Self Improvement International Month Year Issue
A Magazine on Personal Development, Stress Reduction, Humor, Frugality, Workplace Leadership, Spirituality, Writing and Publishing. Wealth of the Wise
Self Improvement International Wealth of the Wise
Thanks for Subscribing This free copy is a collection of articles from the Self Improvement International Magazine. Each magazine carries a bunch of sparkling articles on Personal Development, Stress Management, Humor,
Frugality,
Leadership,
Resiliency,
Workplace Issues, Spirituality, Life Skills, Satire, Writing, Publishing, and an occasional Harsh Advice. More details can be found in the below link.
In this issue
From the Editor’s Desk
What my Lawyer makes me say
What Else?
The Fine Art of Frequent Pausing Personal Development
Life Lessons for Children Personal Development
In this issue (cont’d) The Difficult Art of Saying NO Stress Management
How to Avoid Writer Burnout Writing & Publishing
The Healing Power of Gems Spirituality
Don’t do Everything Yourself Leadership
The Power of Fathers Self Improvement
What is Twitter? Technology
In this issue (cont’d) How to be Really Really Different Humor
Children Section Writing & Publishing
Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia
A Few Questions FAQs
About the Editor
From the Editor’s Desk
H
ey, thanks for subscribing to my unique and
delightful
International
Self
Improvement
magazine.
This
is
a
magazine to be read, retained, remembered, and re-read from your electronic bookshelf. Each magazine carries a bunch of sparkling articles on Personal Development, Stress 1
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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. Like a basket of delicious fruits each issue can dramatically transform your personal and professional life. Think of this magazine as your electronic personal coach who can make you superior to the rest of the crowd. Give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised. 2
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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
4
indirect damages caused by following the advice given here. All opinions, ideas, and advice expressed here are largely my personal or the contributor opinions and don’t necessarily represent the opinion of any other organization or person, including my employer, my clients or their agents. 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.
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Images used in this magazine are from open image sources like Openclipart, Pexels, etc., that are free for personal and commercial use. My full thanks and attribution to the respective artists.
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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 7
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purely for the passion and not for money. But writing involves enormous effort and we don’t live
on
such
magnanimous
money-free
planets. By becoming a subscriber to this magazine you help me create valuable content for writers and executives. Thank you for being so generous. Also, if you are a giving kind of person, then I am an accepting kind. So, if you have any unused excess wealth stashed away in Swiss Banks, Spare Jewels, Precious Gems, Spanish Gold Bars, Priceless Paintings, Rare Dinosaur Bones, Asteroid Pieces, Unused Rolls-Royce, Private Jets, Luxury Ships, or even an Exotic Island or Kingdom somewhere, please feel free to donate them to me along with all applicable taxes. Such humble gifts can nudge me to 8
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scribble more articles that could be of use to someone, somewhere on our lonely planet ď Š
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9
The Fine Art of Frequent Pausing Personal Development
M
r. R was a highly intelligent and productive manager. He had a great solution for almost any workplace
problem, would answer his emails or messages within minutes, and had many other efficient habits. But his team members noticed a 10
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peculiar behavior. Twice or thrice in the day, during busy office hours, he would be incommunicado and would lock himself in his cabin for about 15 minutes and not answer any phone or emails. They thought he took a nap or was involved in some pressing personal issue. Finally, one of the curious team members asked him why he disappears like that every day. He laughed and said one of the secrets to his great productivity was the time he took every day to pause and apply brakes to his activities. When pressed further he explained that he does nothing in those 15 minutes he disappears every day. He said, “For 10 to 15 minutes twice or thrice a day, I sit peacefully, I switch off, I relax, and think about nothing or 11
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minimize my thinking. And I have been doing this for many years.� Basically, this was R’s quickie stress reduction method without the traditional meditation or yoga. He said this frequent pausing cooled his overheated brain, helped his creative juices flowing, and improved his speed and efficiency. It was like how farmers periodically sit in the cool shade for some time and energize themselves while working for several hours in the hot sun. Even wild animals like lions and cheetahs practice this donothing method of cooling their bodies and charge their batteries to be ready for a burst of activity later. Why is pausing required? - Today’s technical progress has become our blessing as 12
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well as a curse. Though we have tons of information at our fingertips we are also bombarded with emails, messages, calls, audio, and video from all directions. There is probably no smartphone has does not popup some notification every two minutes trying to grab our attention. But the downside of this is we can
be
overwhelmed
by
the
endless
information that is entering our eyes, ears, and brain. But being always active is not necessarily productivity. For example, if you are writing a book or a long article you will need concentration and uninterrupted time. But if you are peeping into your smartphone every few seconds then you are doing your job in an inefficient and unproductive way. This is 13
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because every distraction will divert our attention
and
distractions
train
will
of
limit
thoughts. your
Such
ability
to
concentrate and process information, which in turn will lower the quality of your work and introduce mistakes. It’s like applying brakes on your car every 30 seconds to watch some passerby or billboard instead of driving smoothly.
