The Garlic Miracle

The Garlic Miracle"

I hated garlic. I am disgusted by the smell of it. I have a couple of friends who feel the same way. I don't know about you. What I do know now is that garlic is very good for the health.

Today, I discovered the many wonders of Garlic. Garlic is the miracle food we all hate. No, at least some of us, (to say that would translate to committing the fallacy of hasty generalization). Garlic has the capabilities of protecting the heart, and the body against cancers and other fungal and microbial infections like Candida.

I read that when garlic extract were injected into some

mice with Candida infections, after the first day, Candida colonies numbered 400, compared with 3,500 among the mice given only a salt-water solution. After two days, amazingly, the garlic treated mice were free of Candida. (Read original story here)

So, friends let's start Garlicing. It's good for your health. If you hate the odour so much, get the natural garlic powder and add it to your cooking or get Garlic tablets for a more structured plan.

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What Are Your Life Goals? John Goddard: A life example.

The LA Times called him - "The real life Indiana Jones" and one of his expeditions, "the most amazing adventure of this generation."

“to dare is to do… to fear is to fail” - John Goddard

In 1972, Life magazine published a story depicting the adventures of John Goddard. His story was one of undying determination filled with personal purpose. When he was fifteen, he heard his grandmother say, 'If I had only done this when I was young.' Determined not to spend his life playing the 'if only' game, John Goddard sat down and decided what he wanted to do with his life.

When he finished writing, 127 goals came to being; he called it his Life List.

John Goddard decided there were ten rivers he wanted to explore, along with seventeen mountains he wanted to climb. He decided to become an Eagle Scout; Visit every country in the world; Learn to fly an airplane; and dive in a submarine. He wanted to retrace the travels of Marco Polo and ride a horse in the Rose Parade. And this was just the beginning.

John Goddard committed himself to reading the Bible from cover to cover, reading the entire works of Shakespeare, Plato, Dickens, Aristotle, Socrates and several other classic authors. He planned to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica and yet have time to learn to play the flute and violin.

Marriage? Yes! Children? he has six, and his plans also included a stint with church missions, along with a career in medicine.

At forty-seven, 1972, John Goddard, had accomplished 103 of his 127 goals and according to the speakers source book by Glenn Van Ekeren,

“Goddard exemplifies the excitement of determining a purpose in life, setting goals, and pursuing them with determination"

At 84, John Goddard still hopes to achieve his remaining goals. He has just 18 more to go.

You may not have much interest in exploring rivers and climbing mountains, but how would you answer the question:

"What are your life goals?"

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The Peaks and Valleys Philosophy: A Philosophy with Skills

“The secret to happiness is to truly appreciate and enjoy each time for what it is while you are living.”

Spencer Johnson, M.D., the No. 1 bestselling author of “Who Moved my Cheese” in his new book, “PeAks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work For You – At Work And In Life” tells the story of a young man who lived unhappily in a Valley, dissatisfied, he headed for the Peak where he met an old man that told him the story of the Peaks and Valleys approach to managing good and bad times. Read the publisher’s note here.

You may ask, what are these Peaks and Valleys? Peaks and Valleys are not necessarily the physical peaks and valleys that we observe, but are rather the high and lows of life, or the good and bad times and the way we feel about them. They are not just the good and bad times that happen to us, they are also how we feel inside and respond to outside events. It is natural for everyone everywhere to have peaks and valleys at work and in life. Peaks are moments when you appreciate what you have, valleys are moments when you long for what is missing.

I discovered, just like the young man in the book, that it doesn’t matter where a person lived – whether in a fertile valley or on a magnificent peak, like the old man described in the book, what matters is how a person lives. ‘Peaks and Valleys’ teaches us how to work through the ups and downs of life and live in a more peaceful and successful way in both good and bad times. Highs and lows should be seen as normal occurrences in life… and just like the author said “A joyful rich life is a naturally changing landscape of Peaks and Valleys”. I think we can all master this Philosophy of Skills by choosing a better belief today to look and do things differently by creating a SENSIBLE VISION – which makes us get to our destination sooner… before you reach your destination, you would have been there in your mind.

MAIN POINTS TO NOTE:
It is not enough to simply know about Peaks and Valleys in your head, and talk about it, you need to Live the Peaks and Valleys Philosophy. And the more you do, the more you learn and grow and the more calm and successful you become.

