Monday, 12 October 2015
Quote for the day
“How much heat can you stand? Money management is a thermostat — a control system for risk that keeps your trading within the comfort zone.” - Gibbons Burke
Sunday, 11 October 2015
A story to be told ..and retold...!! The seeds of success and failure
A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.
Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together
He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.
I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.
I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.
She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.
Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, all the others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.
Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues. However, he just kept watering the pot and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.
The year finally came to a close and the young executives were asked to bring their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room.
When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives.
They were beautiful - in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few looking very sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back. "Wow, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.
Jim was terrified.. He thought, "The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed, and Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it. He couldn’t understand what was going on. For a moment he thought a joke was being played on him.
"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed and I told you to take the seed home, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But what you didn't know was I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.
Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together
He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.
I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you.
I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.
She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.
Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
By now, all the others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by — still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.
Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues. However, he just kept watering the pot and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.
The year finally came to a close and the young executives were asked to bring their plants to the CEO for inspection.
Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot.
But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room.
When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives.
They were beautiful - in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few looking very sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back. "Wow, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front.
Jim was terrified.. He thought, "The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed, and Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it. He couldn’t understand what was going on. For a moment he thought a joke was being played on him.
"How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed and I told you to take the seed home, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But what you didn't know was I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.
All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers, all well cared for. and of considerable beauty.
But what you did when you found that the seed I gave you would not grow was, you substituted it with another seed. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"
But what you did when you found that the seed I gave you would not grow was, you substituted it with another seed. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"
************************************************
* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
* If you plant hard work, you will reap success
* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliationwww.island.lk
Quote for the day
“You must have the discipline and temperament to resist your impulses. Human beings have precisely the wrong instincts when it comes to the markets. If you recognize this, you can resist the urge to buy into a rally and sell into a decline.” - Irving Kahn
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Sri Lanka is as rich as the US in 1917. A mesmerizing graphic shows where every country falls.
Lets you select from the below link any year in American history and see which countries were richer in 2013 than the US was then, which were poorer, and which were about equal (within 10 percent).
10 Practices for Becoming a Self-Made Millionaire
By Timothy Sykes
Becoming a self-made millionaire is no easy task. Yet, for the individuals who have accomplished this major feat in the past, the process involves following a few set rules like these or guidelines that have proven to help self-made professionals, no matter what industry they may be in. If you have your sights focused on a life as a self-made millionaire then consider these rules to live by.
2. Never get too comfortable.
There should never be a time in your journey to the top where you stop and think “Ok, I've done enough, I can stop working so hard.” If you’ve met your goal and made a million dollars, set another one. You should never be comfortable, you should always be working for more.
3. Study and work harder than anyone.
No matter how talented you are, you will never reach your full potential success unless you are willing to study and work harder than anyone else. This is the only way to truly achieve your goals.
4. Learn from failures and mistakes.
You are going to make mistakes and you are going to fail. How you react to those failures is what makes you successful. If you fall, don't get down on yourself, but look at why you failed, take it as a learning experience, brush it off and move on.
5. Read every day.
This rule cannot be emphasized enough -- you need to be reading all the time. Never stop reading and never stop finding new topics to read about. You need to keep aware of the cutting edge movements within your industry to stay ahead of the trends.
6. Keep your mind and body healthy.
Exercise along with mental health breaks are all an important part of being the most successful version of yourself that you can be. Work out daily, eat right and always get plenty of sleep.
7. Surround yourself with successful like-minded people.
Surrounding yourself with the wrong people can be a major drain on you. Make sure that you are around people who share your same goals and visions, who are motivated and are true peers that also want financial success. Being around these individuals will motivate you and help you stay focused. Avoid people who don't care about work. People who spend all of their time partying are not good for your success.
8. Give to the less fortunate and take care of loved ones.
We've talked about taking care of your mind and body, but it is also important to take care of your soul. Never lose sight of the world around you and those who are in need. Taking care of your loved ones is one of the best ways to enjoy your financial success.
Give back to those in need. I started my Timothy Sykes Foundation to help those who are less fortunate. It has really made a difference in my perspective and work ethic.
9. Be honest and transparent.
Lying and being deceitful will never get you as far as you think. You need to always be honest, straightforward and transparent with people. This is a truly important and undervalued practice that will help you earn the long-term professional success you have always wanted.
