'Tis The Season Of Giving!

Ideally, there doesn't have to be a season of giving. Everyone and anyone can and should try their best to donate their money, time, knowledge, skills to underprivileged any time of day, week, month and year. But surveys and studies show that Thanksgiving-to-Christmas season really brings out the best in people - at least here in US. The average American household donates 2.2% of its income each year, or roughly $1,000. How much do you ? Forget 1% or 0.1%, even if we donate 0.01% of our income annually, I'm sure this world will be much better place ..

With mere USD 30/- donation, in underprivileged parts of the world, a mother and child can get education for a month, or, a person can see this world through cataract surgery, or, some elderly person will get a shelter to live in, or, some foster kids can get food and healthcare for a month ..

Charitable donations are a direct reflection of my values and perspectives. Whenever I donate money, I’m contributing it towards something that Ifeel has importance. If I want to see food available to homeless people in my community, I can donate to the local food pantry or soup kitchen. If I want to fight global warming, there are plenty of organizations that are fighting for such change. The real question is whether you have found something with enough importance to you to speak out with your pocketbook.

Helping others improves your self worth in many ways. Once you’ve given something to a charity that you truly believe in, you feel good about it. The money in your pocket went towards a cause beyond what you can manage in your daily life, a cause that combined with the similar actions of others can actually bring about change in the world. That’s not something you can get from buying yourself a flat panel television.

I don’t think, like many do, that whether or not you tithe or give to charity is a sign of whether you’re a good person or not. I know some very wonderful people who don’t give to charities and I also know some people who give to charities that people wouldn’t trust their child around. A person should only give to a charity if they truly feel it is the right thing to do with their money – if it doesn’t feel right, don’t donate.

The charities I usually donate to (because I believe in the work they do and I want to help as much as I can) are -
* Sankara Eye Foundation
* India Literacy Project
* ASHA Foundation
* CRY
* VIBHA
* WHFC (Wide Horizons For Children)
* Help Age India

Even if you don’t donate any of your income to charity right now or you don’t see the purpose, don’t close your mind or your heart to the idea. When the right reason comes to you, open up your wallet and see what happens ..

El Patrón - World's richest and most wanted drug lord or a humanitarian ? Probably both.

"I watched as my brother, Pablo Escobar, became the most successful criminal in history, but also a hero to many of the people of Colombia. My brother was loved and he was feared. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in his funeral procession, and certainly as many people celebrated his death." - Roberto Escobar - the top accountant for the notorious and deadly Medellin Cartel, and brother of Pablo Escobar, the most famous drug lord in history.

At the height of his reign, Pablo's multi-billion dollar operation smuggled tons of cocaine each week into countries all over the world. Roberto and his ten accountants kept track of all the money. Only Pablo and Roberto knew where it was stashed - and what it bought.

And the amounts of money were simply staggering. According to Roberto, it cost $2,500 every month just to purchase the rubber bands needed to wrap the stacks of cash. The biggest problem was finding a place to store it: from secret compartments in walla and beneath swimming pools to banks and warehouses everywhere. There was so much money that Roberto would sometimes write off ten percent as "spoilage," meaning either the rats chewed up the bills or dampness had ruined the cash.

Pablo built entire towns, gave away thousands of houses,paid people's medical expenses, and built schools and hospitals. Yet he was responsible for the horrible deaths of thousands of people. Its a story of a world of riches beyond mortal imagination and in his own words, in the book - The Accountant's Story - Roberto Escobar (with David Fisher) tells all: building a magnificent zoo at Pablo's opulent home, the brothers' many escapes into the jungles of Colombia, devising ingenious methods to smuggle tons of cocaine into the United States, bribing officials with literally millions of dollars - and building a personal army to protect the Escobar family against an array of enemies sworn to kill them.

Few men in history have been more beloved-or despised- then Pablo Escobar. There are two schools of thought on Pablo, who was killed by a joint American/Colombian operation in 1993. The conventional assessment is of a murderous, power-crazed narco-boss who opened the sluicegates to a river of Colombian blood. Unsurprisingly, Roberto Escobar subscribes to the second, minority view. This sees Pablo as driven by the plight of Colombia's poor.

As they say, most stories have 2 sides and, the truth often lies somewhere in the middle. Its up to us, individually, to believe either or both or none ..

How to banish the perfectionista in you

Perfectionism can be a double edge sword. If it makes you strive to be better then it's done a good thing. But if it makes you loose interest because you can't do it as well as you think you should, then it's been bad.

Here are some ways to banish your quest for perfection :

1. Learn to distinguish between healthy high standards and perfectionism.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to do things well. However, having high standards is not the same thing as perfectionism. Perfectionism refers to a tendency to have excessively high standards - standards that cannot possibly be met. Perfectionists often experience intense anxiety, shame, anger, or low mood when their standards or goals are not met. Perfectionism may affect people's functioning by causing them to spend too long on tasks, or to avoid tasks altogether (in other words, to procrastinate).

Before overcoming problems with perfectionism, it is useful to distinguish between healthy high standards versus standards that are unrealistic or that cause problems in the long run.

2. Take a step back - consider your perfectionist thoughts and shift your thinking to be more realistic and balanced. Remember, just because you believe that everything has to be perfect, doesn''t mean that your belief is true.

3. Expose yourself to imperfection. Just as practising driving can help someone get over a fear of being behind the wheel, allowing things to be less than perfect will reduce your fear of imperfection.

So, let the towels hang crookedly, purposely add a minor typo to your dinner invitation, or serve dinner a half hour later than planned. By allowing some flexibility in the way you do things, you will learn to be more comfortable with minor imperfections and unexpected changes to your plans.

4. Evaluate whether you may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because perfectionism is associated with standards and expectations that are impossible to meet, perfectionists run the risk of having events not turn out as desired and therefore develop the perception that they have "reason" to worry. Accept your inability to control the outcomes, but recognize that you can control your reaction.