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How to pause? - Now let us look at how to introduce pausing in your life. For example, let us assume you are working in a hectic office constantly
bombarded
by
phone
calls,
meetings, messages, and customers walking in. While you may now have the youthful energy and knowledge to multitask in a hectic workplace, but over time such relentless activities can make you into a stressed and burnt out wreck. Once you cross 40 years you will begin to notice its terrible effects on your mind, body, and soul. This can cause problems not only for yourself but also to your family members, coworkers, neighbors, and even strangers, like when you get caught in a road rage issue. So, starting today begin the following. 16
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Make a conscious effort to switch off every two hours for 15 minutes and go to a quiet place. If you can’t find a quiet place just take a walk on the terrace or sit in the library or some other calm place. When you are in that quiet place switch off all notifications on your phone and resist the desire to peep into it every few seconds. Just sit quietly and don’t think or worry about anything, personal or official. Un-stiffen yourself and feel your muscles and bones relaxing. If possible, keep your eyes closed during that time. If you have been accustomed to a hectic lifestyle you may initially feel uneasy to sit and do nothing for 15 minutes. But
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this is a discipline that you need to cultivate for your long term good. Slowly, over a few days you will get the hang of pausing frequently. It’s okay if you are unable to do it exactly at the same time every day due to some other unavoidable commitments or meetings. But
initiate
your
pause
the
first
opportunity you get. Remember, this pause is not for a coffee break to chat with your coworkers and discuss the scary economy or office politics. This also means NO reading a book, watching a video, or listening to some music on your phone. It’s a time for completely switching off and letting your
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brain cool down. Try it and you will not regret it. Finally, we shall end this article with a quote - We understand that you can't work all day. In fact, a healthy dose of intellectual distraction is necessary for productivity. Theoretically, for all we know, there may even be statistics that prove two hours of actual work per day is enough to keep the world running smoothly Unknown
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19
Life Lessons for Children Personal Development
D
o you know why today’s parents appear to have more difficulties in raising their children than our earlier generations?
What has changed or is different today compared
to
the
difficulties
20
of
our
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grandparent’s time who didn’t have the great facilities that we have today? The typical answers that today’s parents give are like - Bringing up children in today’s modern times is more challenging due to the competition
that
starts
as
early
as
kindergarten because of intense academic pressure, or they blame it on media, social networking, and easy access to electronic gadgets. Or, they will blame it on peer pressure. For example, if one child joins some coaching like swimming, tennis, or some other activities, then the parents of other children feel that they also need to send their kids or pressurize them to attend classes. It’s called the “Keeping up with the Joneses syndrome”.
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But is this behavior right? How long can one fall
prey
to
such
peer
pressure
and
comparison? While some amount of peer comparison is unavoidable or necessary, the major blame actually lies with today’s parents and the wrong way they bring up children, either knowingly or unknowingly. The reason why I am putting a large percentage of blame on the parents is due to the following mistakes or way of thinking. Today’s parents think it’s mandatory to fulfill all their children’s desires. They fear that their children will not love them if they don’t say yes to everything they demand. Or they justify pampering by claiming their parents were unable or unwilling to fulfill their desires due to lack of money or availability of 22
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technological goodies at that time. But today they need not worry about such issues as they are capable of affording them for their kids. Secondly, many items like smartphones or even expensive vacations can be obtained through easy monthly installments. So, why worry? Give them the best. Unfortunately, over time such protective and spendthrift behaviors will only create spoiled brats and spineless sissies who will be unable or unwilling to handle the harsh world when they grow up. This is also the reason why children are now becoming snooty, arrogant, selfish, obese, argumentative, and spend money recklessly. So, what can parents do? The answer is to start teaching valuable life lessons to their 23
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children starting from an early age. Why early age? This is based on the proverb that a tree that is not growing straight can’t be bent after it grows fully. It can only be bent when it is young. Similarly, children can’t be easily corrected to the right path once they become teenagers and higher. Their life lessons education has to start as early as 5 years or earlier. So, what are these life lessons? Lesson-1: Teach your kids that they can’t always have everything they desire in life. Even if you can afford something they desire go slow and make them wait. This will teach them the valuable art of patience. Lesson-2: Start financial literacy concepts from an early age. Limit their pocket money even if you can pay ten times more. Reward 24
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them for saving money and not for spending it. This is a lesson they will need for the rest of their lives and to handle their rainy days in the future. Lesson-3: Do not over feed them. Limit their junk food intake. This will only make them lazy, fat, and get health problems from an early age. Eating less food or the right amount or tolerating hunger is not going to kill them. In fact, they will become healthier than before they were overfed.
