Taking Up These 10 Things Will Make You Smarter

There is a general perception that we can’t do much to enhance our intelligence, we are already jam pack with our daily schedule that we hardly have any time to take up new things in Life. It’s almost always believed that whether you’re smart or not is determined right at birth and you can’t do anything about it.

However, these are all misconceptions. While some people have conditions that prevent them from being able to increase their intelligence level, for most people, there are plenty of things that can be done to make them smarter.

Hobbies are integral parts of our lives, and once developed, we find ourselves immersed in them on a regular basis. Hobbies are fun and invigorating- and they can also have a great influence on our intelligence.

Below are 10 hobbies that will help to make you smarter- all backed up by scientific studies and experiments:

1. Play a musical instrument.

 “Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without”. Music stimulates your brain, and this has been proven by research as well.

Music has the power to invoke complex emotions and psychological states. Various researchers have shown that both listening to music and playing a musical instrument increases memory capacity.

Playing a musical instrument also teaches you patience and perseverance for it takes time and effort to learn to play a musical instrument. It also sharpens your concentration. Sometime it may help you in getting new relationship or sometime a companion to move on from breakup.

2. Read voraciously.

Books are men best friend is just a saying now.

Reading goes a long way towards increasing your intelligence level- this is further the case if you read voraciously across many different topics, from fiction and biographies, to anthologies.

Reading spiritual books like Bhagwat Geeta, or books by Vivekananda and Gautam Budhha acts like a daily booster.

Reading reduces stress, helps you to experience multiple emotions, and teaches you a lot about many subjects. All these factors help you to feel better about yourself; being at peace with yourself is one of the most important foundations for positive wellbeing.

Reading is very important for enhancing your knowledge on a subject, preparing for all sorts of situations and being more productive in how you go about achieving your goals.

3. Meditate regularly.

The foremost benefit of meditation is to help you focus on yourself and to get you to know your true self. Being engrossed in meditation helps individuals transcend to a higher state of being.

Meditation helps to reduce stress levels and gets rid of all sorts of worries. With a calm and composed state of mind obtained through meditation, you can learn, think and plan things in a much more effective way.

Regular meditation helps you to have full control over yourself. Being aware of distractions and effective methods of self-control are of the utmost significance when working to improve your intelligence.

4. Work out your brain.

Just as you need to work out regularly to keep your body fit, you also need to work out your brain to keep it in good shape. Regularly challenging the brain to do new things enhances its abilities and helps to keep you sharp.

You can work out your brain in plenty of ways such as through: sudoku, puzzles, board games, and riddles not candy crush or Temple run. All these activities help the brain to continue forming new connections. Through such activities you also learn to respond to situations in creative ways, develop the ability to see things from a lot of different perspectives and become significantly more productive.

5. Exercise often.

A healthy body helps to ensure that you have a healthy brain. After all, your brain is like another muscle in your body. Exercising regularly keeps your brain and body functioning as they are supposed to. It reduces tension and helps you to sleep better.

Doctors agree that better blood circulation to the brain means increased brain function. Various studies on mice and humans have shown that cardiovascular exercise can create new brain cells, and thus improve overall brain performance.

6. Learn a new language.

Learning a new language may not always be an easy task but it definitely has numerous advantages-making you smarter, being one of them.

The process of learning a new language involves tasks such as analyzing grammatical structures and learning new words, which enhances your intelligence and brain health.

It has also been proven through various experiments that people with high levels of verbal-linguistic intelligence are great at planning, decision-making and problem-solving.

7. Write your feelings down.

There are tons of benefits that you can receive from writing, including increasing your overall level of intelligence.

Writing improves your linguistic abilities, of course. But it also helps you to develop such skills as focus, creativity, imagination, and comprehension.

Writers are often considered as having very high levels of intelligence. You can write in different ways. You can write things with your hand or you can create your own blog. Whatever you do, you are giving words to the images in your mind; learning to express yourself clearly is a great way to boost your intelligence.

