Charity, My Friend!


"We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. I do not agree with the big way of doing things."

- Mother Teresa

I absolutely believe in this saying and I don't think I have to elaborate. Just try to help when you find some one in need in whatever way you can. True charity is the desire to be useful to others without any thought of recompense, irrespective of how much you do! Believe me, it gives you immense satisfaction!

 

posted by Kiran at 9:41 AM on Friday, June 27, 2008 under

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Here’s a Quick Way to STOP Negative Thoughts


“What we focus on, we empower and enlarge. Good multiplies when focused upon. Negativity multiplies when focused upon. The choice is ours: Which do we want more of?”

- Julia Cameron

I found this article at ririanproject.com and found very helpful and interesting! I know its more philosophical but still it's worth a read... Here it goes...

Are you carrying around some junk? You know, those hurtful and disastrous things that you may have been told by someone during the course of your life. It was supposed to be taken with a grain of salt or simply ignored but most of the times we take that criticism and wear it like a hat of shame! Negative thinking can make all sorts of things incredibly difficult. It is like a leak in your confidence bucket — constantly drip-drip-dripping away your confidence and self esteem.

Negative thinking can be useful to help assess the possible pitfalls in a potential plan of action, but you need to be able to turn it on and off at will. Otherwise, negative thoughts will sabotage your self belief, your confidence and your achievements. Here are some effects of negative thinking:

Sleeping problems
It can become very difficult to get to sleep, because you feel worse at night. There are a number of reasons why. While you’re trying to drop off to sleep, there’s nothing to distract you from the worries that may have been lurking in the background during the day.

Sapping your self-confidence
The more problems you think you have, the less able you may feel to cope with them, and this can increase your sense of helplessness. This reduces your confidence, making you more vulnerable to your fears.

Unhelpful strategies
Under this kind of pressure, it may become very difficult for you to concentrate and carry on with everyday life, so that your problems tend to build up. It’s emotionally draining to feel anxious all the time. It may feel as though your whole life is being taken over by it.

Negative thoughts are not reserved for just a few people or situations. Everyone is plagued by negative thoughts at one time or another. However, once you begin thinking about what you’re “thinking about”, you’ve already taken the first step to controlling negative thoughts.

Research shows that people who receive positive distractions for just eight minutes show a remarkable change in their moods and in breaking the cycle of repetitive thought. So, next time you catch yourself repeating the same negative thoughts over and over in your mind, use the STOP acronym:

1. S - Say the word STOP!

Interrupt your internal destructive thoughts. Tell yourself firmly to “STOP” over thinking. Be strict, and don’t let them intrude on your thoughts. It also might be helpful to visualize a box to place all your negative thoughts in, which you may open at a later date or time.

2. T - TAKE a break!

Take a deep breath. Then, take a break. Go for a walk or a hike, read a great book, listen to your favorite music. Do something to take your attention away from over thinking, and if possible, change the environment.

Also try some relaxation exercises, they often focus on replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. This could involve imagining yourself in a new setting, such as a beach, a designer home or a garden. You could visualize your worries as physical objects that can be discarded, such as stones or rocks you could heave into the distance.

Sometimes, doing a relaxation exercise makes people feel quite uncomfortable. You might feel that it’s not working, or that you’re doing it wrong. It’s best to take the attitude that you’re just giving it a go, and that these negative thoughts are normal. Surprisingly, learning to relax takes practice.

3. O - Focus on the OUTCOME!

Focus on the OUTCOME of your goals. Affirm why you are committed to your goals. The way we feel and what we experience in our body comes from what we focus our attention upon during a given moment. And at any moment, we are “deleting” most of what is going on around us. That is, to feel bad, we have to delete (not focus on, not think about) everything that’s great in our life. And vice versa. For us to feel good, we have to delete the things we could feel bad about.

4. P - PRAISE yourself!

PRAISE and acknowledge yourself for the progress you are making. Remember, you’re looking for progress, not perfection! Give yourself a reward every time you’re successful with overcoming negative thoughts. And remember small changes make a big difference.

By recognizing that you do have negative thoughts you’ve taken the first step. Now, start playing Devil’s Advocate and challenge yourself to find the positive. Turn your thoughts around and your moods will follow suit.

And remember, you are what you think!

 

posted by Kiran at 12:47 PM on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 under

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So many ideas... So many ideas...

I always want to try something new, something innovative, something different, something that will give edge to my career... But, eventually I tend to forget them. So, I will use this post to update every time I get an idea to do something so that I will know what I wanted to do and what I may not be doing...

Note: This is not the order of preference... just adding to the list whenever a new idea strikes.


  • To take SCJP exam.

  • To build an Orkut Application to allow building playlists on youtube, kind of adding additional functionality to already existing video applications.

  • To build a web portal allowing users to customize content, this may be already there, but want to give it a try with some of my own ideas.

  • To use Google Apps for the time being as the first step towards the above goal.

  • To build a Desktop Application using Adobe Flex Builder and AIR.

  • To learn Guitar :D

  • To design a creative, aesthetic UI for an online music streaming application, something like pandora, musicovery, and also allowing listeners to rate the song, and providing more customization options.

  • Firefox add-on to search music directly!

 

posted by Kiran at 10:13 AM on Friday, June 13, 2008 under

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Why am I so sensitive?

I am very sensitive. I am so sensitive that unconsciously I absorb the moods and thoughts of the people around me. I will be easily drained emotionally by the needs or problems of others (even the people I don't know). Is this because I am a "True" piscean or because I am too sensible, which is also one of my traits? May be, both! :)

 

posted by Kiran at 10:50 AM on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 under

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