Dreams, Goals and a long UNFULFILLED wishlist....

We all have dreams, aspirations, goals etc in our life. We have a long wishlist which we want to fulfill, but rather than working on it, we just keep on enlarging it. There are various reasons for it.

One of the main reasons is procrastination. We keep on shifting it for a later period of time in our life. That time which eventually never comes. We keep on compromising the things which we really need in our life to be happy, for the things which will become meaningless after a certain point of time. For example, my uncle and aunt always wanted to go for a world tour since the day they got married. They planned it for their 10th marriage anniversary. But after marriage, they got so much engrossed in their career, kids and other responsibilities that eventually they have to postpone the plan to their 25th marriage anniversary. Time flies by and world tour still remained a distant dream for them. Recently, the couple celebrated their 40th marriage anniversary. When asked about their experiences in life, the only thing both of them regretted was an unfulfilled dream. When they were young they did not have the time or the money for it. And now they have all the time and money but the age is not on their side.

Its the case with most of us.We tend to forget the value of time. We just take it for granted until we run out of it. And by the time we realize our mistake, its too late.

Another reason for it is lack of proper planning. If they would have considered their financial responsibilities and goals in an early stage of life and planned for it accordingly, the scenario today might have been something different.

Planning is an essential part of anyone's life, whether it is professional, personal or financial. Usually we tend to focus on our professional and personal well being and most of the time neglect the financial aspect of it. Financial planning does not only means saving. It involves setting up of goals and charting out a road map towards its fulfillment. Selecting the right set of products and services and following the path in a disciplined way. It requires timely monitoring and reviewing to exhibit any changes happened in our internal or external environment. And the early we start, the better it is.

Below is a tool to create a personalized video for yourself based on your dreams and aspirations.
http://www.dilkeameer.idfcmf.com/

Its a tool designed by IDFC MF to emphasize on planning to achieve your dreams. DIL KE AMEER is a wonderful concept and will not take more than five minutes of your time. Its one of the ways to make you realize the importance of financial planning in your life. So do try it yourself. Happy Planning!!!


 

Anna Hazare - The New Hero

Gone are the days when people used to follow the film stars. Waiting in big queues just to have a glimpse of their favorite actors or masking themselves in the looks of these actors. I still remember people wearing similar jacket which Salman Khan wore in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun or having a haircut similar to SRK. But now the times have changed. 

I feel proud to see the youth of this country following people like Anna Hazare and supporting them. Finally the Indians are standing up against the corruption and other political and social issues which need to be addressed immediately for the prosperity of this country. They are fighting against this hypocrite and orthodox systems of our country. And the most admiring aspect of these movements is that the youth and the older generation are working hands in hands. Initially they fought against the reservation systems in India by forming a group called Youth For Equality and now its time to face the corruption through Jan Lokpal Bill.

It seems to me as if its just the beginning of a new era in the history of India. The time is not far when this country would be lead by the young blood. 

Is the selection criteria of companies really relevant?

During our interviews we are generally asked to relate our graduation streams with our choice of MBA majors.I really didn't find any relevance to it. The logic behind the people who have pursued this course after their BBA /BBM comes easy to the interviewers. Even if someone is an engineer and doing MBA, that also makes sense to them. But if a person from a science stream is coming into this sector. This fact becomes hard to digest for them. I don't understand why. And that too when the major entrance test 'CAT' qualifies them to do so.

Why don't these guys ask IIM's people about why they have included science students into management. The worst part is that it is always expected out of them that they would pursue their careers in similar sector even after doing MBA. If that is the case why would that person be doing a management course then?

Imagine a science student pursuing a management course in finance and wants a career in capital markets. I am sure to most of the people it would sound weird. But personally, I don't find anything wrong in that.The person has gained those skills in his course then why is it wrong or unacceptable? Its in our mindset maybe that we cant accept such facts so easily. So we make things too difficult for that person by discouraging him, asking questions regarding his shift and no matter how much relevant the decision of that person is, we still not get convinced. 

Another problem is that most of the companies demand 60% overall track record since tenth class. It makes such a sense to them by reasoning it saying that it shows consistency of the person. I mean are you really kidding me? What marks the person got 8 years back are more important for these companies rather than the current performance. Everybody has his ups and downs in life. Even Sachin gets knocked out at zero sometimes. So will you say that he is an inconsistent performer? Same is the case with marks too. Just on the basis of the 6-7 years old record, these companies disqualify the person. This kind of stereotyping  is seen in India especially, where marks gains so much importance that it overshadows the real ability of the person.

By having so many preconceived notions in the mind, the companies tend to lose out the real talent pool. In the dynamic world of today where everything is transforming, I think this sphere has been somehow got neglected. There is a need to breakthrough the old norms in this context too because employees are the major assets of any company and its time to change the way these assets are created.

Never Say Never

"Never Say Never"

"See I never thought that I can walk in fire

I never thought that I can take the burn

I never had the strength to take it higher

Until I reach the point of no return

And there is just no turning back 

When your hearts under attack

Gonna gave everything I have

Its my destiny

I  will never say never

I will fight till forever

Whenever you knock me down

I wont stay on the ground

I will never say never "

Husk Power System

Today's world is a world full of technologies and innovations. A lot of entrepreneurs are sprouting up with a range of totally new ideas and businesses. Here is one example of it where a small town boy Gyanesh Pandey with his three friends come up with a similar idea. It was innovative, new and technology driven like many others. But there is one thing different.

"In the age of the iPad, it's easy to forget that roughly a quarter of the world's population -- about a billion and a half people -- still lack electricity. This isn't just an inconvenience; it takes a severe toll on economic life, education and health. It's estimated that two million people die prematurely each year as a result of pulmonary diseases caused by the indoor burning of fuels for cooking and light. Close to half are children who die of pneumonia."

What this guy did was not an easy task. We usually think of doing something for the society when we have achieved everything we aspire to. But starting your first business in a rural area with the intentions of improving the society is something commendable. Moreover it has also given a new dimension of running a business. It has defied the norm which implies that doing anything for society can only be an act of philanthropy or CSR and cannot be a full fledged business generating great revenues. 
Entrepreneurs like these have not only set an example for other aspiring entrepreneurs but also opened new opportunities, showing them that they can build a business model for such ignored sections of the society and can still make great profits.

 

Social Liberalism

Well its usually seen in India that when it comes to economic liberalism, we Indians are fine with it. But when it comes to social liberalism we are not so comfortable. I don't understand why is it so? Is that we are reluctant to the change in the society or is it our mindset (build by the same society) which does not allow us to treat the other human being as equal to us? 

Its surprising to know that there are still places in India where people are ill treated just because they belong to a particular caste. They are forced to do stuff like manual scavenging etc because they are born in a section of society where this task has been performed by the people of a particular caste from generations together. These people does not even have the right to move out of this profession and take up something else. And even if they try to do that somehow, the so called upper caste people wont let it happen.

The amazing part of the story is that we all still believe that India is rising.Its shining. How can a country develop and boast about itself when majority of the people living in there are subjected to such partiality and social bias? If we really want our country to progress we all have to fight against such issues. We all have to take the initiative and curb these practices. And we can do so by first implementing all this to ourselves and then spreading awareness among others.

Stuck In Love With Each Other

A beautiful song dedicated to the beautiful day known as Valentine's Day.