• Both the good and bad times in life are truly gifts, and that each has great value, if you manage them well.
• Humility enables you to remain more on your peak longer.
  Our fear keeps us trapped – you can change a Valley into a Peak by letting go of your fear and getting outside of yourself.
• To get to your next Peak, create and follow your Sensible Vision – one that makes sense to you and is realistic and attainable.
• Valleys will definitely come your way (work and life would always be a series of Peaks and Valleys), but whenever you get confused about how to get out of a Valley, remember that
• Peaks and Valleys are opposite, so look at what you did that put you in the Valley.. and when you do just the opposite, you are bound to get opposite results.
• As we grow, we will be able to pass through our Valleys with increasing grace and serenity.
• It’s never too soon to make good and bad times work for you.
• Avoid Comparison and stop believing things are better than they really are when you are on a peak, or worse than they really are, when you are in a valley. Make reality your friend.
  

QUESTIONS TO ALWAYS ASK IN ANY SITUATION (Relevant for Individuals and Companies):

• What is the truth in this situation?
• How can we use the good that’s hidden in this bad time to our advantage?
• Do I/we want to create a sensible vision – a picture of a better future that makes sense to me/us?
  

USING YOUR PEAKS AND VALLEYS AT WORK AND IN LIFE:

• To manage your good and bad times: make reality your friend. Whether you are temporarily up on a Peak or down in a valley, ask yourself: what is the truth in this situation?
• To get out of a valley sooner: find and use the good hidden in a bad time. Relax, knowing that valleys end. Do the opposite of what put you in the valley. Get outside of yourself: be more of service at work and more loving in life. Avoid comparisons. Uncover the good that is hidden in a bad time, and use it soon to your advantage.
• To stay on a peak longer: appreciate and manage your good time wisely. Be humble and grateful. Do more of what got you there. Keep making things better. Do more for others. Save resources for your upcoming valleys.
• To get to your next peak: follow your sensible vision. Imagine yourself enjoying a better future in such specific, believable detail, that you soon enjoy doing what takes you there.
• To help people: share it with others! Help people make good and bad times work for them, too.

BRINGING IT HOME: some lessons for the individual, businesses and for managing our relationships.

For the Individual:

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Proust

• When you aspire for the Peak, you would be discouraged by people around you from going where they themselves had never been.
• It is absolutely alright to have feelings that there is different way of life outside what you are currently experiencing.
• You only get to the Peak through self-discovery… when this is done, you would gain a better view of the world and feel a sense of freedom that we all desire.
• Overcome your FEARS by moving beyond them. Beware of fearful vision when attempting to reach your peak.
• Until you change your methods or position you won’t see new opportunities. While you are in a valley, imagine seeing things you might see if you were on a peak.
• You don’t have to be old to gain wisdom.
• It is important that in our journey to go higher, we seek and gain insights into deeper truths of our own by listening to our hearts and thoughts while recalling real moments in our work and life.

Advice for Businesses:

• Never let success get into your heads.
• Continue to do the things that made you successful.

“To stay on a peak longer: be humble and grateful. Do more of what got you there. Keep making things better. Do more for others. Save resources for your upcoming valleys.”

• Never loose that sense of urgency and curiosity.
• Never stop being of service to others.

Advice for managing relationships:

• Decide to grow into a more loving and attractive person.
• By becoming more loving – replacing fear with love – you are more likely to be loved and attract truly fulfilling relationship into your lives.

Your thoughts on this Summary are greatly appreciated. If you've found this piece interesting, please share it.

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PeAks and Valleys: Making Good And Bad Times Work For You - At Work And In Life

I guess many of us are familiar with the book "Who Moved My Cheese". Here's another interesting title from the author (Spencer Johnson, M.D.) - "PeAks and Valleys: Making Good And Bad Times Work For You - At Work And In Life".

I am currently reading the book and would be glad to share the basic lessons as soon as I am done. So watch out.

In the meantime, here is the Publisher’s note:

"Peaks and Valleys" is a story of a young man who lives unhappily in a valley until he meets an old man who lives on a peak, and it changes his work and life forever.

Initially, the young man does not realize he is talking with one of the most peaceful and successful people in the world. However, through a series of conversations and experiences that occur up on peaks and down in valleys, the young man comes to make some startling discoveries.

Eventually, he comes to understand how he can use the old man's remarkable principles and practical tools in good and bad times and becomes more calm and successful himself.

Now you can take a similar journey through the story and use what you find to your advantage in your own work and life.

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“Now’s the Time to Invest in Africa”

The February 2009 Issue of HBR had this article titled “Now’s the Time to Invest in Africa” by Paul Collier and Jean-Louis Warnholz and its interesting to know that growth in Sub Saharan Africa surpasses that of Asia (Nigeria among the countries mentioned).