8. Travel to new places.

 Travelling is not just a way to kill your boredom- there’s lot more to it than that. Travelling can really boost your intelligence.

The physical and mental workouts involved with travelling, rid your mind of stress. As you become stress-free, you are more able to focus on tasks, observations, and deepening your understanding of subjects.

Every new place you travel to offers new things to learn. You encounter diverse people, food, culture, lifestyle and society while travelling, which puts you in touch with ideas you might never have thought of previously.

9. Cook different kinds of meals.

 Many of us feel that cooking is a mere waste of time and it’s something we very much want to avoid.

But instead of whining, you should feel happy when you have the opportunity to cook. Regular cooks, particularly the ones who try out a variety of meals, have high levels of creativity. They are committed to quality, aren’t afraid to try things out and they pay great attention to details.

Whenever you cook something, you are learning to multitask, measure with precision and make quick decisions. With all of these skills you’re acquiring, you’re becoming smarter too.

10. Participate in sports actively.

 Participating regularly in sports activities doesn’t only exercise the muscles but also does the same for the brain. Playing sports regularly makes the brain more flexible and improves overall brain health.

Sports have added benefits too. Watching sports has been linked with increased brain function, and through exercising you work out your muscles. Involvement in sport also enhances responsiveness, coordination, capabilities, and confidence.

Top athletes are known for their special form of intelligence. It doesn’t matter whether you play football, basketball or cricket. Consider being regularly involved in some form of sport to boost your brain’s performance.

Winning tips on battlefield

Winning tips on battlefield

LIC going to conduct the AAO exam on 5th, 6th and 13thMarch 2016, check here LIC AAO exam last minute tips, and last minute preparation tips for LIC AAO exam 2016. Huge numbers of candidates are going to write the exam.

Exam Day: Before the Exam

• Meditate if possible in the morning.
• Have a light and healthy Breakfast.
• Leave a bit Early don't rely on Public transport, have your private transport.
• No phone calls (for wishing your friends)no Whats app, no FB status updates.
• Take some deep breaths, 

Exam Day:  During the Exam

1. During the exam, don’t try to attempt anything which you haven’t come across before.
2. First attempt only those  sections in which you are more confident.
3. Score maximum marks in it.
4. This would increase your performance and confidence.
5. It will definitely help you in scoring in your weak areas as well.
6. Make a timeline and stick to it.
7. Don’t attempt a section for much time.
8. First clear the sectional cutoff of all the sections.
9. There are some questions that look complex but actually are very easy.
10. This is how you you should attempt.
11. First read the question in 5 seconds.
12. Take a breath and try to remember if you have seen such questions while you were preparing.
13. If you are able to figure out how to solve it quickly, then go for it. If you are unable to identify how to solve it in less than a minute, skip that question as of now.
14. Remember you only get less than a minute to solve a question.
15. So instead of wasting time do other simple questions first.
16. Time is your most important commodity here, not your ego. You can solve those lengthy questions later
17. Solving 70-80% questions with 100% accuracy is better than solving 100% questions with 70-80% accuracy.
18. Not only solving more questions require more time it also effects your overall score due to negative marking.

Success Mantras for Cracking Bank Exams

At time where private jobs are getting saturated and Govt jobs are more in demand, students are aspiring for PSU jobs. More than 7.5 lac freshers will be recruited by Indian PSU banks over the next 5 years. While the jobs are aplenty, the competition for these jobs is equally high.

But preparation for the exam is key. Success rate is only 1.5% - what this means is less than 2 out of 100 aspirants that take the bank exam actually get a job. Banks select freshers for their aptitude and train them in banking enabling them to move up the value chain. Hence, cracking the aptitude test is the first major hurdle for the aspirants.

Selection Process for Bank Exam

Of about 15-16Lakhs appeared for IBPS(PO) exams in 2015, only 5 – 10% make it through the Elimination round of the Aptitude Test. Hence it is critical to prepare and make sure you cross this first hurdle successfully.

