RULES OF PARENTING

1. Establish and set rules. "If you don't manage your child's behavior when he is young, he will have a hard time learning how to manage himself when he is older and you aren't around. Any time of the day or night, you should always be able to answer these three questions: Where is my child? Who is with my child? What is my child doing? The rules your child has learned from you are going to shape the rules he applies to himself."

"But you can't micromanage your child,". "Once they're in middle school, you need let the child do their own homework, make their own choices, and not intervene."

2. Foster your child's independence. "Setting limits helps your child develop a sense of self-control. Encouraging independence helps her develop a sense of self-direction. To be successful in life, she's going to need both."

It is normal for children to push for autonomy, says Steinberg. "Many parents mistakenly equate their child's independence with rebelliousness or disobedience. Children push for independence because it is part of human nature to want to feel in control rather than to feel controlled by someone else."

3. Be consistent. "If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child's misbehavior is your fault, not his. Your most important disciplinary tool is consistency. Identify your non-negotiables. The more your authority is based on wisdom and not on power, the less your child will challenge it."

Many parents have problems being consistent. "When parents aren't consistent, children get confused. You have to force yourself to be more consistent.”

• Be inspired.

Do You Really Need a Business Plan?

Starting a business was the last thing on Sean Hackney's mind when he sat down to write a business plan . Hoping to persuade a soft drink company to hire him, Hackney scripted a plan for taking on his former employer, Red Bull North America Inc. But when he showed it to his corporate attorney father and former Red Bull managing director, "they said, 'Don't send this to Coke or Pepsi. Start the business, and we'll start it with you,'" he recalls.

That was in 2000. Today, the 40-year-old is co-founder and co-owner of Roaring Lion Energy Drink, a $6.2 million company in Sun Valley, California. "We've grown the business from a $62,000 investment to the No. 2 energy drink in bars and nightclubs," Hackney says. The company has 32 employees, and Hackney's erstwhile sounding boards are now his investors and co-managers. The business plan he wrote has been through numerous revisions, and today, a regularly updated marketing plan guides the company. Writing the plan, Hackney says, was "absolutely" worthwhile. "I had a lot of stuff in my head that needed [to be] put on paper."

Clemson University entrepreneurship professor William B. Gartner believes business plans are essential. And the SBA notes on its website: "The importance of a comprehensive, thoughtful business plan cannot be over-emphasized." But lately, questions have arisen.

In 2006, William Bygrave, a professor emeritus at Babson College and longtime entrepreneurship researcher, studied several years' worth of Babson graduates to find out how much better those who started businesses with a formal, written plan did than those who didn't. "We can't find any difference,"?he admits. In other words, Bygrave and his team found that entrepreneurs who began with formal plans had no greater success than those who started without them.

For or Against

That's hardly the final word, however. Gartner also set out to study the idea. "Going into the study, I was very skeptical about the value of business plans," Gartner says. But after he and his colleagues looked at data from the Panal Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics, a national generalizable survey of more than 800 people in the process of starting businesses, he found that writing a plan greatly increased the chances that a person would actually go into business. "You're two and a half times more likely to get into business," he points out. "That's powerful."

Gartner's earlier concerns about the necessity of business plans, he says, were that they were "all talk. Our research shows that business plans are all about walking the walk. People who write business plans also do more stuff." And doing more stuff, such as researching markets and preparing projections, increases the chances an entrepreneur will follow through.

For his part, Bygrave doesn't think his research says business plans are a waste of time. "We're saying that writing a business plan ahead of time, before you open your doors for business, does not appear to help the performance of the business subsequently," he explains.

So what would Bygrave like to see instead of a business plan? Attempts to sell the product to actual customers, even if it doesn't exist yet. "Have you talked to a customer?" he asks. "If not, I don't want to talk to you about the business."

Bygrave still thinks plans help, however. Forty percent of Babson students who have taken the college's business plan writing course go on to start businesses after graduation, twice the rate of those who didn't study plan writing. "Even if they don't write a plan," Bygrave says, "they've had to think about how opportunity recognition fits with marketing, building the right team, making financial projections and so on."

And a wide gulf separates having a formal written plan and having no plan at all. "Every business has to start with a plan," says Bygrave, whether it's a mental construction never committed to paper or a more advanced description jotted down on the back of an envelope.

The Money Factor

Skeptics and fans of business plans agree on one point: Securing funding almost always requires a formal plan. Companies funded by friends and family may not need a plan, Bygrave says, but if you go to venture capitalists, commercial banks, government-backed lenders and most angel investors, you will need a business plan.

That viewpoint gets no traction from Daniel Stewart, co-founder of Port Richey, Florida-based Envala. Stewart and his partner funded the small-business software provider, yet Stew-art still put together a business plan complete with financial projections. "We didn't need to because we're our own invest-ors," says Stewart, 38,"but to be a responsible entrepreneur, you have to see things as they are."

A primary purpose of the plan was to evaluate the feasibility of their proposal to sell online automation software to small businesses. So they created three sets of financial forecasts: a rosy picture, a more reasonable one and a disaster scenario. They also placed extra emphasis on describing the corporate culture mission. "We exist to increase satisfaction, productivity and profitability of small businesses," Stewart says. "It was important for us to establish that [early on] when everything is uncertain."

Planning Trends

Plans today no longer need the 20 to 40 pages prescribed by classic planners. "The shorter [it is], the better chance [it has] of being read," says Bygrave, who recommends devoting no more than five pages to income, cash flow and balance sheets. "And don't have any numbers in [there] you can't explain instantaneously."

As tools such as spreadsheets and plan writing software have grown in importance, some critics say business plans have become overstuffed with complex financials that are often backed up by little more than guesswork. "[These tools have] made it easier to produce a business plan," says Bygrave. "But they've produced page after page of financials that basically came out of thin air." As a result, investors today want fewer and better-documented financials.

"No one's impressed by spreadsheets," agrees Gartner. "[It's] the action behind the spreadsheets." By that, he means investors want to see that an entrepreneur has actually examined the market for a product or service, identified potential customers, assembled a capable team, devised a business model and more.

While investors want to see action, they don't want to work for it. A plan today is more likely to be a modest deck of slick, colorful presentation slides than a thick stack of white paper. Digital slides are easier to distribute to a dispersed audience via e-mail and to present to large groups on an overhead projector.

