Wednesday 30 April 2014

[HM:257257] Great Tips for Improving Your Life


Dr. Randy Pausch died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, but wrote a book 'The last lecture" before then, one of the bestsellers in 2007. What a legacy to leave behind…
In a letter to his wife Jai and his children, Dylan, Logan , and Chloe, he wrote this beautiful "guide to a better life" for his wife and children to follow. May you be blessed by his insight.

 

 

 

Personality:
1. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
2. Don't have negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment
3. Don't over-do; keep your limits
4. Don't take yourself so seriously; no one else does
5. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip
6. Dream more while you are awake
7. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
8. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
9. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present
11. No one is in charge of your happiness except you
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Smile and laugh more
14. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

 

Community:
15. Call your family often
16. Each day give something good to others
17. Forgive everyone for everything
18. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
19. Try to make at least three people smile each day
20. What other people think of you is none of your business
21. Your job will not take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

 

 

Life:
22. Put GOD first in anything and everything that you think, say and do.
23. GOD heals everything
24. Do the right things
25. Whatever good or bad a situation is, it will change
26. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up
27. The best is yet to come
28. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful
29. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it
30. If you know GOD you will always be happy. So, be happy.

 

 

While you practice all of the above, share this knowledge with the people you love, people you school with,
people you play with, people you work with and people you live with.
Not only will it enrich YOUR life, but also that of those around you

 

Source: Unknwon

 


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Junaid Tahir
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Tuesday 29 April 2014

[HM:257256] Success advice: Reward yourself


When children do something great, parents will reward them with something nice, whether a kind word of encouragement or a new toy. When people do well in their job, they get raises. As you surpass your milestones, reward yourself. Treat yourself to something nice - a new dress, a new fishing pole, a mobile phone, whatever you like, be sure to award yourself for a job well done.



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[HM:257255] Failing to Communicate is a Bigger Management Mistake


In many organizations, most employees don't have a clue about what's going on. Information is power, and some managers use information — in particular, the control of information – to ensure that they're the most knowledgeable and therefore the most valuable individuals in an organization. Some managers shy away from social situations and naturally avoid communicating with their employees — especially when the communication is negative in some way. Others simply don't make efforts to communicate information to their employees on an ongoing basis, letting other, more pressing business take precedence by selectively "forgetting" to tell their employees.

The health of today's organizations — especially during times of change — depends on the widespread dissemination of information throughout an organization and the communication that enables this dissemination to happen. Employees mustbe empowered with information so that they can make the best decisions at the lowest possible level in the organization, quickly and without the approval of higher-ups.

To some of your employees, you're a resource. To others, you're a trusted associate. Still others may consider you to be a mentor, while others see you as a coach or parent. However your employees view you, they all need your time and guidance during the course of their careers. Managing is a people job — you need to make time for people. Some workers may need your time more than others. You must assess your employees' individual needs and address them.

Although some of your employees may be highly experienced and require little supervision, others may need almost constant attention when they're new to a job or task. When an employee needs to talk, make sure that you're available. Put your work aside for a moment, ignore your phone, and give your employee your undivided attention. Not only do you show your employees that they are important, but when you focus on them, but you also hear what they have to say.

http://companiesmanagement.com/2010/10/failing-to-communicate-is-biggest-management-mistake



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Monday 28 April 2014

[HM:257254] Stress Advice: List down all your worries


Make a list of every single worry you have at the moment. You will notice that you don't have as many worries as you thought. Worrying consumes our thinking and we think our whole life is one big worry. When you get it down on paper it's extremely surprising that you don't have as many as you'd thought.



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Saturday 26 April 2014

[HM:257253] You Are The Results Of Yourself


  ....Pablo Neruda


Don't blame anyone, never complain of anyone or anything
Because basically you have made of your life what you wanted.
Accept the difficulties of edifying yourself
And the worth of starting to correct your character.
The triumph of the true man arises from the ashes of his mistakes.

Never complain of your loneliness or your luck.

Face it with courage and accept it.
Somehow, they are the result of your acts and
It shows that you'll always win.
Don't feel frustrated of your own failures, neither unload them to someone else.

Accept yourself now or you'll go on justifying yourself like a child.
Remember that any time is good to start
And that no time is so good to give up.
Don't forget that the cause of your present is your past,
As the cause of your future will be your present.

