Stand & Deliver.

In India, it is a sad fact, there are many people who do not get to go to school. Most people do not learn how to speak with people and how to convince people with ideas and thoughts. Many others who get to attend schools do not lay a great emphasis on learning good speaking skills. This makes it very difficult in the later stages of their life when they have to get through in the world using their communication skills.

Powerful speakers are attractive people, even if they are not gifted with good looks, they move audience with their speeches. Any person who becomes successful has to be good communicator and any person who has to succeed in a country like ours should understand and learn the importance of powerful speech.

India is a country with many social problems and the solutions for these problems should come from the people of India. And such people should be strong enough to face audiences. Whether you grow up to be an engineer, doctor, lawyer, teacher or a computer specialist, you require good speaking abilities.

Powerful speaking abilities can help you to live your life successfully as you will never find it difficult to convince people with your ideas. Ideas are useless unless they are implemented and to implement them you need to convince people.

Powerful speaking.
     Did you ever wonder how some people stand up and speak to groups and move them. We have seen many great speakers, speakers who motivate people into action, speaker who move thousands of people in a direction and speakers who shakes nations with their power. These speakers are like lightning. They get the work done - brilliantly.

The ability to deliver great speeches comes from conviction in what you are saying and from preparation. No natural ability, no gift, no talent and no charisma is required. If you believe and prepare enough you can deliver any speech, anywhere with any audience.

Preparation involves knowing your subject, knowing your audience and knowing your site.

Know your subject.
     Even the greatest of speakers feel nervous in the first few minutes of a speech. That's all right. But if that nervousness is carried throughout your speech then you are a case for preparation and practice. Knowing your subject is the only known way of speaking with authority on the subject. Not knowing your subject is one sure way to lose credibility.

Know your audience.
     Many times we attend speeches where we do not understand what is being said. Why? Because the speaker does not know the audience's tastes and expectations. If you are meeting a group of environmentalists then talking about industrialization may not be the right subject. If you are meeting politicians, you cannot make a speech on "Honesty - the best principle".
     The above examples sound absurd. If you want to your audience to sleep then you may ignore your audience's needs, likes and dislikes.

In you speech there are three stages that you go through. They are the beginning stage, the body stage, and the ending stage.

Beginning stage.
     You can gain or lose your audience in the first few minutes of your speech. The first few minutes of your speech should be used to get their attention. A good speaker always begins with a story or a quotation or a proverb/saying or a joke or a thought provoking question.

The Body.
     You have begun. What do you do next? When you are in the beginning stage remember that you should project optimism. You can do that by being upbeat and bold. This stage is important to communicate urgent and ambitious goals.
     An audience is interested in your speech so long as it interests them and for this you need to highlight personal benefits.
     In the second stage of your speech, paint pictures with your words. People remember more of pictures than words.

The Ending.
     The last stage of your speech is the ending stage. You have educated your audience on the subject and now it is time to call for action and say goodbye. This could be the most satisfying part of your speech, if they respond the way you want them to, or the most frustrating, if it fails. In any case your ending should be appropriate, smooth, clear and fast. When you say you are ending you shouldn't hang around the stage for an hour. Your ending should tell the audience what they should do next.

Whatever you speak, wherever you speak, you should speak with a lot of confidence and conviction. This requires immense belief in what you are saying. How many times do you follow people who speak with great conviction? And how many times you are disinterested when a speaker doesn't actually believe in what he is saying.

Health.

Only a healthy body can house a healthy mind. This is a fact of life. Life is a gift of nature and health is the gift we give to ourselves so that we live happily and peacefully. Without doubt all of you must be very healthy people. Good health is very important for all of us to lead good lives. And health constitutes both physical and mental health.

A person who is healthy is vibrant, full of energy and seldom gets tired. Good health increases your life span and helps you to avoid problems. And if you have people depending on you then you are going to have to maintain good health so that you dispose off your duties even more responsibly.

Tips for good health.

Exercise regularly

Breathing is an essential element of good health. We all breathe normally but once or twice during the day we need to supply our body with large doses of oxygen. This can happen when you exercise. Exercise will even tone your body and prepare you for excellent growth in bone muscle.

Sports and Games

It is essential that you participate in sports and games. Depending on your taste you may choose your sport. There are many useful sports that will help you in building a great physique and at the same time teach you deeper aspects of life like victory and defeat, right and wrong, rules and procedures and the spirit of a sportsman.

Eating habits

Eat all you can. Diet is not applicable for you unless you have an ailment or a deficiency. You only have to watch your timing of eating and the frequency of your meals. But remember you have to sweat out all that you eat. All food and no play can make a person dull.

Give yourself good sleep

A scientific study recently showed that people who were not in bed for more than 8 hours a day for a specified period of time, showed signs of ageing and memory loss. If you do not sleep for atleast 8 hours a day then you will age quicker than you should.