But limit your presentation to no more slides than you would in a paper plan, meaning 20 or fewer. And don't cram a lot of information on a single slide. "Just put highlights," says Bygrave. "[No] more than six or eight lines on a slide."

Planning for the Future

Whether plans today are long, short, elaborate or simple, they still contain the same basic elements they always have. Typically, most have an executive summary, a marketing plan, a management team description and financials (income, cash-flow and balance sheet projections).

The recent studies are hard to ignore because they're based on reasonable samples and were performed by reputable researchers. But business plans show no sign of going extinct. Business plan competitions and college-level business plan courses are more abundant than ever. "Why do people write business plans?" By grave asks. "They've been trained to write business plans, so they do. Another cause is that investors or strategic partners insist on it."

Hackney's experience writing the plan for Roaring Lion convinced him of both the benefits and limitations of business planning. Simply writing a plan helped push him to start a business when he had no intention of doing so. But the plan wasn't nearly as effective when it came to identifying and quantifying the risks and opportunities his company would face.

One problem arose when it became apparent he had overestimated the business's revenue potential by about 500 percent. His company's annual sales are nothing to sneeze at, but they are far less than Hackney expected in his plan.

Among other missteps, he underestimated the actual selling price of the company's products. The economic appeal to customers is still strong, but it's not as strong as he'd hoped. Perhaps most important, his plan didn't recognize the amount of financial capital it would require to grow the company, which has made it difficult for him to reach those early sales forecasts.

Like many entrepreneurs, Hackney learned to write a business plan from a book. That, plus feedback and many hashing-out sessions with his soon-to-be investors and partners, produced a plan that was accurate in its basic aim: to describe a business model that would allow him to build a successful enterprise.

Today, Hackney says he'd definitely write a business plan if he started another business. But he'd be much more conservative with his financial projections and de-emphasize the use of them. "I'd make it much shorter," he adds. "I'd deliver the core principles of what the business is founded on in such a way that the purpose would be finding money."

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ALEXIS OHANIAN SUCCESS STORY

Alexis Ohanian Success Story

                                       

Alexis Ohanian is a tech entrepreneur and investor who is most acclaimed for co-founding the popular social news website Reddit. Known as the ‘Startup Guy’, Alexis also created Breadpig, Inc. 

Alexis was born on 24^th April 1983 in Brooklyn, New York. His earliest lessons of web design and management were learnt from Quake 2 Clan and Everquest guild. He enrolled in the University of Virginia and that was where he befriended Steve Huffman who would later be his partner in founding ‘Reddit’. Alexis majored in history and German and had plans to become a lawyer. The future however had other plans. Alexis Ohanian and Steve visited Cambridge to attend a lecture from Paul Graham on ‘ How to start a status'. Afterwards they went out with him for drinks where they pitched some ideas to him. Their first plan was to build a system that would allow people to order food from their cell phones but this was not accepted by Graham. Their other idea was reddit.com.

Reddit is a social news website where the readers are able to control the front page by voting for the stories they want on it. The website has more than 35 million visitors and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites. In 2006 the website was sold to Conde Nast. However Alexis continued to offer his advice to them till 2010 when he left for Armenia where he spent three months and worked as a Kiva Fellow and volunteered for Kiva.org He is the member of Reddit’s board till today. After his return, he focused his attention on a new project which he called Breadpig. Also called ‘Newman’s Own for Nerds’, ‘Breadpig’ features several eminent web comics and geeky innovations such as LOLmagnetz, Awesome sauce and xkcd & Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. The profits attained from this site are given away as donations.

Alexis Ohanian got the post of Y Combinator's Ambassador to the East after returning to the US. He also joined Steve Huffman’s ‘hipmunk’ in August 2010 which was his second Y Combinator startup. He is also an active investor having invested in more than 50 tech startups. He has designed the brands and logos for his website Reddit, hipmunk and Breadpig. All these experiences enabled him to mentor new startups and young entrepreneurs. He has spoken at Yale, Carnegie Melon, MIT, Columbia, UCLA, UPenn, NYU, University of Edinburgh, University of Michigan, and University of Virginia. Alexis also lectured at several conferences such as the Clinton Global Initiative, TED, ROFLCON and SXSW. He is very much in demand as he was hired by companies like Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, Hyatt and Palantir for talks. He has also appeared in numerous publications on the internet and print media such as New York Times, WSJ, Washington Post, WIRED, Gawker, The Economist, Mashable, Paper Magazine, Forbes, Fast Company and many more. He has appeared on several TV shows on channels like MSNBC, CNN, Fox, Al-Jazeera English, G4 and NPR. His interests and likes include the Washington Redskins, hummus and of course his cat and girlfriend.

• Be Inspired.

How To Free The Mind.

Negative thoughts do much more than stress us out and send us through spirals of endless (and often pointless) worry, it can be bad for our health too. Much research has focused on the potentially dangerous effects of too much stress on our minds and bodies, but freeing your mind from negative thought is much easier said than done.

What follows are five things you can do to begin to free your mind of negative thought and reap the benefits of a positive outlook. It’s time to choose happy.

Practice Mindfulness

One of the best ways you can free yourself from endless streams of negative thought is to begin to cultivate and practice mindfulness. Real scientific research is showing what many of us have long understood: changing perspective and being more conscious in our lives has a profoundly positive impact on our mental and emotional wellbeing.

Mindfulness is the practice of really being aware of something. Rather than reacting to a situation or feeling, the mindful individual calmly examines the situation or feeling, accepts it for what it is, and seeks to remove judgment from our view of our world and ourselves.

When you have a negative thought, rather than react, you simply view the thought for what it is and what physical sensations the thought produces, which takes the power away from the thought, making it much easier to release it.

Be Grateful

It is hard to be negative if you are focusing on the positive. Positive psychology has shown us just how powerful an attitude of gratitude can be on our mental health and wellbeing. When we consciously focus our thoughts on the things that are good in our life, the things or people that we have to be grateful or thankful for, negative thought begins to take a much lesser spot in your thoughts, and, eventually, those thoughts won’t find a welcome space in your head at all.

A gratitude journal and regular, conscious efforts to tell those around you how grateful you are for their presence in your life, will help this type of thinking become a healthy habit.

