How to Prevent Burnouts? Things to know!

How to Prevent Burnouts? Things to know!

“Prevention is better than cure”, is an age old saying. But in the modern world we are in a speed culture, so we don’t have enough time for prevention or we don’t care about it. Because we are almost sure any situation can find a cure by our developed knowledge and scientific development. It is equally applicable to a burnout situation of a person.  Most of the people think that they will not have a burnout or even if it happens there are ways to repair it.  It is interesting to notice that many of the educational institutions and companies talk about burnout prevention, but they don’t do anything much for preventing it. They might support the people those who are already undergoing a burnout in order to get them better and to be back in their work.

If a real burnout prevention programme is implemented in their system they can very well avoid those situations.  Many companies spent thousands of euros to deal with burnout related issues. If an employee is facing a burnout, actually the company is also passively suffering. Because those on the top of the company cannot really notice the real problem the individual is facing. They can only see somewhere something is not right. They can only see the effect of it in the running of the company.  So by the time they find out the real cause of the problem in the functioning of the company it is already too late. So, they fire those employees for not functioning well or cut those positions.  If they want to keep that position, they have to recruit immediately another person to replace the vacant positions due to burnout related issues.

But it is not an easy job. It is not as easy as just picking out a rotten packet of tomato and by replace it with a new packet as in a supermarket!  They have to undergo the complete selection procedure. And there is a period of gap which has to be filled and managed until the new person is in place. And this gap is usually filled and maintained by rest of the employees which will lead to further burnout situations due to over tasks. And this vicious cycle is being repeated and it becomes an ongoing process in any institutions and companies.

But if a company has a real burnout prevention programme that help the employees to relax and function better, the companies wouldn’t suffer so much. Many companies will have to keep a selection team active for the replacement of the employees that are laid out, because of burnouts.  This itself is considered as a strategy for some of the companies to present themselves as very active and progressing even though internally they are struggling and at a certain point they will even end up in bankruptcy because of improper management.  The educational institutions are not really affected by bankruptcy situation because the financial sources are students.

And students are the immediate group that are affected by a burnout or the ones that will face a burnout in their next job because of stress and the uncertainty of future which was already building up while they were in the educational institutions. The only possible way to solve this issue is to provide them with a burnout programme which is inexpensive and easily accessible by the students wherever they are. If the students themselves have to find out these programmes, it would be an additional stress for them and to find the time to attend it apart from the curriculum. So, it should be the responsibility of the institutions to make sure that these programmes are incorporated into their educational system.

The purpose of the education should be to help the students to lead their future life, stress free and achieve their goals. Education shall not be just oriented towards the paper certificate which makes a person eligible to get a job. Every level of education should be holistic. It is time to change the job oriented education to life oriented education.  Most of the time students are misled by the concept that if they get a degree on such and such thing they will have a job and their life will be okay.  But in reality, that is not the case. After having the degrees most of the students struggle and struggle to get a job, may be some of the lucky ones manage to get into a job for which they studied.And the rest will give up after a short while their eagerness to get a job according to the qualifications they have and start looking for activities and jobs that is fulfilling their actual passion. As a result, the energy, the effort and the money spent on the degrees would become a waste. So, it would have been a better choice from the part of the education system to provide an extra support for the students that will guide them in their struggle in the life. Life management tools are better than the degrees when one facing a situation of struggle and difficulty. So, it should be a priority from the part of the institutions to provide its students with those tools. But if we analyze we notice that many of those educational institutions around us lack such a support. If at all there is something like that, it is very minimalistic. It will be just for the sake of having something of some sort to show the public that they care for their students. Do they actually care for? It is still questionable! As long as the authorities wholeheartedly support and understand the real need for providing a life management tool for their students and take the responsibility and the willingness to implement such a programme into their system, the education system will continue as it is and we will have a vicious circles of study programs, graduation, job search, stressful job and burnout. And start again with new courses for new certificates!

A Crash down Course for Relaxation

Every life can be funny and relaxing if you find your way. And every person has the ability to reach that stage. 

Sometimes we just forget about it.

Or we are in a hurry that we miss those subtle elements of our life. What if we can just get into the right track and get a grip of it! Then you need to come with me. 

I found a very slow path but interesting. Some people are already moving in that slow path and they really liked the journey. There are no big hurdles. Just you need to have a few committed hours. 

That’s all.

Just imagine you have 365 days in a year, that means 24 hours per day which in total 8760 hours in a year at least! That’s a lot! Can you give me just 12 hours of that?

Or is that too much for you? If you say it is too much then you are moving towards Moon where you are going to run out of your fuel and even may reach a burn out! And if you don’t find a refill station return journey is difficult.

