Is your corporate Health Insurance Adequate for you and your family?

Is your corporate Health Insurance Adequate for you and your family? - By Dr. Ashok Chandran, ashok@ac.co.in

Your Company Group Health Insurance Cover may no more be adequate for you and your family’s health and financial protection. Here is a reality check for all employees.

While all Mediclaim policies help you in some way, not having the right and adequate policy cover is as good as not having a cover.

Most youngsters today bank on their company Insurance Policy for taking care of their family’s’ and their own Health Insurance needs. However most employees never go through the policy kit unless there is an emergency; In the current times the Group Mediclaim Policy almost always throws a shocking reality at them when they need it the most. During these tough times you not only need to keep your policy documents handy, but you should also know the exact coverage and wordings of the policy.

Irrespective of whether you work in an office, a factory, for a large multinational company or for a small entrepreneur you need to know what you are covered for, to be prepared and to avoid a last minute crisis.

Check out the points below to understand your reality and ensure that you and your family are covered adequately with the best personal comprehensive health Insurance policy.

1) Health Inflation/costs is almost doubling every 5 years. 5 years back the surgery that cost Rs. 2.5 Lac today costs more than Rs. 5 Lacs. Today's treatment/surgery that costs Rs. 5 Lac will cost more than Rs. 10 Lac after 5 years.

2) The cost of ICU is around Rs. 1 Lac per day in many good hospitals. For a single incident like covid or a major surgery a patient may sometimes require around 5-7 days of ICU care and 3-4 days of normal room; this itself will cost around Rs. 7 to 10 Lacs. And if multiple members of the family get affected then the total cost to the family can be exorbitant and unbearable without a good and adequate Insurance cover.

3) The Pandemic has increased cost of every treatment as the risks of infection is very high. Safety Procedures and compliances in the hospital and need for disposing equipment’s and PPE kits after every treatment has increased costs exponentially.

4) Company Insurance cover in most cases are for their own compliance and legal requirements or part of a limited employee benefit program, and may not fulfill your real Health Insurance requirements.

5) You may not need it now when you are healthy, but with age if your health deteriorates you will never be able to get an Insurance, even by paying more money.

6) You may not be employed with the company forever, it will be difficult to get a policy of a good value at a later part of your life. These are tough times jobs are uncertain, also as we progress in life we will move on to other companies or entrepreneurship. Each company has its own kind of mediclaim policy and many companies irrespective of being big or small do not have any such scheme at all. Many companies also do not cover pre-existing diseases or declined risks from day one of your entry in to an organization.

7) Do not procrastinate once you decide to do something important in life. If you can afford it now and have money now, just do it now, you may not have ready money later and your health situation may also not be in your favor.

8) No increase in Sum Insured will be possible ever, in case of unexpected Critical Illness involving huge costs.

9) Insurance can be difficult and will not be possible atleast for 6 months if you are detected Corona positive and even if you have got treated successfully.

10) Companies normally offer the least cost Group Mediclaim with minimal features with coverage of a few lacs per person. It may sometimes not cover all members of the family especially your parents. The coverage may also put limits to the room rent and a cap on different treatments, limiting your options for treatment.

11) You need to check if your policy covers you in a cashless mode in the hospitals near your office and home and has a good network in India.

12) You need choice of good treatments, doctors and hospitals with all facilities and specialities for your precious family, and not just basic healthcare from a local nursing home.

13) Major surgeries and organ transplants involve huge costs and may be needed any time for anyone.

14) You get your tax benefit under Sec 80D in your Income Tax if you pay for yourself, family and parents directly.

15) Even some of the Government BPL/Subsidy schemes offer more than Rs. 3 Lacs cover and this kind of value is definitely not for all and will not serve your requirements.

16) The flagship product of Star Health, the market leader in this space in India, is the most selling and popular Comprehensive Health Insurance, which covers you for Rs. 1 Crore; High sum insured is the new normal.

17) Your savings and financial goals in life will be jeopardized at one go in case of a medical emergency, if you are not adequately covered, and can cause hardships, lack of good treatment, debts and loss of peace and happiness to the family forever.

18) In case of your own policy you have the choice to increase the sum insured or port it to a new scheme or to port it to a new insurer, and get the best and adequate insurance for yourself and your family, however in case of group mediclaim such flexibility of porting to the best and adequate solution will not be possible.