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Lesson-4: Don’t immediately say yes to everything they desire like gadgets, toys, vacations, shoes, sports stuff, etc. Make them earn it. Lesson-5: Do not assume that you are unnecessarily harassing your children even when you can easily afford the small things they desire or demand. They must learn the art of patience, art of letting go, art of giving up, art of waiting, art of saving, art of sweating, and so on. All these life lessons will help them over time and when you are no longer available for them. Lesson-6:
Frequently
tell
them
that
whatever you are spending on them is a loan and not a gift, and they have to repay you when they start earning. While this may seem 28
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funny it also embeds a lesson that life is about give and take and one must repay their debts to parents and society. Take them to orphanages or slums to show how blessed they are. Lesson-7: Teach them cost benefit analysis. For example, you can buy a good smartphone with dozens of features for US$200, or a smartphone with the same features for US$1000+ just because it has a fancy brand name. So, teach them to make such analysis before succumbing to their desires and tantrums of an expensive phone just because their rich friends have one. Lesson-8: The final lesson is “Take it or Leave it� weapon that you must use when they become too demanding like not eating the 29
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food you prepare at home, or demanding for expensive stuff when cheaper alternatives are available, or other irrational tantrums. Do not become a plastic parent who will melt when things become hot. If you are the breadwinner just ensure that you provide the basic food, clothing, and shelter to your family. Do not assume that you have to slog 24x7 to keep your kids happy and fulfill all their endless desires. If they want cheese, butter, and honey with the bread that you provide tell them to earn it. To summarize the story, parents should learn to say no without any explanations or regret. Harden yourself to tolerate your children’s
grumbling,
moaning.
Remember, you are not forcing 30
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them into poverty for fun but are only teaching them how to handle hardships. They will not understand now but will appreciate it when they grow older. Secondly, all medicines cannot be sweet. Thirdly, the one who pays make the rules. Finally, we can conclude this article with a couple of Chinese quotes they must remember for life. What seems like a blessing may be a curse, and what seems like a curse may be a blessing. The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.
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31
The Difficult Art of Saying NO Stress Management
A
re you one of those nice people who have learnt
plenty
leadership,
of
useful
writing,
skills
like
communication,
management, communication, etc., over the years but somehow couldn’t learn one important skill because it was too difficult and embarrassing? Do you know what that skill is? 32
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Don’t know? Really? It’s is a simple two letter word called no and the firm art of refusing to people. But don’t be concerned. You are not alone. Learning to say “No” is one of the toughest skills as we are taught from an early age that it’s wrong, impolite, and insulting to turn someone down when they make a request. But there will come a time in your life when you have to start saying no and get out of that habit of saying yes to everything. “Okay, but to who exactly should I say no?” Answer - To all those capable folks who think that you are always available to help them, carry out errands, and think you are their bellboy. For example, it is quite common for spouses, children, relatives, neighbors, and certain friends to invent or extract some work 33
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from you the moment they see you. They take you for granted and expect you to be their free errand boy all the time. Even when you come home exhausted they will gleefully dump half a dozen activities on you even though they can do many of those tasks themselves. Have you observed this? All your plans get ruined because of their incessant demands. But if you are unable or unwilling to say no to certain demands, then it can make you stressed, exhausted, and irritable. It also results in you wasting time, money, and energy. Trying to meet the needs and demands of everyone around you can be exhausting and can also have an impact on your physical and mental health. This is why you must learn to say no to people. However, 34
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this jump from yes to everything to no to many things should be done gradually to avoid conflicts and putting yourself in trouble. Here are some pointers to help in your no journey. Ask who is requesting you to take on some responsibility or task? Can they do it themselves? Do they know how to do it? Is it actually their job? If it’s yes, then find an excuse to say no as you are well within your rights to decline. Weigh the consequences before saying no. If you decline will it create a conflict between you and the other person? Remember, some people have a hard time taking “no” for an answer especially if you have said yes to everything they had asked before.
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Ask if you have the time, money, and energy for taking on additional work? Are you taking on too much? For example, if you have worked a 12-hour day and your family member asks you to drive them somewhere nearby, or assign some task when they are perfectly capable of doing it themselves, then simply say no without any explanations or regret. If you want more time, freedom, and energy then start saying no. Give yourself some courage to say NO without feeling guilty or selfish. Anyone who gets upset or expects you to say yes for every request or demand doesn’t have your best interest at heart. You should also learn to say no to tasks and projects that are not right for you, demeaning, or you know you can’t do it. You can also say 36
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no to certain people who are incompatible with your style of working, or because of the past bad experiences in dealing with them. You can also say no to bad ideas or strategies suggested by people who have no experience or know less than you. Remember, you don’t have to accept things you are not okay with. If you don’t say a firm no to people who can do the jobs themselves, then you will be eternally postponing your plans, hobbies, and will fall sick by exhaustion. Their urgencies shouldn’t always become your emergency. It’s only by saying NO that you can concentrate on things that are important to you. Finally, we shall end this article with some famous quotes.
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“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” Josh Billings “No is a complete sentence. It does not require an explanation to follow. You can truly answer someone’s request with a simple no.” Sharon E. Rainey “Sometimes no is the kindest word.” Vironika Tugaleva “You don’t have to stay committed to something just because you’re good at it.” Brittany Burgunder
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How to Avoid Writer Burnout Writing & Publishing
W
riter’s Burnout - Every Indie or Traditional published author will one day
face
this
situation.