If you are willing to spare 12 hours of 8760 hours of a year in your life, that is less than 0.14% of your time in a year,  then you can go for a short journey with me where you will find sources of energy to continue your journey of life at ease. And the destination is just around the corner. Just next to you!

Are you curious to know about that? Then take the Slow Down Challenge road! 

I have a bus with full of informations

 and the road map.

 I am an experienced driver and I will take you there.

And on the way, I will tell you a lot of stories, very special stories from all over the world. 

And I will also show you some magic tricks to keep you awake while driving you around. 

Dangerous!? 

NO, because we are driving slow, very very slow!  

You might have traveled to many places where you never had been. And it was always exciting. Right? 

This slow down road journey can be exciting too! We will break the journey every two and half hours, and take a rest for a few days, may be a few weeks, or even a month. We will have thus five short journeys. Let us go SLOW, so that we can really enjoy! 

But what you have with you after the journey is a unique experience. 

A life time warranty of fuel sources!

In summary The Slow Down Challenge road consists of  five sessions of 2.5 hours dealing with five basic senses (Taste, smell, Touch, hearing, Sight) one by one and linking it to the five universal elements (Water, Air, Earth(matter), Fire, Space (ether)

 by getting better informed about it, through mutual connection, experiments, exercises, fun, breathing techniques and meditation which in result teaches you to protect yourselves from stress and burnout and help you to lead a relaxed and happier life even in the middle of chaos!

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Do you need a THIRD EYE?

Only People with a THIRD EYE can see the pipe and ring in the following picture. When you look at the image below you see a nice modern painting with a repeated pattern. But there is something hidden within the picture which you don't see at first.  But when you learn the trick to master your "THIRD EYE" you will be able to see the hidden

Try it and if you fail you can try again and one day you will find it and start wondering at your "THIRD EYE"

Life is tricky and sometimes you need to learn the tricks to manage it!

Life is tricky and sometimes you need to learn the tricks to manage it

Dr. Travis Bradberry is a fantastic writer and an inspirational teacher. If you want to improve your life buy his most popular books and spent some time reading it and making some changes in your life. Recently I read in one of his articles in which he describes some pinpointed approaches to improve one’s life.

He starts his article with Hans Christian Andersen’s fable The Red Shoes, where a young girl longs for a pair of pretty red shoes. She ultimately tricks the blind woman who cares for her into buying her a pair. Her love for the red shoes causes her to give them priority over the more important things in her life, and, as often happens in fables, karma is not on her side. The shoes become firmly stuck to her feet and force her to dance non-stop, to the point where she almost dies from exhaustion and starvation.

Bradberry mentions that we may scoff at the little girl’s foolishness, but, in real life, we often do the same thing—we chase after the things that we think will make us happy and don’t realize that we’re heading down a dangerous path.

He talks about a study that found, the people who experience the greatest job satisfaction aren’t the ones in the big, fancy offices; they’re the ones who approach their work as a calling, even when that work involves menial labor.

Another study found that simply seeing fast-food logos makes people impatient. It’s not that there’s some intrinsic characteristic of fast food that makes people impatient; it’s the habits we’ve come to associate with fast food, such as always being on the run, eating on the go, and never slowing down enough to enjoy a healthy meal, that bring out our impatience.

According to him we have to be very careful in choosing our pursuits, because our habits make us. Cultivating the habits that follow will send you in the right direction. They’ll help you to lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life, whereby you cultivate the best within yourself.

The following are the ten points that he suggests to improve one’s life:

1. Stay away from people who erode your quality of life. If merely seeing a logo for a fast-food company can make you feel impatient, just think how much more impact a toxic person can have on your life. They might be unhappy about your decision to stay away from them, and they might tell you very loudly just how unhappy they are, but isn’t avoiding them worth the cumulative effects of years of their negative influence? There are always going to be toxic people who have a way of getting under your skin and staying there. Each time you find yourself thinking about a coworker or person who makes your blood boil, practice being grateful for someone else in your life instead. There are plenty of people out there who deserve your attention, and the last thing you want to do is think about the people who don’t matter.

2. No more phone, tablet, or computer in bed. This is a big one, which most people don’t even realize harms their sleep and productivity. Short-wavelength blue light plays an important role in determining your mood, energy level, and sleep quality. In the morning, sunlight contains high concentrations of this blue light. When your eyes are exposed to it directly, it halts production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin and makes you feel alert. In the afternoon, the sun’s rays lose their blue light, which allows your body to produce melatonin and this starts making you sleepy. By the evening, your brain doesn’t expect any blue light exposure and is very sensitive to it. Most of our favorite evening devices—laptops, tablets, and mobile phones—emit short-wavelength blue light brightly and right in your face. This exposure impairs melatonin production and interferes with your ability to fall asleep, as well as with the quality of your sleep once you do nod off. As we’ve all experienced, poor nights’ sleep has disastrous effects. The best thing you can do is to avoid these devices after dinner (television is OK for most people, as long as they sit far enough away from the set). 