Being grateful does not just mean giving thanks to the positive elements and people in our lives. It requires a shift in overall perception and perspective. Grateful thoughts allow us to look at our past, even painful events, through a different lens or light. When we can find even the smallest scrap of good in the sea of bad, we can grab hold and not let go. We have that choice, so choose to be thankful, choose to be grateful.

Be Free to Be You

One of the biggest problems we face in this life is self-acceptance. We give so much credence to what other people think, or more commonly, what we think other people think. These assumptions and outside opinions can cause all sorts of issues internally. However, in the end, you are the one you have to live with day in and day out, isn’t it about time that you start to accept that you are who you are? This doesn’t mean that you should not bother to try to improve bad habits, but that you should begin to view yourself through the grateful lens as well. Non-judgment is powerful here too.

Distractions Can Be Good

Distractions are a double-edged sword. It is important that we not become so distracted that we lose sight of our goals in life, but we can also distract ourselves, positively, from negative thoughts. We have the power to change the way we think and healthful distractions can be a proverbial tool in our arsenal against negative thought.

When you feel negative thoughts creeping in, read your gratitude journal, take a walk outside, work on deep breathing, pet your cat or dog, or stop and try to quietly reflect,  even just for five minutes. You can, in a way, break the spell that negative thoughts can have over you by distracting yourself from them, even just briefly.

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PASSION AND PERSISTENCE WIN THE RACE ( HENRY FORD).

Father of the twentieth century American motor Industry, Henry Ford made a mark in history that is truly remarkable. He revolutionized the automobile industry by manufacturing a car that even the middle class could afford. He became one of the wealthiest people of the world as owner of ‘Ford Motor Company’.

Henry Ford was born on 30th July 1863 in Dearborn near Detroit, Michigan. His family owned a prosperous farm which he despised working on. Instead he loved tampering with the machines. His love for mechanics was very obvious since his childhood. At the age of fifteen he was able to dismantle and assemble the timepieces of his friends and family giving him a reputation of a watch repairman. In 1879 he left for Detroit to work as an apprentice for James F. Flower & Bro. and then with Detroit Dry Dock Co. for a short time although he often returned to his family to lend a reluctant hand in farm work. In 1891 he got a job at the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit where his passion for industrial work soon got him a promotion as the chief engineer. This provided him with the opportunity to work on internal combustion engines. He also worked at Westinghouse Engine Company as a part time job. In 1896, Ford made his first ‘Quadricycle’.

He founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The company had a humble beginning with only few employees and very less production. However soon with Ford’s skills and perceptiveness he accomplished his dream of a car that was affordable, efficient and reliable. The Model T car which was introduced in 1908 started a whole new era of personal transport. The simplicity of its operation, maintenance and handling on the rough roads made it a huge sensation of the time. Ford sold the car for $980 marking the beginning of the Motor Age. Cars that were once considered a luxury became an essential transportation for the ordinary man. In a few years almost every other car on the road was the T model by Ford. The company had to open a factory to meet the high demand for this car. In the early 20s Ford decided to build a large industrial complex in Dearborn that would include all the components required for the production of cars. By 1927, cars were being mass produced at the rate of one car per 93 minutes at the ‘Rouge Plant’.

Ford completely changed the American society with his Model T car. As more and more Americans bought this affordable necessity development patterns began to alter. Gas stations were built, roads became finer and gradually the entire system became better with the creation of the national highway system, the progression of suburbia and the realization that it was possible to go anywhere at any time. It was Ford’s vision that led to a better lifestyle.

Ford finally decided to diversify and so the Ford Model A was introduced in 1927 which was also a success.

In the late 1930’s because of Ford’s strict policies regarding smoking inside the premises and labor organizers, he had to face internal labor problems that resulted in a huge strike in 1941. The company faced a lot of turmoil however Henry Ford II managed to rescue his father’s legacy. Henry Ford died in 1947 as a result of a cerebral haemorrhage.

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KEVIN ROSE (Success Story)

Kevin Rose is an internet entrepreneur and founder of the famous news bookmarking website Digg, Pownce, Milk and Revision3. ‘Dr. Bobby’ as he is nicknamed, is an astute investor as he invested in Foursquare, Twitter and even Facebook. Presently he is a venture partner at Google.

Rose was born on 21st February 1977 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was very keen with computers since childhood. After graduating from Vo-Tech High School, he enrolled in the University of Nevada Las Vegas. At 19, while he was still in university, he took up a job at the Department of Energy’s Nevada Test Site. He dropped out of university in 1998 to begin a career that he was very passionate about. Rose felt that he was better suited for the Silicon Valley. And rightly so, he started making 

connections with some of the most important people of the Valley. Meanwhile he started hosting in a television show called ‘The Screen Savers’. Through this show he got the opportunity to interact with people like Steve Wozniak the co-founder of Apple computers. It was after he had heard stories of Steve that inspired him to start up something of his own. And that was when the idea of Digg hit him.

In 2004, Kevin Rose initiated ‘Digg’ with a capital of only 1200 dollars. Rose’s goals were not unimaginable. All he desired was to be able to pay his bills and have a nice little office. But luckily for him, success was quick. He was getting more than thousand visitors every month which allowed him ad traction. Rose had no choice but to make this venture his full time job. In a year’s time Digg’s traffic had peaked to 200,000. He was able to get 2.8 million dollars of venture capital. In five years the website had become one of the heavily visited sites in the U.S. Rose made guest appearances on R&D TV’s first episode Diggnation with Alex Albrecht as his co-host. He was also a contestant on a game show on NewTeeVee Live. He appeared on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’ in 2009 and again 2011. He also started podcasting in 2003 releasing the first episode that was called ‘thebroken’. As a perceptive investor, he invested in many companies including Twitter, Dailybooth, Gowalla, Foursquare, SimpleGeo, NGMOCO, FACEBOOK, SQUARE< OMGPOP, FORMSPRING and CHOMP. 

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• Be Inspired

THE RISE OF SAKICHI TOYOTA.

The rise of SAKICHI TOYOTA.

Born February 14, 1867 (1867/02/14) in Japan, died October 30, 1930 in Japan

Sakichi Toyoda is a Japanese inventor and industrialist. He was born in Kosai, Shizuoka. Son of a poor carpenter, Toyoda is referred to as "King of Japanese Inventor".

