Do you know how to inspireyourself by saying the rightthings? Yes, that’s auto-suggestion – harness itspower to stay happy

If you have told yourself to relax,focus, breathe, take it easy – youare using auto-suggestion. Auto-suggestion is the easiest way to re-

programme our subconscious mind. Infact, each of us has used auto-sugges-tion at some point in our lives. The prob-lem is most of us use it to focus on neg-ative things rather than positive ones.For e.g. we say, “I am tired”, “I am use-less”, and then wonder why we actual-ly feel that way.

It has been said in ancient textsthat, “The power of life and death lies

in the tongue”. This means, words areso powerful that they can either buildor destroy you. So, we’d rather usewords to focus on positives instead ofnegatives. Energy flows where atten-tion does. If you think you are ugly, thatis how you will be and if you think youare smart, confident and beautiful, thatis how you will appear and your bodylanguage will show it.

The simplest way to harness thepower of auto-suggestion is positive affirmations. These are powerful andpositive sentences that we constantlyrepeat in our mind and heart till theyget embedded in our subconsciousmind. The power of auto-suggestion isenormous and it can be used in health,healing, prevention, relation-ships or career in a huge way.Make it a part of your life andit will help you live better.Times Life

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”LEO TOLSTOY, AUTHOR 03

Between living an “insta-wor-thy life” and sharingthoughtful words, the in-ternet is no longer the samespace it was some years ago.

Trolls, bullies and negativity spread-ers are all over the online world. Wehave all faced them many times whenwe are online. Cyber bullying is some-thing which has impacted celebritiesin a big way too.

What’s the anti-bullying tool?Now, in a move to fight thenegativity and re-establishitself as a space that pro-motes positivity, the pop-ular photo-sharing spacerecently launched newguidelines to tackle theproblem of trolling for itsusers. By launching its‘anti-bullying tool’, Insta-

gram aims to make people reconsiderwhat they want to comment before ac-tually hitting the comment button,thereby curbing online abuse. Insta has most likely decided to addthis feature as it has been facing flakfor the lack of privacy and the rise incases of bullying reported online – con-sidering a large population, especially

teens and people in their 20s spenda lot of time online. The new feature does not

stop people from makingnegative comments, but itgives them the opportuni-ty to “undo” the messagebefore it is posted. Earlier too, the site rolled

out a feature to curb bullyingbut it didn’t help much. TNN

POLISH YOUR SKILLS

POSITIVE PLAY

QWhat are the questions that weshould steer clear of in a conver-

sation even if it is with our relativesand close friends? – A Curious Learner

A. Hi, that’s a pertinent question andpeople need to know what they shouldn’task people. Check these points.

“ARE THEY REAL (NAILS, TEETH,HAIR, ETC)?”: It can be totallyembarassing for the person at thereceiving end to hear this. In case youneed the information for health rea-sons, phrase it like this, “I’m consider-

ing getting my tooth gap filled and won-dered if you knew a good cosmetic den-tist?”. However, when the informationis volunteered by the person concerned,it’s alright for you to ask questions. “CAN YOU AFFORD IT?”: Unless youare the one paying, it’s not your placeto know how others spend their money.Asking someone if they can affordsomething can make the other personthink that they are not affluent enoughto buy a particular thing. The commentis offensive, so don’t say it. BByy SSuunnaaiiiinnaaaa AA HHaakk,, eettiiqquueettttee gguuiiddee

ExpertSPEAK

LIFE SKILLS

THE POWER OF‘auto-suggestion’

Instagram has a newanti-bullying feature!

■ DEADLY BITES, ANIMAL PLANET,3.00 PM: Wildlife cameraman BradBestelink plans to dive into thecrocodile-infested waters of theOkavango Delta to study the wildcreature’s behaviour.

■ MAN VS. WILD, DISCOVERY CHAN-NEL, 5.00 PM: Bear is marooned ona desert island south of Papua NewGuinea. To make his escape, hewades across a shark-infested tidalchannel and constructs a bamboowindsurfer.

■ DEADLY SUMMER, NAT GEO WILD,7.00 PM: A zebra and her foal risktheir lives crossing the crocodile-infested Mara river.

■ WILDLIFE: BORN IN AFRICA, NA-TIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL, 8.00PM: The film-maker explores theAfrican wild in extreme detail.

■ JACK THE GIANT SLAYER, SONY PIXSD, 3.35 PM: A young lad uninten-tionally rekindles an ancient warbetween the humans and a race ofgiants. In the midst of all this, hecontinues to pursue his lady-loveas he tackles the giants.

■ PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE, MOVIESNOW, 5.50 PM: Dusty Crophopper isa celebrity racer with a fantasticcareer. He trains to become a cer-tified firefighter too.

MOVIES ON TVTELEVISION

MUST DOMUST SEEJULY23, 2019

■ 2012, HBO, 8.00 PM: Jackson Curtis, a discontented writer bat-tles against all odds to keep hisfamily secure when a series ofapocalyptic calamities threatensto decimate humankind. How hemanages to get going despite all thechallenges is the crux of the story.

1555: Humayun reconquered Delhi afterdefeating Sikandar Suri.

1829: William Burt patented typographer,which was the first typewriter.

1872: African American inventorElijah McCoy was granted a patentfor lubricators for steam-engines.

