While it may not rise to the level of being illegal, unethical behavior in the workplace can have serious consequences if unaddressed. And it can create a toxic work environment in which your employees and business ultimately suffer.

When the authors of Crucial Accountability gave an online survey to more than 900 working people in 2016, the three most common unethical workplace behaviors cited were taking credit for someone else’s work, indulging in extra long breaks and calling in sick when actually well. One-third of the respondents reported having witnessed at least one of these violations the week prior to participating the survey.

At large businesses, a human resources department or manager can provide a way for employees to voice their concerns about unethical behavior of colleagues and provide policies, procedures and training. At smaller businesses with few resources and little or no HR support, creating an avenue for reporting or disclosing unethical behavior is challenging, as is putting in place the proper guidance for addressing such behavior.

If your business lacks robust HR support, it’s critical for employees to have an easy way to report their concerns and for your company to put in place policies, protocol and training related to unethical behavior. Entrepreneurs can take the following steps to proactively address unethical behavior at work:

1 Create a code of ethics.

Set the tone for behavior in your workplace by creating a code of ethics. A code of ethics establishes the values that are important to a business and creates a common framework for understanding the boundaries within the organization.

Codes of ethics should be written in broad, idealistic terms to communicate the company’s ethical vision, yet be succinct enough to be contained in a values statement. If it makes sense, include ethical expectations in the company’s mission statement and employee handbooks.

Be sure to involve key employees in the process of drafting and formalizing the code of ethics. This will ensure that leaders are on board with and committed to the values.

2.Establish a protocol.

Include in your code of ethics instructions about how to report unethical behavior. For example, set up an anonymous ethics hotline as well as a clear protocol for reporting, such as requesting a private meeting with the appropriate manager or supervisor.

Additionally, if a concern or violation is reported and the company lacks internal HR resources, ensure that the person tasked with responding is the furthest removed from the concern.

Delegating someone as far removed as possible sets a tone that the concern will be taken seriously and creates trust in your company’s ability to address the matter fairly. If retaining an appropriate internal person isn’t an option, consider investing in an external HR partner who can bring impartiality to the process.

3.Empower Employees

Grant staff the know-how to appropriately identify and handle ethics violations. Accomplish this by implementing ethics-training programs for all new and existing employees to increase the effectiveness of the code.

Ethics courses are available through books and other written materials as well as through online, private or live instruction trainings. You might even choose to tie to ethical behavior some compensation incentives, such as an end-of-the-year bonus or additional paid time off, to further increase the code’s relevance to employees.

4. Continuously review the code.

Keeping the code updated is an important step in keeping a company’s ethics top of mind. Each year, share copies of the code of ethics with every employee or communicate it through a brown bag lunch and learn or workshop.

Ensure that your employees confirm their understanding of the code by requiring them to sign a form of acknowledgement afterward. In doing so, you’ll proactively set up an atmosphere, reinforced by both formal and informal measures, that promotes the values you’ve set forth. 

If you disregard the importance of developing an ethical culture, lawsuits, high turnover, low morale and even the demise of your business could result. A smart business leader should champion a written code of ethics from the outset, establish protocol and continuously review and promote these guidelines.

This will show staff that you’re serious about creating a positive and ethical workplace. At the same time, you’ll also set clear, specific expectations that everyone can understand. Ultimately, the outcome will result in better business processes, as well as happier and more secure employees and therefore a more successful business.

How smart do you have to be to succeed?

How intelligent do you need to be to become a successful entrepreneur? How good does your training program need to be to become an elite athlete? How perfect does your weight loss program need to be to burn fat?

These are questions that we don’t often ask ourselves, but they are built into our beliefs and actions about many phases of life. We often think that the reason we aren’t succeeding is because we haven’t found the right strategy or because we weren’t born with the right talents.

Perhaps that is true. Or, perhaps there is an untold side of the story…

“The Termites”

In 1921, there was a psychologist at Stanford University named Lewis Terman who set out on a mission to conduct a research study unlike any before it.

Terman began by finding the 1,000 smartest students in California between the third grade and eighth grade as measured by IQ. After much testing and searching, Terman gathered a final sample of 856 boys and 672 girls. The children became known as “The Termites.”

