The Perfect Way to Start Your Day

We are all, at our laziest best in the morning. Alarms blare, without making any difference to our sleep, because the those five minutes are very precious to all of us. Waking up in the morning is difficult for all of us but it is a necessary to get on with the day. It is very important to start your day well, so that one is mentally ready to face the challenges of the rest of the day, with ease and confidence.

How we start our day, has a profound impact upon what we accomplish in that day. Starting the day on a positive note, not only equips us with confidence, but also gives us the peace of mind to conduct our day today activities without getting hassled. Research says that a perfect start of a day leads to a perfect day. Here are some of the things we can do to get a jumpstart in the morning.

Don't Rush

We all tend to sacrifice those precious morning moments for a little more sleep. This makes us rush to get ready and get on our way. What we don't realize, is that those precious morning moments are very important for ourselves. 

This is the time that we can give ourselves each day. One should take time in the morning to do the things they like and for this, one needs to wake up a little earlier and having spent that extra time with ourselves will make waking up a pleasurable experience.

Take a Morning walk

There is nothing like fresh morning air to start your day and a little workout, adds to the whole effect. Exercising of any kind not only effects your body and health but also your mood. When we work out, our body releases endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals, that are responsible for instant positive feeling  or euphoria, lifting our mood and energy immediately, which is required the most, in the morning .

Honour Your Alarm

Honour your alarm in the morning and don't press the snooze button, you must have set that alarm for some reason. This will give you that extra time to start your day without the usual rush. Believe it or not, it is much better than sleeping for extra five minutes.

Shower The Laziness Away

Take a shower first thing in the morning when you wake up, it will give you instant freshness. Then one can follow it up with their favorite activities like listening to music or reading the newspaper while having a hot cup of coffee.

Have a Hearty Breakfast

Even though almost every research on food says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, most of us rarely have time for it. It is the most ignored meal of the day, as it is the first thing that gets sacrificed for extra sleep, and the effects are disastrous in the long run. Not only does it make your metabolism to go down, but it also makes you feel edgy and irritated. One should start making a conscious effort to have a hearty breakfast in the morning. Most of us don't know that this is the only time of the day when we can indulge in extra calories with least effect on our body.

Dress Well For Confidence and Comfort

Lastly, one must dress well for confidence, keeping in mind the place, occasion, personal choice and above all comfort.

So, start your day well, and lead healthy and happy life. 

The Habit of Reading

Reading has been around for as long as books have been around, and that takes us back to thousands of years. Human beings have been recording their knowledge in the form of books for others to read since time immemorial. Ancient texts were written and immortalized in books even in the absence of technology. Reading as an activity has been practiced for acquiring knowledge as well as entertainment. The habit of reading is very beneficial and should be inculcated. Here are some reasons why:

Awareness

Reading increases your awareness of the world in general. One is able to gather more information about their environment if they are inclined towards reading.

Vocabulary

The habit of regular reading helps us develop a good vocabulary. An extensive reader will have a wide recognition vocabulary. He might not know the exact meaning of every word, but he will have an excellent understanding of the essence of the sentence. Frequent reading enables you, to become alert and zealous about new words. Some of the regular readers develop the habit of referring the dictionary. Each and every time they come across an unknown word, they try to find out what can be its possible meaning by the context. If they cannot figure it out, they refer to the dictionary.

Positivity

Habitual reading helps you to have an active and positive set of mind. Just understanding the author's idea is not sufficient. You should respond positively to what you read. One of the pragmatic parts of active reading is the ability to conclude.

Good Use of Time

Reading is an excellent use of time, as not only does it occupy and entertain us, it also aids in our personal and intellectual growth. So one should indulge in reading in their leisure time as well, making most of the limited time we have in our day.

Entertainment

The best part is that reading is a lot of fun and if you don't find it entertaining, chances are that you have not found the right book for yourself. There is definitely at least one genre of books out there for each one of us.

Acquiring Knowledge

Gaining knowledge is the primary function of books and one that we all are aware of since kindergarten. We read for learning in schools, colleges and self learning in later years. A habit of reading makes one go through all these processes of learning, with much ease.

Opens The Mind

Reading is basically a psychological activity. This is because, we read with our mind and use our power of imagination to perceive the scene of the melodrama we are reading. We use our mind to feel the struggle that the protagonist experiences as the story goes on. We also bring into light the different opinions and ideas brought up by the writer in that personal guide book we are going through.

Intellectual Curiosity

In the similar fashion, regular reading boosts intellectual curiosity by exposing you to a variety of books. You tend to start reading by reading books of increased complexity and variety. Also, you learn by actually experimenting different things.

How to Ace a Group Discussion

When it's time for you to begin your career, whether it is campus recruitments or other recruitment drives, fresher's in hoards throng to the venue for the job opportunities. The very first level of elimination is the Group discussions, making it the most fearsome hurdle between you and the job. of course, there are many rounds of interviews for the few vacancies on offer, but one would be able to go through them only, if one is able to get through the Group Discussion round first. Here are a few factors that should be taken care of for acing a Group Discussion.

Grooming

The first thing that catches the eye about a person is grooming. It is first impression that matters a lot. Keeping this in mind one should dress up well and pay attention to their grooming for the Group Discussion.

Take Clarifications if Required Beforehand

One should clear any doubts if they have beforehand itself, so that one is able to start the Group Discussion on a clear note.