Five success mantras for cracking this examination.

1.      Take charge: Knowing where you stand on your Ability to Cract the Aptitude Test

2.      Know the Game: Know the examination process and procedure

3.      Get Trained: Get help - Professional Coaching

4.      Practice, Practice and more practice

5.      Just do it

1. Take Charge: Knowing where you stand:

This area is normally and easily overlooked by aspirants. Bank exams test only basic Aptitude, and hence it is easy to ignore the need for development and falling on the trap ‘I know all these things’.

Yes, the fact is that the exam covers basic arithmetic and aptitude. However, what gets overlooked is the need for speed coupled with Accuracy. In a typical examination, there is a major time pressure. One has to answer 250 questions in 150 minutes – a mere 36 seconds for each question.

Hence, knowing how to solve a problem does not suffice, knowing how quickly you can do the same correctly is the key. Hence, taking charge of where you stand with respect to speed and accuracy on various topics that gets covered in this exam is a must.

The best way to know where you are is to take mock tests and get to know where you stand in terms of the marks scored by you, time taken and compare your marks with the cut off marks and marks scored by other aspirants.

2. Know the Game: Know the examination

The next step is understand the examination. While the knowledge required for most aptitude tests are the same, the strategy to handle the examination will differ significantly depending on the exam itself.

For eg. the Common Written Examination (CWE) conducted by IBPS, looks for one to be well rounded across multiple areas. Hence, there are individual cut offs for each section. If one is strong in say English & have the ability to score very high, it will help his cause in selection. However, as a pre requisite one has to cross the cut of mark in each of the 5 sections. Thus, if one scores very high on English and very low in say GK, he / she will not qualify in spite of the total marks being better than the average cut offs. This needs to be understood and there are many other things. Some of the key areas are:

1.      Qualifying marks in each section

2.      Negative marks

3.      Questions with differing difficulties & strategy for handling

4.      Time management in line with the above pattern

Taking guidance on each of the exam and its uniqueness will go a long way in creating a suitable strategy for one in attacking this examination.

3. Professional Coaching

Another frequently raised question among aspirants is that ‘is there a need for professional coaching for bank exam?’

This arises generally from the fact that as confident individuals we tend to believe that we are ready for the challenge and we can crack any examination as we know most of the concepts. This confidence is absolutely necessary. However, confidence alone is not sufficient.

We need to understand the fact that a person who has an above average aptitude levels has a fair chance to crack the exam irrespective of coaching. However, ifprofessional coaching helps him to get 10-20 additional marks, this can make a huge difference – because the competition is very high and every additional mark is a value.

Yes, many people believe that what is covered in the bank exam coaching were taught in school. But the fact is, most of us tend to forget what was taught in school and a refresher is a must for one to be ready for facing the competition with time deadlines.

In addition to preparation, the benefit of professional coaching includes ability to create a strategy for the examination, understand what other aspirants are doing and also get more focussed attention on exam specific development which will come handy in the GK section of the examination.

4. Practice, Practice and more practice

Practice makes a man perfect it is said and this is definitely not without reason. More the time spent in practicing, better is the efficiency in the examination. Take Sachin for example, he has made it a habit of practicing and more he practices, more efficient he becomes at the crease. Higher the efforts prior to the examination, better is the efficiency during the examination.

Hence, a serious contender who is keen to land a job in banking needs to put in hours and hours of hard work, which has the ability of providing rewards in multiples.

The practice must be well directed. A misdirected practice has the danger of de railing your preparation. If the Australian team spends hours and hours of practice for playing a short pitch ball for a tour to India – is it going to be of any value? Similarly, for any examination, practice has to be focused and in line with the requirements.

A professional guidance in understanding the areas which require practice will go a long way in making one better equipped to crack the bank examination

5. Just do it

Like in most things in life, success comes to those who enjoy what they are doing. Yes, Bank exam preparation can be an arduous task. However, one has to enjoy going through the preparation. Those who enjoy this hard work will relish the same in the future. So put in your hard work with your own heart and see how the whole world works towards making your dream come true.