Terman and his team began testing the children in nearly every way you could imagine. They tracked their IQ, analyzed how many books each student had in their homes, took their medical histories, and on and on. But that was just the beginning.

What made Terman’s study unique is that it was the first longitudinal research study, which meant that Terman continued to track and test his subjects for years afterward. The study, which is now famously known as Genetic Studies of Genius, collected data from the students throughout their entire lives. Terman collected additional data in 1928, 1936, 1940, 1945, 1950, and 1955. After Terman died in 1956, his colleagues continued tracking The Termites in 1960, 1972, 1977, 1982, and 1986.

To summarize, the study started with the smartest group of children in the entire state of California and then tracked their success throughout their entire lives. Decades later, the researchers had discovered something very interesting.

Threshold Theory

The surprising discovery that came out of Terman’s study is best described by creativity researcher and physician, Nancy Andreasen as Threshold Theory…

“Although many people continue to equate intelligence with genius, a crucial conclusion from Terman’s study is that having a high IQ is not equivalent to being highly creative. Subsequent studies by other researchers have reinforced Terman’s conclusions, leading to what’s known as the threshold theory, which holds that above a certain level, intelligence doesn’t have much effect on creativity: most creative people are pretty smart, but they don’t have to be that smart, at least as measured by conventional intelligence tests. An IQ of 120, indicating that someone is very smart but not exceptionally so, is generally considered sufficient for creative genius.”

Being in the top one percent of intelligence has no correlation with being fantastically creative. Rather, there is a minimum threshold of intelligence that you need to have, and after that it comes down to a lot of deliberate practice, putting in your reps, and developing your skillset.

Some psychology professors like to use the analogy of an NFL football player to explain the role of intelligence and success. If you were to analyze the productivity and effectiveness of all offensive lineman in the NFL and compare it to their weight, you would probably see results all over the board. It is very unlikely that the heaviest lineman in the NFL is also the best lineman. Productivity does not increase linearly with weight.

But nearly every lineman in the NFL is over 300 pounds. There is a threshold that you have to cross to get the job. After that, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will be the best. We can think of intelligence in a similar fashion.

Threshold Theory in Everyday Life

If you look around, you’ll see that Threshold Theory applies to many things in life. There is a minimum threshold of competence that you need to develop in nearly any endeavor. Success is rarely as simple as “just work harder.”

Beyond that threshold, however, the difference is between those who put in the work and those who get distracted. Once you have a basic grasp of the right things to do, it becomes about the consistency of doing the right things more often. Once you understand the fundamentals, it comes down to your habits.

Some examples…

Weightlifting: Assuming you’ve met some minimum threshold and are doing reasonably effective exercises with reasonably effective form, the details don’t really matter that much. Once you’ve passed this basic threshold, what makes 95% of the difference is this: Are you showing up to the gym and putting in your reps?

Writing: Assuming you understand the core principles of writing and the basics of grammar, what determines your ability to write well more than anything else is writing a lot. Once you reach the threshold of writing a decent sentence, the thing that leads to success is writing more.

Entrepreneurship: Assuming you know what the most important metric is for your business, what makes the biggest difference is focusing on that metric every day. Once you cross the basic threshold of knowing what to work on, the most important thing is continuing to work on that one thing and not something else.

If you’re brand new to an area, then it’s possible you haven’t learned enough to cross the threshold yet. But for most of us, we know what works and we have enough knowledge to make progress. It’s not about being more intelligent or more skilled, it’s about overcoming distraction and doing the work that already works.

We collectively believe in a lot of myths. One of them is that your life only makes sense if you do what you love. That might be true, but the pursuit of your passion can be equally satisfying, which is something we often overlook.

Casey Neistat is an awesome YouTuber and entrepreneur. In his vlogs, he often talks about how much he loves his work . And he advocates the belief of “find a job that you love and you don’t have to work for a day in your life.”

He’s not the only one who believes that. Many artists, athletes, entrepreneurs believe the same.

Steve Jobs even said:

“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.”

I agree. However, it seems like many of us put too much pressure on ourselves to find our passion.

• Without passion, we are not complete.
• Without passion, our life has no meaning.