19) Worldwide there is increase in life expectancy, the need for a good and adequate Health Insurance is highest post retirement. All corporate medical insurance facilities end with your retirement. It is very difficult to get the best medical cover especially when you are over 65 years old as all insurers have an upper limit for entry in to their comprehensive policy; As some or the other ailment/disease comes in due to old age, the insurance is declined in many cases where the senior citizen needs it the most. Also if a new policy is issued to senior citizens the sum insured will be limited and there will be many limits and co-pay applicable under such special insurance products for seniors.

20) Post retirement life is for peace and happy living with spouse, kids and grandchildren. If you have an adequate Health cover of your own, right from your healthy young age, it will continue to serve you; It will take away the financial burden of health emergency not only from your retirement funds/corpus but also from your family’s savings. You will not only be financially independent but will also be able to give yourself and your spouse the best treatment during your old age.    

Wishing you Good Health and Happiness at all times. Stay Safe, Stay Protected, Stay Insured!

 

Dr. Ashok Chandran is a Health Insurance Specialist and runs his own Wealth Advisory (www.ac.co.in), he can be reached on ashok@ac.co.in

#HealthInsurance, #Mediclaim, #MedicalInsurance, #FinancialPlanning

Losing freedom to the Pandemic: An Experience.

Here's my first-hand experience of losing freedom and adapting to the protected life ahead of us.

For the first time after the lockdown announcement, I had to step out of my house and visit a government office for an official work, and realized how life is going to be from now on.
Here are a few things that I experienced and realized, which is going to be a real pain and challenge to many in the next couple of years:

- Ensuring social distancing all the time and being mindful of your limits.

- Feeling of isolation and loneliness even when there are known people around at

  short distance.

- Avoiding outside food and water.

- Avoiding touching anything all the time.

- Fear of infection when you have to touch something unavoidable including paper,

  cash, credit card, purse etc.

- Wearing a mask all the time.

- Sweating and discomfort because of wearing the mask.

- Not being able to recognize people with mask who otherwise were well known

  and close to you.

- Avoiding use of public toilets.

- Cleaning hands very often.

- Using hand sanitizers all the time.

- Other people looking at you with suspicion while they follow social distancing.

- Not knowing who is talking inside their mask, while in a group meeting.

- Sanitizing yourself, your belonging, your clothes etc. after returning home every

  time, followed by a bath, and still wondering if we have done a complete job.

- Not touching any bag or belonging that you got home from outside.

- Attempting to boost immunity through consumption of Ginger, Lemon, Turmeric,

  hot water etc. at regular intervals.

- Last but not the least, missing the joy of closing a business deal with a nice chat,

  smile and a firm hand shake over my favorite cup of hot strong coffee.

This experience gave me a feel of what our covid warriors must be going through. Salutes to the Covid warriors who are selflessly working to save lives to make a difference to our lives.

While I am fully grateful and realize that Life is more critical than freedom, and thankful to all the good Samaritans and god for protecting us, its indeed going to be a pain and effort managing this new normal, till we find ways to get back our freedom from this pandemic. Looks like a mass experiment of social animals living alone, and indeed survival of the fittest.

Stay Strong, Go Digital, Gradually get in to action but stay safe. Always remember that there are people who need you and love you. Go Frugal with your finances and Stay protected with Insurance. Get set for a Fight to Freedom.

- Dr. Ashok Chandran
Wealth Advisor and Insurance Specialist.
www.ac.co.in

 

#Covid-19

#Pandemic

#LosingFreedom

#LifeAfterLockdown

#TheNewNormal

#GoFrugal

#StayProtected

#FightToFreedom

The Advisor of the year.

As awareness dawns on the masses, the profession of Insurance has started getting the respect it deserves. Be it Life or Health or Property, wherever there is risk, one has to cover and protect themselves. Only a negligible small fraction of the Indian population is Insured adequately. It is our collective responsibility to bridge this Insurance gap.

Insurance is a must for all, its just that some people realise it too late. Some people avoid an insurance advisor and a conversation about the reality about death and health emergency. They end up penny wise and pound foolish and very often it is their families who suffer for a lifetime, for not heeding to the advice of the Insurance advisor.