Highlights of the article are as follows:

• Sustained growth in Africa driven by stability, favorable policies, higher profits and opportunities.
• From 2002 – 2007, average annual return on capital of the companies studied was 65% to 70% higher than that of comparable firms in China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Analysis conducted on1,869 African companies confirms that these companies’ median profit margin was 11%, better than the comparable figures for Asia and South America.
• While the IMF projects a 2009 growth rate of 6.3% for sub-Saharan Africa, it says that Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda will record a growth that is higher than 8%.

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Tim Ferriss: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich”

Today I came across Timothy Ferriss’ (Tim Ferriss) website, the author of the Best Selling title “The Four Hour Work Week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich”

Many of us want to live our dream life wishing we had more time and more money… from learning a new language, cruising through Europe and going on holiday in a chateau in France.

Tim offers a no-regret guide to what it takes to change your life. I have found the book fascinating because it tells you how to live like a millionaire today.

But who is Tim: A graduate of Princeton University, born 1977 and has amassed a diverse roster of credentials and experience:

• Princeton University guest lecturer in High-Tech Entrepreneurship and Electrical Engineering
• First American in history to hold a Guinness World Record in tango
• Advisor to more than 30 world record holders in professional and Olympic sports
• National Chinese kickboxing champion
• Glycemic Index (GI) researcher Political asylum researcher and activist
• MTV breakdancer in Taiwan
• Hurling competitor in Ireland
• Actor on hit TV series in mainland China and Hong Kong

To learn more about Tim and his book click here

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Lehman Introduction Investment Banking

Even though the whole world is experiencing difficult times especially in the financial services sector, the business of investment banking still remains the same. The presentation below gives an insight into the activities of an investment bank.

Lehman Intro Investment Banking

View more presentations from guestb1c425. (tags: lehman finance)

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LET’S TALK CSR: THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE APPROACH

Popularly known as 3BL, the Triple Bottom Line approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) simply states that an organization should not only be concerned about its financial gains but also about its environmental and social performances by engaging in sustainable environmental practices and by conducting business in a way that is beneficial to the community in which the business resides respectively. In other words, corporate responsibility should not be to only shareholders, but to stakeholders. Who are these stakeholders? Stakeholders refer to anyone who is affected by the performances of an organization.

Without mincing words, the only way to make the world a better place for those who are here right now and those who are yet to come is to begin to do today what we ought to do tomorrow. For the world to be in continuum, we need people to occupy it, we need to ensure that the planet is green, that fears of global warming are put at bay, that our society is crime-free, that beggars on the street have a home, that war as a resolve for conflict is jettisoned, andmany more. If this is the case, then we can’t afford not to care about the people who will inhabit the earth today and in the future, neither can we afford not to care about the planet. Hence, engaging in sustainable environmental practices is not a choice; it is a must-do.

Organizations are not abstract entities, they are made up of people. Even in the instance where an organization’s corporate objective is to use technology as a means of automating organizational processes, people are still needed to put those technological processes in place. Because people are at the very core of every organization, it is thus impossible to implement the 3BL approach without people.

For this very reason, I am taking the 3BL to the doorstep of everyone who is reading this piece right now. How much do we care about the planet? Do we have the right attitude towards the environment we live in?

In an increasingly globalized world, where a single decision made by the CEO of Microsoft corporation can change the way things are done and where a single action in the nooks of Beijing can have a push-pull effect in far-away Lima, it is imperative to engage in activities that is most beneficial to all or in Jeremy Bentham’s word “the greatest good for the greatest number”. Because we all as entities make up an entire organization, just as organizations are part of a society, then it is important that the change we want to see on earth begins with us. Therefore each one of us can begin to apply the 3BL approach to the way we see and do things. We can begin with simple steps that will cost us so little. I recently participated in a charity walk for the Society for the Blind’s White Cane’s Day, for me, it was a fulfilling experience. Is there a home for the destitute down the lane where you live?

I am privileged to work for an organization that is passionate about giving something back to the society, but what happens to me if I don’t have the right heart? Surely, I will move on to some other places at some point, or even be the CEO of my own organization, what then happens to ensuring that the world is a better place?

In my thinking, I realized that the truth about success is ensuring that others succeed. In the words of JRD Tata, “To be a leader, you have to lead human beings with affection.” When you see success from this perspective, you are bound to be a hero in your own little way.

Recap: In this edition of IN.FORM.ED, I examined very briefly the concept of 3BL, and attempted to distill how organizations cannot achieve this without the cooperation of individuals, finally I explained that personal commitment to 3BL is the way to go and we all can make a difference by seeing the world from this perspective.

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