Really? It sounds like we’re giving ‘passion’ too much attention these days. It’s important, yes, but it’s not a magical solution that will make all your problems disappear.

Some people say: “If only I would find my passion.”

And I think: Then what? Let’s say you find your passion.

But if you’re an idiot, you will be an idiot with a passion. And if you’re a miserable complainer, you’ll be a miserable complainer with a passion.

Don’t expect that your life will be 10X better when you love what you’re doing. Life is still LIFE. You have to wake up, make money, struggle, and deal with all the things that life brings with it.

People ask me: How did you find your passion?

One of my friends who didn’t exactly know what they wanted to do when they grew up. There were many things she thought about doing.

But was she miserable before she started doing what she do now? No.

She have to admit, she had been an idiot and she had made stupid decisions in the past, but she also been a hard worker, got two degrees from college, read tons of books, traveled, started and failed a few businesses, and always made the best out of bad situations.

And then one moment in 2015, she thought: Why not write about the stuff that she had learned along the way? Her mentors and people who were close to her told her she should do this stuff a few years ago. She didn’t think about it at the time. But last year it just happened. Like a eureka moment.

Don’t get her wrong: It’s awesome to wake up every day and look forward to working on the stuff you love to do. But it’s not the ultimate key to happiness.

“So how is that information useful for her?”

For the past year, She have been researching how others can stimulate the process of ‘finding your passion.’ But she have never found any research that has a sound answer to that question.

No research says ‘do XYZ’ and that will result in YOUR PASSION.

The only research that comes close is from neuroscience and eureka moments. You know super awesome insights that appear out of nowhere. And finding your passion is often the same: It’s just an insight.

In The Eureka factor, John Kounios and Mark Beeman explain how insights arise and what scientific research says about stimulating them. They write:

“Though insights often come as a surprise, sometimes we can sense that an idea is present, lurking just below the threshold of awareness, ready to emerge. This puzzling phenomenon has a strange subjective quality. It feels like an idea is about to burst into your consciousness, almost as though you’re about to sneeze.”

Instead of putting pressure on yourself, you need something else that will trigger that final step of getting a eureka moment. Kounious and Beeman continue:

“Cognitive psychologists call this experience “intuition,” meaning an awareness of the presence of information in the unconscious mind — a new idea, solution, or perspective — without awareness of the information itself, at least until it pops into consciousness.”

You don’t know your passion because you’re not aware of it. That’s all. Don’t make things more complicated than they are. And don’t try to force it to come out of you. It’s not a pimple that you HAVE to pop.

“But how can I stimulate my brain to get more insights?”

1. Expose yourself to different things. Read about stuff you’ve never considered. Travel. Hang out with different people. The more you broaden your mind, the more information you get. Kounious and Beeman show that eureka moments are often a blend of different ideas that you’re exposed to.
2. Manage stress and anxiety. Chronic stress and anxiety prevent your mind to think clearly, focus, and relax. Those are key ingredients of getting new insights. So before you think about finding your passion, deal with stress and anxiety first if you’re having a lot of it.

I think those two things are critical steps that most of us skip. We dive into the practical things like keeping a notebook next to your bed.

But the thing is: You need input if you want to output.

Instead of consciously thinking about your passion, let your passion come to you. It’s somewhere inside of you, hiding because it’s afraid to expose itself.

You just have to trust that someday it will seemingly appear out of nowhere. When that day comes, make a happy dance, celebrate, whatever, but the next day, wake up and start working.

Just like you’re doing now.

Whether you like them or not, New Year’s resolutions are great to create a positive change in your life.

Maybe you always wanted to start a business, read a book a week, get a six-pack, or meditate more. The start of every year is the perfect opportunity to hit the reset button and do things differently.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean New Year’s resolutions are bad. It means that most of us don’t know how to successfully keep our resolutions.

Everybody can set goals. But a small percentage of people actually perseveres and achieves their goals. Steve Jobs believed that people achieve their goals because they didn’t quit. 

The “Secret”

You and I both know there are no such things as secrets when it comes to personal success. Every piece of new advice you hear has been said before. The real secret lies in how well you execute the advice.

Because here’s the secret to successful New Year’s resolutions: Don’t talk about your resolutions until you’ve made them happen.