Career

Sakichi Toyoda is often referred to as the father of Japanese industrial revolution. He is also the founder of Toyota Industries Co., Ltd.

He created a variety of weaving device. The most famous invention is the automatic power loom in which he applied the principles of Jidoka (autonomous automation). Jidoka principle, which means that the machine stops itself when the problem occurs, then became part of the Toyota Production System.

Toyoda developed the concept of 5 why: When a problem occurs, ask 'why' five times to try to find the source of the problem, then put into place something to prevent these problems from recurring. This concept is used today as part of implementing lean methodologies to solve problems, improve quality and reduce costs.

History

Toyota Motor Corporation was founded in September 1933 as a division of Automatic Weaving Factory car Toyota. The company's car division and then separated on August 27, 1937 to create the Toyota Motor Corporation as today.

Departure from the textile industry, the Toyota plant itself as one of the automotive manufacturer of some standing in the world. Brands that produce 1 car every 6 seconds it was used more for the naming reference to Toyota's better than using the family name of its founder, Toyoda. Here are some exciting milestone Toyota way.

Toyota is the third largest automobile manufacturer in the world in unit sales and net sales. Japan's largest manufacturer is producing 5.5 million units worldwide. If calculated, this figure is equivalent to produce 1 unit of the car in 6 seconds.

Compared to industries other automotive uses its founder's name as the brand like Honda, founded by Soichiro Honda, Daimler-Benz (Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz), Ford (Henry Ford), Toyoda name not be used as a brand. Since the departure from simple ideas and vision that time, the mention Toyoda less pleasant and not so intimately known to diplesetkan Toyota.

Sakichi Toyoda was born in February 1867 in Shizuoka, Japan. This man is known as the inventor since I was a teenager. Toyoda devoted his life to studying and developing textile assembly. In the 30 years of age completed Toyoda loom. This then led him to establish the origin of the Toyota assembly, namely the Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, Ltd.. in November 1926.

Here patent automatic textile machinery and then sold to Platt Brothers & Co., Ltd.. from England, United Kingdom. Proceeds from sale of this patent, the development of capital used automotive division. Beginning in 1933, when the automobile division of Toyoda building, then a lot of teams run by his son Kiichiro Toyoda, producing endless innovations ahead of his time. Machinery Type A successfully completed in 1934. A year later this engine transplanted the first prototype of their passenger cars, A1. Toyoda automotive division also produces trucks G1 model.

In 1936 they launched their first passenger car, Toyoda AA (then still using the name Toyoda). This model was developed from the prototype model A1 and body and machine equipped A. This vehicle is from the beginning expected to be a people's car. Product concept Toyota on hold until now.

Four years of waiting for delivery are considered to automotive companies own and break away from their textile industries. Then in 1937 they inaugurated the automotive division and the name of Toyota, rather than Toyoda as a textile industry. Obtaining a Toyota in the Japanese language are represented in the 8 characters, and eight is a lucky number for the Japanese society. Another reason that makes sense is considered automotive industry is a business lifestyle and even the mention of a name (and what sounds like), a side that is so important. Because the name was considered too rigid Toyoda in a dynamic business that turned into a Toyota that felt better. No doubt, the year 1937 was an important era of the birth of Toyota Motor Co., Ltd.. forerunners of the giant Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) today.

Kiichiro Toyoda spirit of innovation is never dim. Toyota later developed into producing powerful vehicles. In the 1940s, Toyota was busy developing the capital including the company entered the bourses in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

After World War II era ended, in the 1950s is proving Toyota sebgai producing tough versatile vehicle. At the time Jeep vehicles familiar in Japan. Inspired by this car, and then develop orototipe Toyota Land Cruiser that came out in 1950. A year later was officially launched early models of the Land Cruiser BJ model.

Buln July of that year, a test driver Ichiro Taira trial ended with remarkable results. Samurai character inspired by the Heikuro Magaki Atago Mountain climbing on a horse in 1643, Taira drove his Toyota to BJ Fudo temple in town Okasaki. This well used as a promotional car toughness of all these fields. Not long ago, Toyota Land Cruiser began to rival the dominance of the Jeep Willys. Even with more models, Toyota Land Cruiser can be accepted in the market when it is difficult to penetrate the North America. Through this model, Toyota entered the market in different parts of the world, including in Indonesia known as the Toyota Land Cruiser Hardtop FJ40/45. In Africa, the models are the Toyota Land Cruiser used as an alias Technical armed jeeps equipped submachine guns, heavy guns or bazookas without starting behind (Recoilless bazooka) and deployed throughout the armed conflict with very strong performance.

Toyota is not only known through the Toyota Land Cruiser. They also developed a model that became a favorite of the world, a small sedan. Through the Corolla made its debut in 1966, the early generation small sedan was put on the back drive to change the order of the popular sedan bongsor then headed toward the small sedan a compact, efficient and compact. Entering the year 1975, the Corolla into the third generation and sold more than 5 million units. The amazing thing is still strong today. Corolla engine is then used in Indonesia as an engine for multi-purpose commercial vehicle family, the early generation Toyota Kijang known as Kijang Buaya.

Along more mengglobalnya Toyota products, they have not realized the logo graphic. Even in Indonesia found the Toyota branded vehicles such as Toyota Kijang with Toyota logo on the grille on the bonnet (nose) car. In 1989 Toyota decided to make two circles oval (ellipse) which produce the letters T and the third ellipse will indicate the spirit of understanding in design. The third circle is the circle once around the ellipse before the T-shaped as evidence of care and affect the surroundings.

In the 1990s, Toyota is increasingly proving that Japanese cars can compete with European and American cars. Toyota Celica managed to rally world champion, and the Toyota Camry became best-selling car in America.

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PRESERVING THE BRAIN

With so much to do in so little time, it’s hard, seeming next to impossible sometimes, to squeeze in some TLC. But, especially for the on-the-go types, creating Zen space is not only good for de-stressing, it’s also good for maintaining good brain health.

A recent study shows that starting from the mid- to late 20s, the brain begins to wither and starts losing some of its functionality. “The brain starts to get smaller from the mid-20s onward,” says Dr. Florian Kurth of UCLA’s Department of Neurology. “It’s probably not something that we notice for a long time. People start to notice this later in life when they start to forget things.”