Learn from the brave, from the strong,
From who doesn't accept situations
From who will live in spite of everything.
Think less of your problems and more of your work.
Learn to arise from your pain,
And to be greater than the greatest of your obstacles.

Look at the mirror of yourself and you'll be free and strong

And you'll stop being a puppet of circumstances.
For you yourself are your destiny.

Wake up and stare at the Sun in the mornings and breathe the Sun of dawn.

You're part of the strength of your life now,
Rise up, fight, walk, be sure and you'll win in life.

Don't ever think of 'fate'

For fate is the excuse of failures.
Best of Luck


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[HM:257252] The Great Power You Posses


You have great power, yet much of that power can easily be wasted on trivial, meaningless things. Imagine what would happen if you devoted more of your power to the truly important, meaningful things. 

In the moments that fill each day, in your thoughts, words and actions, there is great power. When that power is purposeful and well focused, you can do amazing things with it.

Every little action you take changes the world in some way. Over the course of a day, a month or a lifetime, you end up taking a whole lot of actions.

Momentous achievements come from countless small acts all taken in the service of a specific purpose. That's the power of purpose, and you most certainly have it whenever you choose to use it.

Don't let the great power of your life be drained by what doesn't matter. Make the choice to make intentional and meaningful use of that power.

In the life you live there is great, effective, world-changing power. Find your very own unique and beautiful way to put it to use.
Ralph Marston


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[HM:257251] What Stress Actually Does to You and What You Can Do About It



Stress is an unpleasant fact of life. We all experience it for various reasons, and we all try to come up with ways of coping with it—some with more success than others. So what exactly is stress doing to your mind (and body) when you're staring down a deadline? And what can you do to power through it?
The real problem with stress is that, for such a well understood and universally experienced condition, as a society we deal with it so poorly that it leads to many of our most lethal illnesses and long-term health problems. High blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity, and insomnia are all medical conditions across the spectrum that can be related to or directly influenced by high stress as an environmental condition.
In order to cut through some of that fog, let's take a brief look at what stress is, how it impacts us on a physical and mental level, and finally what we can do about it, with the help of some experts. Photo by bottled_void.

Defining Stress: Acute and Chronic
Everyone experiences stress in some way, shape, or form. We all recognize when we're in stressful situations, and we all know when we're stressed. At the same time, stress is more than just a feeling that we have a lot to deal with. For the purposes of our explainer, we're focusing on so-called "bad stress," as opposed to "good stress," like the kind of you experience on a roller coaster (if you went on willingly), when you get a big promotion, or kiss someone for the first time. Aside from good stress, there are primarily two types of stress: Acute (short-term) stress that's usually a response to a specific influence (called a stressor), and chronic (long-term) stress that sticks with you and could either have sprung from a short-term stress that stuck with you, or a constant state of stress that you're under due to persistent stressors and conditions. Photo by Becky Wetherington.

Acute Stress: Acute stress is the type of stress you experience when you have an immediate reaction to something you're presented with. This is the "in the moment" kind of fight or flight response that you have when you have to speak in a meeting, your boss just asked you to stay late, you're startled by a sudden noise, or someone on the internet makes a ill-informed comment about your favorite smartphone platform/operating system/hardware manufacturer. (How could they!?)
Acute stress is defined by the fact that it's immediate and short term. In most cases, once the stressor has been removed, your body and mind return to a normal state.

Chronic Stress: Chronic stress is entirely different, and is characterized by its long-term nature. This is the type of stress that you feel that you're under every day, with no reprieve from the things that make you feel stressed. Most chronic stressors are situations, for example, in which you dislike your job and detest going every day, being there all day, and thinking about it when you leave. Living paycheck-to-paycheck and struggling with financial security issues is another common source of chronic stress that many people are familiar with.
Its these types of chronic stress situations that are the most dangerous. They keep your body's defenses activated and heightened longer than is generally healthy, and unfortunately more and more of us are living under constant conditions that create stress. Add to this the fact that "coping with stress" isn't exactly a topic you learn in school and you have a recipe for a lot of very unhappy people.