You see? There’s nothing new about the idea that we should not talk about our goals as it decreases the chances of achieving them.

But how well have you executed that advice? If you’re like most of us, the answer is probably something like, “I didn’t talk about my goals for a week. But I HAD to tell my BFF about it!”

Look, when I say don’t talk about your New Year’s resolutions, I’m dead serious. Like, “don’t even tell your spouse what you’re doing” serious.

Also don’t tell your brother, mother, father, best friend, or even a stranger. Only tell others about what you’ve done after you actually did it or formed the habit.

Why? Here are 4 reasons:

1. You’re More Likely To Succeed

Research says that it takes 66 days on average to form a new habit. But you probably won’t get past day three if you tell everyone about your resolutions.

We all know how these things go. “You?! Do you really want to quit smoking again?” Even though our friends and family don’t mean to discourage us, they often do with their remarks.

I can tell you to stop caring about what others think — which is good advice. But you know what’s better? Don’t give people a chance to say anything. In fact, research even backs this up.

Studies show that people who talked about their goals actually spent less time pursuing their goals than the people who didn’t talk.

Keep your goals and resolutions to yourself. There will be no comments from others. And there will also be no distractions. That gives you more time and energy to focus on your actions.

2. No Waste Of Time And Energy

Every minute you spend talking about doing something is a waste of precious time. I take this very seriously You might think that a few minutes talking about your goals won’t do any harm. But you’re wrong.

You’re wasting the two most important resources you have. Both time and energy should be treated with care.

Plus, who are you doing all this for? Do you want to lose weight to impress others? Or read more just because some blogger told you so?

Don’t fool yourself. None of that shit should matter to you. The only drive that’s sustainable is an internal one. You do things for yourself and the people who truly matter in your life.

3. More Anticipation

For me, this is the most important thing. When you set a goal or trying to form a new habit, it’s much better to talk about it in the past tense.

Instead, I looked forward to telling my friends that I actually did it. Now, my initial plan was to not talk about my resolution for a whole year. But after four to five months, I felt that the habit was ingrained in my system enough that I felt comfortable talking about it more.

And that’s how I do everything. I don’t say that I’m writing a book unless I’m almost done. Because, what’s the point? No one is going to help you write your book, lose weight, quit smoking, read a book, get your degree, and so forth. You have to do those things.

If you want to talk to someone, I recommend talking to yourself in your journal. If you don’t know how to journal.

4. You Put An Emphasis On Action

Let’s face it. Doing something is better than saying you’re going to do something. No one can argue with that.

We all know that nothing will ever happen without action. But what we don’t know is how important motivation and inspiration is in our life.

Every single person in life needs a reason to change. And sure, it has to come from within. But you also need outside inspiration — a kick in the ass to get started.

New Year’s resolutions are just that. Instead of saying that you don’t need resolutions, use them (just don’t talk about it). Improve your life.

And if you do it right, you’ll be the one who’s laughing in 12 months from now —not the idiots who mock New Year’s resolutions.

Finally, Here Are A Few Practical Tips To Make Your Resolutions Stick Even Better

1. Keep it small — If you want to start a business, you’re probably not going to make a million bucks in the first year. It’s not about setting low goals. It’s about thinking big and acting small. You’ll achieve those big goals in time.
2. Measure Your Progress — If you don’t measure your progress, it’s safe to say that you are not making any. Find a relevant measure and record it every single day. Yes, every day. If you want to change, you better be serious about it.
3. Be Accountable To Yourself — We’ve all heard about the accountability partners, etc. I’ve experimented with it too. But I think that one of the most important skills you can learn in life is to be self-reliant. To see this as an exercise to improve your sense of accountability. To do that, you need a real reason to change. Maybe you want to buy your parents a big house, play soccer with your kids, or travel the world. It must be something bigger than you.

Anyone who’s serious about changing something about their life can do it. It doesn’t matter if you failed in the past. Maybe you handle it wrong. What matters is that go for it now.

Are you attracted to entrepreneurship? Does the freedom appeal to you? And does that make you want to start a business of your own?

You’re not the only one.

Ever since Tim Ferriss published The Four Hour work routine , in which he introduced the lifestyle business concept, a lot of people are chasing the same dream.