Writer’s
burnout is a feeling of severe exhaustion, depletion, lack of inspiration, and motivation to write. It’s a time when you feel like giving 39
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up as you believe your ideas have dried up or maybe writing isn’t worth publishing. Writer’s burnout lasts longer than a regular writer’s block and is a lot harder to overcome. Why does it happen? – Writer’s burnout and losing interest can happen for many reasons like when your books don’t sell in spite of putting in Herculean efforts. It can also happen for reasons like, Lack of rest especially if your primary job is writing, Feeling undervalued
when
nobody
notices
or
appreciates your work, Lack of financial rewards for your efforts, Working too many hours a day, No real world social life, Unable to delegate, and so on.
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How to reduce burnout? – Here are a few suggestions to eliminate or reduce your burnout. Recognize the Problem - This might sound so obvious but recognizing or accepting that you are burned out is the first step towards some action. If you are unable or unwilling to accept that you are in trouble then it becomes difficult for you to try any solution or accept constructive criticism. Clear your desk - A cluttered workspace impacts your state of mind. But a neat desk will help you stay focused and clear. So, get rid of all stuff that you don’t need and keep only the absolute necessities. You will experience a feeling 41
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of energetic fresh air when your desk is uncluttered. Make diet and lifestyle changes - Avoid sugar and caffeine. Drink enough water and get adequate sleep. Take nutritional supplements. Learn meditation and start exercises. Take a long walk or cycle in the greenery. It’s okay if you don’t write for a couple of days. The world won’t end. Write when relaxed - When you are burnout your writing will also be crap as your brain will be exhausted. So, ask yourself if you want to produce shoddy output by forcing yourself to write, or create vibrant output when you are feeling relaxed and energetic. 42
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Don’t get depressed - Writing is an intense hobby that can make you its prisoner if you are not careful. It can take a heavy toll on your mind, body and spirit. Many authors often get depressed and get their hopes dashed when they see their books are not selling well. So, be cautious and do not go crazy chasing your wild dreams, which may or may not materialize.
Don’t
strain
yourself
mentally, physically or financially with your marketing efforts as it can become an obsession to constantly brood about your book sales. Learn from others - If you read some author interviews or comments on the internet, you will notice they would have 45
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become extremely obsessed with their work and are slowly burning themselves out. Do not make this mistake yourself. Take it easy - Have patience and learn to have a detached approach. It may take years to achieve success or it may never come. Become a realist and don’t let a hobby ruin your life or peace of mind. Remember you took up this writing hobby to get some peace of mind and relaxation. Parallel options - Your hobby should not start giving you stress, backaches, headaches, anxiety, etc. So, don’t allow this hobby to engulf your life or have a stranglehold on you. And don’t put the rest of your life on hold while you’re 46
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waiting for that great author dream to fulfill. Not all dreams come true. Be open to alternatives and options if your book dream does not succeed. It’s wrong to reject the numerous money earning options that may cross your path while you are chasing this dream. Finally, we can end this article with a great quote - If you've tried everything possible to get an outcome, and it just hasn't worked out as planned, stop trying so hard. Relax. Maybe the timing's not right. Maybe it wasn't in your best interests. Maybe while one door seems to be closing, another is opening - Robin S. Sharma.
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The Healing Power of Gems Spirituality
M
ost people think gems like diamonds, sapphire, pearls, emeralds, etc., are just shiny material suitable only for jewelry.
But did you know that these gems also have mysterious spiritual powers that can attract good and bad energies to the person wearing 48
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them? With today’s scientific advancements this may sound foolish or superstitious. But whether you believe it or not gems do have certain powers that can attract good and even bad influences. And this has been discovered and documented from ages by our ancestors. For example, there are countless stories of diamonds brining bad luck to many people. While
you
may
brush
superstition
our
wise
them
away
forefathers
as
have
discovered certain cosmic patterns with all gems that can bring good vibes to the person wearing them. Through the ages, gemstones have also been used to heal many physical and mental ills as gems hold metaphysical powers to alter our moods. And birthstones have the highest influence on a person’s wellbeing. 49
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Gemstones have been linked to the various zodiac signs and date of birth from thousands of years. These precious and semiprecious stones have the power to absorb certain positive and repel negative energies that exist around us. It’s not only Indians who have discovered the power of gems. Many countries like China, Egypt, etc., have also discovered the mysterious powers of gems. Depending on the month you were born there are specific gems that can help you. How do gems work? - Many people do not believe in the healing power of gems. To understand this you need to take a different route. For example, a piece of glass in a specific shape can cure eye defects and partial blindness. If you are wondering how just image 50
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an eye doctor who prescribes prescription glasses for your eye defect. As soon as the right powered glass is brought near your defective eyes you will immediately see the world clearly, isn’t it? Similarly, if the appropriate birthstone touches your skin it’s able to attract certain cosmic energies that can heal your ailments or soul. So, do not assume usage of gems is plain superstition created by jewelers to make money. The properties of gems have been independently verified by countless astrologers and have benefitted millions of people. The next several pages will outline the various common gems and their properties. Though it is common to associate certain gems with a particular month not every country’s 51
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astrologers use the exact month. For example, Indian astrologers look at many other factors like birth star, date, planetary positions, gender, etc., to arrive at the correct gemstone to be used for a person. However, the below list will give you a high level overview of the capabilities of each kind of gemstone.
