Save Natural Resources

Remember the days when we were taught about the natural resources and their importance. Here I will like to remind you all those points again, so that once again we can start thinking about their significance which we have almost forgotten.

Saving energy and the overall environment is a topic that has gained public attention more recently. People are realizing that at the rate we are using earth’s valuable resources; we will face serious shortage in a near future.
Forests and trees have also b
Water is the first resource we have been wasting in the past. We have to be aware that everyday, people worldwide are dying from lack of drinkable water. Yet, in our “civilized” countries, we let purified water go to waste in many ways daily.

Small steps a person can take to limit her consumption of water is: only wash the dishes or do the laundry when there is a full load to be done, do not let tap water run for long periods while brushing one’s teeth. Other obvious drinkable water savings would be not to use sprinklers on rainy days or using a broom to sweep one’s carport instead of the garden hose.

Another valuable earth’s resource we have been wasting is electricity. Again, in many developing countries, electricity could save hundreds of lives. Yet, we are openly wasting this valuable resource in western countries. Small steps that can be taken to limit the quantity of electricity consumed daily are: close all lights that are not being used, do not put the air conditioning on (or a heating system) if windows are opened, wash clothes that do not require special care with cold water instead of hot water.

een overused by man and wasted in more ways than can be counted. Recycling paper is the very first step in limiting paper (and trees) waste. Writing on both sides of paper is also a very good way to diminish one’s consumption of paper and thus limiting deforestation. Quality air is also a resource we have wasted to the worst degree. By overusing cars and toxic emissions which affected the ozone layers, we have wasted our most valuable resource: the air we breathe. Small steps that can be taken are exactly this: taking small steps instead of using the car for any small trip to the corner store. In taking such action as walking to get to near places, a person will also gain physical benefits and enjoy a better health condition.
Saving oxygen and the quality of the air that we breathe also means taking a strong stand and pressuring governments in place to adopt and apply strict rules and regulations to limit pollution and toxic gas emissions.

Another valuable resource that we have been shamefully wasting is the wildlife. Many animals are now on the endangered species list or, worst, have disappeared because of man’s careless actions. Reading and keeping up to date on the most recent developments and again taking action to limit the damages caused to animals are small steps a person can take to start making a difference.

Regards,

Prazact Team.

Quote

“The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value”- Theodore Roosevelt

Hope Is The Great Activator

“Without hope what good is tomorrow?”

We are surrounded by people who need hope in their lives. We don’t often see their need because a lack of hope is not easily communicated. People aren’t prone to say, “I need hope.” Nonetheless, when we listen closely, we can hear the cries of the hope-needers. Or oftentimes we can see it in their actions.

For example: The student with no hope of passing won’t study. Why bother? The sales person with no hope of making the sale won’t make the call. What’s the purpose? The couple whose marriage is in trouble won’t seek counseling because (they think) it’s all over anyway.

The relative who hasn’t spoken to you for three years won’t try. What’s the hope? The senior citizen who doesn’t think anyone would be interested in helping him won’t ask. The nurse who doesn’t think anyone appreciates her wisdom won’t offer it. The manager who doesn’t see a chance of being promoted often gives up. Why try?

But give any of these individuals hope and some exciting things can happen!…

You were born to win! But in order to be the winner you were born to be, you’ve got to plan to win. You’ve got to prepare to win. And then, and only then, can you legitimately expect to win.

Winning is not an accident. It’s a result of a deliberate plan. A plan filled with hope and encouragement. Would you like to be a powerful person? Or a more powerful person? Then you need hope. People who build hope into their own lives and who share hope with others become powerful people. Doors open for these people!

Now here’s the good news: Hope is a choice! Yes, that’s right. You can make a decision to be a hope-filled person. You can make a decision to share hope with others. Even if your own need for hope is running a little dry, you can still give others hope. In the process of doing so, watch what happens. Your personal hope quotient is bound to rise.

Hope is the great activator!

If you want to make things happen in your life, and you want to encourage others to make things happen in their lives, rely on hope! Discipline yourself to see the “hopeful” side of any incident. Include expressions of hope in your self-talk. Share words of hope with the people who surround you.

Are we offering you a “head in the sand” approach to life? Are we saying that you should walk around with a smile on your face and a song in your heart, oblivious to daily reality? Of course not. However, we do believe that we have a choice. Hope is a choice. We can look at any unfortunate or bothersome situation and say it’s hopeless, or we can look for the hope in that situation. The choice is always ours!

Regards

Prazact Team

Quote

Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.

10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed

 

This advice is given by Steve Pavlina which is geared towards small business owners, particularly people who are just starting (or about to start) their own business.

1.  Selling to the wrong people- While sales are important to the survival of any business, you don’t need to push your business on everyone you meet, including friends and family.  Furthermore, it’s a waste of time to try selling to people who simply don’t need what you’re offering.