It’s pretty appealing, right? You start a business, automate it, hire a virtual assistant, and make money while you’re sleeping or traveling the world.

Everyone wants that. That’s why a lot of people have made it their business to teach you how to do it. They say things like:

• “Do these 20 things and you’ll earn six figures.”
• “Get this online course and you’ll become rich easily without putting in the work!”
• “I travel the world and make 100K of passive income per month. Here’s how I do it.”

But entrepreneurship is not easy.

Have you thought about starting a business? Maybe you’re sick of the 9–5, want more freedom, and be your own boss?

All valid reasons to start a business. But you need a little more than that.

I’ve read that 96% of businesses fail in ten years. so I Googled it. It appears that it’s not backed by research. One person probably claimed it once and everyone else copied it.

But there’s some truth in that statement. Entrepreneurship is a long-term game.

Do you want to start a business? Or are you an entrepreneur?

The latter is something you do for the rest of your life. I’ve started businesses that failed in the past. But I’m still an entrepreneur. You see?

Entrepreneurship is not something you do; it’s something you are.

The question you want to ask yourself is: “What am I?”

This article might be about entrepreneurship, but you can apply it to everything in life. Building a solid career or business both require self-awareness.

Too often, we do things for the wrong reasons: Money, reputation, coolness, outside pressure.

But in life, it’s much better to follow your nature. For that you need to know your nature first.

Then, build your life around what you are, not what you or other people want you to be.

For instance, I’ve always been an entrepreneur. When I was a kid, I always had a side-hustle. I remember ripping CDs, printing booklets, and selling them for half price. Not particularly legal, but hey, I had no clue back then. That’s who I am.

Who are you?

Ask yourself a few questions.

• Why do I want to start a business?
• Am I interested in entrepreneurship or am I just attracted to the outcome (freedom, time, money)?
• Do I want to learn the skills I need to succeed? As an entrepreneur, you need basic knowledge of everything that happens in your business.

If you’re thinking about starting a business, try to speak to some entrepreneurs in your environment. Ask about what they do on an average day.

Make up your mind after careful consideration. Not after watching a video from an idiot who is pretending he’s living “the” life. Or after looking at some motivational quotes on Instagram.

That’s not entrepreneurship. That’s a fantasy.

Starting a business is hard work. But it’s definitely not impossible. And everyone who has put their mind to it can achieve it.

Just take the time to think about what you are. Then, start small. Don’t overcomplicate it. It took me two business degrees to learn this simple strategy:

1. Research: Is there a need for your product? If it doesn’t exist, it’s probably because people don’t care. Nothing is new in this world.
2. Create: Stick to one product/service. You don’t need complex stuff with 10,000 variations.
3. Sell it. Yes, entrepreneurs are basically salespeople who work for themselves.

That’s all. And always repeat the same process if you want to introduce new products.

Simple? Yes. Easy? No.

Worth it? Hell yes.

Many people, myself included, have multiple areas of life they would like to improve. For example, I would like to reach more people with my writing, to lift heavier weights at the gym, and to start practicing mindfulness more consistently. Those are just a few of the goals I find desirable and you probably have a long list yourself.

The problem is, even if we are committed to working hard on our goals, our natural tendency is to revert back to our old habits at some point. Making a permanent lifestyle change is really difficult.

Recently, I’ve come across a few research studies that (just maybe) will make these difficult lifestyle changes a little bit easier. As you’ll see, however, the approach to mastering many areas of life is somewhat counterintuitive.

Too Many Good Intentions

If you want to master multiple habits and stick to them for good, then you need to figure out how to be consistent. How can you do that?

Well, here is one of the most robust findings from psychology research on how to actually follow through on your goals:

Research has shown that you are 2x to 3x more likely to stick with your habits if you make a specific plan for when, where, and how you will perform the behavior. For example, in one study scientists asked people to fill out this sentence: “During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].”

Researchers found that people who filled out this sentence were 2x to 3x more likely to succeed compared to a control group who did not make plans for their future behavior. Psychologists call these specific plans “implementation intentions” because they state when, where, and how you intend to implement a particular behavior.

This finding is well proven and has been repeated in hundreds studies across a broad range of areas. For example, implementation intentions have been found to increase the odds that people will start exercising, begin recycling, stick with studying, and even stop smoking.