Summary:

You can do it. What you need is the right approach coupled with good strategies for reaching your destiny. I am happy to sign off with this, having had my first communication with a future banker. Have a great time.

MH. skill development summery

Skill Development

        

Maharashtra is the second largest state in population and geographical area.  It is contributing 14.3% Gross state domestic Product (GSDP) of total India GSDP. Of the population of 11.23 crore(2011 census), 59% contributes to the work age group (18-45years). Of this only 45% is labour force. Agriculture being the main occupation of the people 45% population belongs to urban area and contributing to make 87% share in GSDP and only 13% comes from Agriculture and its allied activities.

Time and again many schemes were run by the center and state government to create the employment and infrastructure available for education, training and Job availability. The main focus for employment generation revolve around 11 promising sectors in coming decade (2012-2022)

1)      Real estate

2)      Organised Retail

3)      Banking and financial institution

4)      IT & ITES

5)      Media Entertainment

6)      Agriculture and allied

7)      Transport and logistics

8)       Tourism

9)      Education skill development

10)   Manufacturing

11)   Food processing

This promising sector need skilled or semi skilled work force, now the irony is of the total workforce we have 37% are minimal skilled, 40% semi skilled and 23% skilled. The growth in the employment in next decade will be around 1.6 crore job availability where as we have only supply of skilled person 1.06 crore which are locals the gap of around 0.5crore need to be fulfilled. This can be done eighter by converting the minimal skilled to semi skilled and upgrading the semi skilled to skilled, but this will take long time. The option rather the phenomena is the non local skilled person. In Maharashtra max skilled people come from UP and Bihar.  If we add these migrants we can fulfill the skilled labour gap

   Demand-supply gap in Maharashtra, 2012 to 2022 (accounting for local labour force and migrants)

Youth aspirations

As a part of the study, youth group discussions across the State to understand the youth aspirations and to capture whether they are in line with the high growth sectors in the State. The survey showed that sectors such as IT / ITES and organized retail are the high demand sectors both in terms of employment generation potential as well as youth aspirations. However, for sectors such as building and construction, where job growth potential is high, youth have very low aspirations to work in. Presently also, very few locals want to work in this industry. Most of the construction workers are brought from other States such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar etc.

Some of the other preferred sectors by youth are ‘food processing’ and ‘auto and auto components’. However, the employment generation potential of these sectors is relatively low.

Turning the wheel

It’s not always the government and schemes responsibility to resolve the problem at hand. Center or state govt alone can’t change the situation. Many short term objectives need to be set in order to achieve the goal of skilled workforce. The short term objectives can be.

1)      Strengthen primary and higher education

2)      Practical course content

3)      Industry and Institution tie up for skill development

4)      Govt and Industry tie up for job opportunities

5)        On job training

Although the way ahead is very long and cumbersome, mear suggestion won’t help unless we get doing or taking action. MH being faced by problems such as Water shortage, Naxalism have tremendous scope to be No 1 state in terms of education, skill development and job creations. Let’s make it possible by take some action.

Simplicity in Complexity

What are  you reading sir? My office boy ask me as he entered my cabin with evening tea. I looked at him and my eye leads droop down, it took me few second to come on the conclusion weather to tell him what i was reading or else how can i show him that its something really great. I was reading the book called Eat that Frog by Brain Tracy, the book on time management. I was sure that if i tell him, i am reading the book on time management the sure thing he will laugh on me (not on my face but atlist in his mind) and will wonder what a Branch manager i am. Time management books are meant to be read and learn during school days and initial days of careers. At age of 28 my Manager is reading about time Management. As i was about to complete the book and was impressed by the methods explained in it, i was completely under the influence of those small techniques which if practice will create and have created wonders.