Selling to the wrong people includes trying to sell to everyone.  Some customers are much easier to sell to than others. 

Just because someone is interested in doing business with you doesn’t mean you should accept.  Most relationships simply aren’t worth pursuing.  Learn to say no to the weak opportunities so you have the capacity to say yes to the golden opportunities.

2.  Spending too much money- Until you have a steady cash flow coming in, don’t spend your precious start-up cash unless it’s absolutely necessary.  Your business should put cash into your pocket, so before you “invest” money into it, be clear on how you’re going to pull that cash back out again. Obviously some businesses require lots of cash to start, but in the age of the Internet business, you can very easily start a lucrative business for pocket change.

3.  Spending too little money- It’s also a mistake to be too stingy with your cash.  Don’t let frugality get in the way of efficiency.  Take advantage of skilled contractors who can do certain tasks more efficiently than you can.  Buy decent equipment when it’s clear you’ll get your money’s worth.  You don’t have to overspend on fancy furniture, but get functional furniture that helps you be more productive.  Don’t use an antiquated computer with outdated software that slows you down if you can afford something better.

It takes time to develop the wisdom to know when you’re being too tight or too loose with your cash, so if you’re just starting out, get a second opinion.  Often the very thought of getting a second opinion makes the correct choice clear.  If you can’t justify the expenditure to someone you respect, it’s probably a mistake.  On the other hand, there are situations where it’s hard to justify not spending the cash.

4.  Putting on a fake front- Many one-person businesses refer to themselves as “we.”  That’s something a lot of new entrepreneurs do, but it isn’t necessary.  There’s nothing wrong with a one-person business, especially today.  It’s perfectly OK to refer to your business as an I when you’re the only one working in it.  Pretending that you’re a we when you’re really an I is a bit silly.  It’s not going to gain you any respect in a way that matters.  Promoting yourself as an I may even be an advantage today, since people will know the buck stops with you, and if you make a promise, you’re the one who will carry it out.  Promises from a we sometimes aren’t worth very much. If you’re so desperate for business that you need to lie, you shouldn’t be starting your own business.  If you can’t provide real value and charge fairly for it, don’t play the game of business.  Develop your skills a bit more first.

5.  Assuming a signed contract will be honored- A signed contract is just a piece of paper.  What’s behind a signed contract is a relationship.  If the relationship goes sour, the contract won’t save you.  The purpose of a contract is to clearly define everyone’s roles and commitments.  But it’s the relationship, not the paper, that ultimately enforces those commitments.  When I understood this, I focused more on relationships and worried less about what was on paper, and my business deals went much more smoothly.  Once you start falling back on the paper, the deal is already in trouble.  Creative (and lucrative) business deals almost always stray from the paper contracts that represent them.  One of my attorneys, who had worked on dozens of game development deals, told me that no deal he worked on ever followed the contract exactly; most weren’t even close.  And these were big money deals in many cases.  Business relationships are similar to other personal relationships — they twist and turn all over the place.

6.  Going against your intuition- Intuition is just as important in business as it is in other settings.  While you might think that logic is the language of business, that’s far from reality.  If you base all your business deals on hard logic and ignore your intuition, most likely you’ll be in for a world of hurt. We humans aren’t very logical to begin with. We simply don’t have enough data to make truly logical decisions because business deals depend on human beings, and we don’t have a logical system for accurately predicting human behavior.  Not being able to predict how other humans will behave is a pretty big gap in our logic.  And intuition has to fill that gap.  The real performance of human beings is what makes or breaks business deals.  But to assume everyone will perform as expected is unrealistic in the extreme.  No deal ever goes perfectly. Intuition is a critical part of the decision-making process in business.  Since business deals depend on relationships, you need to get a read on the other people involved in any deal you consider.  If you get a bad read, walk away.  If you get a good read, proceed with caution.

7.  Being too formal- Business is built on relationships.  In some settings a certain degree of formality is appropriate, but in most business situations being too formal only gets in the way.  Business relationships work best when there’s a decent human-to-human connection behind them. It saves time and opens the door to a real human relationship.  Human beings don’t want to build relationships with faceless corporations.  They only want relationships with other human beings… sometimes animals too I suppose.

Treat your business relationships like friendships (or potential friendships).  Formality puts up walls, and walls don’t foster good business relationships.  No one is loyal to a wall… except the one in China.

Formality is boring and tedious.  People want to enjoy their work.  But if someone demonstrates they have a real personality and a good sense of humor, a connection is far more likely.

8.  Sacrificing your personality quirks- It’s perfectly OK to be your own weird self and to inject your own unique spirit into your business, especially if you’re in your teens or 20s.  Don’t pretend to be something you’re not.  Ultimately you’ll enjoy your work much more if you attract the kinds of customers and partners that want to work with you for who you are — warts and all.  Send the people who only want to work with androids to your corporate competitors.  They deserve each other.  If other people can’t handle your weirdness, too bad for them.  Focus your energy on the people who can.