However (and this is crucial to understand) follow-up research has discovered implementation intentions only work when you focus on one thing at a time. In fact, researchers found that people who tried to accomplish multiple goals were less committed and less likely to succeed than those who focused on a single goal.

This is important, so let me repeat: developing a specific plan for when, where, and how you will stick to a new habit will dramatically increase the odds that you will actually follow through, but only if you focus on one thing.

What Happens When You Focus on One Thing

Here is another science-based reason to focus on one thing at a time:

When you begin practicing a new habit it requires a lot of conscious effort to remember to do it. After awhile, however, the pattern of behavior becomes easier. Eventually, your new habit becomes a normal routine and the process is more or less mindless and automatic.

Researchers have a fancy term for this process called “automaticity.” Automaticity is the ability to perform a behavior without thinking about each step, which allows the pattern to become automatic and habitual.

But here’s the thing: automaticity only occurs as the result of lots of repetition and practice. The more reps you put in, the more automatic a behavior becomes.

Change Your Life Without Changing Your Entire Life

Alright, let’s review what I have suggested to you so far and figure out some practical takeaways.

1. You are 2x to 3x more likely to follow through with a habit if you make a specific plan for when, where, and how you are going to implement it. This is known as an implementation intention.
2. You should focus entirely on one thing. Research has found that implementation intentions do not work if you try to improve multiple habits at the same time.
3. Research has shown that any given habit becomes more automatic with more practice. On average, it takes at least two months for new habits to become automatic behaviors.

This brings us to the punchline of this article…

The counterintuitive insight from all of this research is that the best way to change your entire life is by not changing your entire life. Instead, it is best to focus on one specific habit, work on it until you master it, and make it an automatic part of your daily life. Then, repeat the process for the next habit.

The way to master more things in the long-run is to simply focus on one thing right now.

 Procrastination is the act of putting off work for no particular reason. Some guides and experts say that you’re procrastinating when you’re not doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. 

In fact, a recent study I did with 2,219 respondents showed that 88% of all people admit to procrastinating at least one hour a day. That’s more accurate. Why? Because we all delay or postpone a task for no good reason. Sometimes, we start a task or project, but we end up delaying the work. We don’t get it done.

Benefits Of Stopping Procrastinating

Lower anxiety—The more we procrastinate, and the longer we wait to get started with important things, the more anxiety and stress we have.

Higher self-discipline—Research shows that procrastination is not only a time-management problem. One of the biggest reasons we procrastinate is low self-discipline.

Better work—People who don’t procrastinate accomplish better work. When you work with less stress, anxiety, and high self-discipline, you give yourself the chance to do better work. 

Common Challenges

No intrinsic reason—What’s your drive? Why do you do what you do? Too often, we set goals and pursue things for extrinsic reasons

Fear—There are many kinds of fear that make us procrastinate. Fear of failure, rejection, novelty, success, suffering, hardship, you name it

Lack of knowledge—If you don’t know how to do something, learn how to do it. But if you think you can’t do that, you’ll never start.

Tips for prevent Procrastinating

How I Beat Procrastination: Do It Today, Not Tomorrow–This is my system for beating procrastination.

The science behind procrastination and how to beat it – I talk about “the slope of procrastination.” It’s the moment you give into one distraction. 

Form a daily writing habit -Writing every day is another example of self-discipline. Just like exercise, if you can write for your own purposes every day, you’ve beaten procrastination.

How to build self confidence that you need to win at life -Improve your self-confidence so you are more likely to get things done. Believe in your ability to figure things out

BEST Books to read on this topic

Man search for meaning by Victor Frankl-This unique book describes how we choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. Even during the horrible conditions of a concentration camp, humans can endure the suffering and find meaning in living because of inner decisions.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck -Life is about solving problems and finding solutions. If you always look at the risks and consequences of everything, you might play it safe, but you’ll also never grow.

A manual for living by Epictetus– A Manual For Living is exactly what the title says it is. This book also gives you a larger perspective on humanity. People have always had problems with self-confidence, family, work, other people, etc. In a way, nothing has changed. And that’s pretty comforting.