Cleanliness is next to godliness

If you aren't clean then you are not going to be healthy. Our body needs regular cleaning just the way a vehicle requires. Taking bath regularly and developing good clean habits is essential. Right from your hair to your toes see that you are clean and fresh.

Say no to harmful substances

Smoking can kill you. Yes. Smoking is not just injurious to health. Smoking kills, slowly and silently. Most of us take to smoking out of curiosity and also out of false heroism shown in movies and media. Cigarette ads show smokers as great heroes. Nobody becomes a hero because he smokes. In fact, lot of habitual smokers are losers in life.

Drinking and chewing tobacco needless to say are extremely harmful. If you want to write your own death warrant then you can try out these substances. Good health and long life are assured if you are away from these substances.

Smile and laugh

The best way to keep good health is to cultivate a healthy attitude. Smile, laugh and make others laugh. Laugh along with people and not at people.

Crack jokes and ensure that others are happy when you are around. There are many who appreciate good humor. There are few who create good humor. Be among those few.

     Have fun and enjoy your life. If you are serious about your life then you will take care of your health. Life is to be lived in a healthy way, mentally and physically. You cannot enjoy the beauty of life if you cannot retain good health.

Living a New Life.

There is an old Indian mythological tale that has great wisdom in it. It goes something like this.

Once there was an Indian merchant who used to trade in diamonds. Every year he used to go to African Jungles and buy diamonds from there, bring them to India and sell them here. On one of his trips to the African Jungles, he came across beautiful talking parrots. They were speaking in beautiful tones and he was fascinated by them. He thought that he should own a talking parrot. He then caught one parrot and brought it with him back to India. He put it up in a golden cage and gave it honey, nuts and various eatables. He played music to the parrot and entertained the parrot. He brought his friends to visit and proudly showed everyone his new possession - the talking parrot. He took care of it very well and gave it a lot of love. The next year when he was getting ready to again leave for the African Jungles, the parrot says, "Dear Master can you do me a favor?" The merchant says, "Yes! I shall do anything for you!" So the parrot says, "when you go to the jungles please find my friends from whom you caught me and brought me here, and when you find them tell them how happy I am here with you." The merchant says, "I will certainly do so." Saying this, he leaves for the Jungles.

When he reaches the jungles he searches for a while and finds the group of talking parrots and goes near them and says, "Remember, I have taken one of your friends last year, It is very happy there with me" And he began to narrate all the good things that he does to take care of the parrot. As he was narrating this, there is one parrot, which starts to cry. He goes near it and tries to console it but it does not stop crying. It goes on crying and after sometime it turns pale, goes weak in its knees and falls down and dies. The merchant is surprised that when he told the wonderful story of the parrot and how happy it was, this parrot gave its life. He thought that may be they are friends and it could not bear the fact that the other parrot was so happy.

After returning back to India, with great sorrow he narrates the story of this dead parrot to his parrot. And as he narrates it, even this parrot begins to cry and turn pale. The merchant tries to console it but the parrot wouldn't stop crying and after a while, right in front of his eyes, the parrot turns weak, keels over and dies. The merchant is stunned by this great relationship and he thinks that may be the two parrots are mates and they could not bear the separation and they both died. He then with a heavy heart picks up the beautiful parrot, which he loved so much, and he throws it away. As soon as the merchant throws it, the parrot comes to life, and fluttering its lovely wings, it goes and perches on top of a nearby tree. It has a great look of happiness on its face and begins to sing with joy. The merchant runs towards the parrot and says, "You cheated me. You pretended as if you died. Why did you do that?". The parrot replies, "When you told me about my friend who died in the jungle, I received a message". The merchant asks, "what was the message?". The parrot replies, "The message was that, if I wanted a new life, a free life, I should be prepared to die while I am still alive" And as the merchant stood there the parrot flew away to its freedom.

Each one of us can have a new life if we leave our old ways of thinking and our old ways of living. You have a great future, but your thoughts and your old habits should not cage you. You should be courageous enough to overcome your old self and give rise to a new person with powerful new habits.

There would be no better judge in your life than yourself to tell you if you are doing right or wrong. You will decide for yourself how your life should be and live your life happily for yourself and for others.

Anger.

Anger is a feeling. Anger is an emotion. And a useless one. If anything, anger can spoil good relationships and situations. It can worsen bad situations. But we all have angry feelings at some time or the other. Especially the young people. You must have heard about rebels. People who rebel against parents, teachers and friends. Generally they are glorified in movies too - the rebels.

Anger is a feeling that we choose. And when we get angry we lose our senses and behave irrationally and in harmful ways. Anger is not good for any person and especially so to a young person. Because anger does not solve anything. It only worsens the situation. Suppose you are angry with your parents for not sending you to a movie or not allowing you to go to a party, your show of anger will not make them do what you want them to do. In most cases, the more you get angry the more stubborn they become. Because anger is a feeling which evokes that kind of response. It does not solve anything but worsens everything.