January Born (Red Garnet) - If you were born in January then the red garnet is your birthstone. This is one of the oldest and most popular gemstones and also comes in other colors like green, black, and shades of orange. 52
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It has the power to regenerate and energize the entire system. It can also heal various blood
diseases,
break
fevers,
reduce
inflammation, and prevent depression. It can speed up the healing process because they cleanse and reenergize your chakras (the seven wheels of energy throughout our body). Wearing it encourages your creativity, courage, and balance.
February Born (Amethyst) - If you were born in February the Amethyst is your birthstone. It’s violet or purple in color and has 53
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the power to focus energy and is often worn by healers. It can steady or control a restless mind and bring mental and emotional wellbeing. Buddhists believe that it can enhance tranquility and peace during meditation. It also brings peace to the wearer as it reduces anxiety and negativity.
March Born (Aquamarine) - If you were born in March then Aquamarine is your birthstone. It is pale blue in color and associated with the throat chakra. It can shield your aura and align the chakras. It can even 54
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calm the soul, bring mental clarity, calm the nervous system, ease anxiety, and release negative energy from the wearer. It can also regulate hormones, boost the immune system and control overreactions.
April Born (Diamond) - If you were born in April then Diamond is your birthstone. Its beauty and brilliance is unparalleled among all the birthstones and is also very expensive. Diamonds are considered as a symbol of purity, innocence, eternity, and courage. In Sanskrit, the diamond is called ‘Vajra’ which 55
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means lightning. In Hindu mythology, Vajra was the weapon of Indra, the king of gods. In ancient times, diamonds were also believed to be tears of the Gods. It’s an energy amplifier and can bring clarity to all that you do. It can awaken intuition, stimulate the higher mind, and raise your awareness to the light that shines within you. A diamond can unclutter a cluttered mind and energize a depressed heart. Diamonds can also control dizziness and vertigo. But a diamond is a dangerous gem and should not be worn by all regardless of its qualities. This is because a diamond can increase negative energy and attract bad luck for those who should not wear it. It should never be
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purchased as an ordinary jewel even if you can afford it. Hence, a diamond should be worn only after consulting multiple qualified astrologers to see if they are suitable for you. Even if they suit you, many astrologers ask you to test and observe it for a couple of weeks to see if any bad things happen during that time. If you experience bad things then they will suggest you to drop the idea of wearing a diamond.
May Born (Emerald) - If you were born on May then Emerald is your birthstone. It is 57
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green in color, associated with the heart chakra, and a powerful healing gem. Its magical properties include peace, harmony, love, honesty, and good fortune. Wearing it can treat heart disorders, lungs, spine, nerves and muscular system. It can also aid in recovery from infectious illness, sinuses and soothe the eyes to improve vision. It also has a detoxifying effect on the liver and reduces diabetes and rheumatism.
June Born (Pearl) - If you were born in June then your birthstone is Pearl. This gem can be used to treat digestive disorders, soft organs 58
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of the body, and also improve the skin. It can also relieve bloating and prevent ulcers. Pearls can also increase fertility and ease childbirth. Other healing properties of the pearl include reduction in stress, headache, hypertension, exhaustion, and prevent heart attacks.
July Born (Ruby) - If you were born in July then your birthstone is Ruby. Ruby has an internal flame that cannot be extinguished and is thought to bring fire into the wearer’s life through
love,
passion,
motivation,
and
imagination. Traditionally, the ruby has been 59
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regarded by ancient Hindus as the ‘King of Gems’ and was believed to protect its wearer from evil. Rubies are believed to grow deeper in color when the owner is in danger. Ruby removes negative energies from your path. It also helps you to overcome exhaustion, lethargy and improves vigor. Ruby can also detoxify the body, blood and lymphatic system. Rubies also help in preventing nightmares and improve lucid dreaming. Wearing a ruby can bring the owner a secure peaceful
life
and
resist
behaviors.
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August Born (Peridot) - If you were born in August then your birthstone is Peridot. This gem exists in shades of lemon-green to olive, and bright lime is the most treasured. Peridot is considered as a visionary stone that helps the wearer understand their existence and destiny. It can also strengthen the immune system, metabolism and benefit the skin. You will be able to successfully ward off evil, enchantments and depression if you wear peridot. This stone sooths your worries and
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tames your fears and is the perfect gem to wear during stressful times.
September Born (Sapphire) - If you were born in September then your birthstone is Sapphire. The medium-dark blue is the most treasured color of sapphire, but the stone also exists in other colors like purple, pink, yellow, green, and orange. Each individual color of sapphire has its own magical and healing powers. This is traditionally a favorite stone of priests and kings. The sapphire symbolizes purity, wisdom and a better understanding of the future. It can treat blood disorders, combat 62
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excessive bleeding and strengthen the walls of the veins. They are used for cellular disorders, regulate the glands and calm overactive body systems.
