a pricing quote. If you find the price affordable all you need is to provide your book in a MS-Word of Google doc file along with any specific instructions and the narrator will do 75

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

the rest. He or she will create the necessary mp3 files chapter by chapter. This bunch of files is your audiobook. The next step is to publish it.

How to Publish – Just like Amazon KDP, Smashwords, Draft2Digital, etc., there are specialized distributors who will upload your audiobook to various places. Some of the popular ones are,

ACX This is known as Audible and is owned by Amazon. It is a full-service audiobook production and distribution arm. With ACX you can distribute to Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. You have 3 options for audiobook production, Exclusive Option 1 – Find a narrator willing to record your audiobook for a reduced upfront cost 76

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

in return for a share of future royalties. ACX pays you 40% in royalties, which are split 50/50 with the narrator.

Exclusive Option 2 – Find a narrator and pay them the full upfront fee for narrating your audiobook. ACX pays you 40% in royalties and you keep 100% of the royalties. The narrator does not receive a share of royalties.

With these two exclusive options, you are tied into a 7-year exclusivity contract with ACX. Getting out of the contract is not always easy especially if the book starts selling well and the narrator is making ample money from your audiobook. They may demand a huge sum to give their rights back to you.

Non-Exclusive Option-3: Find a narrator and 77

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

pay them the full upfront fee for narrating your audiobook. ACX pays you 25% in royalties and you keep 100% of the royalties. Note that ACX provides a lower royalty rate if you choose the non-exclusive agreement. However, with a nonexclusive arrangement, you have other options for your audiobook production and distribution.

Author’s Republic Author’s

Republic

is

a

distributor

of

Audiobooks. They also have a production deal with Deyan Audio. If authors use their services they receive a larger percentage of the royalties from Author’s Republic. Author’s Republic has very relaxed publisher agreement terms, and you can terminate your agreement with them at any time if you so choose. Author’s Republic pays 78

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

authors 70% of the royalties they receive from retailers. They also distribute to Audible, Amazon, iTunes, and several other audiobook retailers.

The

advantage

of

using

such

distributors is authors don’t have to create an account on all those retailers, upload the audiobook, and manage payments from every retailer. Authors Republic will take care of consolidating all payments and give you the agreed royalty for that retailer.

Findaway Voices This is another audiobook production and distribution service. This is an open audiobook market where authors and publishers choose where to sell their audiobooks and at what price they desire. They make it easy for authors to sell 79

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

their audiobooks to more than 20 audiobook sellers across retail, library, and school markets.

This distribution network reaches more than 170 countries around the world. They also give authors full control over pricing. Findaway Voices pay authors up to 80% of the royalties they receive from retailers.

Similarly, there are other popular audiobook distributors like ListenUp Audio, Kobo Writing Life, Publish Drive, and so on. Feel free to evaluate their services, read reviews, and then decide who is the best for you.

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81

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.

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82

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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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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 friends, cousins, relatives, etc., who would vanish 84

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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

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89

I am a Gentle Guava Children Knowledge

I

am a tough little fruit who grows on tall trees. I am always green on the outside, but I

can be either red or white inside with lots of tiny tough seeds. Children like to throw stones at me if they see me dangling on a tree. But I don’t fall down easily because I know how to hide behind many leaves. I am a very tasty fellow and 90

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

sometimes called as a super food because I can give you a boost of energy. I also contain lots of vitamins just like my dear friend, the orange. I can improve your eyesight and make your skin glow like a light bulb. You will also feel very relaxed if you eat me. And I can also make your mind healthy. So eat me whenever you can. But remember to wash me well before eating. And if you smear a little bit of salt after slicing me I will taste SCRUMPTIOUS!!

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 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 91

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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 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 92

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

mighty friend of mine. Don’t run away!

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93

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 subscriber. This link contains the submission 94

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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 used must cite sources and must be free for 95

Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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.

Just send me an email.

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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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Self Improvement International – March 2021 Issue

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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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Wealth of the Wise