Analytical Skills

How to Develop Analytical Skills

 In our day to day life whether official, personal or social, we have to deal with complications. Some situations are easy to handle with but other are complex which snatch the peace of mind because our brain gets stuck on how best to handle such state of affair. This is where our Analytical Skills help us.

 The prime purpose for the Analysis of any given situation is to get to know the root cause(s) of the issue, to forecast the impact & to plan corrective/preventive actions strategy. So basically analytical skill is to visualize a given situation, task, project or issue from several angles in order to breakdown it into smaller steps.

 

Below are different situations where our analytical skills are required. I shall give advices in each category accordingly:

 

1) When Summarizing Large Amount of Data: In this situation, I highly recommend using Pivot Tables feature of MS Excel in order to generate reports. The Pivot Reports feature allows us playing with the data in several ways to generate multi dimensional reports. We can breakdown large amount of data in different sheets to apply Pivot Reports separately as well. Youtube is a very good source of videos for learning this skill. Pivot table can also generate reports for Trends & Forecast in two to three dimensions.

 

2) When Resolving Conflicts in Office: In this case, listen to all parties which are having difference of opinion. List down the positive & negative input factors & after-effects based on feedback from individuals. Make it in tabular format & review this with your manager to see which one is the best option to go for. Then call for a meeting to elaborate the overall picture based on your fair analysis & convince personnel for the option which is in the best interest of the company.

 

3) When Being Assigned a large project: in this case you need to make a high level agenda (High Level Project Deliverables) & then start working on WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) & then assign each task to relevant resource. While making WBS you can have a meeting with your Team Leads & other stake holders. You can consider Fishbone diagram to analyze the inputs of any task.

 

4) When Resolving a Technical issue: The advice here is to consult the product guide to see the possible root causes, consult the SME (Subject Matter Expert) for opinion or consult the Lesson Learnt Register. For all kind of issues resolutions, I always recommend two things. First is to take corrective action to fix the issue, Second to take Preventive Action (fix the root cause permanently) so that the issues does not keep on popping. Six Sigma's DMAIC is recommended way for analyzing & improving. You want to learn Six Sigma, get an introduction from Google.

 

5) When purchasing something: Let us take the example of mobile phone. When you want to purchase a new mobile you need to ask yourself: do I need touch screen, do I need wifi, do I really need to purchase new mobile, what is my budget? Do I need 5MP camera, do I need iphone or Android, and do I need 4 inch screen or less? What other specs do I need to consider. So basically you are analyzing your demands to come up with the right mobile which is to be purchased.

 

6) When handling family conflicts: Being a sensitive subject, this is something where you need much more than analytical skills; For each family member involved in the conflict, you have to have sense of feelings, emotions study, stress absorption power, age factor, relationship level & convincing power so in my opinion this is the most difficult part of practicing your analytical skills. You have to consistently guide everyone about 'forgive & forget' policy. You have to calmly listen to each party & take adequate time to analyze all aspects (as mentioned a couple of lines back) vigilantly before concluding something on the brawl.

 

Conclusion: Analytical skills can make your life easier in almost all aspects of decision making or problem solving; however, it's not only the matter of considering all the options & the inputs, its matter of considering the weight of each option as well. For example, for a given situation you have two options having equal number of advantages or disadvantages so in order to conclude in such situation you have to consider the weight of each option. While doing your analysis you might want to consider the difference between Urgent & Important things.

 

Develop & sharpen your analytical skills to take steps for reducing stress in your life consequently to ensure peace of mind. - FA

Deadly Sins of Negative Thinking

 

 Deadly Sins of Negative Thinking

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful."

Life could be so much better for many people, if they would just spot their negative thinking habits and replace them with positive ones.
Negative thinking, in all its many-splendored forms, has a way of creeping into conversations and our thinking without our noticing
them. The key to success, in my humble opinion, is learning to spot these thoughts and squash them like little bugs. Then replace them
with positive ones. You'll notice a huge difference in everything you do.
Let's take a look at common ways that negative thinking emerges get good at spotting these patterns, and practice replacing them with
positive thinking patterns. It has made all the difference in the world for me.
The Deadly Sins of Negative Thinking 
 
1. I will be happy once I have _____ (or once I earn X).
Problem: If you think you can't be happy until you reach a certain point, or until you reach a certain income, or have a certain type of
house or car or computer setup, you'll never be happy. That elusive goal is always just out of reach. Once we reach those goals, we are
not satisfied we want more.
Solution: Learn to be happy with what you have, where you are, and who you are, right at this moment. Happiness doesn't have to be some state
that we want to get to eventually it can be found right now. Learn to count your blessings, and see the positive in your situation. This
might sound simplistic, but it works.