What's Actually Happening When You're Stressed
Your body shows signs of stress in two ways: first, the rush of hormones that elevate your heart rate, boost your blood pressure, and stop your digestion, and then second the symptoms that you experience and are aware of, like clenched teeth, headaches, and emotional upset.
Most of us can tell when we're stressed momentarily, or are just feeling stressed out generally, but there's a lot going on inside our bodies when we're stressed that play a role in our health.
Symptoms: The most common and recognizable symptoms of stress are the ones most of us know all too well: insomnia, headaches, jaw pain, back and neck pain, stuttering, heartburn and nausea, nervousness and anxiety, fidgeting, nail-biting, lateness and trouble focusing, and a lack of interest in work or activities that are normally interesting. The American Institute of Stress (AIS) has a list of 50 common signs and symptoms of stress that include these, but also note a number of other symptoms that you may not have immediately associated with stress and not another condition like depression.
For example, behavioral changes that lead to other conditions can also be signs of stress, like addictive tendencies, a sudden interest in smoking, alcohol, excessive eating, or gambling, or any other addictive behavior that can be interpreted as an escape from chronic stressors. Often, even subconsciously, many of us try to escape stressful situations or conditions by blocking them out or escaping by way of anything that makes us feel better. Even if it's fleeting, it's common to search out an escape so you can relax for a while. Photo by The American Institute of Stress.

I spoke with Roger S. Gil, MAMFT, about some of the less productive ways people cope with stress, and he highlighted that trying to escape without dealing with the actual stressor is more common than you may think. "Overeating, displaced anger, denial, defensiveness, etc. All are signs of avoidance and coping strategies that are meant to protect the ego from the discomfort caused by the stressor…and none of them do anything about the stressor," he explained. "Withdrawing (i.e. checking out mentally) from the situation at hand is something I see A LOT of in my work with couples. For example a husband may withdraw into his own little world when his wife complains about something. Instead of hearing her concerns, he pulls away and encourages her to nag him some more…which causes more withdrawal."

These behavioral changes cut both ways though: the AIS notes that stress reactions can also lead to isolation, loneliness, and severe depression as well. If you've been suddenly feeling alone, forgetful, overly defensive, disorganized, uninterested in your everyday life, overwhelmed by what's going on around you to the point where you need to lie about them, and having difficulty communicating with others, it's possible that chronic, poorly managed stress may be part of the problem.

Physiological Effects of Stress: While stress is most often discussed in terms of how it changes our mental and emotional condition, stressors and stressful situations also have a profound impact on our bodies. Stressors, whether they're acute or chronic, immediately set off the body's fight-or-flight response, flooding your system with stress hormones like norepinephrine and cortisol that are meant to give you a needed boost in dangerous situations. Image via Wikipedia.
In short and small bursts, those hormones can make you more alert, more perceptive, raise your heart rate so your muscles get more blood to them, and raise your breathing rate so you get more oxygen into your lungs. Your digestive processes stop entirely so your body doesn't waste energy processing food when it needs all the energy it can muster to survive. It's a good thing if, say, you're dashing across a busy street or escaping a burning building, but keeping your body's fight or flight response turned on all the time and those stress hormones at high levels in your body is unhealthy, as this eHealth article explains.
If these hormones stay in your system for too long, they can eventually lead to high blood pressure and increased heart rate, stress-induced hypertension and stroke risk, ulcers and other gastrointestinal distress, a suppressed immune system, fatigue, sexual issues like impotence and decreased libido. After all, those stress hormones are meant to be in our systems for a short period while we deal with an acute stressor, at a time where we need all of our faculties about us. Over the long term, keeping the body on full alert is more of a detriment than a benefit.


What You Can Do About Stress
Once you recognize the effects of stress and understand the damage you're doing to your body by not coming up with ways to cope with the stress that you're under, it's time to do something about it. I spoke with clinical psychologist Jeffrey DeGroat, PhD about some of the ways you can reduce the impact that chronic stress has on you and how to cope with acute stressors.

Dealing with Acute Stressors: If the stressor is acute and temporary, Dr. DeGroat suggests applying simple relaxation techniques like deep breathing, to calm the mind and the body so you can get the clarity you need to address the situation. He proposes taking a 10-second breathing cycle: breathe in for four seconds, and then out for six seconds. "Works as a thought distraction," he says, "as well as physically slowing down heart rate. This is a good technique to use anytime and anywhere." Photo by Shawn Rossi.


Previously mentioned app CalmDown for Mac is a utility designed just for situations like this: it encourages you to take a deep breath (or a few) so you can step back from the stressor for a moment, gather your thoughts, and push through the fog of frustration and anger that often come with stressors.