Insurance is a noble profession, a life of protecting people against risks, A life of safeguarding the future of families. It is difficult to talk about death or health emergencies, but the Insurance Advisor does his best to show the reality to people day in and day out. People often are unable to accept the scary reality, and often look at Advisors as agents for commission; but the greatest happiness for a true advisor is when he is able to financially support you in a crisis through an Insurance claim. Helping a family to stand on its feet financially when the bread earner is gone or when their financial resources are drained due to illness or accidents is the job of an Insurance Advisor. Everyone needs an Insurance Advisor to keep him adequately protected, just like children need parents to guide and protect them in life.

It is your duty to protect your family’s financial goals against all risks, and your Insurance Advisor is your partner for protection. Have a conversation with your Insurance Advisor, check how exposed you are to risks. Protect all that is of Value to you adequately, TODAY.

The whole world gives you advice, but the pandemic has made everyone realise that your trusted Insurance advisor is the one standing beside you and your family and protecting you; The Insurance advisor is the real Advisor of the year.

Dr. Ashok Chandran, IRDA Certified Life & General Insurance Specialist

www.ac.co.in

 

#InsuranceAdvisor

#GeneralInsurance

#LifeInsurance

#HealthInsurance

#Mediclaim 

Two Financial Vaccines for Covid - 19

 

Is your family really Covered with a sufficient Health and Life Insurance?

While we all are getting vaccinated on priority, many of us are still at high risk without getting the two most important Financial vaccinations ie: Life Insurance and Health Insurance.

Its high time to take cognisance of the fact that everything has changed, and we need to act as per the changing scenario. Insurance is not just about Money anymore, It’s about life and death of people; it is saving lives of families.

Adequate Insurance cover is as important to all of us, as a PPE Kit is to a Doctor during these times.

All the traditional safety nets have been torn apart by the pandemic, be it your Financial Plans, Insurance cover or the Health Care Infrastructure.

Over 60 % population has no Insurance in India. Only a fraction of population has adequate Insurance.

Family and friends used to help in emergencies, but now many have been infected or have needy people in their families. Many people have lost their Jobs or Income too, and everyone is trying to help themselves and survive.

The costs are so high that You now have no option, but to be independent with adequate Insurance.

Life, Health and Personal Finances are no more as certain as it used to be and managing risk and financial planning requires help of professional Advisors. Health Insurance is no more just a financial cover but a life-saving tool to get the best possible treatment.

A person with lower sum assured chooses small nursing homes for treatment and then moves to better hospital and facilities only if his treatment demands the same. Thus in many cases precious time is wasted and life is endangered.

Higher Sum Insured includes all features and benefits of the policy. One should take the highest possible Health cover for all his family members.

We normally plan to leave our wealth for our family, with financial planning, however during Covid many people are leaving the families with multi-generational debts to repay. Insufficient Mediclaim can dig a unthinkably huge hole in your finances.

Insufficient Insurance is as good as No Insurance. Health care Inflation is more than double the normal inflation rate. You can expect Healthcare costs to double in 5 to 6 years; and it will continue going north as medical technologies, treatments and facilities are improving every day.

Thus a once good Traditional health cover of 5 to 10 Lac is insufficient and meaningless in today’s context. A day in a good multi-speciality hospital may cost you upward of 1 Lac a day for isolated ICU and doctor consultation.

Apart from the general increase in costs today and the expected inflation in the coming years, the following are some visible trends during the pandemic:

Entire Families are getting infected, unlike the normal times when treatments are generally required only for one person in the family at a time.

There are No Choice of hospitals; Getting a Hospital and the basic life-saving treatments itself is a big achievement. Earlier one can choose a less expensive hospital or make choices as per need.

Unlike the first wave of Corona people stay longer in Hospitals for 30 to 60 days of treatment, this increases the costs significantly for stay and treatment.

ICU/Ventilator and advanced treatments are common and may be needed for anyone anytime without notice.

Post Covid complications are uncertain and unknown; The side effects of vaccinations and Treatments over a period of time is unknown.

The new strain of Covid is not in anybody’s control.

The future impact of infections on co-morbid patients remains to be seen.

Post infection new Insurance policy/Higher Sum Insured comes under 3-4 year PED (Pre Existing Disease Exclusion) for Covid and related diseases. Insurance may also get declined depending on other health conditions. Thus it is imperative that you have a good cover while you are healthy.

The Grim reality is that a majority of the population in India is not only insufficiently covered but have no Insurance at all. We fail to prioritise the need to adequately Insure ourselves, and by the time disaster strikes it is too late.