2. I wish I were as ____ as (a celebrity, friend, co-worker).
Problem: We'll never be as pretty, as talented, as rich, as sculpted, as cool, as everyone else. There will always be someone better, if you
look hard enough. Therefore, if we compare ourselves to others like this, we will always pale, and will always fail, and will always feel
bad about ourselves. This is no way to be happy.
Solution: Stop comparing yourself to others, and look instead at yourself what are your strengths, your accomplishments, your
successes, however small? What do you love about yourself? Learn to love who you are, right now, not who you want to become. There is good
in each of us, love in each of us, and a wonderful human spirit in every one of us. 
 
3. Seeing others becoming successful makes me jealous and resentful.
Problem: First, this assumes that only a small number of people can be
successful. In truth, many, many people can be successful in
different ways.
Solution: Learn to admire the success of others, and learn from it, and be happy for them, by empathizing with them and understanding what
it must be like to be them. And then turn away from them, and look at yourself you can be successful too, in whatever you choose to do.
And even more, you already are successful. Look not at those above you in the social ladder, but those below you there are always millions
of people worse off than you, people who couldn't even read this article or afford a computer. In that light, you are a huge success. 
 
4. I am a miserable failure I can't seem to do anything right.
Problem: Everyone is a failure, if you look at it in certain ways. Everyone has failed, many times, at different things. I have certainly
failed so many times I cannot count them and I continue to fail, daily. However, looking at your failures as failures only makes you
feel bad about yourself. By thinking in this way, we will have a negative self-image and never move on from here.
Solution: See your successes and ignore your failures. Look back on your life, in the last month, or year, or 5 years. And try to remember
your successes. If you have trouble with this, start documenting them keep a success journal, either in a notebook or online. Document
your success each day, or each week. When you look back at what you've accomplished, over a year, you will be amazed. It's an incredibly
positive feeling. 
 
5. I'm going to beat so-and-so no matter what I'm better than him. There's no way I'll help him succeed he might beat me.
Problem: Competitiveness assumes that there is a small amount of gold to be had, and I need to get it before he does. It makes us into
greedy, back-stabbing, hurtful people. We try to claw our way over people to get to success, because of our competitive feelings. For
example, if a blogger wants to have more subscribers than another blogger, he may never link to or mention that other blogger. However,
who is to say that my subscribers can't also be yours? People can read and subscribe to more than one blog.
Solution: Learn to see success as something that can be shared, and learn that if we help each other out, we can each have a better chance
to be successful. Two people working towards a common goal are better than two people trying to beat each other up to get to that goal.
There is more than enough success to go around. Learn to think in terms of abundance rather than scarcity. 
 
6. Dammit! Why do these bad things always happen to me?
Problem: Bad things happen to everybody. If we dwell on them, they will frustrate us and bring us down.
Solution: See bad things as a part of the ebb and flow of life. Suffering is a part of the human condition but it passes. All pain
goes away, eventually. Meanwhile, don't let it hold you back. Don't dwell on bad things, but look forward towards something good in your
future. And learn to take the bad things in stride, and learn from them. Bad things are actually opportunities to grow and learn and get
stronger, in disguise. 
 
7. You can't do anything right! Why can't you be like ____ ?
Problem: This can be said to your child or your subordinate or your sibling. The problem? Comparing two people, first of all, is always a
fallacy. People are different, with different ways of doing things, different strengths and weaknesses, different human characteristics.
If we were all the same, we'd be robots. Second, saying negative things like this to another person never helps the situation. It might
make you feel better, and more powerful, but in truth, it hurts your relationship, it will actually make you feel negative, and it will
certainly make the other person feel negative and more likely to continue negative behavior. Everyone loses.
Solution: Take the mistakes or bad behavior of others as an opportunity to teach. Show them how to do something. Second, praise
them for their positive behavior, and encourage their success. Last, and most important, love them for who they are, and celebrate their
differences. 
 
8. Your work sucks. It's super lame. You are a moron and I hope you never reproduce.
Problem: I've actually gotten this comment before. It feels wonderful. However, let's look at it not from the perspective of the person
receiving this kind of comment but from the perspective of the person giving it. How does saying something negative like this help you? I
guess it might feel good to vent if you feel like your time has been wasted. But really, how much of your time has been wasted? A few
minutes? And whose fault is that? The bloggers or yours? In truth, making negative comments just keeps you in a negative mindset. It's
also not a good way to make friends.
Solution: Learn to offer constructive solutions, first of all. Instead of telling someone their blog sucks, or that a post is lame, offer
some specific suggestions for improvement. Help them get better. If you are going to take the time to make a comment, make it worth your
time. Second, learn to interact with people in a more positive way it makes others feel good and it makes you feel better about yourself.
And you can make some great friends this way. That's a good thing. 
 
