Monday, 11 April 2016

Definite Chief Aim - the starting point of phenomenal success!




Creating a Definite Chief Aim for yourself is a way to supercharge yourself to achieve great success which you never dreamt before. 

Aligning yourself with a major purpose gives you clarity. It helps you to create a laser-like focus in your endeavors.

The term, Definite Chief Aim



The term, Definite Chief Aim, comes from the success philosophy of Napoleon Hill. We can learn this in detail from his powerful books, The Law of Success (1928) and Think and Grow Rich (1937). 



He says strongly held Definite Chief Aim transforms your mind into a powerful magnet which attracts the people and circumstances necessary to accomplish your desire.

Napoleon Hill writes with 100 percent confidence:

"When a man seriously decides about the Definite Chief Aim of his life, 
the whole universe seems to come to his aid to see that he gets it."

There are hundreds of success stories which prove the words of Napoleon Hill. 

Here we are going to read a dramatic description of how Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to visualise his definite chief aim well in advance and make it into reality later.

100 Ways to Motivate Yourself



In his amazing book ‘100 Ways to Motivate Yourself’, journalist and motivational speaker Steve Chandler narrates about his first interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger which happened several years back.

How Arnold visualised his Definite Chief Aim.


“Arnold Schwarzenegger was not famous yet in 1976 when he and I had lunch together at the Doubletree Inn in Tucson, Arizona. Not one person in the restaurant recognized him. 

He was in town publicizing the movie Stay Hungry, a box-office disappointment he had just made. I was a sports columnist for the Tucson Citizen at the time. 

My assignment was to write a feature story about him for our newspaper’s Sunday magazine. And although I took to it with an uninspired attitude, it was one I’d never forget.

Perhaps the most memorable part of that day with Schwarzenegger occurred when we took an hour for lunch. I had my reporter’s notebook out and was asking questions for the story while we ate. 

At one point I casually asked him, “Now that you have retired from bodybuilding, what are you going to do next?”

With a voice as calm as if he were telling me about some mundane travel plans, he said, “I’m going to be the number-one box-office star in all of Hollywood.”

Mind you, this was not the slim, aerobic Arnold we know today. This man was pumped up and huge.



I tried not to show my shock and amusement at his plan. After all, his first attempt at movies didn’t promise much. And his Austrian accent and awkward, monstrous build didn’t suggest instant acceptance by movie audiences. 

I finally managed to match his calm demeanor, and I asked him just how he planned to become Hollywood’s top star.

“It’s the same process I used in bodybuilding,” he explained. “What you do is create a vision of who you want to be, and then live into that picture as if it were already true.”

It sounded ridiculously simple. Too simple to mean anything. But I wrote it down. And I never forgot it.

I’ll never forget the moment when some entertainment TV show was saying that box office receipts from his second Terminator movie had made him the most popular box office draw in the world.



Over the years I’ve used Arnold’s idea of creating a vision as a motivational tool. I’ve also elaborated on it in my corporate training seminars. 

He did not say that you wait until you receive a vision. You create one. In other words, you make your own definite chief aim.”

Decide upon your Definite Chief Aim

Once you’ve decided upon your Definite Chief Aim, all of your decisions and actions align with your major purpose.

The next step is to develop a white hot heat of desire for it. Become obsessive. Think about it night and day.  You will achieve it.

Sunday, 10 April 2016

Help to spread the smiles



TALENT SEARCH TRUST is a purposeful initiative, started to motivate the new generation and change their lives. We invite every ignited individual who really wishes to plant the seeds of hope among the children and youth to join hand with us. 

TALENT SEARCH TRUST is a Registered Non Governmental Organisation registered in Chennai, India under Indian Trusts Act, 1882 (1772 of 2006). 
Talent Search Trust focuses on Confidence Building and Skill Development among the new generation.
The Trust organises Talent Search Competitions and Motivational Workshops for students.

The Trust has donated more than Rs 1 crore worth of books, educational magazines, note books and gifts to the children of various Government schools, Chennai Corporation schools, Government aided schools and private schools.

The Trust is headed by Mr.Susi Thirugnanam, Editor of educational magazines KIDS PUNNAGAI and GENIUS PUNNAGAI.

Our Vision : "Spread the smiles"
Our mission : "To involve ourselves in various activities which can inspire the new generation 

and guide them lead successful lives."


Our Activities
1. Organizing Talent Search Competitions
2. Personality Development Programs
3. Orientation Programs for teachers
4. Supporting various initiatives to enhance reading habit 
5. Providing support to less fortunate students.

We request you to support this mission in all possible ways. 

You can donate inspiring KIDS magazine 
to the underprivileged children.

Cost of 1 year subscription for 10 students is Rs 5000 


You can donate inspiring GENIUS magazine to the underprivileged High school students.
Cost of 1 year subscription for 10 students is Rs 5000 


You can donate to arrange motivational programs in schools. 
Cost of an impact-creating motivational program with follow ups is Rs.25,000


You may donate any possible amount for this noble cause.
Your support will be utilised in the right way and it will be intimated to you.



Account Particulars
Ac.Name : TALENT SEARCH TRUST 
Current Ac. No.: 6029725603 
Indian Bank, Alwarpet Branch

For clarifications
pl mail to : thiru_gnanamc@yahoo.com
or punnagai.media@gmail.com

or call 099400 90596

From a shepherd girl to the Minister of Education of France!