9.  Failing to focus on value creation- It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the purpose of a business is to make money.  But the real purpose of a business is to create value.  While it’s possible to make money in the short run without creating much value, in the long run it’s unsustainable.  Even criminal organizations have to create value for someone.  When you know your business is just sucking value away from others without providing anything in return, it will erode your self-esteem, and the business won’t be much fun to run.

Why does your business exist?  It exists to provide some sort of value, both for you and your customers.  The better you understand what value you’re trying to provide, the better you’ll be able to focus.  Too often business owners aren’t clear on what value they’re trying to provide.  They just sell stuff and hope for the best.  That’s a lousy business model.  The world doesn’t need more selling or more stuff.  But it always needs and wants genuine value creation, and that’s where you should direct your efforts.

10.  Failing to optimize- Although value creation is essential to a sustainable business, it’s equally naive to assume you can simply focus on creating value, and the rest will take care of itself.  You may build a business that provides good value but loses money.  As a business owner, you need to find a way to deliver your value in a cost effective manner.  Most likely your first attempt will be very suboptimal.  You’ll waste too much time, money, and resources trying to produce and deliver your value.  That’s OK though.  Many businesses start out that way.  Just don’t let yours stay that way.

Once you have a particular business process in place, pull it apart and re-optimize it from time to time.  Look for ways to make it more efficient.  Can you get it done in less time?  At less cost?  Can you do it less frequently?  Can you outsource it?  Can you dump the process altogether?

It takes significant effort to build a successful business, but it’s also a tremendous growth experience.  I know many people who have quit their jobs to run their own businesses.  Many of them didn’t do as well as they’d hoped, but I don’t know any that regretted taking the plunge.  There’s simply no substitute for holding the reins of your own destiny.

Regards,

 Prazact Team.

Quote

 Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

 

8 Tips for Students Starting College

 

With so many options available for college students, knowing how to make wise choices becomes critical for success. These eight tips can help set you up for a strong first-year experience.

1.Go to class. This is number one for a reason. College is an amazing experience, but you can’t stay if you fail your courses. Missing class is one of the worst things you can do. Remember: your goal is to graduate. How are you going to do that if you can’t even make it to class regularly?

2.Participate in events early on — especially during Orientation. Let’s be honest: not all events aimed at first-year students are super exciting. Tours of the library and silly-sounding mixers may not be your thing. But they connect you to the campus, help you meet people, and prepare you for academic success. So roll your eyes if you must, but go.

3.Don’t go home every weekend. This can be especially tempting if you have a boyfriend or girlfriend at home or if you live close to your school. But going home every weekend prevents you from connecting with other students, getting comfortable with your campus, and making it your new home.

4.Take risks. Do things that are outside of your comfort zone. Never been to a program that explored a certain religion? Never tried a kind of food that’s available in the cafeteria? Never introduced yourself to someone from a certain country? Step outside of your comfort zone and take some risks. You went to college to learn new stuff, right?

5.Sign up for a class you know nothing about. Just because you’re pre-med doesn’t mean you can’t take a course in astronomy. Expand your horizons and take a subject you never even considered.

6.Learn how to say “no.” This may be one of the most challenging skills to learn when you’re first in school. But saying “yes” to everything that sounds fun, interesting, and exciting will lead you to trouble. Your academics will suffer, your time management will be horrible, and you’ll burn yourself out.

7.Ask for help before it’s too late. Colleges are generally pretty good places; no one there wants to see you do poorly. If you’re struggling in a class, ask your professor for help or go to a tutoring center. If you’re having a hard time adjusting, talk to someone in the counseling center. Fixing a smaller problem is almost always easier than fixing a big one.

8.Stay on top of your finances and financial aid. It can be easy to forget that appointment with the Financial Aid Office or that deadline by which you had to submit a simple form. If you let your finances slip, however, you can quickly find yourself in a lot of trouble. Make sure you’re sticking with your budget throughout the semester and that you always know the status of your financial aid package.

 

Regards,

Rashi.

Quote

There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you are committed to something you accept no excuses only results !

Attitude is a choice, you get to choose!

It is not what happens to you that counts. It is how you react to what happens to you, especially when you have unexpected problems of any kind.

Your attitude is the very best it can be, under all circumstances.

Decide How to React
You learn powerful strategies you can use to keep yourself thinking and acting positively and creatively.

Focus On the Future
First, whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts, and your mental images on the future.

Think About the Solution
Second, whenever you’re faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.

Learn to cope with stress

Look For the Good
Third, assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, “Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem.” The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.

Seek the Valuable Lesson
Fourth, assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.

Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, become solution-oriented with every difficulty you face. Make a habit of looking for the answers to your questions, the solutions to your problems.

Second, seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.

Third, think on paper. Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it.

Regards

Team Prazact.

Quote

It is rightly said “Imperfect Action is better than No Action”