9. Insulting People Back
Problem: If someone insults you or angers you in some way, insulting them back and continuing your anger only transfers their problem to
you. This person was probably having a bad day (or a bad year) and took it out on you for some reason. If you reciprocate, you are now
having a bad day too. His problem has become yours. Not only that, but the cycle of insults can get worse and worse until it results in
violence or other negative consequences for both of you.
Solution: Let the insults or negative comments of others slide off you like Teflon. Don't let their problem become yours. In fact, try to
understand their problem more why would someone say something like that? What problems are they going through? Having a little empathy
for someone not only makes you understand that their comment is not about you, but it can make you feel and act in a positive manner
towards them and make you feel better about yourself in the process. 
 
10. I don't think I can do this I don't have enough discipline. Maybe some other time.
Problem: If you don't think you can do something, you probably won't. Especially for the big stuff. Discipline has nothing to do with it
motivation and focus has everything to do with it.  If you put stuff off for "some other time", you'll never get it done. Negative
thinking like this inhibits us from accomplishing anything.
Solution: Turn your thinking around: you can do this! You don't need discipline. Find ways to make yourself a success at your goal. If you
fail, learn from your mistakes, and try again. Instead of putting a goal off for later, start now. Focus on one goal at a time,
putting all of your energy into it, and getting as much help from others as you can.

You can really move mountains if you start with positive thinking.

Cell phone harmful Radiation

Cell phone harmful Radiation

OLYMPIC MEDALS FACTS

As far as the value of the raw materials in them, this varies from Olympiad to Olympiad.  For the current 2012 Olympics in London, the medals are the largest of any in Olympic history, weighing in at 400g for the gold medal.  Of this 400g, 394g is sterling silver (364.45g silver / 29.55g copper) with 6g of 24 karat gold plating.  At the current going rate for gold and silver, this means a gold medal in the London Olympics is worth about $624, with $304 of the value coming from the gold and about $320 coming from the sterling silver.

Of course, athletes can often get much more than this selling the medals on the open market, particularly for momentous medals, like the “Miracle on Ice” 1980 men’s U.S. hockey team gold medal.  Mark Wells, a member of that team, auctioned his medal off in 2012 and received $310,700 for it, which he needed to help pay for medical treatment.

Most auctioned medals don’t go for nearly this much, though.  For instance, Anthony Ervin’s 50 meter freestyle gold medal won in 2000, even with all proceeds going to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, only sold for $17,100.  John Konrads’ 1500 meter freestyle gold medal won in 1960 only sold for $11,250 in 2011.  This is a great return in terms of what the raw value of the materials are worth, but certainly nowhere close to Mark Wells’ medal.

Gold medals in the Olympics weren’t always made mostly of silver.  Before the 1912 Olympics, they were made of solid gold.  However, they tended to be much smaller than modern medals.  For instance, the 1900 Paris gold medals were only 3.2 mm thick, with a 59 mm diameter, weighing just 53g.  For perspective, the London 2012 medals are 7 mm thick, with a diameter of 85 mm and, as mentioned, weigh 400g.  The 1900 Paris gold medals at today’s value of gold are worth about $2685.  For the 1912 games in Stockholm, the last year the gold medals were made of solid gold, the value of the gold medals at current prices of gold would be $1207.86.

If the current 2012 Olympic gold medals were made out of solid gold, they’d be worth about $20,266 each.  This may seem do-able, considering how much money the Olympics brings in, until you consider just how many medals are awarded during each summer Olympics.  For instance, in these 2012 Olympics, about 4,700 medals will be given out, so over 1500 gold medals. At $20,266 each, that would be just shy of $32 million dollars for the gold medal materials alone.

As it is, with the current gold medals having about $624 worth of materials, then $330 for the silver medals (93% silver, 7% copper), and $4.70 for the bronze (which are mostly made of copper, with a very small amount of zinc and tin), about $1.5 million is still being spent on the materials alone for the medals awarded, not to mention the cost of minting them.

Bonus Facts:

 Strict guidelines are set for the minting of Olympic medals.  For instance, for gold medals the silver must be 92.5% pure silver (with 7.5% copper), and they must include at least 6g of gold for plating the medal.  They also must be at least 3mm thick and 60mm in diameter.

 Nobel Prize gold medals really are made of mostly gold.  Today they are made with 24 karat gold plating and 18 karat green gold (gold with a small amount of silver) for the rest.  Before 1980, they were made from 23 karat gold.