10. To succeed think long-term, not short term.
So many people are focused only on their short-term success and have goals like “I want to make X amount of money in the next year.” Don't focus on short-term goals, focus on the long-term big picture of where you want your life to be. These are the types of goals that will get you motivated to being truly self-sufficient and building actual wealth for you and your family.
While there undoubtedly is a certain amount of challenge that comes with becoming a self-made millionaire, if you keep these rules in mind and learn from the success of those who have accomplished this goal in the past, then you will be armed with the insight you need to help make your financial goals a reality.
Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/
Becoming a self-made millionaire is no easy task. Yet, for the individuals who have accomplished this major feat in the past, the process involves following a few set rules like these or guidelines that have proven to help self-made professionals, no matter what industry they may be in. If you have your sights focused on a life as a self-made millionaire then consider these rules to live by.
1. Do it for the challenge.
If you ask any self-made millionaire why they got started in the field they did, chances are they will not just say “to make a million dollars.” The true story behind most people's success is that they wanted to accept the challenge of following their dreams and becoming successful on their own terms.
If you ask any self-made millionaire why they got started in the field they did, chances are they will not just say “to make a million dollars.” The true story behind most people's success is that they wanted to accept the challenge of following their dreams and becoming successful on their own terms.
2. Never get too comfortable.
There should never be a time in your journey to the top where you stop and think “Ok, I've done enough, I can stop working so hard.” If you’ve met your goal and made a million dollars, set another one. You should never be comfortable, you should always be working for more.
3. Study and work harder than anyone.
No matter how talented you are, you will never reach your full potential success unless you are willing to study and work harder than anyone else. This is the only way to truly achieve your goals.
4. Learn from failures and mistakes.
You are going to make mistakes and you are going to fail. How you react to those failures is what makes you successful. If you fall, don't get down on yourself, but look at why you failed, take it as a learning experience, brush it off and move on.
5. Read every day.
This rule cannot be emphasized enough -- you need to be reading all the time. Never stop reading and never stop finding new topics to read about. You need to keep aware of the cutting edge movements within your industry to stay ahead of the trends.
6. Keep your mind and body healthy.
Exercise along with mental health breaks are all an important part of being the most successful version of yourself that you can be. Work out daily, eat right and always get plenty of sleep.
7. Surround yourself with successful like-minded people.
Surrounding yourself with the wrong people can be a major drain on you. Make sure that you are around people who share your same goals and visions, who are motivated and are true peers that also want financial success. Being around these individuals will motivate you and help you stay focused. Avoid people who don't care about work. People who spend all of their time partying are not good for your success.
8. Give to the less fortunate and take care of loved ones.
We've talked about taking care of your mind and body, but it is also important to take care of your soul. Never lose sight of the world around you and those who are in need. Taking care of your loved ones is one of the best ways to enjoy your financial success.
Give back to those in need. I started my Timothy Sykes Foundation to help those who are less fortunate. It has really made a difference in my perspective and work ethic.
9. Be honest and transparent.
Lying and being deceitful will never get you as far as you think. You need to always be honest, straightforward and transparent with people. This is a truly important and undervalued practice that will help you earn the long-term professional success you have always wanted.
10. To succeed think long-term, not short term.
So many people are focused only on their short-term success and have goals like “I want to make X amount of money in the next year.” Don't focus on short-term goals, focus on the long-term big picture of where you want your life to be. These are the types of goals that will get you motivated to being truly self-sufficient and building actual wealth for you and your family.
While there undoubtedly is a certain amount of challenge that comes with becoming a self-made millionaire, if you keep these rules in mind and learn from the success of those who have accomplished this goal in the past, then you will be armed with the insight you need to help make your financial goals a reality.
Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/
Quote for the day
“Zebras have the same problem as institutional portfolio managers. First, both seek profits. For portfolio managers, above average performance; for zebras, fresh grass. Secondly, both dislike risk. Portfolio managers can get fired; zebras can get eaten by lions. Third, both move in herds. They look alike, think alike and stick close together. If you are a zebra, and live in a herd, the key decision you have to make is where to stand in relation to the rest of the herd. When you think that conditions are safe, the outside of the herd is the best, for there the grass is fresh, while the middle see only grass which is half-eaten or trampled down. The aggressive zebras, on the outside of the herd, eat much better. On the other hand – or other hoof – there comes a time when lions approach. The outside zebras end up as lion lunch, and the skinny zebras in the middle of the pack may eat less well but they are still alive.” - Ralph Wanger
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