Feel the fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers–Fear is something that holds us back on a daily basis. And Susan Jeffer’s book gives you practical tips on how you can manage fear. I say ‘manage’ because fear is something that will never go away. And that’s why I like to read this book every year

Protest rallies were carried out in different cities across Balochistan on Wednesday against the killing of prominent leader and activist Karima Baloch in Canada.

Hundreds of people including activists gathered in various places in Quetta and Hub City demanding a fair probe by the Canadian government into Karima’s sudden death.

Karima, a vocal critic of the Pakistan Army and government atrocities in Balochistan, was found dead in Toronto.

The Baloch activist had arrived in Canada in 2016 and campaigned extensively against disappearances and human rights violations in the troubled Balochistan province.

Free Balochistan Movement said that the disappearance and murder of Karima Baloch in Canada is a matter of grave concern and shock for all.

In a statement, Free Balochistan Movement said that due to the atrocities of Pakistan, Baloch refugees were forced to migrate to neighbouring Afghanistan.

It urged the UN refugee agency to take steps to protect and assist the Baloch refugees. 

Health Ministry has issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response for a new variant of SARS- CoV 2 virus, which has been reported by the UK government to World Health Organization (WHO).

This variant is estimated by European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) to be more transmissible and affecting younger population.
This variant is defined by a set of 17 changes or mutations. One of the most significant  mutation is in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind to the human ACE2 receptor.

Changes in this part of the spike protein may result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.
The SOP describes the activities to be undertaken at the point of entry and in the community for all International passengers who have travelled from or transited through UK in the past four weeks from 25th November to till date. Any reference to testing in this SOP implies RT-PCR testing only.

The flights from UK are suspended temporarily from 23rd December till 31st December or till further orders.

All the passengers travelling from or transiting through airports in UK and disembarking in India during the intervening period from 21st to 23rd December would be subjected to RT-PCR test on arrival.

In case of a positive sample, it is recommended that spike gene-based RT-PCR test should also be performed.

Passengers testing positive will be isolated in an institutional isolation facility in a separate isolation unit coordinated by the respective State Health Authorities.

Necessary action to send the samples to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune or any other appropriate lab for genomic sequencing will be initiated at the facility level.

If the genomic sequencing indicates the presence of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 then the patient will be kept in the separate isolation unit and treated as per the clinical protocol.

Those who are found negative on testing with RT-PCR at the airport would be advised quarantine at home.

Prior to check-in, the traveler will be explained about this SOP and In-flight announcements must also be made.

Those international travelers from UK who arrived in India since last one month will be contacted by District Surveillance Officers and monitored in community.

State Governments and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme will ensure that all the contacts of those travelers from UK or transiting through UK in last four weeks will be traced and monitored.

They will also be tested as per protocol and contacts of positive cases would be subjected to institutional quarantine in separate quarantine centers for effective isolation and monitoring. 

India has leaped across a significant milestone in its fight against COVID.

With a continuous decline in the number of active corona cases, the active caseload in the country today has further decreased to stand at 2.80 per cent.

The active cases in the country witnessed a decline of nearly 5,400 cases in the past 24 hours to stand at around 2.83 lakh.

The number of new daily cases remained even below 25 thousand with 24, 712 cases being reported in the last 24 hours.

The national cumulative recovery rate has also further improved to be at 95.75 per cent with recovery of over 96.93 lakh people so far.

With recovery of nearly 30 thousand people in the last 24 hours, the number of daily recoveries continue to outnumber the new daily cases.

The total recovered cases in the country today stands at over 34 times the number of active cases.

The Health Ministry has informed that enhanced countrywide medical infrastructure, implementation of the Centre’s Standard Treatment Protocol by the States and Union Territories and total dedication and commitment of doctors, paramedics and frontline workers have led to a persistent increase in the number of total recoveries in the country.

The Health Ministry has said that this has also led to a commensurate dip in the fatality rate which stands at 1.45 per cent.
It informed that 312 case fatalities were reported in the past 24 hours.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has also approved Rs. 59,048 Crore post matric scholarship scheme for more than four Crore Scheduled Castes students in 5 years.

Briefing media, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot said, the Central Government will spend Rs. 35,534 Crore for it which is 60 per cent and the balance 40 per cent will be spent by the State Governments.