3. Appreciate the here and now. Gratitude is fundamental to peace and happiness—not wealth, glamour, adventure, or fast cars, but simple appreciation for what you have. Just because you can’t afford champagne and caviar doesn’t mean that you never enjoy a meal. Hot dogs and beer on the back deck with your friends taste just as good. So, don’t fool yourself into thinking that you need something that you don’t currently have in order to be happy, because the truth is that if you can’t appreciate what you have now, you won’t be able to appreciate the “good life” if you ever get it.

4. Realize that things aren’t always as you perceive them to be. This goes along with appreciating the here and now. That person you envy because they seem to have the perfect life might be dealing with all kinds of problems behind closed doors. That “perfection” could be a total mirage. Your employer’s decision to move the office might seem like a huge hassle when you first hear about it, but it could end up being one of the best things that ever happens to you. You’re not omniscient and you’re not a fortune-teller, so be open to the possibility that life might have some surprises in store, because what you see is not always what you get.

5. Get started, even though you might fail. Most writers spend countless hours brainstorming their characters and plots, and they even write page after page that they know they’ll never include in the books. They do this because they know that ideas need time to develop. We tend to freeze up when it’s time to get started because we know that our ideas aren’t perfect and that what we produce might not be any good. But how can you ever produce something great if you don’t get started and give your ideas time to evolve? Author Jodi Picoult summarized the importance of avoiding perfectionism perfectly: “You can edit a bad page, but you can’t edit a blank page.”

6. Get organized. People joke about new ideas being in short supply, but I think that the one resource that’s really scarce is spare time. Do you know anybody who has some? Yet we waste so much of it by not being organized. We touch things two or three times before we do something with them (like tossing the mail down on the counter then moving it to the table so we can cook dinner) and once we’ve put them away, we spend even more time looking for them. Have a place for all of those little things you need to take care of when you get a minute, whether it’s your child’s permission slip for a field trip or an overdue bill, and then get to them in a timely manner; otherwise you’ll be searching through a huge stack of stuff for the one thing you need.

7. Start a collection of the things that truly resonate with you. Have you ever come across a quote or a meme that so perfectly summed up your feelings that you wanted to keep it forever? You know that it’s in one of those coats you wore five winters ago, and you really hope it’s not the one you gave to Goodwill. When you come across something that resonates with you—whether it’s something that expresses who you are or who you want to be—have a central place to keep those gems. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a spiral notebook, a leather binder, or a folder on Evernote, have a place to collect the things that matter so that you can revisit them regularly.

8. Do something that reminds you who you are. We all joke about having “me” time, but what is that, really? It’s making time for those activities that we feel most authentically ourselves doing, when all the masks are off and we can just be. Whether it’s going for a run or dancing around with your 80s favorites blaring at top volume, make time for those moments. They’re incredibly rejuvenating.

9. Say no. Research conducted at the University of California in Berkeley shows that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression, all of which erode self-control. Saying no is indeed a major self-control challenge for many people. “No” is a powerful word that you should not be afraid to wield. When it’s time to say no, emotionally intelligent people avoid phrases like “I don’t think I can” or “I’m not certain.” Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them. Just remind yourself that saying no is an act of self-control now that will increase your future self-control by preventing the negative effects of over commitment. 

10. Stick to realistic goals. How many people start January by proclaiming, “I’m going to lose 30 pounds by March!”? Big, scary, crazy goals can be incredibly inspiring—until you fall short, and then, instead of inspiration, you’re left with disappointment and guilt. I’m certainly not suggesting that you stop setting goals that push and challenge you, just that you try to stick within the bounds of reality.

As a conclusion, he tells us that our character is determined by our attitude and how we spend our time, and so is happiness. Stop chasing the things that we think will make us happy, and start realizing that our peace and happiness are entirely up to us.

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The Slowing Down Power

The Slowing Down Power

I like Dr. Travis Bradberry, who is one of the linkedin influencer and the award-winning co-author of a bestselling book. He always comes up with nice articles in the linkedin. Recently I read an article in which he talks about Power and how it is in relation to the people. According to him: “Power gets a bad rap, only because people pursue it for the wrong reasons. When power is pursued for the right reasons, it can be a tremendous force for good.”

He talked about Niccolo Machiavelli who spread the belief that people can only become powerful by exploiting the worst aspects of human nature. One of his teachings was, “A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.” Machiavelli was essentially saying that you’re an idiot if you keep your promises or stick to your values when you’d benefit more by breaking them.

He even talked about,  Robert Greene, who said, “The key to power is the ability to judge who is best able to further your interests in all situations.” It’s no wonder so many people think that the only way to get power is to be a jerk.