That's when the thought arise... all the big things, important things, the basic fundamentals in our life are really very simple..It is so simple that we  feel shy to talk about them. It is the simplicity that we don't care about it. Then i observe closely as like time management there are many other fundamental values of our life which are very simple yet we dont follow them and make our lives complex. Today we feel that the life is very complex, there is competition on every front, survival has become the biggest achievement. In all this complexity here are  few fundamental values of life which are very simple in nature and which when practice will solve the complexity of life.

 Time management:- Although sounds very school and graduate level topic for me to write about, and for you to read. This values is very simple and have profound benefit in life. I am not here to tell about the techniques, I just wanted you to realize how simple technique are and how big difference they make for e.g Time management starts with waking up early in morning, so simple thing and logical which when follow will create wonders. My point is to highlight how simple things creates wonders.

Meditation:-  I am aware that you all know the benefit of meditation and i am not here to tell you that. I just wanted to focus on the point that only by seating at one place closing eyes for 20 minutes you can rejuvenate your self, regain energy, reduce stress and be more creative and skill full. Just by closing your eyes and seating at one place. How simple the act is and how beneficial.

Be Happy:- Money or relationship is not the real source of ever lasting happiness, if you really wanted to be happy which is the fundamental right of every individual, the only small act you have to perform.. JUST BE IN PRESENT. be in present moment means, forget the past don't worry about the future. You will realize the source of ever lasting happiness is you yourself.

Earning Livelihood :- This is bear minimum thing that we humans and all the living creature on the earth has to do. Each one has to earn at list which is required for his stomach and to his family members. Growing reach is not bad but the question is of basic needs, just to fulfill ours and our family needs. If you closely observe the natures law you will realize that GOD (nature) had created/produced the basic need of your food before you are even born, what i mean to say is, before the cow gives birth to the calf her breast is full of milk which is required for the young calf to survive in his initial days..This is the natures responsibility if it has brought you on the earth it has to make a option ready for your survival. The only thing is you have to find the one. See how simple it is, just to find our options.

Concluding i would like to say that all the great things in life are very simple we are making life very complex..Now that we have realize this, lets make complex simplex..

Rail Fair Hike:- Justified

                                          Humshakals  earns Rs 25 cr in the first 2 days.
          If Indians can pay for this, surely no need for the hue and cry over 14% train fare hike.


Maharashtra State Transport buses (Popularly known as ST Mahamandal) charge me 280/- for journey between Mumbai to Pune, whereas i am ready to pay 600/- for Shivneri Volvo bus for the same distance (although it is of same ST Mahamandal) i don't have to justify the fare difference here even to a small kid or illiterate person, because the reason is obvious and we all know. Its the facility, luxury and comfort for which i am being charge higher. This may be very common reason and no rocket science behind it.
Perhaps, this is not the only reason for hike in fare and i am not justifying simply on the basis of the above illustration. What make me justify the move is as given below.

Loss Making Railway:-  After giving in salaries (a big share of expenditure, the Railways Ministry is one of the country's biggest employers), fuel costs (again, a big chunk for reasons that need no explanation), wear and tear and repairs, what's left is hardly enough for creating more infrastructure. "only 6 per cent of the allocations go for creating more infrastructure. We need to find a solution to cut costs and priorities. There are ongoing projects worth Rs 5 lakh crores and we are able to allocate just Rs 25 to 30,000 crores sometimes for these. You just calculate, is it possible? I'm sorry to say, some projects may even need 40 years for completion at the rate at which we allocate funds. Mind that the hike was obvious because it was schedule by the UPA government in the month of May which they thought after election result. The only difference is it been implemented in NDA regime.

Fuel charges:-  "A stitch in time save nine" this phrase in known to all of us. With whats happening at international level more specifically middle east oil crises is definitely going to hike the prices of the oil at international market. If i talk about the expenses on fuel charges more than 50% of the engines are running on Fuel (Diesel) engine which is going to increase the burden. This hike is going to absorb the future heat as well.