It is estimated that 1.36 Crore such poorest students, who are currently not continuing their education beyond 10th standard would be brought into the higher education system in the next 5 years.

The Cabinet also approved the merger of Films Division, Directorate of Film Festivals, National Film Archives of India, and Children’s Film Society, India with the  National Film Development Corporation.

Mr Javadekar said, the Cabinet has approved revision in guidelines for providing DTH services in India. He said, DTH licence will be issued for 20 years in place of present 10 years.

Licence fee will be collected quarterly basis instead of an annual basis.

Mr Javadekar said, the Cabinet also approved an ordinance for extending National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act for another 3 years, giving protection to unauthorised colonies from punitive action in Delhi.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for signing the revised Air Services Agreement between India and Philippines.

It also gave its approval for signing the revised Air Services Agreement between India and Afghanistan.

A memorandum signed by more than 3 lakh farmers submitted to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar extending support to new farm laws.

Confederation of NGOs of Rural India’s delegation handed over the memorandum containing more than 3 lakh 13 thousand signatures of farmers to Mr Tomar in New Delhi yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Tomar said there is enthusiasm among the farmers across the nation with respect to the new agri-laws.
He said, these reforms were long overdue. Mr Tomar said, because of Prime Minister Narendra  Modi’s determination that the necessary reforms can be seen taking shape on the ground.

He said that empowering the rural agrarian economy is government’s duty and will continue to remain so in future.

The minister said there are several important agri-reform works that have been done over the past six years and the scholars who are working in agriculture sector have always recommended such reforms.

He said, the aim of these reforms is to raise farmers income, to provide them an independent market, to attract younger generation towards agriculture and to increase the contribution of agriculture in the country’s GDP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the next instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) tomorrow through video conferencing.

With the push of a button, the Prime Minister will enable the transfer of more than Rs. 18 thousand crore to more than 9 crores beneficiary farmer families.

Prime Minister will also have a conversation with farmers from six different States during the event.

The farmers will share their experiences about PM-KISAN and also on various other initiatives taken by the government for the welfare of farmers.

Union Agriculture Minister will also be present on the occasion.

Under the PM-KISAN Scheme, a financial benefit Rs. 6,000 per year is provided to small and marginal farmers, payable in three equal 4-monthly installments of Rs. 2,000 each.

The fund is transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Speaking about the event, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, on December 25, Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birth anniversary is celebrated as Sushashan Diwas, good governance day.

He said, after Mr Modi became Prime Minister, many steps have been taken to promote good governance, ease of living and transparency.

He said, DBT is an important scheme for good governance and transparency.

The Minister said, there was a time when out of Rs. 100 sent by the government only Rs. 15 used to reach villages but Modi Government managed to send full Rs. 100 to people directly through DBT.

Mr Tomar said Modi government is committed to strengthening the agriculture sector.

He said, representatives of the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India today met him and submitted 3,13,363 signatures taken across one lakh villages in support of the three farm laws enacted by the Centre recently.

Memorandum signed by over 3 lakh farmers submitted to Agriculture Minister extending support to new farm laws.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that India is spreading message emanating from Visva-Bharati to the whole world.

He said, India is the only major country which is moving in right direction to achieve environmental targets set under the Paris Agreement.

It is also leading the world in environmental protection through International Solar Alliance.

Prime Minister Modi was addressing the centenary celebrations of the Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan through video conferencing.

The Prime Minister is the Chancellor of the University.

He said Gurudev’s vision for Vishwa Bharati is also the essence of Atmanirbhar Bharat, which is the path of India’s welfare for world welfare.

Prime Minister Modi said Gurudev wanted  that the world should benefit from what is best in India and that what is good in the world, India should also learn from it.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank were also  present during the event.

Founded by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, Visva-Bharati was declared a Central University and an Institution of National Importance by an Act of Parliament in May 1951.

Gurudev founded the University with a noble vision. Visva-Bharati acknowledges India’s obligation to offer to others the hospitality of her best culture and India’s right to accept from others their best.

The University follows the pedagogy devised by Gurudev Tagore, though gradually it evolved in the format in which modern Universities developed elsewhere.