October Born (Opal) - If you were born in October then your birthstone is Opal. This stone can ward off evil and protect eyesight. Opals also represent hope, creativity and innocence. Opal increases the will to live, strengthens memory, treat infections, fevers, cleanse the blood and kidneys, and regulate insulin. Wearing an opal is energizing and enlivening. 63
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November Born (Yellow Topaz) - If you were born in November then your birthstone is Yellow Topaz. This stone is a stone of strength, power, and protection. Since it is ruled by the sun it bestows abundance and practicality. It also aids in stimulating intelligence and creativity. As a healing stone, it brings a sense of balance to the wearer, relieves tension, reduces stress, and harmonizes emotions. The stone is associated with the navel chakra and therefore
helps
the
wearer
feel
empowered and improves will power.
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December Born (Turquoise) - If you were born in December then your birthstone is Turquoise. Turquoise has long been considered a healing stone by many cultures. Ancient practitioners believed that turquoise can change color when the wearer was ill or in danger. The stone aids in absorption of nutrients, enhances the immune system, stimulate the regeneration of tissue, and heal the whole body. When worn near a body part that is in pain, this energetic stone is said to absorb
negative
energies.
Bracelets
of
turquoise can detoxify the blood as it flows 65
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under it. It also neutralizes excess of acidity in the body, reduces rheumatism, gout, stomach problems, and viral infections.
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Don’t Do Everything Yourself Leadership
D
o
you
often
feel
stressed
and
overloaded? Are you having too many
things on your plate? Do you feel that only you can do all those tasks? If your answer is yes, then it’s high time to brush up on your delegation skills. Whether you're a team 67
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leader, a business owner, or a division head, delegation is the key to maximizing your productivity and keeping yourself sane during tight deadlines or endless workloads. But delegation is not easy and is one of the toughest skills to learn for many managers. However, without delegation you will soon burnout and may even fail miserably as this example shows. Douglas Ivester, a highly qualified finance executive, was promoted to CEO at Coca-Cola after working as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for many years. But within a couple of years he eroded the confidence of Coke’s Board of Directors and had to resign. To the outside world, Ivester was the perfect candidate for the job. But he had a 68
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major flaw. He was unable to delegate and make the leap from COO to CEO. This was because he was getting excessively involved in day-to-day operations, which was his virtue and necessary in his previous finance and operations jobs. But carrying that method over even when he became the CEO proved to be a major hindrance in his new position. Ivester could not free himself from day-to-day operations enough to take on the strategic, visionary roles of an effective CEO. In short, he was unable and unwilling to delegate and that finally resulted in his ouster. An impressive career came crashing down because he persisted in focusing on what he felt most competent doing instead of focusing on what his new CEO position required. 69
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Similarly, if you are also unable or unwilling to delegate, then you will also soon hit a dead end unable to move forward. Delegating is a skill that, like any skill, can be learned and improved on over time. Here are some methods that can help you learn how to delegate. Put these techniques into practice and you will be surprised how your personal and departmental efficiency will increase. The first thing you need to understand is others are also capable of doing what you are doing. They may just need some clear directions or initial handholding to do the job the way you want. But after that coaching you should withdraw and let them do that job without breathing down their neck, and you should move to other higher activities. 70
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Secondly, even if you are a productivity superman or woman, there's only a limited amount that you can do however hard you work. You can only work for X hours in a day. Ask whether you want to continue doing the same repetitive tasks that you have been doing for ages or whether you can offload them to others so that you can concentrate on newer and better activities.
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Learn to let go. The biggest problem most managers face is the inability to let go of their own work. They feel so dedicated to completing their own work that they refuse to let other people help. They also have a fear that nobody else has the skills or abilities necessary to execute the work effectively. But this will keep you handcuffed at the job forever. So, learn to let go. Start small and delegate only the easy tasks and gradually increase the complexity. This will also improve the trust among you and your co-workers. Exploit your team strengths. As a leader, you should know each individual's strengths and weaknesses, potential, and skills. Then, while delegating, assign the tasks to whoever has 73
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the greatest number of relevant skills for that task. Give perfect instructions, and it should preferably be in writing. Then team members can avoid mistakes. For example, if you want data in a particular format, then prepare a blank table with clear headings and ask you team to fill in the data. Or, give step-by-step instructions if it is some process based activity. If the task is extremely critical you can also give screenshots or video of the tasks so that there is absolutely no chance for mistakes. In short, make it easy for others so that it won’t be hard on you later. Trust, but verify. Once you delegate, trust your team to execute it the way they think fit. 74
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This will allow the person to tackle the work the way he or she feels is best. However, you can occasionally step in and verify that the task is moving along as planned. For example, you can instruct them to send you status reports as soon as soon as a certain percentage of the task is complete. This way you will know if things are progressing well or whether some intervention is required. Finally, we can conclude this article with a quote by an unknown person -
Even "Super
You" needs help and support. There is no shame in asking for assistance. Push aside the pride and show respect for the talent others can bring to the table. And, remember that there is no such thing as a single-handed success: when you include and acknowledge all those in your 75
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corner, you propel yourself, your teammates and your supporters to greater heights.�
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The Power of Fathers Self Improvement
M
others have always been recognized and appreciated for the enormous role they play in the physical, psychological,
and emotional rearing of children. But what is rarely discussed and even supressed is the immense roles of the father. This is why many 77
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people think that a father’s role is just to provide financial stability, paying the bills, fixing your bike, and be a nice handyman around
the
house.