His team, headed by Dr. Eileen Luders, ran a test between 50 meditators against a. Control group of 50 non- meditators. The meditators beat out the non-meditators in keeping their brain mass, whereas the non-meditators showed less brain mass in the scanned images.

Harvard Medical School neuroscientist Dr. Sara Lazur and her team also did a longitudinal study on meditation. It showed that meditation changes the brain after eight weeks. A scan image showed increased thickening of four brain regions in the non-meditators after just eight weeks of participating in the meditation program.

A healthier brain is good reason to start a meditation practice if you haven’t begun already. So what first steps can you take?

1. Find a meditation style and make it a habit.

“Meditation has been associated with improved cognitive abilities and reduced stress levels,” Kurth says. “While we may not immediately notice the long-term protective effects of meditation on normal brain atrophy, one may still get these quicker benefits from meditating.”

He suggests finding a style that work for you (whether that be something like Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction [MBSR] or yoga) and keep up the practice rather than find a perfect style and not keep it up. Lazur mentions doing even a little every day is a good thing, and some studies suggest 5-10 minutes a day.

2. Schedule time for it.

As busy as we are, who has time to meditate? Think of it like brushing your teeth—you take five minutes to brush every day so your teeth won’t decay. In the same way, think of it as a way to preserve your brain’s health. You can spare a few minutes either at your desk, in your car, on quick walk outside or sitting on a park bench. Think of spaces in your schedule where you can take a few minutes off.

3. Start with these simple exercises.

Certified Yoga and Meditation Instructor Alexis Pierce suggests breath awareness helps focus the mind and concentration over time. “It's incredibly effective to gently bring the mind back to the breath and the body. It connects you to thismoment, which allows you to release the stress and anxiety of the past and future. You may discover calmness, feelings of lightness and elation, and a quieter mind.”

Ready to get started? These calm meditative techniques can be done in five minutes or less:

• V-Shaped Breath Exercise

Close your eyes. Focus on the point between your eyes and imagine air coming in and out in the shape of a wide “V.” Bring it above the forehead, and as you’re inhaling the breath in, have it come wide across the forehead as a “V.” Then exhale it down across the forehead to that point between the eyes.

By starting and ending at this point between the eyes you’re activating the command center calming along the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision-making. You’re getting oxygen to that area and helping it feel calmer by focusing on the point between the eyes.

• 3-Part Breath

Close your eyes. Start inhaling deep in the belly, air rising to the chest then upper chest near your upper collar bone. Hold briefly, then exhale three counts out the upper chest, chest and belly.

Feel the air moving into the belly, chest and upper chest as you’re breathing in and out through the nose. Relax and feel all the movements. Do this for a few minutes, feeling the breath pass throughout the body, similar to an ocean wave moving then receding as the body softens

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OVERCOMING DEPRESSION

A common response to identifying lifestyle changes that might make a depressed person feel better is, “Easier said than done.” Someone coping with depression may get what she's supposed to do, but the question is how? After all, depression kills motivation, energy, interest, and focus.

Once you give the engine a jump, it often becomes easier, but until then, how do you connect the jumper cables you need to make a spark?

1. Set the bar LOW.

When you’re depressed, you’re not functioning at your usual 70-90%. Rather, you’re sitting somewhere closer to 20%. If you set the same expectations for yourself that you had when you weren’t feeling depressed (which is sometimes just getting dressed), you’re going to feel anxious and overwhelmed, and probably won’t do the task you expected from yourself (and thus will feel defeated and ashamed).

Set SMALL AND SPECIFIC GOALS. Seriously. Unload the dishwasher. Heck, unload three glasses. Task completed and still itching for more? You can always raise the bar if you’re feeling particularly motivated. Take note that if you feel highly overwhelmed while tackling your goal, chances are it's too high and you need to lower it to something more realistic or specific.

2. Practice self-compassion.

Self-criticism is depression’s BFF. If you beat yourself up for being so “unproductive” and “lazy,” You’re going to keep yourself feeling like crap and thus, paralyzed. Try instead to use the same encouraging words you might use for a friend or loved one. If you can’t find the words, read more about self-compassion here.

3. Recruit support, or ask for help.

Some of us have trouble holding ourselves accountable at the best of times. With little motivation or energy, it’s that much harder. Confide in someone you trust, and ask for their help. Ask a friend to hold you to your commitment. Ask your partner to accompany to a yoga class. Pay for your support group, counseling appointment, or massage beforehand so you’ll be more motivated to attend.

4. Envision how you'll feel after the task.

Getting in the shower, going for a walk, preparing a meal, or hanging out with a friend seems like a very ominous task if you focus on the effort involved. People who are depressed generally have low self-efficacy , which means they have low confidence in their ability to perform tasks. As such, they tend to feel overwhelmed and avoid such tasks. Lower expectations for yourself within the task, and envision how you (might) feel after the task rather than during.

5. Make the goal to do it, not to enjoy it.

When you’re feeling depressed, it’s natural to lose interest in things that used to make you happy. Comedy is no longer funny, sports are no longer fun, spending time with friends is no longer engaging. Anxiety, depression, and self-loathing take over, leading to feelings of detachment and defeat. So, when doing something “fun” or “active,” do it with the goal to do it, not to enjoy it.

6. Acknowledge your courage for stepping out of your comfort zone.

As painful as it is, depression can be come comfortable in a “devil you know” kind of way. You know what to expect, for the most part. You know the pain, you’re in the pain, you can predict that tomorrow will be more of the same. The idea of stepping out of this comfort zone can be quite anxiety provoking. Steven Hayes, a psychologist whose work I admire said, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re always going to get what you’ve always gotten.” So, if you find you’re able to do something (even very slightly) different, congratulate yourself. There’s a good chance whatever you’re experiencing will come with anxiety, because anxiety accompanies uncertainty. Anxiety may be telling you you’re stepping out of the familiar routine of depression, so acknowledge your courage and try to bring such experiences forward in your journey.

- Be Inspired.

Malcolm Glazer (Success Story)

Malcolm Glazer is a businessman, the chief executive officer and president of First Allied Corporation.  He also has stakes in the famous Manchester Uniter Football Club and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Glazer was born on 25^th May 1928 in Rochester, New York to Lithuanian Jewish parents who had immigrated to the United States. After his father’s death he inherited his wholesale jewelry business along with just 300 dollars. In the next five years Glazer started making other investments. He began with property, mainly buying mobile homes parks in Florida during the 70s. Later on he became the president and chief executive officer of First Allied Corporation which was an American holding company for many businesses such as marine supplies, real estate, healthcare, broadcasting, energy exploration and food processing.

