Friends Can Help Overcome Stress

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Picture the scene: you have been worrying yourself into a blue funk over the course of a week with one subject dominating the horizon and no idea how you are going to deal with it. This worry arises time and again, often at inopportune moments, before sinking out of sight for long enough to give you a shot at cheering up – before the worry appears again and pulls the rag from underneath your feet. As you sit there consumed by the feeling that nothing is ever going to be enjoyable again, it is a level certainty that someone will ask you: “What’s up?”. It is also a fair possibility that you will pause for a moment and then say “Oh? No, nothing, I’m fine.”

Does that sound familiar? If so, don’t worry – you’re one of a great many people who have lived that exact scenario out maybe weekly, maybe even more often than that. We have a tendency to internalize our worries, and when someone asks us what’s going on it is somehow easier to pretend that all’s well rather than burdening them with some of what is bothering us. Never mind the fact that they may be able to help, we do not want to be thought of as wasting their valuable time. It is a little bit like a dance in a lot of ways – the initial approach, the intricate steps of offer and response, the big finish (where they walk away, perhaps a tad confused).

For politeness’ sake, we are almost hard-wired to decline any offers of help even when we would really benefit from having someone else’s advice. But if they didn’t want to help, they wouldn’t have asked. Whatever the situation you are trying to deal with, there might be something they can do. Maybe they can help materially. Maybe they’ve been there themselves and can offer advice that will fix things. Maybe they know someone who can help, even if they cannot themselves. Either way, it is counter-productive to turn down an offer of help simply because you don’t want to be impolite. If nothing else the act of telling someone, and having them listen to you, can make the problem seem a bit less insurmountable.

The act of “bottling things up” is one that we are all prone to every once in a while, but it is not a good habit to get into. Stress is a major contributor to many illnesses, both physical and mental, and allowing problems to snowball to the point where you cannot see a way out is only going to hurt you in the short and long term. A good friend will want to help you. Solving a problem is a lot easier when you have a second mind working on it. Don’t think that they are only asking in order to be polite, and that by telling them anything you will be ruining their day. They want to know. They want to help. Give them that opportunity, and it will make things a whole lot more straightforward for all concerned.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Simplepersonaldevelopment.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on May 30, 2009.

Media Interview and Canadian Thanksgiving

Canadian Business Magazine Interviews Ahmed Dawn

First Published: October 13, 2008 ADawnJournal.com

Canada is celebrating Thanksgiving today. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. In Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving to give thanks for a successful harvest. Canada is located in the North and the harvest season comes earlier in Canada compared to the U.S.

In the U.S. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In America Thanksgiving is a tradition of settling in the New World and remembering Pilgrims. Also, it’s a way to express thanks and gratitude for all the things harvest has brought at the end of the harvest season.

I wish everyone a happy and pleasant Thanksgiving.

Media Interview

I am glad to let you know that I just had my first media interview. The interview lasted slightly more than half an hour. Before this interview, I had always thought that they gave you the questions beforehand. But that’s not the case. They give only a "Topic" and within that topic they can ask questions from a variety of angles. My topic was "personal finance for young professionals". I will be featured in a Canadian business magazine in the January 2009 issue.

India Gate Tour, New Delhi | Travel India

India Gate Tour

India Gate, also known as Delhi Memorial or All-India War Memorial, was built in 1931 (designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens) to commemorate the 70,000 Indian and British soldiers who gave their lives fighting for the British Army during World War I between 1914 and 1919.

The sandstone arch monument memorial in New Delhi is about 138 feet (42 metres) in height and bears the names of more than 13,500 British and Indian soldiers inscribed in smaller letters on the monument.

An eternal flame burns 24 hours under the arch to remind us of the soldiers who gave their lives for a better tomorrow.

Watch my India Gate Travel Video to experience this historic monument. Follow me on YouTube if you’d like to keep updated with all my travel videos around the globe.

Is Your Job The Problem?

A Job Can Negatively Affect You

Life can be frustrating, draining and annoying. For far too many of us, every day is a struggle. Getting out of bed can be as much of a struggle as any other part of the day, and this should not be the case. It isn’t how things should be, but for too many of us it is a reality that we have to come to terms with. How many of us wake up in the morning and think “I’m looking forward to this”? Far too few. And, while there is not always an instant solution to this problem, the truth of the matter is that we have choices in life – it is about finding a way to make these choices a reality. It’s not easy – nothing that is worth doing ever is, unfortunately – but the truth is that if you work at it, you can make the future a lot better than the present.

The overwhelming majority of the time, we have difficulty getting out of bed because we know that what is lying ahead is a job that has very little about it to look forward to. Some of us have great jobs, and cannot wait to go in every day. The rest of us look at them with a mix of envy, admiration and hatred. The truth is that through one thing and another we can end up working in a job for which we have no great love from school through to retirement. And it can have an effect on our health, both mentally and physically. In order to have the life we want, we need to consider a number of factors, and our job (for what it does to our minds and bodies) is certainly one of those.

There are many ways in which a job can negatively affect a person. There is the most simple of all, which is that it is boring and repetitive. Going in every day to a job which is unchanging and which offers little prospect of variety can seem like a life sentence. As melodramatic as that sounds, getting some enjoyment out of your job is the least we should expect. Simply in order to stay sane you need to be able to smile and laugh every so often. Then there are the jobs that morally compromise us. Certain sales jobs and cold-calling can really put someone in a difficult position mentally. If you know that your job is going to involve putting an unwelcome crimp in someone’s day, it can be hard to live with yourself. As much money as some of these jobs can pay, it is usually the ones getting paid least who have the most uncomfortable duties.

Changing your job is not simple. Saying goodbye to a steady living is not something many of us can afford to even consider in the current climate. If, however, you have the freedom to look for a better job while you are doing the one that is currently giving you so much heartache, it can be highly worthwhile. It is something that can even lift the drab days when you are working at the job from hell – look at it as a way out!

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Simplepersonaldevelopment.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on May 13, 2009.

What Is a FICO® score?

What Is a FICO® score?

The FICO® score is a number (a credit score) between 300-850®. FICO® score is the most widely used credit scoring system in the world. Most of the financial institutions in North America use FICO® score to determine an applicant’s credit risk. Fair Isaac Corporation – the pioneer in credit scoring, developed the FICO® score. Engineer Bill Fair and mathematician Earl founded this corporation in 1965.

A high FICO® score is considered a good score for consumer. Most consumers score in the 600 score and 700 score. Above 700 score mean you are in good financial position and lenders will most likely approve your credit request. Below 600 score indicate you are a high-risk client and lenders will most likely decline your credit request or will approve with much higher interest rates. Lenders buy your FICO® score from credit reporting agencies such as Equifax, TransUnion.

Five Parts

FICO® score is based on the five general categories:

·   Payment History = 35% – Paying bills on time helps. Avoid late  payments.

·   Amounts Owed = 30% – If you owe a lot of money, it lowers your score.

·   Length of Credit history = 15% – A longer history increases your score.

·   New credit = 10% – Too many credit inquiries will lower your score. Lenders consider you a high-risk client when you actively seek credit.

·   Type of Credit = 10% – If you use a combination of different types of credits such as credit cards, mortgage, car loans etc, and have good paying history – it may increase your score.

How To Obtain FICO® score

A regular credit bureau report does not provide FICO® score. For example, regular Equifax Credit Report costs $15.50; however, it will not show your FICO® score. To see you FICO® score, you can purchase Score Power Credit Report – it costs about $24. Or there are free providers such as Mogo, Borrowell, Credit Karma who provide FICO® score for free. Your banks may provide this for free as well. Check your online banking portal.