I also spoke with Roger Gil about dealing with stressful situations and he reinforced the point: "Stressors like these can produce physical responses at first; so if you're heart is racing, you're short of breath, or you feel your muscles tightening somewhere in your body, know that you're feeling a physiological stress response. In those cases, channeling your awareness of your body can sometimes distract a person away from the area of the body having the stress response." Recognizing that you're having a physical reaction will help you calm down and deal with the situation the way you really want to, as opposed to letting it stew in your mind only to come up with what you wanted to say 15 minutes after you should have said it.

In that vein, Dr. DeGroat explains that figuring out what you wanted to say a few minutes after you said it is very common, and often a result of being unprepared for the stressful situation you're presented with. Aside from making sure to be ready for those situations in advance if you can be, he suggests acknowledging that you're stressed in the situation and telling the person or people you're dealing with that you'll get back to them later. Photo by Sasha Wolff.
"Rather than responding immediately with something we may regret later, or not saying anything at all," he says, "another option might be to indicate to the person that you'll talk to them later about the situation. For example, [imagine] you find out that a co-worker is dating an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend of yours. Rather than yelling at them and making yourself look out of control, or saying 'oh, that's cool,' when you're really upset about it, you could say, 'let's not get into this right now.' This will give you some time to collect your thoughts and approach them on your terms and on your time." Time, as Dr. DeGroat explains, is key to defusing acute stressors, letting your body and mind return to normal, and giving yourself the space to deal with them in a healthy way.

Dealing with Chronic Stressors: Stressors that you deal with on a daily basis or that are always hanging over your head are a different matter entirely. Usually they give you a little more time and space to deal with the thing that's making you stressed, and there are other relaxation techniques for stressors that may not require action on your part right away, or stressors that are always lurking in the background, like your boss, for example.
Visualization is one way to relax yourself when you're presented with a stressor that you don't need to respond to immediately. Dr. DeGroat suggests that if you can, take five to ten minutes to immerse yourself in the most relaxing environment you can possibly imagine, whether it's green fields, a chair by the sea, or your favorite easy chair at home. Focus on as much of that environment as possible, trying to manifest the sounds, smells, and details about it in your head. The more you do this, the farther away you'll get from the thing that's bothering you. It won't make that thing go away, but it will give you a little clarity of mind and distance from the stressor. Photo by Gabriel Pollard.

If you have additional time to relax and some space to be alone, Dr. DeGroat suggests progressive muscle relaxation to defuse some of the natural tension that comes with being stressed. "Systematically tense and relax muscle groups, beginning at your toes and working your way all to the top of your head. [This] serves as a distraction from current stressors and can help reduce physical tension that often accompanies stress."

Another tip Dr. DeGroat offers is to identify whether level of stress and your response to it is realistic or unrealistic when you're in the middle of it. If it's realistic, as in anyone would respond the same way and there's something you can do about it (like your computer froze or you just dropped something,) then address the situation and move on. If the response is unrealistic and others may not respond the same way (traffic isn't moving fast enough or security lines at the airport are too slow,) then address yourself: calm down, step back, and try to relax.

The first step to addressing yourself is to challenge the way you're thinking about the stressor. "Challenging these automatic thoughts that often hijack our minds and promote stress has been shown in research to be a great way to help break the patterns of thinking & behaving that are counterproductive/harmful," Roger Gil explained. "Once the 'mental battle' is won, the IRL battle is more easily handled."

Granted, none of these measures have to be practiced only in the context of chronic stress, but it is more likely that if your boss is getting on your nerves again today or the rent is due and you're worried about being able to afford groceries, you're more likely to take a few minutes and address how you feel so you can approach the issues in a clear manner than you are if you're stuck in a meeting and asked to speak on a topic you weren't ready for.

How to Deal with Stress In the Future
When I asked Dr. DeGroat how we could deal with certain kinds of stress that seem to crop up from time to time, like an overbearing extended family or an aggressive and disrespectful employer, he pointed out that while there are ways to deal with each situation on its own merits, much of the stress that gets to us the most comes from relationships. "Really, I believe stress in relationships (occupational, family, social), often includes difficulties with setting and maintaining boundaries. Others seem to expect too much from us. Rather than setting our own limits/boundaries, we allow others to cross these boundaries, and end up feeling irritated and resentful. One of the best ways to prevent stress in relationships is to identify our own limits/boundaries and hold to them," he says. Photo by Joel Mendoza.