It was not all easy for Malcolm Glazer. His first attempt at a takeover was not successful in which he bid $7.6 billion to purchase Conrail, the freight rail company. He also failed in taking over Kitchen designer Formica in 1988 and Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle manufacturer. He was however successful in buying Zapata, an oil company that was founded by George H.W Bush. Glazer bought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1995 for $192 million. Soon after the purchase he professed that the team’s home ground was inadequate for many reasons. He contacted the government which then offered him many replacements. He agreed on building a state of the art $200 million Raymond James Stadium. In 1997 the Buccaneers made the playoffs, in 1999 the NFC Championship and in 2002 won the Super Bowl.

In 2003 Glazer bought Manchester United, the English football club for approximately $1.47 billion. The club’s fans were not happy with this buy-out. Ticket prices escalated, angering the fans. Consequently they formed a new club which they called the F.C United of Manchester, a strategy that proved successful attracting around two thousand fans every week. Songs and protests against Malcolm Glazer were sung during the F.C United and Manchester United games. However Glazer did not budge and denied any rumors of selling the club any time soon. Many people tried to buy the club such as Jim O’Neill, the chief economist of Goldman Sachs’ and a Qatari Royal family however Glazer has made it pretty clear that he is not going to sell the club despite the discontent of the fans and even some of the players such as David Beckham although he denies it himself. But the fans took Beckham’s wearing a green and gold scarf an ‘iconic movement’.

Glazer is married to Linda Glazer since 1961. He currently resides in Palm Beach, California with his five sons and one daughter. In April 2006 Glazer had a stroke that left him with speech problems and loss of movement in his right leg and arm. His son Joel stated that his father was in good spirit and the doctors are also hopeful about the improvement of his condition. However Glazer suffered another stroke a month later.

- Be Inspired.

A GREAT STORY THAT CHANGED ME.

Heard a great story, i just had to share.

Once upon a time, there lived a young man who was taking a smoke break
with his non-smoking colleague.

"i have a question to ask, says the colleague. "How long have you been
smoking?" .

"Thirty years," says the smoker.

"Thirty years!" marvels the co-worker. "That costs so much money. At a pack
a day, you are spending $1,900 a year. Had you instead invested that money
at an 8% return for the last 30 years, you would have $250,000 in the bank
today. That's enough to buy a Ferrari."

The smoker smiles and asks his colleague, "Do you smoke?"

"No!!!" he replied

"So where is your Ferrari?"

Thinking about this for a moment, the question that comes to mind is
"Where are all the Ferraris?"

The sad truth is, the financial position of many is very far from a
Ferrari.

A lot of people have been eating their Ferraris, rather than investing in
them.

It's high time we look inwards and do some evaluation. A lot of people
aren't smoking, but they still don't have their Ferrari.

Ferraris can be a lot of things. It could be tangible investments like real
estate, your talent and skills, your health, your time or whatever it is
you have that you've allowed to grow.

Anything that grows has a future, anything that doesn't grow is diseased,
dying or dead

A while ago i began to invest in my Ferrari. I bought a piece of Land and
it's growing. Then i bought another and i keep buying.

Maybe its high time you also got yourself a nice piece of mother earth.
After all real estate is one of the Ferraris you must have if you want to
be wealthy. Ask the already wealthy people.

- Be Inspired.

THE RISE OF LI KA- SHING (His humble beginnings to become of the most influential people of the world.)

Li Ka-Shing is one of the most powerful and richest men of the world. He is the boss of the conglomerate ‘Hutchison Whampoa, Cheung Kong Holdings and Watson Group’. The business mogul is the 9th richest person of the world with a net worth of approximately 25.5 billion dollars according to Forbes.

Sir Ka-Shing was born on 13th June 1928 in Chaozhou, China. He was orphaned at the age of 15 due to which he had to abandon his education and look for a job to support his family. His first job was at a plastics trading company where he worked for almost 16 hours daily. He also sold watches at his uncle’s store. Soon he became popular for his selling skills and was given the additional responsibilities of controlling the factory’s operations and product commercialization. In 1947 Ka-Shing borrowed money from close family and established his own company that produced and supplied high quality plastic flowers. In a few years Ka-Shing’s company was one of the leading suppliers of plastics flowers in Asia. During the riots of 1967 in Hong Kong, while masses fled from the country, Ka-Shing was busy buying land as price of property had plummeted. In 1971 he started his real estate development company named ‘Cheung Kong’ after the longest river of the country. The company became public in 1972.

Ka-Shing acquired ‘Hutchison Whampoa Limited’ his flagship company from HSBC in 1979. This deal generated a huge conglomerate with business benefits in several businesses with the most prominent branch being his investment in the container port facilities worldwide including Canada, Hong Kong, U.S, Panama, Bahamas, Rotterdam as well as many developing countries. This venture by Ka-Shing is 13% of the world’s total port container capacity. A subsidiary of this company is the A.S Watson Group which is a retail operator that has more than 7,800 stores including some of well-known brands such as Superdrug, Watson stores, Park n Shop markets, Kruidvat and many more. The Hutchison Whampoa conglomerate is also reputed as a smart asset trader that makes new business ventures and sells them. This has gotten the company huge profits. His companies form 15% of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange’s market cap. Ka-Shing also invested in many IT related businesses. His company ‘Li Ka Shing Foundation’ purchased a 0.8% stake in the social networking website Facebook in 120 million dollars.

Ka-Shing is also a distinguished philanthropist; he has pledged to give off 1/3rd of his wealth to charitable institutions and philanthropist developments all over the world. He has been awarded with the Grand Bauhinia medal and was knighted as Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Commandeur, Légion d’honneur. In 2006, he was given the first ‘Malcolm S. Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Forbes family. Often called ‘Superman’ in Hong Kong due to his business dexterity and competence, Ka-Shing rose from his humble beginnings to become of the most influential people of the world. He was termed ‘Asia’s Most Powerful Man’ by AsiaWeek in 2001.

- Be Inspired.