Such
thinking
gets
engrained because the women empowerment hysteria being peddled in the media gives extraordinary importance and indispensability to mothers and downgrades the immense role of fathers. But the importance of fathers is more to be experienced than just discusssed. Studies have shown that children who have an involved father have higher IQs and general knowledge than those who do not. For example, a supportive, funny, and communicative father can give superior life 78
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lessons to their children than mothers. Fathers can also teach the do’s and don’t of the harsh outside world better than mothers. A firm and responsible father is a stronger pillar in the development of a child’s emotional well-being as it is he who lays down the rules the home rules and enforces them. This is very important as it will provide a feeling of security and inner strength to children and they will try to emulate him So, children will model themselves after their father’s character in their later life. In a similar way, a responsible father is a life long inspiration for every child throughout his or her life. Finally, we can conclude this article
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with a great poem on fathers written by an amazing person. 4 years old: My daddy can do anything. 5 years old: My daddy knows a whole lot. 6 years old: My dad is smarter than your dad. 8 years old: My dad doesn’t know exactly everything. 10 years old: In the olden days, when my dad grew up, things were sure different. 12 years old: Oh, well, naturally, Dad doesn’t know anything about that. He is too old to remember his childhood. 14 years old: Don’t pay any attention to my dad. He is so old- fashioned.
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21 years old: Him? My Lord, he’s hopelessly out-of-date. 25 years old: Dad knows about it, but then he should, because he has been around so long. 30 years old: Maybe we should ask Dad what he thinks. After all, he’s had a lot of experience. 35 years old: I’m not doing a single thing until I talk to Dad. 40 years old: I wonder how Dad would have handled it. He was so wise. 50 years old: I’d give anything if Dad were here now so I could talk this over with him.
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Too bad I didn’t appreciate how smart he was. I could have learned a lot from him.
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What is Twitter? Technology
T
witter is a social networking site launched in 2006 and one of the topmost popular social media platforms available today. It
has more than 100 million active users and millions of tweets are exchanged daily. Twitter can be used to receive news, follow high83
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profile celebrities, politicians, government offices, service providers, friends, or practically any organization that has a twitter account. Rather than a social networking site it has now become an instant online news platform where every major news in the world gets released, debated, and forwarded within seconds. How to get it? – Just visit www.twitter.com and create a free account and a unique twitter name. Then you can see other interesting people and companies there. How to use it? – Twitter is easy to use as either broadcaster or receiver. To start using just type and send your message (called tweets daily) in the “What’s happening” window available once you log in. You can post messages every minute, or hour, or as 84
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frequently as you like as long as you don’t tweet the exact message repeatedly within a few minutes to prevent system abuse. But you can send the same message again after a few hours. Your messages are visible to anyone who follows you, and is also visible to those who don’t follow you if add an extra text called a trending hashtag to your message. To receive other people’s Twitter feeds, find someone interesting and press Follow to subscribe to their tweets. If their tweets aren't interesting select Unfollow. You can also click on the trending hashtags to read tweets about a particular topic. Twitter has a message size restriction to 280 characters or less. This size limit promotes the clever and concise use of language, and 85
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challenging to write. This size restriction is what made Twitter a popular social tool. A tweet can be read within seconds instead of a reading long Facebook posts or blogs on the same topic. How Twitter is normally used? By Marketers - Twitter is a very helpful platform
for growing a
following
and
providing your audience with useful content to your customers. The character limit can help you create short interesting advertisements with images and videos. If someone mentions one of your products or services, you can "like" or "retweet" their comment. Alternatively, if customers complains about your products and services on Twitter, you can reach out to rectify the situation in real-time. 86
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By Reporters - Twitter can be used to spread breaking news quickly and is even faster than traditional
media
as
you
can
spread
groundbreaking information instantly from your smartphone. For example, when the US Airways plane crash-landed in the Hudson River some years ago, the news was first spread on Twitter before many media outlets could get it. By Celebrities - Twitter is also used by most film stars, singers, and other famous people to build a personal connection with their fans. Instead of revealing their email or phone numbers they can communicate with their fans via twitter. By All Others – Almost all companies, service providers, banks, police, political 87
Self Improvement International Sample Issue
parties, prime ministers, presidents, politicians, government offices, FBI, and even armies now have a verified twitter account. They can quickly post public required information instantly to their followers and the world. So, go ahead and get your twitter account today.
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How to be Really Really Different Humor – Business Competition
Amazing Differences between THEY and WE
They just sell their goods for money. We give value for money. They use pesky salesmen to harass and sell their wares. 90
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We relentlessly push to become your business partner. They don't answer their phone in person. We have an answering machine that connects to other answering machines. They don't work hard. We are already stretched beyond limits. They sell goods cheap by giving discounts to attract customers. We ensure affordability and cost effectiveness. They don't provide service on time. We can't be everywhere at the same time. They blatantly cheat customers by refusing refunds for defective products and services. The terms and conditions in our fine print disallow refunds.