1904: The Great Indian PeninsulaRailway started first class restaurant cars onits trains.

1904: The ice cream cone was invented byCharles E Menches.

1906: Indian revolutionary Chandra ShekharAzad was born.

1927: Daily radio transmission broadcast-ing in India started the first commer-

cial radio station – the BombayRadio Station.

1972: US launched Landsat 1 (ERTS-1) - first Earth-resources satellite.

2015: NASA's Kepler mission announcedthe discovery of Earth-like planet Kepler-452b.

2018: First graphic novel to be nominated fora major literary prize was "Sabrina" by NickDrnaso for the Booker long list.

In a world where we wake upto dozens of reminders thatbegin buzzing even beforewe snooze our alarms,making sure that workdoesn’t spill over to the

following week seems like a feat.But sailing through the many dis-tractions and getting more done ina day is a craft that one can be trainedin. Planning guru David Allen givesus pointers on how to maximise timeand keep life running smoothly.

Allen’s mantra“People think I am very organised,”says David Allen, the best-selling au-thor of ‘Getting Things Done: TheArt of Stress Free Productivity.’ He

adds, “But that’s not true, I am verylazy. If I have to make the effort toleave this room, I would have alreadyfigured out the shortest way possi-ble. How I eventually go about it, isa different story.” This candid con-fession from a professional timemanagement guru would seem sur-prising, but Allen has a theory. “Be-ing busy and being productive aretwo separate things.” Surprised? Hehas the right tips to make you un-derstand and follow his philosophy.

One thing at a time

“In American football, there is onlyone underlying principle – where’sthe goal, and what’s the nextplay,” quips Allen. “Similarly,once you have that to-do list infront of you, you narrow downyour goals or the things thatyou wish to accomplish by the

end of the day. Then youcome with the best possi-ble plan or play, that willhelp you achieve that

goal,” adds Allen. For in-stance, if you need to doa holiday project, breakit into simple steps –firstly, get your pointsin order, then, plan a de-sign scheme and thenget going. This way you

are following a plan and notwasting time mulling over it.

There is usually an inverse re-lationship between how

much something occu-pies your mind and

how much workgets done.

Prioritise to organise

When you have figuredout your to-do list, you

need to set your priorities.“I am a people pleaser. I

want people to like me. Sayingno is something that’s tough forme. But maybe if you practicesaying no for about 150 times –the 151st time may not be ashard,” says Allen.This policy topriortise and eliminate distrac-tions will help you clear yourmind and you will be able to fo-

cus on achieving your goalsin a set time.

TAKE STOCK OF THE WEEK

Every week or fortnight, allocate some time toreview your to-do list. Many diligently maintaintheir daily calendar – be it making a phone call to adistant cousin, or buying stationery. Then, thereare some who believe in the bigger picture – wherethey plan their annual holidays, or their work goalsfor a year. But, there is a lot of time that lies inbetween the daily list and the larger goal one. Thisis where taking stock on a weekly basis helps.

Time is the biggest assestof life as time gone is goneforever. Checks these tipsto manage it efficiently

Get it out of your headIt’s simple, write it down – any-where. It can be a sticky note,notepad or your daily planner.“That’s the most common mis-take that people make and ithampers their productivity. Theykeep everything in their head.Our brain is not equipped to dealwith the 450 things that we need toaccomplish. It can barely hold onto four-five things,” shares Allen.Jot down everything, from dailychores to important events.

Time managementtips you didn’t know

Single-mindedengagementAfter eliminating dis-tractions and review-

ing your goals, youhave placed your tasks

in categories: immediate,later or never, you can now

channel your efforts in stay-ing 100 per cent focused on

what you’ve set for yourself.“The idea is to keep your mindcompletely clutter-free and focus

on the task at hand. You are theone in absolute control of whatyou want to accomplish.”

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS

IT’S PRETTY‘RESTRICTING’ Instagam’s new fea-ture, called “restrict”will work by analysingthe comment whichpeople leave and then

issuing them a warn-ing. The social mediasite’s ArtificalIntelligence will workto recognise the textsand posts which aremost often reportedby users.

EExxaammppllee: If a persontypes “you are dis-gusting”, he/she willbe interrupted with anotice saying: “Are yousure you want to postthis?” It gives you achance to rethink!

TECHNIQUES FORAUTO-SUGGESTION 1. DELETE NEGATIVETHOUGHTS: Start paying atten-tion to your self-talk. Wheneveryou catch yourself in negativeself-talk, especially internal dia-logue that expresses fear, doubt,or self-loathing, delete or eraseit. Then replace it with moreencouraging positive words.

2. USE AFFIRMATION: Positiveaffirmations are so much morethan just feel-good quotes andpositive statements.

3. USE REPETITION: Use repeti-tive tasks as an opportunity forprogramming self with auto-sug-gestion. For instance, people canuse time in the shower, while eat-ing, or commuting for affirmations.

4. USE EMOTIONS: In order tomake auto-suggestion work, it

must trigger feelings. The moremeaningful auto-suggestion is toyou, the more effective it is.

5. STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH:Sit comfortably in a quiet space –your home, garden, etc. Pick agoal to focus on. Relax your bodyand take long deep breaths. Tuneinto your inner voice, and con-nect to the feeling that you trulybelieve this goal or intention.

Adapted from Mumbai Mirror

THIS DAYTHAT YEAR