Fortunately, Machiavelli and Greene had something in common: They were both wrong. Recent research from UC Berkeley shows that when it comes to power, nice guys finish first. The researchers found that the most powerful people (according to ratings from their peers) were those who were the most considerate and outgoing. They also found that those who were the most Machiavellian—using things like gossip and manipulation to gain power—were quickly identified and isolated and ended up with no power at all.

Bradberry establishes in his article that, “Power isn’t inherently evil, and it isn’t inherently bad to seek power. Without power, you can’t accomplish anything, good or evil. Even those who want nothing more than to make the world a better place, can’t do so without exerting the influence of personal power. It’s the abuse of power and the underhanded things people do to achieve it that cause problems.”

According to him people who earn and use power wisely have a profound impact on everyone they encounter. Yet, they achieve this power only because they exert so much influence inside, on themselves. We see only their outside; we see them innovate, speak their mind, and propel themselves forward toward bigger and better things. Yet, we’re missing the best part. The confidence and wherewithal that make their influence possible are earned. And while what people are influenced by changes with the season, the unique habits of powerful people remain constant. Bradberry explains about the powerful people’s focused pursuit of excellence is driven by eleven habits, which you can emulate and absorb until your power and influence expand.  The following eleven aspects that is explained in nutshell by Bradberry would be helpful for any person who feels that they are not powerful.

They don’t wait for a title to lead. It’s important not to confuse power with authority. The right title can give you authority, but it can’t give you power. On the other hand, you don’t need a title to be powerful. You can lead without being a boss and you can have a powerful influence upon your workplace and community without a title.

They’re graciously disruptive. Powerful people are never satisfied with the status quo. They’re the ones who constantly ask, “What if?” and “Why not?” They’re not afraid to challenge conventional wisdom, and they don’t disrupt things for the sake of being disruptive; they do so to make things better.

They think for themselves. Powerful people aren’t buffeted by the latest trend or by public opinion. They form their opinions carefully, based on the facts. They’re more than willing to change their mind when the facts support it, but they aren’t influenced by what other people think, only by what they know.

They focus only on what really matters. Powerful people aren’t distracted by trivialities. They’re able to cut through the static and clutter, focus on what matters, and point it out to everyone else. They speak only when they have something important to say, and they never bore people with idle banter.

They master conflict. People tend to err on one of two extremes when it comes to conflict: some are passive and avoid conflict altogether, while others seek out conflict aggressively, thinking that this will make them powerful. People who master conflict know how to approach it directly and assertively, yet constructively. Truly powerful people do not react emotionally and defensively to dissenting opinions—they welcome them. They’re humble enough to know that they don’t know everything and that someone else might see something they missed. And if that person is right, they embrace the idea wholeheartedly, because they care more about the end result than being right.

They inspire conversation. When powerful people speak, their words spread like ripples in a pond. Influencers inspire everyone around them to explore new ideas and to think differently about their work.

They know their strengths and weaknesses. People who get seduced by power and, therefore, start abusing it are often blind to their own weaknesses. To become truly powerful, you have to see yourself as you really are and to position yourself to use your strengths for the greater good. That means taking a clear-eyed look at your strengths and your weaknesses and owning them both completely.

They grow and leverage their networks. Those who grow power the Machiavellian way don’t bother with people who aren’t useful to them. People see this coming a mile away, and it doesn’t win any friends. Truly powerful people know how to make lasting connections. Not only do they know a lot of people, they get to know their connections’ connections. More importantly, they add value to everyone in their network. They share advice and know how, and they make connections between people who should get to know each other.

They ask for help when they need it. It’s easy to mistakenly assume that powerful people never ask for help from anybody. Asking for help when you don’t know the answer or can’t do it all by yourself is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It sends the message that you’re not so insecure as to put your ego above the mission. It takes a tremendous amount of confidence and humility to admit that you need assistance, and asking for assistance is critical, because there’s nothing worse than trucking down the wrong path when you’re too embarrassed or proud to admit that you don’t know what you’re doing.

They believe. Powerful people always expect the best. They believe in their own power to achieve their dreams, and they believe that others share that same power. They believe that nothing is out of reach and that belief inspires those around them to stretch for their own goals. They firmly believe that one person can change the world.

They do it now. Way back in 1894, Orison Swett Marden made an important point: “Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seek common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities. Strong men make them.” If you put off growing your power until the right opportunity comes along, it’s never going to happen. Powerful people know that developing power is a lot like lifting weights or running a 5K. The only way to strengthen those muscles is by using them, so stop making excuses and just start. You know what you believe in, you know who you are, and you know what you want to become, so act like it. Yes, it will be uncomfortable at times, and yes, some people will tell you you’re doing it wrong, but the only way to achieve power and use it for good is to get out there and do it.