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Their products are exorbitantly priced. We believe quality costs money. They started their business purely with a selfish ulterior motive of making heaps of money. We started our business because we saw a great revenue growth opportunity. They go belly up listening to advice from astrologers and conmen. We experiment with several best practices from expensive consultants and B-School professors. They cheat by using personal rapport to get business. We use relationship management to retain customers. They are always on leave or something. We need a work life balance. They use unfair methods to retain customers. 92
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We retain customer loyalty by becoming the sole service provider. They fire employees without mercy. We adopt industry standard managed attrition practices to downsize swiftly and objectively. Their salary structures are arbitrary. Our salary structures are properly framed by evaluating a variance driven, confusion infected, market messed, component based, subjective driven, budget limited pay scales. They are not consistent in their approach. We experiment with various approaches for transforming change. They are always complaining and grumbling. We need to air our genuine grievances. They are always thinking of money. We get up in the morning with the sole intention of passionately serving customers to increase revenue. 93
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They just talk and blabber. We need to improve our communication skills. They sell anything and everything. We diversify our products and services to sustain our business. They simply increase prices arbitrarily. We constantly factor in our operating and overhead costs. They don’t employ enough people to meet customer satisfaction. We have budget and manpower constraints. They are stingy. We practice continuous cost saving. They don't provide good service. We are doing the best we can.
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They harass their employees by constantly breathing down their necks. We continuously monitor and control employees to achieve our business and financial goals. They are not flexible. We have rigid processes that cannot be deviated. They don't know when and where to stop. We strongly believe in "Sky is the limit." They always have problems. We have challenges. They are not a go getter. We don’t take unnecessary risks.
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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.
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Comics – The Lost Priceless Treasures Nostalgia
T
his section is dedicated to remembering the golden era of comics that lasted from the 1930s till the late 1980s. When we
were kids we didn’t have dozens of TV channels, Smartphones, Apps, Internet, Social Media, etc. Our main sources of entertainment were movies in theaters, a radio set, books, magazines, playgrounds, and the wonderful world of comics. Dozens and dozens of brilliant
graphic
comics
would
hit
our
magazine newsstands every month ranging from as low as 10 cents to 50 cents. The arrival of our favorite comic every month was always 98
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a gala affair that would send a thrilling chill down our spine. We even had awesome libraries that would lend us comics for a small fee. Practically, every child on our planet grew up as diehard fans of various comic book heroes, heroines, and villains. Collecting and protecting our comics was a thrilling exercise, and we had to guard our precious comics from our mischievous friends, cousins, relatives, etc., who would vanish with our priceless treasures. Each comic book’s hero, heroine, and villain would take us deep into their imaginary wonderland and make us laugh, cry, giggle, angry, and even get furious. The stories used to so great that countless comics could have 99
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been easily been made in super movies. Did you know that each comic were meticulously hand drawn and colored by those great comic artists as there were no graphic softwares like today? Want to know how those golden comics looked? See the next few pages for some awesome covers. Some lucky grown up child will be having these lovely treasures stored in their attics or cupboards somewhere on our planet (sigh!). Back to Contents
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Watch out for more awesome covers in next month’s issue.
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A Few Questions FAQs
How do we contact you? Via
on
thejendra@yahoo.com
or
thejendrabs@gmail.com. I am a writer and want to submit articles to your magazine. Will you accept it? Yes, but with some conditions like you must have your own website, blog, and preferably be a self-published author with your books available on amazon and other sites. If you want to contribute regularly, then I would prefer you become my magazine subscriber. 107
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This link contains the submission details and template.
Do you pay for articles? Not yet. This is still a new magazine and to pay you my circulation must improve. But I will provide a PDF copy of the magazine if I include your article in this magazine. What kind of articles do you accept? Your articles must be related to selfimprovement, stress management, leadership, management, writing, publishing, and so on. It must help the reader learn something useful for their life skills. Also, your article must be your own and not copied from anywhere. All 108
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images used must cite sources and must be free for personal and commercial usage. I can also consider publishing articles, drawings, and paintings done by your kids to push them towards the habit of reading books and magazines. Do you accept advertisements in your magazine? Yes, you can have a half-page or a full-page advertisement. Half page is US$10 and fullpage is US$20 (see samples next page). Authors can also advertise their books and its short summary for just US$5/-. For half page send a JPG or PNG file of size 5 inch x 3.75 inch and for full-page send a 5 inch x 7.5 inch size file.
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I have some other questions. Just send me an email.
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About the Editor
Thejendra Sreenivas is an Author and Life Skills Coach and offers personalized coaching in Book Publishing and Personal Development. He has also written 20+ mild & wild books on a number of subjects. His inspiration for writing unique books comes from Toni Morrison who said, “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Please visit his web cave - www.thejendra.com for details of his books, magazine, and coaching information.
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I hope you enjoyed the ride. If you liked this magazine please coax all your friends to subscribe. For Subscription Visit
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Wealth of the Wise