Najat Belkacem is the first woman to become French Minister of Education. She is the youngest Minister (36) as well as the first Muslim Minister.

While some are too busy shouting ban migrants, Najat Belkacem quietly reminds us that immigrants are an asset. 

Shepherd girl in Morocco

Najat Belkacem was born in the Moroccan countryside in 1977. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem’s childhood home was an isolated farmhouse with red earth walls and a thatched roof. 

Her earliest memories are of helping her grandfather tend to his flock of goats and gathering water from the nearby well with her older sister.

Migrated to France


Her father, Ahmed, had immigrated to the northern French town of Abbeville as a building worker before she was born. When Vallaud-Belkacem was four, her father found a better job and he sent for his wife and two daughters to join him. 

Cultural shock



Settling in a suburb of Amiens, some 80 miles north of Paris, Vallaud-Belkacem felt the full shock of a new culture. 

She didn’t speak a word of French and remembers being stunned by the vast number of cars—a vehicle she had rarely seen before.

Focus on studies



Her father set strict rules: Vallaud-Belkacem and her sister were forbidden to flirt with boys or to go out to nightclubs before the age of eighteen. Vallaud-Belkacem poured all of her energy into her studies. 

She read books constantly and her favourite moment of the week was when the mobile lending library pulled up to her block. She developed good fluency in French within a few years.

Paris Institute of Political Studies


When she wanted to apply for the Paris Institute of Political Studies, her teacher discouraged her from applying, saying it was out of her reach. 

But she took the entrance exam anyway and passed. She learnt every skills needed for her future career from this prestigious Institute.

Determined to succeed in politics




Najat became determined to succeed in politics when she observed the rise of Le Pen and the right wing in France.

She joined the Socialist Party in 2002. She was part of the team of Lyon mayor who fought against discrimination and for promotion of citizen rights. In 2005, she became adviser to the Socialist Party.

On 16 May 2012, she was appointed to French President Francois Hollande's  cabinet as Minister of Women's Rights.

On 25 August 2014 she became the first French woman to be appointed Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Research, joining the second Valls government.

Rising above all humiliations



Politics in France has always been a white man’s business. You rarely see women or people of diverse races in positions of power.

She recalls how at her first fundraiser as she welcomed guests in and took their coats many of them mistook her for the house maid.

“Still today in our society a young woman with dark skin who opens the door in a bourgeois area has to be a servant,” she wrote. 

Today, she’s called in the international media as “The New Face of France.” The right education and determination to fight against all challenges literally prove that for any person from any humble background the sky is the limit.

PRECIOUS LESSONS FROM AN ERASER

This is a touching story of a pencil and an eraser.

The pencil bent towards the eraser and said "I'm sorry"


The eraser looked up and replied, "For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

The pencil explained 
"I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. 
Whenever I made a mistake, you are there to erase it. 
But as you make my mistakes vanish, 
you lose a part of yourself. 
You get smaller and smaller each time I make a mistake."


The eraser said with a confident voice: 

"That's true. But I don't really mind. 
You see, I was made to do this. 

I was made to help you whenever you do a mistake.
I know one day I'll be replaced with a new one. 

But, I'm actually happy with helping others. 
So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad."

What a wonderful reply!

I applied this conversation between the pencil and the eraser to our day to day life.

Have you noticed the eraser characters around you? They may be your parents or teachers or friends or colleagues. 


They always take responsibility to help you and others. They bear with the abuses, humiliations, loses and hurts made by you or others. They never rethink about their dedicated service.

Patience, silence and focus in service are their strength. 

They know pretty well that when they sacrifice something precious, they are not losing it, but passing it to someone else. 

The progress of humanity is a reflection of the existence of such eraser characters. Never, never, never underestimate their dedication. 

Friday, 8 April 2016

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE




Albert Einstein made a beautiful comment about life:


“There are two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle".

Many of us fail to appreciate the miracles happening around us.

We all have the greatest privilege to be born as human beings, the greatest form of life in this richest planet. We are all endowed with good parents, teachers, friends and relatives.

Do you feel thankful? 




Do you feel thankful for all the gifts in your life? Do you express thanks to those who help you?

Gratitude unlocks the full potentials of life. It turns denial into acceptance, insult into respect, problems into gifts and failures into success.

Gratitude journal



One of the ways I have learned to use the power of gratitude in my life is to maintain a gratitude journal.

In spite of all the failures and rejections I face, I have a lot of progress and proud moments to be remembered every day.

Every night before I go to bed, I use to focus only the positive things, and I write at least five things I am thankful for.

It could be an inspiring book which I read, a path breaking idea shared by my colleague, a timely help from my friend, or even a smile by a stranger.

“The Happiest Moment” 



I use to end my gratitude journal with “The Happiest Moment” of my day.

This single sentence helps me to focus on what brings happiness to me and to have more such moments in my life. I am much benefitted by this practice and I recommend this to you.

Start the habit of thanking



Always express your gratitude to the persons who help you to get ahead in studies and in life.

Feeling thankful and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it. 

You can simply say “Thank you”. You may give a gentle handshake. Sometimes thanks giving card or a short letter will convey your goodwill. Start writing gratitude journal from today.

When you nurture the attitude of gratitude, even challenging days will turn to be joyful days.

I want to end this note with the thought provoking words of the Roman philosopher Cicero: 



Susi Thirugnanam

Editor, GENIUS Punnagai & KIDS punnagai
Educational Magazines