He conclude his article by quoting Boris Yeltsin, “You can make a throne of bayonets, but you can’t sit on it for very long.” Forget everything you’ve heard about power, because, in the end, the nice guys really do win. Whether you call it power or influence, it’s okay to want it and it’s okay to have it. You just have to pursue it and use it with integrity.

So slow Down and get enough energy to be powerful in your life.

click to listen to:

Slow down Challenge

Gods of religions never existed

Gods of religions never existed

I am not an atheist.  That doesn’t mean that I should have to believe in the gods of theists. When we say that God created the world what does it mean? Is it the physical form of the universe as we see it today?  It can never be true. Because the universe has changed a lot through the evolution of millions of years ever since it began through reformation of energy.  Or did God created one big globe in the beginning and with the big bang that big globe broke into different pieces, and we have all this universe? It is not so, because every planet has its unique own character which depend on its energy fields.  Or God was a compressed energy, exploded and all the universe came into existence? So, they are all confusions. So what you can do? Just believe in anyone who says that it is written in that book or this book! And to believe in such stories that you heard from the books and not believing in the scientific proofs, you should be stupid, and your brain is not properly functioning! But whatever, there is a universal energy existing and we are exploring it gradually.

Religions and their gods may disappear, as human beings find the presence of this universal energy and the ways to connect to it individually and become part of it. You and I will pass away before we have that knowledge. That doesn’t mean that it is not there or we are not going to achieve it. Surely, we will. In the process of developing it we got into the clutches of religions and gods and that process were shunted in the past. But now it is emerging again. And the changes will be faster if we let it happen. Leave your age old religious patterns of thoughts and link to the new informations available in the fields around you. You will see the change happening.

Who is the author of all those stories of creations of the world as a property of  gods of various religions? It is always attributed to a human being or to a group of people. And that is attributed to someone beyond the history, whose existence cannot be proved by our advancement or present scientific knowledge. But in the near future it will happen. That when and where in the time, the idea of god came into existence in the human brain. And you will know that it was just an idea that emerged into the minds of someone in the past and then people just followed that stream of thoughts and updated it with new stories as the world evolved. They added new attachments to the original story and it is still developing. When someone who couldn’t comprehend how this world came into existence, had this crazy idea in the mind that the world was created by someone unique, outside of his understanding, and in order to have credibility, they attributed it to a supreme being which is in the present understanding, that is, the gods of different religions. But in reality, none of those gods of religions have anything to do with the creation of the universe.

If you believe in the universal energy that contributed to the creation of the world it can be better believed and understood in the present situation. And more scientific evidences are found to prove it. But unfortunately, religions already personified that universal energy and started giving it different forms and attributes to show “him or her” as the supreme power that caused the creation of the universe. And thus, the gods of religions are limited within the imagination of human beings. And when one is stuck with the possibility of attributes, makes the choice to say that god is beyond all these things. And finally, they end up in the same concept of universal energy. But human knowledge is still limited to express fully the idea of universal energy fields.  And none of the religions will accept the fact that their ‘so called god’ is limited to their imaginations and the power of their god is up to what they believe in.

Just for example, look at the human misery. Where is the power of gods? Those who believe in the gods of religions will say, it is the will of god and they wash their hands off. That is a clear limitation of the deity in whom they believe in.

Half of the human misery can be eliminated in a moment, if the religions and the gods of religions are out of the scenes and people start caring for each other with kindness and compassion. You don’t even need to have the aspect of love involved in it. Love will exist as the result of kindness and compassion that is expressed through caring for each other. When you care for each other you start sharing what you have. And thus, you bring peace and happiness to the world. And that is the basic need of humanity. And when that is existing in the humanity, there is no need for the gods of religions. When there are no gods, there are no religions.

Gods of religions exist because people believe in it, and if they don’t believe there exist no god. But still there is universal energy. Believers may counter argue that it is just a belief that there is universal energy. But unfortunately, universal energy you can feel, just like a magnetic field, but not god. Magnetic field is invisible to human eyes but still you can feel. You don’t have to believe in it. But god, you can’t feel, you just have to believe. And your belief you make it as a feel which is not a reality. So, what is better? To believe in something that you can feel or to believe in something that you just have to believe!

The world existed before the origin of human beings. The concept of god is emerged from the thoughts of human beings. So, the existence of the “so called gods” started after human beings started to think. So, we can say, gods are created by human beings and not the other way around.  But the universal energy existed even before the origin of human beings. So, the universal energy is beyond the concept of gods of religions. So, if you want to believe in anything, just believe in the universal energy and not on the gods of religions. If you don’t believe in the universal energy, then you should tell me what holds the existence of all these planets and its movements that is in order. Anyway, it is not by the gods of religions, because there is no unanimity in the understanding of your gods. They are all imaginative and surplus with limitations.