Some examples of anger in young people.

Anger at school/college

Anger with classmates is common for young people. But it does not solve any purpose and succeeds in spoiling relationships. Fights over petty issues and over insignificant matters always result in unhealthy situations. People get angry when others tease them and call them funny names. 

Anger with authorities

People who love freedom, dislike authority. It is important to understand that authorities are an essential part of our life and they are responsible for a smooth conduct of many things in our daily life. And many times authorities exercise strict behavior so that we benefit from it later.

Anger in competitive sports

If you saw cricket matches and how players sledge at each other, you'd know what anger we are talking about. The thirst to win at all costs can make us lose our senses sometimes. 

Anger on the road

We usually see a lot of people expressing anger on the roads. Especially when there is traffic jam. Sometimes during a traffic jam people yell at each other and quarrel. It is easy to express anger at someone who is not in relation with you because one can be utterly irresponsible of the consequences. Therefore we see many people getting angry with total strangers over issues like sharing the road or a seat in the bus or overtaking a vehicle or jumping a traffic signal...and so on.

These are some common examples of anger and if you fit into any of these then you know what to do. Start working at getting rid of anger from your life.

Finally

Whatever may be the situation remember that you can be in control. And people who are in control of themselves don't get angry. In life as you go ahead and live further you will find this ability to control as one of the most important ability, which will help you in more ways than one.

Achievement.

Achievement is to set a goal and get it. Simple. But not easy. When we are young, we are full of dreams. Dreamers live a life of great success, riches, fame and happiness. These dreams give you the direction in your life. Achieving your dreams is what your life is all about.

Our world has several achievers who set for themselves great goals and achieved them. It is not easy to be an achiever. Everyone dreams of achievement but only a few make it happen. Why is it that not everyone becomes an achiever?

Achievement comes from Will Power.

Everyone wants to stand first or get a prize or become a famous scientist, pilot, artist or a cricketer. But why don't everyone reach their? Because of poor will. In whatever you undertake in life, be it studies, sports or any other activity, you should have strong will power. The determination to achieve what you want to achieve.

A mantra for strong will power.

Whenever we experience a headache we take a tablet or apply a pain balm. Similarly whenever we suffer from lack of will power there is a mantra that you can recite. That is "I Can. I Will." When you have a problem that you want to overcome and you do not have enough will power to overcome it, then say these words to yourself,  "I Can. I Will". 

In your efforts to be achievers, remember that you need to have a goal and achieve. You should not be deterred by circumstances but should go on even in difficulty. Only then you will be an achiever and your achievement will be an example for others to follow. We should show the will power and resolve to achieve. If you do it now you will never forget the importance of strong will power. You will be a great achiever. So go ahead. Become an achiever.

You are a Beautiful Being.

Life is beautiful regardless of all the sad and bad experiences that we might have. Despite the problems that exist in our lives, in our country and in our world - life is beautiful. Having life is the most important gift of nature. Imagine what we would do if we were not alive? Life is all that we have and each one of us should lead a happy life.

Our universe is an endless universe. There are no walls that restrict the vast universe. It is everywhere and we can never  think of reaching the corners of the universe as there are no corners or boundaries to our universe. The universe is so vast that we cannot imagine its great vastness. For example, if a letter is posted from the nearest star, Proxima, to our earth, it would take 20 light years to reach us. That means, the letter has to travel at the speed of light for twenty years before it reaches us. The light of the nearest star reaches in twenty light years. There is a telescope called the Hubbell Telescope with a 1 square inch chip in it, which can photograph the edge of the universe. It is still a mystery as to what is there beyond that edge. It is believed that there are many more mysteries beyond what Hubbell Telescope is photographing. And every month Hubbell Telescope is photographing 100 new galaxies. There is so much to our universe that our entire lifetime is not enough to unearth its mysteries.

But in all this eternity, our life is unique. We are unique. Each one of us is very very special and unique.

Imagine this. At this moment in our vast endless universe there is no one like you except yourself. There has never been anyone like you and there will never be anyone like you even in the future.

Most young people in the age group of 14 to 16 struggle with themselves in understanding, accepting and loving themselves. If you want to be loved by the world, then you should begin to see yourself as a beautiful being in our universe. No one can be one with you. You are you and you will remain that way for as long as you live.

Each person is unique and beautiful in his own respect. And you have to develop respect for yourself because you are a unique being. In our universe, no person is greater than the other person and no person lesser. We are all unique people. You should look at yourself as someone who is good, as talented , as special and as powerful as anyone in the world.

If you begin your life by thinking that you are less than someone else then you are never going to like yourself and accept yourself completely. If you do not like yourself, your self-esteem will come down. People with low self-esteem will never be happy or successful. If you have to be a happy person then the first thing you should learn is to accept yourself and love yourself and treat yourself as someone special. Because you are. You really are.