Vision and dreams are the blueprints of soul and achievements.
-Mohammed Ahmed F

Ways to combat Stress

Nowadays, almost every other person is battling stress, regardless of age or income levels. Stress is amongst the biggest killers and is linked to many diseases including those related to the heart, immune system, digestive and hormonal functions and many more. The mind-body connection is more and more being acknowledged and a lot of research has gone into figuring how stress affects the functioning of our bodies. Though most times we cannot control the external factors that trigger stress, we surely can control our reaction towards the same. Here are some ways you can combat stress and lead a more fulfilling and happy life.


Live in the moment and practice mindfulness.  All great philosophers have advocated this seemingly simple but difficult to follow principle of living in the present and not ruing over the past or fretting about the future which is beyond our control. 

Instead of lighting up a ciggie and going for that one peg of your favourite hard drink, hit the stairs or go for a quick walk. It is a better way to channelise the excess nervous energy. In the bargain, you not just charge yourself and also get the necessary exercise.

Do not aim for comfort foods which give you a temporary rush due to refined carbohydrates and sugars, apart from adding those extra kilos. Chomp an apple or a banana instead.

Meditate and look inwards. The path to peace lies inside and not outside. Meditation has been proven to reduce blood pressure and improve the immune system and quell anxiety. It recharges your body and mind.

Do deep breathing as it helps lower cortisol - the hormone which is released in response to stress.

Follow a regular routine to bed and adhere to the same. Practising yog nidra helps relax muscles and slows down the heart rate and aids in getting better sleep. A well rested body harbours a stress free mind.

Do something new. Engaging in a  new hobby, learning to play an instrument or even simply changing your hair style helps to pump up the mood and boost one’s happiness quotient. Listen to music; it helps soothe the nerves.

Exercise. Exercising releases endorphins—which helps to sleep better and thus reduces stress.

Take a break. Even a short holiday helps break the chain of stress and diverts the mind.

Hang around with friends and do things together. Spending time with friends increases the sense of belonging. Having friends who exude positivity has an enriching impact.

Take up a social cause and volunteer. People who engage is giving others have an elevated sense of fulfillment and happiness. Like Mahatma Gandhi said “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Nurture a pet or take care of a stray animal. Being around animals and nurturing them not just makes us happy but also impacts our health positively and wipes out stress.

A little bit of stress is inevitable and can be managed with these tips. However, if things are getting out of control, it is best to consult a doctor and get the requisite treatment.

Winston Churchill once said “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”  Don’t be stressed about being stressed about stressful things which never existed or possibly will never ever exist. Life ultimately is mind over matter. If it is not in your mind, it will not matter.

Countries facing the greatest shortage of skills

According to recent data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), several countries are have difficulty finding qualified employees, given the rapid technological advances and the digitization of the workplace. Increasingly, it is becoming difficult for workers to match the skills required by the employers for a given job.


Among those countries, 81% of employers in Japan, India and Brazil are finding it particularly difficult to hire suitable employees with apt skill sets. The survey revealed that 45% of workers in most countries believed that they lacked the required skills which would empower them to effectively perform their job. 3 out of 10 workers agreed that they were equipped for the job and that they could handle more work pressure or perform on more demanding tasks. About 40% of employers globally complained that they were facing challenges in hiring the right talent.

In a fast-paced digital world where technology is transofrming seamlessly and computers are getting smarter and more efficient than humans, it is critical for humans to constantly work on honing their skills, especially in the areas of critical thinking and creativity, to ensure that they remain highly employable. 
In the near future, or a few years from now, a large percentage of skills considered important as on today will most likely be redundant or of lesser value. In 2015, skills such as complex problem solving, people management, quality control, active listening and negotiation were considered critical skills to possess. This order may change five years down the line or an entirely different set of skills may be required of an employee.

This list of countries running short on required skills is in ascending order.

Japan
India
Brazil
Turkey
Mexico
Greece
Australia
Germany
United States
Italy
Canada
China
France
United Kingdom

Spain

Sharpen your skills


A very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant and he got it.

The woodcutter was determined to do his best.

His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he supposed to work.

The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees.

Boss: Congratulations! Go on with it!
Woodcutter: Yes Boss! I will work harder!

The woodcutter tried harder next day, but he could only 15 trees.

The third day, he tried even harder, but he could only bring 10 trees.

Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.

The woodcutter went to the boss and apologized. He said that "I must be losing my strength!".

Boss: "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?".

Woodcutter: Sharpen? I had no time sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees...".

Nowadays, everyone is busier than ever.

But we should not forget to spend time to relax, learn and grow.

Otherwise, we would lose our effectiveness and waste our potential.

Courtesy LifeHacker

Do not get pulled down by others opinion or view


28 year old Saumya Gupta had dreamt of flying ever since she was a toddler. She attended her nursery interview with an aeroplane in her hand! After her 12th grade, she went to the U.S of A to do her pilot’s training course and returned to India with aspirations of flying with a commercial airline. This was in 2008 when due to recession, many jobs were lost and recruitment in the airline industry was rather slow. The aviation sector was undergoing a slowdown and getting a  job there was a challenge. Saumya shares “I was without a job for almost 15 months. It was a major setback for me mentally as the outside world didn’t understand that aviation was undergoing a slowdown and most people believed there was a problem with me as a person or perhaps I was incompetent. My parents were worried as a lot had been invested in my pilot training course & I was still sitting at home”. After staying at home for a year, leading the teenager party life, her parents told Saumya that she had to support herself.