HOW TO GET MOTIVATED WHEN YOU FEEL DEPRESS.

A common response to identifying lifestyle changes that might make a depressed person feel better is, “Easier said than done.” Someone coping with depression may get what she's supposed to do, but the question is how? After all, depression kills motivation, energy, interest, and focus.

Once you give the engine a jump, it often becomes easier, but until then, how do you connect the jumper cables you need to make a spark?

1. Set the bar LOW.

When you’re depressed, you’re not functioning at your usual 70-90%. Rather, you’re sitting somewhere closer to 20%. If you set the same expectations for yourself that you had when you weren’t feeling depressed (which is sometimes just getting dressed), you’re going to feel anxious and overwhelmed, and probably won’t do the task you expected from yourself (and thus will feel defeated and ashamed).

Set SMALL AND SPECIFIC GOALS. Seriously. Unload the dishwasher. Heck, unload three glasses. Task completed and still itching for more? You can always raise the bar if you’re feeling particularly motivated. Take note that if you feel highly overwhelmed while tackling your goal, chances are it's too high and you need to lower it to something more realistic or specific.

2. Practice self-compassion.

Self-criticism is depression’s BFF. If you beat yourself up for being so “unproductive” and “lazy,” You’re going to keep yourself feeling like crap and thus, paralyzed. Try instead to use the same encouraging words you might use for a friend or loved one. If you can’t find the words, read more about self-compassion here.

3. Recruit support, or ask for help.

Some of us have trouble holding ourselves accountable at the best of times. With little motivation or energy, it’s that much harder. Confide in someone you trust, and ask for their help. Ask a friend to hold you to your commitment. Ask your partner to accompany to a yoga class. Pay for your support group, counseling appointment, or massage beforehand so you’ll be more motivated to attend.

4. Envision how you'll feel after the task.

Getting in the shower, going for a walk, preparing a meal, or hanging out with a friend seems like a very ominous task if you focus on the effort involved. People who are depressed generally have low self-efficacy , which means they have low confidence in their ability to perform tasks. As such, they tend to feel overwhelmed and avoid such tasks. Lower expectations for yourself within the task, and envision how you (might) feel after the task rather than during.

5. Make the goal to do it, not to enjoy it.

When you’re feeling depressed, it’s natural to lose interest in things that used to make you happy. Comedy is no longer funny, sports are no longer fun, spending time with friends is no longer engaging. Anxiety, depression, and self-loathing take over, leading to feelings of detachment and defeat. So, when doing something “fun” or “active,” do it with the goal to do it, not to enjoy it.

6. Acknowledge your courage for stepping out of your comfort zone.

As painful as it is, depression can be come comfortable in a “devil you know” kind of way. You know what to expect, for the most part. You know the pain, you’re in the pain, you can predict that tomorrow will be more of the same. The idea of stepping out of this comfort zone can be quite anxiety provoking. Steven Hayes, a psychologist whose work I admire said, “If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re always going to get what you’ve always gotten.” So, if you find you’re able to do something (even very slightly) different, congratulate yourself. There’s a good chance whatever you’re experiencing will come with anxiety, because anxiety accompanies uncertainty. Anxiety may be telling you you’re stepping out of the familiar routine of depression, so acknowledge your courage and try to bring such experiences forward in your journey.

• Be Inspired

SAM WALTON (Success Story)

Sam Walton is the co-creator of the renowned retail chain Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Sam’s Club. The farm boy turned out to be a one of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time with sheer hard work and ambition.

Walton was born on 29th March 1918 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. His father owned a farm but that did not generate enough income. The family moved to Orlando, Florida and from there to several other places finally settling in Columbia, Missouri. There he worked many chores to support his family such as distributing milk to the customers, selling newspaper and magazine subscriptions. He graduated from David H. Hickman High School where he was voted as the ‘Most Versatile Boy’. He attended University of Missouri where he did many odd jobs like waiting tables. He graduated in 1940 with the degree of Bachelors of Economics. He got a job as a management trainee in J.C Penny in Des Moines, Iowa right after graduation which gave him a pay of 75 dollars monthly. Later he resigned so he could join the U.S Army Intelligence Corps where he was ranked as Captain. After leaving the army Walton’s first management job was at his own variety store in 1945. Taking financial help from his father-in-law and using some of his own savings, Walton bought a Ben Franklin store in Newport. Here he learned many tricks of the trade making him experienced enough to purchase another store that was an ‘Eagle’ store.

With growing sales and profits, Walton bought and established more stores and in less than twenty years owned more than fifteen Ben Franklin Stores. His first Wal-Mart store was opened in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. His store saw rapid success and by 1976 Wal-Mart had become a successful company with a net worth of 176 million dollars and by the beginning of the 90’s its stock had reached a value of 45 billion making it the largest retailer of the United States that even bettered Roebuck and Company, and Sears. Walton was a real hard worker. His day began at 4:30 am and consisted of a tough routine and work hours. It was because of his attitude towards his work that he performed so well even during the recession. In 1991 when the country faced an economic downfall, his chain’s sales rose immensely. Even though smaller chains and stores blamed Wal-Mart for their losses Walton knew exactly how to handle these controversies. He emerged from these gracefully by promising to give jobs and donations to the local charities.

Walton was a humble personality. He was ranked as the Wealthiest Man in the United States by Forbes magazine to which he stated ‘All that hullabaloo about somebody’s net worth is just stupid, and it’s made my life a lot more complex and difficult’. Walton suffered from two types of cancers in the last years of his life. He died on 5th of April 1992 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Before his death he was awarded the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ by George H.W Bush.

• Be Inspired.

ENZO FERRARI Success Story.

Enzo Ferrari was an Italian entrepreneur who founded the ‘Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix’ motor racing team and afterwards the automobile brand, Ferrari. The ‘il Commendatore’ as he is often called, became a world renowned icon whose cars are seen as an insignia of luxury and wealth.

Enzo Ferrari was born on 18^thFebruary 1898 in Modena, Italy. He had little formal education but he was very interested in car racing. At 10, he saw the 1908 Circuit de Bologna and decided to become a racing driver. Enzo lost his father and brother to First World War and also became severely ill himself in the 1918 flu pandemic. Because of that he got discharged from the army service. When he came back home he found out that his family company had completely collapsed. After much searching, he found a job at a small company ‘CMN’ that turned used truck bodies to smaller passenger cars. He took up his passion of racing in 1919 and joined the CMN team but unfortunately had no real success. After he heard that Alfa Romeo was more successful with its racing cars he left CMN to work there in 1920. His first success came in 1923 when he won the ‘Prancing Horse’ badge.