Stay Safe, Stay Protected, Use Masks, Maintain Social Distancing, Wash Hands, Improve your Immunity with Exercise and Nutrition, Write your Will, Take adequate Health and Life Insurance. Have a review of your Insurance Portfolio done with your Financial Advisor today and do the best you can for yourself and your family. Share with your loved ones, ensure all families are Financially Vaccinated with a good Life and Health Insurance.

There is no Bigger Virus than Fear, There is no Bigger Action than Vaccination

-          Dr. Ashok Chandran

The Author is a Health Insurance Specialist and can be reached at ashok@ac.co.in or 9821157708.

TWENTY THINGS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARE ABOUT LIFE INSURANCE.

 

TWENTY THINGS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARE ABOUT LIFE INSURANCE.

By, Dr. Ashok Chandran

While many of us know about Insurance, the startling fact is that India’s insurance penetration at just 3.76% of the GDP is “extremely low” against comparable Asian countries such as China, Malaysia and Thailand as well as the global average, according to the central government’s Economic Survey of 2020-21
India’s insurance penetration grew from 2.71% in 2001 to 3.76% in 2019 which is much lower than other global economies. India’s life and non-life insurance penetrations in 2019, at 2.82% and 0.94% respectively, are also significantly lower than the global average of 3.35% and 3.88%, respectively.

Insurance protection is all about staying protected for the unknown future. Your family’s protection starts with your awareness about the existence of risk and the nuances of Insurance. Here is a list of terms and things to know for choosing the right Life Insurance cover and for ensuring smooth claim settlement.

1) 100 percent disclosures in proposal, like Smoking, drinking, medical history, Income, family medical history, Covid History etc.

2) Fill and read the proposal form personally to ensure accurate data.

3) Ensure All premium payments on time.

‘Premium’ is the amount to be paid to the Insurance company to keep your policy active.

4) Update Nominee Name and address, especially if Nominee passes away.

5) In case of death, file a claim immediately without any delay.

6) Do medical check-up at the time of buying a new policy.

7) Understand Policy Clauses and Exclusions.

8) Inform your family members about your policy.

9) Keep the Policy Bond/Document safely and accessible to the family.

10) Understand, Claim settlement ratio by policies, while comparing Insurers.

11) Understand Amount settlement ratio: It is important to consider amount settlement ratio in addition to claim settlement ratio by policies, else insurers will clear low value policies and reject high value policies, and this could be misleading.

12) Claim rejection ratio:

The claim rejection ratio or claim repudiation ratio is important as the claim settlement ratio may be misleading when there are high volumes of claims under process and not rejected at the time of such calculation for a particular period.

13) Assets under management: With a larger AUM the company can invest and get better returns. A larger customer base also helps manage risks more accurately. The capacity to settle claims on time also increases.

14) Solvency ratio:

The solvency ratio is a measurement of a company's cash flow and its liabilities. In simple words, it helps you know whether or not the company has adequate funds to manage its short-term and long-term liabilities.

15) Have a Will mentioning the nominee as the beneficiary of your Insurance, especially if he is not an immediate blood relative like father, son or spouse.

16) Go with MWP option wherever appropriate.

Section 6 of the Married Women's Property Act (MWPA), 1874, provides that a policy of insurance effected by any married man on his own life and expressed on the face of it to be for the benefit of his wife, or of his wife and children, or any of them, shall ensure and be deemed to be a trust for the benefit of his wife.

MWP protects and ensures that the woman gets all the maturity proceeds independent of the financial liabilities of the Proposer.

17) Define an Insurance objective before choosing an Insurance product, like Income replacement, covering dependent family members, Insuring a family Life goal, Housing Loan liability Protection, retirement planning, corpus/pension creation, tax benefit, Interest protection, leaving behind a legacy, Pure Term/whole life/saving, etc. This helps you choose the product wisely and Insure adequately. A professional Insurance Advisor plays a key role in helping you articulate your objectives and recommending the right product as per the need analysis.

Remember that inadequate Insurance is as good as No Insurance, So Insure with a clear Objective, and not just for having some name sake Insurance.

‘Sum Assured’ is the amount to be paid by the Insurance company to the Nominee 

‘Maturity Benefit’ is the amount to be paid to the insured for surviving the policy term.

‘Policy Term’ is the period for which the policy provides life coverage.