But there are human beings those who have the capacity to relate to the universal energy. And that happens only if they can identify themselves as part of the universal energy. So it is time to explore the universal energy in order to be happy. Happiness and peace is just around you in the fields, you just have to connect to it. They are like informations, it is in the network of the fields. Whether you are resilient towards it or not, you are still part of it. You are not actively experiencing it. Just like this informations that I share here. When you start thinking differently, the flow of information changes. You can stay with it or let it go and be inactive again. But when you continue, your informations are refreshed, and new knowledge is linked to you. That is the power of universal energy.

THE Learning is never Ending

Slow Down and learn more things

Did you know there are two ways to pronounce the word the, and the rule that governs which pronunciation you choose is kind of like how you choose between ‘a’ and ‘an’? When we were doing our studies, one of our professor who taught us phonetics for some time, told us that there is a difference in the pronunciation of the word “the” according to the usage.  

I didn’t know this until I heard about it. Then I checked the Merriam-Webster dictionary and I found the same. It says;  definite article  “the” \before consonants usually thə, before vowels usually thē, sometimes before vowels also thə; for emphasis before titles and names or to suggest uniqueness often ˈthē\.  If you are amazed and tell me that I’m doing something wrong without checking first. No, I did a research. So, I have the proves that I am right!  There are pronunciation guidelines that you never learned. But it is no use of argument. Because people are so used to using it the way they want. And they may not be willing to change it too. It is natural for a native to know the difference between the two pronunciation, but for anyone who is not a native would have the courage to accept the rules.  I am not a native, so I can only accept the rules of the language and I cannot change the rules.  May be in the course of time through wear and tear the language would be modified according to the convenience of the time and people.  That doesn’t mean that there was no rules like that.

There are mainly two rules pronouncing ‘the’.  Pronounce it “thee” if the next word starts with a vowel sound. And pronounce it “thuh” if the next word starts with a consonant sound. Just like with ‘a’ versus an, it’s not the first letter of the next word that matters, it’s the first sound. Here are some examples:

When the next word starts with a consonant sound

Did Martin bring "thuh" cheese platter?

Where is "thuh" universal remote? (Note that universal starts with a consonant sound: Y.)

When the next word starts with a vowel sound

I prefer "thee" effervescent water.

Did Smarty get "thee" MRI? (Note that MRI starts with a vowel sound: E.)

People Also Use ‘Thee’ for Emphasis

The big exception to these rules is that people also use the “thee” pronunciation when they want extra emphasis or to indicate that something is important. For example, if you really want to make a point, you might say that someone is “thee” big star or that the summer gala is “thee” social event of the year. 

Since I spent decades of my life not making a distinction between the two pronunciations, I still get it wrong sometimes. That doesn’t mean that there is no rule existing.  If we want, we can be serious about it. Or just ignore about it and go on with how it comes to your tongue.

People are flabbergasted when they hear about the difference. And they never realized that it was something that had to be taught in the schools. I assumed people just listened to what they were saying, and how they were saying it, and would know that "the" had two different pronunciations. Do you make the error only when reading aloud? Sometimes teachers go crazy that the kids didn't change the pronunciation of "the" based on the word following it. I always assumed it was because they were reading one word at a time, without full comprehension.

I know that you learned something new here, but for many native speakers, it is a natural thing, and get it right most of the time. And it is sometimes surprising that even the Filipino and Indian folks know these rules. May be, it was taught in the schools for fun and they took it serious.

So now you know why it's THEE Ohio State University! The professors were such sticklers about that but they never explained it. They were just used to it even without knowing the rules!

And sometimes people argue that "Thee event" should be "Thuh event", as it is clumsy to try and say two ee sounds back to back. The sounds "uh ee" flow much better than "ee ee". But sorry, there are people who disagree and counter argue, that 'Thee event 'is much easier to say, as the two words roll into each other. 'Thuh event' causes you to pause between each word and is thus more clumsy. Moreover,  ‘Thuh event’ causes an abrupt stop between words, is hard to say, and sounds odd. The other reason is regional; you pronounce it eevent, around here in Northern CA it's pronounced uh-vent (like the thing that is attached to a fan, a vent) and thee uh-vent flows like theater. That’s why one say it "Thevent" and listen for context. Language is not static no matter how hard the lexicographers try to make it. So it is nothing to worry about.

And there are even people go crazy about its pronunciation and argue that 'Thuh' is used before the 24 consonant sounds of English and 'thee' is used in front of 20 vowel sounds. There are 44 sounds in English. Anyway, I don’t go that deep into the language. But it may be more fun and can make more complication for English speakers who are not natives.