Infrastructure Development:- We all are fascinated by the railways scene on platform at foreign countries, may be its the love making, Family departure, carrying luggage, waiting lounge. we all wish to have it in India. Then the question comes who is going to pay for the infrastructure investment? off course the government has to, but ultimately it will go from your pocket. Till date it was taken via the route of Tax, now this time it has taken directly in terms of hike in prices..I am of the view this direct method is beneficial then regular. As in budget allocation method it take more time and no accountability. Now with the direct method of fare rise there will be rise in the income and the profit will be directly put for development. Believe me BJP has the track record of transport development. Last time they initiated highway development project during Atalji government, this time is for Rail development.

Common Mans Apathy:- If i am justifying the hike in fare doesn't mean that i am unaware of the burden it will put on common mans pocket, i know this because i am a common man. But to gain something you have to bare something, after all its we all common man going to reap the benefit of the highly effective and comfortable rail transport system. Increase in fare is but natural with the time duration lets open our mind and broaden our views to embrace this decision, lets just digest this pill for our benefit.

Best Luck!!!

SOCIAL BUSINESS

SOCIAL BUSINESS

Although both this term are different and will not make much sense when put together. Social is something related to philanthropy and Business is related to profit making. Both this terms are contradiction to one another. Social is giving and Business is taking. The Magic is how it will work if we put it together.  I am not the first one to discover this term so don't want to interpret that its something new or innovative concept. Although the concept is there from long time and if any one has to be credited for this is the noble literate Muhhamad Yunus. The term may be old but has more of its demand and magic to show in current senario.

In country like India where poverty is deep rooted. Neither Government, nor the NGO nor the Multilateral units like UNO/World bank are going to serve the purpose. Whenever the question of irradication or control measures regarding the poverty is raise we point our figure to the Government and pass the common comment that the government is not capable to help and its sole responsibility of the government. But does it really make sense to blame the government is the question to introspect. In country like India where there is huge population, unemployment poverty is bound to show its effect.

Business is all about profit maximisation and that's not illegal, we all do busineses to earn profit. The term social business is also about making profit, here the profit may not compulsorly of monetory but may include the benifit for society, people working and for people using the products and services, or benitift even to the environment. Let me explain it in brief. Social business model is same like the regular business the only difference is the profit through manufacturing the byproducts which is the social need of the human being and also available at cheaper rate. In nut shell its all about providing the services which have social benefit.
Nature of business:- Public or private ltd, Investors come together invest their money in the business model. On earning profit the money is paid back to the investor as per their investment till the breakeven point
No Dividend:-  Once the break event point is achieved and all investors get their invested amount, the amount further earn will not be divided among the investors as a dividend but will be keep with the company to further make the expansion plans or make the products and services more standard and at cheaper price.
Quality and Pricing:- As the aim of the business is social the products and services will be of good quality. keeping the social cause in mind the prices are also lower as compare to other products. Price can be lower because no marketing is done and being the advantage of social business people buy this product to help grow this kind of business.
Targeted Products and Services:- As per the name the product and services has to have social benefit in mind specially targeting the BPL population which cant afford the normal available products and services provided by profit making units.
Competitive advantage:- This business model has huge competitive advantage because being social people have more simpthy toward the products and the quality and price has also advantage over other profit making business.

Eg:- One such example which i am looking forward to start is Skill development program. The social thing is employment generation and the business model is about Training and Skill development. Basically the Skill Development Program (SDK) target the BPL population to help them generate the employment by imparting them some skills required at entry level job. Broadly speaking the skill included are vocational like, ITI, Computer/Laptop/Printer/TV/Mobile repairing and maintenance, Mechanical diploma in repairing the motorcycle and four wheeler, Civil diploma in civil working skills, Fine arts, Home maid products for the married women and many more.
By setting up of SKD at District and Taluka level we can generate the employment and reduce poverty.

Perhaps this may be very small initiative but will defiantly have large impact in reducing poverty. Lets do business Socially..or a Social Business i hope now this two word don't contradict and can go hand in hand.