‘Premium Paying Term’ is the period for which premium has to be paid to the insurance company.

Your clear Insurance objective helps defining the Sum Insured, Policy Term and Premium Paying Term, and Maturity Benefit.

18) The earlier you buy an Insurance policy, the cheaper it will be. Younger people get Insurance cover at a very low premium and does not feel the pinch of the premium amount.

19) Probability of getting an Insurance cover: Get Insured whenever you are healthy and eligible. The chances of getting the Insurance is higher, if one does it before age related, infection, weight related, Critical Illnesses, or lifestyle diseases come up. There are many people who are unable to Insure themselves due to various health and weight related reasons.

Save your Medical Records: Discharge Certificate in case of Hospitalisation, X-rays/Scanning Reports, Histopathology Report, Vaccination Certificates Etc. You may need them for the purpose of Insurance.

20) Choose a professional Insurance Advisor, like you choose a doctor for your family. Your Advisor helps you articulate your needs accurately and choose the best suitable product. Finally it is the Advisor who stands by your family, while you are not there, to fulfil the promise of the policy.

Review of your Insurance Portfolio atleast once in a year. Apart from the annual review consult your advisor whenever there is a major life change or significant change in circumstances.

Not Investing sufficiently is a small crime, dying without adequate Insurance cover is unpardonable and a Big lifelong punishment to the family. Insure and Be Secure.

Dr. Ashok Chandran is a full time IRDA Registered Insurance Advisor and can be reached, for Consultations and Insurance Portfolio Review, on Mobile: 9821157708 or E-mail: ashok@ac.co.in

We are on a Mission to Transform a Million Lives by 2030

Be Financially Aware: Knowledge is Power!

 

Your Wealth, Health, Job, Position, Income, Family, Knowledge, Connections, Hard Work Etc. does not guarantee you any control over life.

Life consistently throws opportunities and challenges at you.

Man has no control over Death, Disability, Disease, Disaster, Accident, Incident Etc; The financial impact of the same on your family can only be minimised, with adequate Insurance covers.

There are sure events like children's education, marriage, Buying House, Retirement Etc. for which you can have a goal based financial plan, and invest accordingly. 

Your Family's Financial Future is defined by your Financial Awareness, Financial Actions and Discipline and not by your current Income or Wealth.

Insure, Invest and Allocate Assets as per your Risk Profile & goals, and Review it with your Advisor at regular intervals.

Financial Discipline and Planning over a period of time, is the only way to Financial Independence and Freedom.

Finally, God has his own ways, But never fail to do what is in your hands, to protect yourself & your family, and to be Financially Free.

All Investments are subject to Risks, Terms & Conditions. Talk to your Advisor, Read, Understand and Be Financially Aware Before Investing.

 

Dr. Ashok Chandran

We are on a Mission to Transform a Million Lives by 2030, through Free Financial Awareness For All.

The Power of Being Discontent.

Came across this post which talks about one of the key traits that make you a great entrepreneur.

Be Happy, but Stay Hungry and Stay Discontent...Never Settle, Keep Improving, Keep Growing, Keep Innovating, Keep Progressing....Sky is not the limit, Your limits are set in your mind.

The power of being discontent.
Peyush Bansal, Lenskart

Often I meet people who congratulate me for building lenskart into a great brand & every time I hear this, only thing that is going on in my mind is “Hope buddy you knew what crisis we are in and what all is broken. Glad you do not know about our this week’s  Review where 7/8 things are pending. Thank god you are not one of the 4 customer escalations that came to me this week. You have no idea what I am going through..my Discontent :)”

This is one feeling that has not changed for me for last 10 years. Only thing that has changed is that earlier when my well wishers (family, HR, seniors) used to criticise me for having this feeling, I used to feel bad, and now I don’t :)

I have come to realise that BEING DISCONTENT is a Big Value in building an ever evolving, ever surprising, ever growing…customer centric organisation. And being discontent has nothing to do with being happy, but it has everything to do with what we will be 3 years from now….it is a way of being, of improving, of pushing to BE MORE and DO MORE every day, and yet being happy:)

I am not saying I am not appreciative of what we have done as a team so far and hard work put in, but I am also saying, it is not such a bad thing if…

Every time I meet a customer who is happy with lenskart, I thank god :) and my team and every time I meet a dissatisfied one, I am filled with frustration & shooting emails!…if every time I meet an entrepreneur who is telling me what all amazing stuff they are doing such as 10 min delivery to sustainability to AI, I feel “oh my god, we are so far behind”. And every time I speak to an AMEX representative, I feel “why are we not yet delivering the same service”. And every time I am browsing an amazing experience on a new app, I am “taking screenshots and whatsapping them to my product team:)”. It is not such a bad thing if every night I go to sleep thinking “how much more is left to do …”

In my view all entrepreneurs are discontent, else they would never have become entrepreneurs. And organisations need more entrepreneurs to grow i.e. more discontent :) It is this discontent that pushes us every day to do better & deliver more & more ….