Enzo won the ‘Coppa Acerbo’ in 1924 at Pescara. Upon seeing him gain successive victories in local races, Alfa offered him a chance in a more significant competition. However, Enzo Ferrari refused this offer and did not participate in a race till 1927. He looked over the manufacturing of the factory Alfa cars and gathered a team of 40 racing drivers. Enzo continued racing himself till 1932. He started facing problems when Alfa withdrew his support due to financial constraints. In 1937, Alfa demoted Enzo to Director of Sports which forced him to leave the company. Enzo Ferrari could not race or design a car for the next 4 years due to a contract with Alfa so he established a company that supplied parts to other racing teams. Enzo was very interested in the technical aspects of cars and being just a racing driver did not satisfy his drive for success.

In 1946, Enzo Ferrari manufactured the first car with his own name. His company ‘Ferrari’ thrived in the post war economy. He also participated in the Formula One Championships when they first began in 1950 and won the next year in the British Grand Prix. In the 1952-53 seasons Enzo’s team won the first F1 Championship. Ferrari got its biggest victories at ‘Le Mans’ and in 1960s in the ‘Grand Prix’. He remained highly dedicated to his company throughout his life. Ferrari produced some of the most stylish cars of that time however the company suffered some heavy losses in 1960s. Consequently most of the company was bought by ‘Fiat’ in 1969. Enzo was the President of the company till 1971 but he remained involved in the company affairs till his death in 1988. The Ferrari team did enjoy many successes even after his death.

- Be Inspired.

Meet The 6th Richest Man In Asia (Ananda Krishnan)

The successful business tycoon, Ananda Krishnan is the sixth wealthiest man in Asia. He is the Chairman & CEO of Usaha Tegas Group Holdings Bhd. Krishnan was born Tatparanandam Ananda Krishnan to Tamil parents of Sri Lankan origin in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. Krishnan’s company, Maxis Communications has contributed immensely to his current status making him the richest business man in Southeast Asia.

Ananda Krishnan earned a Masters in Business Administration degree from the prestigious Harvard University. Despite his affluent status and impressive educational background, Krishnan avoids public exposure and tries to keep as low profile as possible. However, his name has made headlines for the controversial telecom deal Aircel-Maxis.

The first bricks of Krishnan’s business empire were laid with business in the oil industry. He was first an oil trader and his first venture was Exoil Trading, a company that dealt in oil trading concessions. More entrepreneurship ventures took birth from the money Krishnan made from the oil trading business. Some of these included gambling, a cartoon studio and stud farming. He then moved on to get hold of the biggest communications company, Maxis Communications. Maxis Communications holds the record for being Malaysia’s number one cell phone service provider boasting over 11 million subscribers and generating estimated revenue of $8.9 billion. His current private company, Usaha Tegas holds stakes in Tanjong Public Limited Company. This company runs a chain of subsidiaries including Pan Malaysian Pools, lottery gaming and leisure and Powertek power generation.

With already a net worth of $11.7 billion, Krishnan is still always on the look to expand his business. He holds interest in satellites and communications, property development, gaming and oil trading. His love for property led him to buy Kia Ora, his extremely expensive house near the rural town of Scone. The property comprises 1,800 hectares of land. Krishnan’s other properties are based in France, London and Kuala Lampur. Krishnan also thouroughly enjoys fishing trips on his luxurious yatch. Usaha Tegas, Krishnan’s privately held company contributes towards a number of social causes including education, arts and sports. Ananda Krishnan is married and has three children.

• Be Inspired

American businessman (HENRY ROSS PEROT)

Henry Ross Perot is an American businessman famed for running in the presidential primaries in 1992 and 1996. He was the founder of the Electronic Data Systems (EDS). With a net worth of 3.5 billion dollars (estimated in 2012) he was ranked as the 101st richest person in the United States by Forbes Magazine.

Perot was born on 27th June 1930 in Texarkana, Texas. He graduated from Texas High School in 1947. He was in the Boys Scouts of America and was made an Eagle Scout in 1942. He also received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He went to the U.S Naval Academy in 1949 where he established their honor system. When Perot graduated in 1953, he was a battalion commander and president of his class. After serving four years at sea he left the Navy in 1957. Perot tried his luck in various occupations. He sold Christmas cards, magazines and even garden seeds. Finally he got a job as salesman in IBM. He gained popularity immediately as he fulfilled his annual sales quota in only two weeks. He left this job in 1962 to form Electronic Data Systems (EDS), an information technology services and equipment provider in Dallas. Perot pitched his ideas to large companies and was rejected more than 70 times before getting his first contract. During the 1960s the company got contracts from the U.S government which elevated its stock prices from 16 dollars per share to 160 dollars making him the ‘fastest, richest Texan’ according to Fortune magazine’s cover story in 1968. In 1984 Perot sold the company to General Motors for 2.4 billion dollars. In 1974 Perot became the ‘biggest individual loser ever on the Stock Exchange’ when his EDS shares went down 450 million dollars in just one day.

Perot ran for President in 1992 as an independent candidate. He won 19 percent of the popular votes. He ran for presidency again in 1996. He formed a party called ‘The Reform Party’ in 1995 that developed its autonomy from him eventually. Perot has written several books such as ‘Ross Perot: My Life & the Principles for Success’ and ‘United We Stand’. His latest book is ‘Ross Perot: My Life’. Perot began a new business called ‘Perot Systems’. He retired from the company in 2000 however remained its chairman while his son Ross Jr. took over the business. The company was sold to Dell in 2009. Perot did not completely leave the political scene. He announced his endorsement of the Republican candidate Mitt Romney for president in 2012.

Perot made success his story with his limitless desire to accomplish his dreams. He did not want to settle for anything less. He did not just follow his father’s profession who was a cotton broker. Instead he aimed high and eventually this ‘can do’ attitude brought him the success he had wished for. He is truly a self-made billionaire and an American icon. His soaring ambition, confidence and hard work paid off and enabled him to become one of the most successful people in the world.

• Be Inspired.