 The practice of giving out gold and silver medals is thought to have its origins with the military.  Before a standard set of military awards were created, it was common to reward soldiers (in a variety of militaries throughout the world) for special achievements by giving them gold and silver medals.  For instance, in the United States, special awards were given to commanding officers in the form of gold medals and the officers under that commander would receive silver medals.

 The gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, being smaller than the current medals (Barcelona medals at 9.8 mm thick, 70 mm in diameter, weighing 231g) are only worth about $484 at the current price of gold and silver.

References:

 Who Makes Gold Medals for the Olympics

 How Much is a Gold Medal Worth?

 Gold Medal

 What’s an Olympic Medal Worth

 Going for Gold

OLYMPIC MEDALS FACTS

As far as the value of the raw materials in them, this varies from Olympiad to Olympiad.  For the current 2012 Olympics in London, the medals are the largest of any in Olympic history, weighing in at 400g for the gold medal.  Of this 400g, 394g is sterling silver (364.45g silver / 29.55g copper) with 6g of 24 karat gold plating.  At the current going rate for gold and silver, this means a gold medal in the London Olympics is worth about $624, with $304 of the value coming from the gold and about $320 coming from the sterling silver.

Of course, athletes can often get much more than this selling the medals on the open market, particularly for momentous medals, like the “Miracle on Ice” 1980 men’s U.S. hockey team gold medal.  Mark Wells, a member of that team, auctioned his medal off in 2012 and received $310,700 for it, which he needed to help pay for medical treatment.

Most auctioned medals don’t go for nearly this much, though.  For instance, Anthony Ervin’s 50 meter freestyle gold medal won in 2000, even with all proceeds going to the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, only sold for $17,100.  John Konrads’ 1500 meter freestyle gold medal won in 1960 only sold for $11,250 in 2011.  This is a great return in terms of what the raw value of the materials are worth, but certainly nowhere close to Mark Wells’ medal.

Gold medals in the Olympics weren’t always made mostly of silver.  Before the 1912 Olympics, they were made of solid gold.  However, they tended to be much smaller than modern medals.  For instance, the 1900 Paris gold medals were only 3.2 mm thick, with a 59 mm diameter, weighing just 53g.  For perspective, the London 2012 medals are 7 mm thick, with a diameter of 85 mm and, as mentioned, weigh 400g.  The 1900 Paris gold medals at today’s value of gold are worth about $2685.  For the 1912 games in Stockholm, the last year the gold medals were made of solid gold, the value of the gold medals at current prices of gold would be $1207.86.

If the current 2012 Olympic gold medals were made out of solid gold, they’d be worth about $20,266 each.  This may seem do-able, considering how much money the Olympics brings in, until you consider just how many medals are awarded during each summer Olympics.  For instance, in these 2012 Olympics, about 4,700 medals will be given out, so over 1500 gold medals. At $20,266 each, that would be just shy of $32 million dollars for the gold medal materials alone.

As it is, with the current gold medals having about $624 worth of materials, then $330 for the silver medals (93% silver, 7% copper), and $4.70 for the bronze (which are mostly made of copper, with a very small amount of zinc and tin), about $1.5 million is still being spent on the materials alone for the medals awarded, not to mention the cost of minting them.

Bonus Facts:

 Strict guidelines are set for the minting of Olympic medals.  For instance, for gold medals the silver must be 92.5% pure silver (with 7.5% copper), and they must include at least 6g of gold for plating the medal.  They also must be at least 3mm thick and 60mm in diameter.

 Nobel Prize gold medals really are made of mostly gold.  Today they are made with 24 karat gold plating and 18 karat green gold (gold with a small amount of silver) for the rest.  Before 1980, they were made from 23 karat gold.

 The practice of giving out gold and silver medals is thought to have its origins with the military.  Before a standard set of military awards were created, it was common to reward soldiers (in a variety of militaries throughout the world) for special achievements by giving them gold and silver medals.  For instance, in the United States, special awards were given to commanding officers in the form of gold medals and the officers under that commander would receive silver medals.

 The gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, being smaller than the current medals (Barcelona medals at 9.8 mm thick, 70 mm in diameter, weighing 231g) are only worth about $484 at the current price of gold and silver.

References:

 Who Makes Gold Medals for the Olympics

 How Much is a Gold Medal Worth?

 Gold Medal

 What’s an Olympic Medal Worth

 Going for Gold

BMI Calculator

Calculate your body mass index (BMI) with this handy, free body weight calculator tool. By calculating your body mass index, you can get an indication of whether your weight may be affecting your health. BMI is commonly used by Doctors and health professionals worldwide and is calculated using your weight and height. You have two calculators to choose from - metric and imperial.

BMI Classifications (International)