All native speakers unconsciously try to make "smooth transitions" from word to word. Some ESL pronunciation teachers are very critical about it, and they say, they call call this "linking" or "blending," and it's essential to sounding like a native speaker. Spaces between words are just there for writing. For speaking, we try to link word to word so that "an apple" sounds like "a napple" and a "bus stop" sounds like "bustop." Likewise, it sounds smoother to use the pronunciation thee with its final y glide to link to vowels ("thee yapple") to avoid a choppy glottal stop sound in the middle of "thuh apple." They would even disagree with example of using "thuh" (not "thee") before "universal." According to them, The y sound at the end of "thee" smoothly links to the y sound at the beginning of "universal" to make the link "thee yuniversal." Which leads to an observation they make about "thuh" and "thee": Native speakers shift back and forth between use of "thuh" and "thee" even in the same sentence environment, depending on speed, emphasis, and "feeling," And some teachers after 37 years of teaching pronunciation, make unscientific, observation that "thuh" may be winning out over "thee" in all contexts.

I was never taught a distinction either, but as I play with all the combinations, I realize that using thee before vowel sounds creates a slight Y sound between thee and the vowel sound of the next word. It produces a smooth transition and prevents the need for a glottal stop to separate the two words. It sounds like ‘thee yeffervescent’ water, ‘thee yeaster’ parade, thee yitalicized words, and thee yold man. If I use thuh effervescent water, I have to use a glottal stop and it loses the fluid sound.

Again to make the grammar complicated, The is pronounced theh regardless of the following word.
The letter e is not pronounced uh. The e that ends the word "the" does not deserve to be ee as if the word is spelled thee. Egret, emit, emergency, remote, and other words have the ee sound preceding a syllable, but e is alone at the end of "the."

Where is "thuh" universal remote? Doesn't 'universe' start with a vowel sound? Yes of course, It starts with a vowel, but not a vowel sound, I believe. 'Universal' would have to sound like 'uh-nih-ver-sul' for it to be a vowel sound, but instead it sounds like 'yoo-nih-ver-sul.' I could be wrong on this since I'm just learning myself, but that's what I get from this.

Again even the Americans do not pronounce many things correctly, For example, the letter W is actually double v in many other languages and Americans say it incorrectly. Universe might sound like yoo-nih-ver but it still a vowel. "Unlike 'a' versus 'an'" – what? This is exactly like 'a' versus 'an'.
If the word following ""the" starts with a consonant SOUND, you pronounce "the" as "thuh." If the word following "the" starts with a vowel SOUND, you pronounce "the" as "thee." Note that the rule referred to "consonant sound" and "vowel sound" not "consonant letter" and "vowel letter"

There are even people come up with the puzzle: should we say "a historical" or " 'an' historical?" But you know for sure that one does not say "istorical;" One says "HIStorical." So, is it "a" or "an?"

There are people who even argue that they apply any rule when they speak, they unconsciously and automatically choose the appropriate combination of sounds that join and flow smoothly. Possibly, at a future time, we will solve this problem by pronouncing only the beginning of the word, "th'". We will possibly say, "He left th'share portfolio to his daughter" and "He left th'entire share portfolio to his daughter." Or we might say "Th'child was killed by th'ostrich that his father kept in his private menagerie."
By the way, it is both grammatically wrong and unacceptable amongst literate people to say, "Do you pronounce it wrong?" "Wrong" is an adjective form. Since you are modifying the verb, "pronounce", you need to use an adverb. Since "wrongly" sounds stilted you could use "incorrectly" or you could rephrase the statement: Are you using the wrong pronunciation?"
There is a difference between spoken and written English. It might be acceptable, if arrogant, to say, "Get it right." But the written form would be "I want you to make a greater effort and do it correctly." Or, "eliminate the mistakes."

This is cool. Because when I studied phonetics I noticed and read about this alternation. I think I've just planted the seed for a new temporary observational obsession. I'm excited to see how much this subconscious rule is followed in the natural speech of our communities.

All this time I thought "thuh" was just the usual pronunciation of "the." "Thee" called extra attention to an already definite article.

MRI starts with "em". But I don't get why you would use "thuh" with "you-ni-versal".

Where is “an” Universal remote to change this subject? ( Rules are rules and that cannot be according to your convenience)

Slow Down and take time to learn more things!!!

www.jeeva.eu

You Slow Down in your life if you are a Type B Person

Dr. Travis Bradberry, the coauthor of  EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE 2.0 wrote a very thought provoking article in the Huffington post about the Type B people. And it helps to know better about Type B people who are really following a Slow Down life. He talks about 9 things that every Type B person wishes that others knew.

Nobel Prize winner Edith Wharton once said, “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” This is an amazingly accurate description of the difference between Type A and Type B personalities. Type A personalities are the candles—and they’re usually burning at both ends. Type B personalities, on the other hand, put out every bit as much light; they just don’t get as much recognition for it.