Always Carry a Pen and Notebook

One should ensure that they carry a pen and a notepad to the Group Discussion, so that they are able to jot down any points while participating in the discussion, not only does this help you in remembering your points well, it also shows your preparedness to the recruiters.

Correct Body language

One should pay attention to body language while in the discussion, as these are the things that are noticed by the recruiters. they pay very close attention to the way the candidates carry themselves and speak. Some pointers of correct body language are

Don't Point on others

Don't cross hands

Use your hands while talking ( hands facing up and open suggest a confident personality )

Sit Erect, don't slouch

Don't bite nails

Initiate the Discussion if Possible

It's always advisable to initiate the discussion, unless one is not confident about the topic. In such case when the topic is unfamiliar wait and let someone else initiate the discussion and then you will be able to get information about the topic, which can then be used to give astute comments.

Maintain Eye Contact while Speaking

It's extremely important to maintain eye contact while speaking. While addressing a group, one should make eye contact with all the members equally with whom it's possible to make eye contact ( due to proximity and line of vision )

Listen

Usually people think that in a Group discussion one should go on speaking, even though it is good to talk in a group discussion, but one should also be able to listen to the important points made by other candidates as well, not only does it give you new ideas, it also gives you time to think and formulate your next response, which would be very much in the right context.

Speak well

This is the most important of all the points, ultimately one has to speak well in order to impress the recruiters. Hence one should polish their language skills and increase their knowledge base.

Maintain Decorum

It is very important to maintain decorum while in a Group Discussion, as unruly behavior is the most undesirable for everyone.

Be Positive

Lastly, be positive. It effects us, as well as others around us.

Inculcating Leadership Qualities

"A genuine leader is not a searcher of consensus but a molder of consensus"- Martin Luther King

A Leader is a person whom people follow, or someone who guides and directs people. Leadership can be defined as "organising a group of people to achieve a common goal". Everyone wants to be a leader but the fact remains that with great authority comes great responsibility. One must assume responsibility to gain leadership. Even that is not enough as true leaders are those people whom everyone wants to follow and not necessarily have to follow. 

A Leader has to be charismatic, for everyone around him to follow him, but he also has to ensure, the success of the common goals and aspirations of the group, failing which the whole purpose is lost. The followers give their loyalty in exchange for the realization of their dreams, which they feel is possible with the guidance and support of their leader.

In our age and time, we all have the ability to metamorphize into a leader given that we are able to inculcate the following set of qualities.

Decision Making Skills

Decision Making Skills are imperative to every leader, since they are the ones who are in authority for not only themselves but the whole group of individuals they represent. Risk taking is necessary to a great extent for reaching our goals, however here the acumen of the leader comes into play as he should be capable of taking calculated risks to maximize returns.

In Depth Focus

A leader has to be focused, towards the goal and he must ensure that everyone within the group is also equally focused. Deep focus is necessary to achieve success, because that ensures that one would do everything consistently and efficiently over a period of time to reach desired outcomes.

Communication Skills

Communication is the backbone of human relationships, it is indispensable for a leader to have good communication skills. Not only is he able to control & command, he is also able to resolve conflicts within the group with good communication skills.

Developing Striking Personality

A Leader must possess a striking persona, which would include his language skills, the way he carries himself, confidence.

Gaining Experience

Inexperience, a lack of maturity, needing to be the center of attention, not recognizing limitations, a lack of judgment, an inferior knowledge base, or any number of other common mistakes made by rookie leaders can cause your house of cards to fall. If you don’t have the experience personally, hire it, contract it, but by all means acquire it. Great leaders surround themselves with tier-one talent and the best advisers money can buy. They don’t make uniformed or ill-advised decisions in a vacuum.

Expanding Knowledge Base

Great leaders have a deep understanding of their subject matter, and a strong orientation toward achievement. Great leaders possess what often appears to be a sixth sense or an almost instinctive feel for what the needs to occur leverage their knowledge into a competitive advantage.

Integrity

Always do the right thing regardless of sentiment and never compromise your core values. If you cannot build trust and engender confidence with your stakeholders you cannot succeed. No amount of talent can overcome illegal, immoral or otherwise ill-advised actions. A leader void of integrity will not survive over the long-haul.

Developing Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are very necessary for a leader as he needs to modulate the group dynamics and make people work tirelessly with motivation towards a predetermined goal.

Command Presence

Great leaders possess a strong presence and bearing. They are unflappable individuals that never let you see them sweat (unless of course it serves a purpose). Everything from how they carry themselves to how they speak and dress, messages that they are in charge.

Compassion

Compassion and kindness are two virtues of mankind, a leader must possess  them in abundance to gain trust of his followers.

Adaptability

Great leaders have a strong bias to action. They don’t rest upon past accomplishments, and are always seeking to improve through change and innovation. In today’s fast paced and competitive environment those leaders who don’t openly embrace change will often be shown the door prior to the expiration of their initial employment contract.

A Great Sense of Humor

A Leader must possess a great sense of humor, as humor diffuses every tricky situation successfully. As they say being able to laugh and make others laugh in the face of great hardships is the mark of a great leader.

Energy and Hard work

Great leaders have a boundless amount of energy. They are positive in their outlook and their attitude is contagious. A low energy leader is not motivating, convincing, or credible.

Drive and Passion

Drive and passion are always the qualities that make all the difference, one should be able to keep up their drive at all times. Being passionate is an asset, one must involve themselves tirelessly and consistently in the area of their interest to develop passion.

"A Leader is the one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way"- John C Maxwell