Apple releases a software update every 15 days and each update has 100s of new small features which make customer experience better….and by doing this it has become a 3 Trillion Dollar company (larger than the GDP of India). If they were so content, they would not be doing this …

“Good is not good enough” i.e. what is good today will not be good tomorrow. And BEING DISCONTENT allows us to stay humble, stay curious, stay hungry to continuously push ourselves to innovate and build an organisation for tomorrow, not just today.

Thank you lenskart team for being discontent always, despite accomplishing so much…we have a long way to go and it is still Day1

And cheers to all the Discontent yet Happy people in the world…let’s  keep doing more and being more !

Patience is the essence of Life.

Patience is the essence of Life.

A Teacher gave a beautiful toffee to all the children of the class and then said a strange thing...

 Listen, children! All of you not to eat  your toffee for ten minutes and saying that he walked out of the class room.

There was silence in the classroom for a few moments, every child was looking at the toffee in front of them and it was difficult to stop themselves with each passing moment. Ten minutes are over and the teacher enters the  class room. Reviewed. There were seven children in the whole class, whose toffees  were as it is, while all the other children were eating toffee and commenting on its color and taste. The teacher secretly recorded the names of these seven children in his diary and began to read after noting.

The name of this teacher was Professor Walter Torch.

After a few years, Professor Walter opened his own diary and removed the names of seven children and started researching them. After a long struggle, he came to know that the seven children have achieved many successes in their lives and are the most successful among their own field people. Professor Walter also reviewed the rest of his class of students and it was found that most of them were leading a normal life, while there were some who were faced with strict economic and social conditions.

All this effort and research resulted in one sentence by Professor Walter and that was it.

"A man who cannot be patient for ten minutes can never move forward in life"

This research gained worldwide prominence and was named "Marsh Mello Theory" because the toffee that Professor Walter gave the children was named "Marsh Mello". It was soft like foam.

 According to this theory, one of the most successful people in the world are found with special qualitiy of 'patience', because this quality increases the strength of the human being, due to which the man is not disappointed in difficult situations and he becomes an extraordinary personality.

Patience is the essence of life.

You are your Word.

You are your Word.

Why did you tell lies yesterday?

No, I’m not accusing you of anything. But you did lie. You told someone you’ll call them back in 5 minutes and you didn’t. You told yourself that you’ll wake up early to meditate, and you didn’t. What other “lie” did you tell yourself or others?

You thought there would be no consequences. No repercussions. What difference does it make if I call someone in 20 minutes, instead of 5? What difference does it make that I told my friend that I’m already in the taxi on my way, while I was really just leaving the house?

Well, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you’ve just sabotaged your own communication with the Universe.

Believe it or not, the Universe is hanging on your every word, and every time you say something that you don’t intend to fulfil, your words lose power. And when the time comes to tell the Universe what you really want, it doesn’t believe you. It thinks that you’re just say these words casually without any actual commitment behind it.

This is the second Yama  of Patanjali: Non-Lying ( Asatya). Which isn’t lying in the traditional sense of the word, but to use and choose your words carefully so that you don’t cripple their power. When you say something and then act in accordance to what you said, you strengthen their power. Patanjali says that once you’ve mastered this quality, your every word has the power to create reality, even to the point that the Universe will have to rearrange itself to align with your words . This is the secret behind the miracles performed by saints; when they heal someone, or change people’s circumstances merely by saying it is so.

When you align with Truth, then Life itself aligns with you, and turns your words into mantras.

In the beginning, to practice this virtue, start every day by consciously measuring your words. If you say you’ll be there in 5 minutes, make sure you are, otherwise don’t say it. As you practice this you will realise how careless we tend to be with our words, and how casually we use them.

Power of Silence

Power of Silence

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.”

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to.