Type Bs don’t have all of that sparkle and sizzle that attract everyone’s attention. Since Type Bs aren’t as in your face about their contributions, they have a tendency to get mislabeled as lazy or indifferent.

That bias goes all the way back to the origin of the Type A/Type B personality paradigm, in the waiting room of a couple of cardiologists. The doctors noticed that their chairs didn’t have wear on the backs as expected; it was only visible on the front edge of the seats and the armrests, which suggested that patients were literally waiting on the edge of their seats, ready to jump up the second their names were called. So, the cardiologists—Doctors Friedman and Rosenman—then wanted to find out if impatient people were more prone to heart disease. They discovered that their hunch was correct, and they labeled these impatient individuals “Type A.” “Type B” was simply a label they assigned to anyone who wasn’t Type A.

It’s as if Type Bs lack the distinguishing characteristics that drive them to be successful. Type Bs, however, know that this couldn’t be further from the truth.The very traits that people assume are the products of laziness or indifference are distinct personality characteristics that help Bs to achieve and prosper.

Unlike Type As, Type Bs don’t feel like they have to be perfect, which means they are OK with recognizing and admitting their weaknesses. This acknowledgment equips them to shore up those weaknesses. Type Bs are also easier to get along with, as they tend to be supportive rather than rushing, pushing, and criticizing others.

Type Bs don’t jump to conclusions. Since they’re not in a constant rush, they take the time to analyze all the facts instead of hurrying their analysis just to reach a decision. Type Bs also won’t keep beating a dead horse. Whereas Type As can become obsessed with making their chosen strategy work, Type Bs easily switch gears when it becomes obvious something isn’t working.

In a nutshell, Type B personalities deserve a lot more credit than they get. To fully grasp what it means to be Type B, you need to hear it from the horse’s mouth. Don’t take my word for it—let’s see what they have to say:

1. We’re not lazy; we’re just laid-back. Just because our goals aren’t pulsating like strobe lights on our foreheads doesn’t mean we don’t have any. We have goals, and we care about them just as much as you care about yours. But we see achieving those goals as a journey, not a sprint. We may stop and smell the proverbial roses along the way, but we still stay focused on where we’re going and what we need to do to get there.

2. We have a plan. Just because we’re not barreling from step one to step two at breakneck speed doesn’t mean we don’t have a plan. We do. We just keep it to ourselves and follow it quietly rather than assigning time-keepers and judges to monitor our progress and help us stay on track.

3. We care. Being laid-back is not the same as being disengaged or indifferent. The truth is that we care enough to work at the pace we’re most effective. If we didn’t care, we’d let you rush us even if that compromised quality.

4. We’re content. We think it’s great that you’re so focused on your goals, but we simply don’t think as much about “What’s next?” because we’re pretty happy right where we are. In fact, we Type B people report a higher level of satisfaction with our lives, and that lets us enjoy today without worrying so much about what we’re going to achieve tomorrow.

5. We’re healthier than you are. Overall, we suffer less stress, which can lead to everything from heart disease and insomnia to relationship problems and substance abuse. Our ability to relax not only paves the way for better decision-making, it also helps us maintain a healthy weight, avoid cancer, and fight off infections.

6. We make great friends. We see the best in everyone—including you. Since we don’t view life as a competition, we’re the first to cheer you on and to support you along the way. And we cheer and support you, not just your achievements. We think that Robert Louis Stevenson knew what he was talking about when he said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

7. We work best when we’re allowed to color outside of the lines. Don’t give us a paint-by-numbers kit; we’d much rather have a blank canvas and a shiny new palette of colors. While you’re squinting at those small spaces, trying to make sure you stay within the lines, we’re backing up all the way across the room so we can see the big picture.

8. We like group projects. We know you don’t like group projects, and we know why: there are always a few group members who don’t feel that every second has to be accounted for or who don’t share your sense of urgency to do everything NOW! We focus on the process as well as the outcome. We’re happy to share the successes, the failures, and the credit, and we enjoy the give-and-take and collaboration that are part of working with a group, even if it slows things down a bit.

9. We admire and respect you—but we wouldn’t trade places. We’re awed by your drive and by your breathtaking pace. We recognize the rewards that come your way, and we’re impressed. But we’re wise enough to know that we’re not wired that way. We’d be miserable, and so would everyone around us. So, we’re content to hang out in the slow lane and see you at the finish line. We’ll be the ones who are smiling calmly, rather than gasping for breath. 

Bringing It All Together

We really don’t mind ceding the limelight to Type A personalities; just don’t count us out. We have a lot to offer, and we want to contribute. We want to succeed at a high level. However, we’d rather enjoy the game and leave the scorekeeping to somebody else. After all, it doesn’t matter until the game is over.

So, Slowing down in life is natural to many if there are no adverse circumstances.