Saumya says “Where ever I applied, I was rejected as I was not even a graduate since I had done my pilot’s training course after 12th grade. I took up a job at Talwalkars Gym as a receptionist for Rs.5000/- but couldn’t do it for more than 7 days. I let that go & decided to join a call center where the salary was Rs.20000. I had no other option and was happy that finally I got a decent job”. The call center job wasn’t easy & was nowhere close to what Saumya had dreamt of or aspired for. Working at odd hours in the night and sleeping during the day, against the normal body clock, started taking a  toll on her. Saumya says “I was really fed up. I asked my parents if I could get a few garments & sell from home. They immediately agreed & supported my idea. I then bought 30 garments from a garments exporter and set up a small exhibition in my tiny bedroom at home. The clothes were displayed on the bed. We were sold out before the announced date of the exhibition. Many people used to like my personal choice of clothes and style & were looking forward to the clothes I would be selling. They came on early and the stocks were sold out”!  Saumya  was ready again to get the batch of the next lot of 45 clothes. In the meanwhile, she continued taking calls at night & sold clothes during the day. She needed the capital flowing and hence continued with her job. The next exhibition too was successful and her clothes were sold out completely yet again! Customers started requesting her for customisation. She then started stocking  few garments in small boutiques across many cities and started selling under the label “Ten on Ten”. Her label became very popular on Facebook and her business idea gathered momentum.  When she found some stability in her business and revenues started flowing in, Saumya quit the call center job after a year and registered her company in 2011.


Saumya’s mother was browsing on Facebook where she stumbled upon an advertisement by Fashion & You.  She shared the same with Saumya and they decided to write to them. Saumya says “We were completely stuck as we had no professional shoot & not even a professional camera, neither a computer. We used my dad’s laptop at night as during the day my dad used it. Luckily for me, a friend who was learning photography wanted to shoot, & my elder sister helped me connect with a friend who was a model & didn’t care about the payment. My mother & I also stood outside colleges & targetted pretty looking girls requesting them to model against a barter offer of dresses from us. Many looked upon us as creeps but one of them actually accepted our offer. We also gave them their pictures for their Facebook profile picture. We did our shoot & sent these images to Fashion & You. Our clothes were appreciated & liked. We were onboarded almost instantly. The response was fantastic and we sold for almost Rs.1,80,000/-. We never looked back after this”.

Saumya set up her own manufacturing unit in Mumbai in October, 2013 and invested in second hand machinery initially and later bought new ones; all with her own funds and without any loan. She adds ”I worked from home all these years like a miser and moved to an office just 3 years ago”.

Ten On Ten has achieved a stupendous growth and now closes almost 8500 orders per month & manufactures for multi-brand lifestyle stores as well. Saumya adds “In future we wish to go omni-channel & may be even get a round of funding. We are growing very fast at almost 10 times every year”. Their revenues are close to Rs.12 crores annually!

Challenges.

Saumya’s journey was not free of many other challenges. She informs" The biggest challenge I faced was getting the capital rolling. I was way too young to even get a loan. I was 20 years old but one needs to be 23 years at least for a loan. But I had all the support from my parents who were extremely supportive & didn’t care about the change in my career". Saumya was also fortunate that her parents showered her with ample knowledge and gave her direction as they too were from the garment industry. Her parents had spent a huge amount of money on her pilot training and Saumya too felt she needed to do something. Saumya says “The hardest part was when people started saying that I was never serious about my flying and that’s why I did not succeed though I had got my pilot’s licence at 19. However, these constant taunts by people pushed me to work harder and prove them wrong”.

Advice.

Saumya advises “I would like to tell people who are jobless due to any reason that there are many opportunities out there; you just need to find what you are good at! Pursue something in that field. You will find happiness in it every single day. You will automatically grow. Don’t get pulled down by other people’s opinions or views. There will be difficult days and these will be long and often. But they  will teach you the meaning of the good days. It’s a balance of both, just keep sailing. What’s gone behind, let it go,else the extra baggage will sink your ship. Keep your head high and have faith. Nothing lasts forever”.

Images Courtesy: Ten On Ten Clothing.

Post Courtesy: Yahoo!

TripFactory is hiring Graduates

Dear Candidate,

Tripfactory.com is Hiring for Customer Support/ Travel Expert (Day Shift / Office Job) at Bangalore. Please apply if interested.


Job Location: Bangalore

Salary: 1.8 Lakhs Per Annum + Benefits

For Job details please visit the below link: (You can apply with Naukri.com username and password)


Qualification: Any Graduate - Freshers or 0 to 1 year experience. 

Candidates should know to speak fluent Hindi

Job Description: Travel Expert Trainees at TripFactory are required to assist travelers to create a holiday for them. Delivers timely, accurate & professional assistance to all customers.

Please apply to get interview details.

Regards,
HR

Capgemini is hiring 2016 Passed outs

Imagine landing a job at Capgemini in just 2 months and opening the door to a rewarding career. It's possible now, if you enrol for our Young Graduate Program for IT (YGP-IT).


ELIGIBILITY:

B.Sc. (CS, IT, Electronics, Maths, Physics, Statistics) or B.C.A
Minimum of 60% in 10th, 12th & Graduation
No arrears and No gap in education
Only 2016 graduates
Should not be more than 24 years of Age as of 1st August, 2016

HOW TO APPLY:

Walk-in and clear the Assessment Test conducted by HCL TalentCare in CHENNAI on 12th August, 2016.

To register, click here.

Dress code for the test & interview is Business Formals.