In some cases, it may simply be better to remove yourself from chronic stressors if you're having difficulty adapting to them or minimizing them. After all, if your job is wearing you down and there's no improving it, it may be time to look for a new job. If your relationship is so stressful it's destructive for everyone in it, it may be time to break it off, and if your apartment is run down and your landlord won't fix it, it's time to move out. There are plenty of good reasons to learn to cope with stress, but there are other equally good reasons to remove the stress from your life when you can.

To that end, there's no real way to live a completely stress-free life. Remember, there are positive stressors as well as negative ones, and the positive ones are usually good experiences that we enjoy or seek out. The same applies for negative stressors: they're bound to happen eventually and avoiding them is a futile effort. The key is in knowing how to deal with them, and how to minimize their effect on you.
If the stress you're experiencing is chronic, consider other activities like taking up a hobby, meditating, or traveling—anything that can take your mind off of those stressors and provide a healthy outlet where you can relax. "Other helpful stressful coping mechanisms are exercise, doing an activity you're good at that won't worsen the stress (e.g. cooking, video games, etc), and watching a very engrossing movie/TV show," Gil said, "Sometimes interrupting the state of stress a person is in with an activity they enjoy is enough to keep them from losing control."

There's no magic formula for dealing with stress, but employing coping mechanisms that give you distance, helps you get through the moment, and at best minimizes the overall impact the stressor has on you are a good way to stay healthy, happy, and productive. Photo by Jacob Bøtter.
"It is how we approach it that can cause us problems, or allow us to grow. The more control we can find within a situation, or over ourselves, the more likely we will grow from the situation," Dr. DeGroat explained, "The more we are able to identify and act upon the control and choice we have in situations, the less debilitating the stress will be."


This is just a short introduction, but unsurprisingly, entire books have been written on the topic of stress, its medical and psychological implications, and how you can deal with it in healthy ways. While we hope we've given you some insight into how your body reacts to stressors and how you can manage them in the moment and on the long term, we know that this is by no means an exhaustive study into the topic. What are some of your most successful ways of dealing with stressful situations, both short and long-term? Share your suggestions in the comments

source: Lifehacker

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[HM:257250] Excel: Top 10 Formulas for Aspiring Analysts

Few weeks ago, someone asked me "What are the top 10 formulas?" That got me thinking.

While each of us have our own list of favorite, most frequently used formulas, there is no standard list of top 10 formulas for everyone. So, today let me attempt that.

If you want to become a data or business analyst then you must develop good understanding of Excel formulas & become fluent in them.

A good analyst should be familiar with below 10 formulas to begin with.

1. SUMIFS Formula

SUMIFS Formula is used to sum a range of values subject to various conditionsIf you listen very carefully, you can hear thousands of managers around the world screaming… "How many x we did in region A, product B, customer type C in month M?"  right now.

To answer this question without the song and dance of excessive filtering & selecting, you must learn SUMIFS formula.

This magical formula can sum up a set of values that meet several conditions.

The syntax of SUMIFS is like this:

=SUMIFS( what you want to sumup, condition column 1, condition, condition column 2, condition….)

Example:

=SUMIFS(sales, regions, "A", products, "B", customer types, "C", month, "M")

Learn more about SUMIFS formula.

2. VLOOKUP Formula

Pop quiz time ….

Which of the below things would bring world to a grinding halt?

A. Stop digging earth for more oil
B. Let US jump off the fiscal cliff or hit debt ceiling
C. Suddenly VLOOKUP formula stops working in all computers, world-wide, forever

If you answered A or B, then its high time you removed your head from sand and saw the world.

The answer is C (Well, if all coffee machines in the world unite & miraculously malfunction that would make a mayhem. But thankfully that option is not there)

VLOOKUP formula - Syntax, explanation & exampleVLOOKUP formula lets you search for a value in a table and return a corresponding value. For example you can ask What is the name of the customer with ID=C00023 or How much is the product price for product code =p0089 and VLOOKUP would give you the answers.

The syntax for VLOOKUP is simple.

=VLOOKUP(what you want to lookup, table, column from which you want the output, is your table sorted? )

Example:

=VLOOKUP("C00023″, customers, 2, false)

Lookup customer ID C00023 in the first column of customers table and return the value from 2nd column. Assume that customers table is not sorted.

Click here to learn more about VLOOKUP Formula.

Bonus: Comprehensive guide to lookup formulas.

3. INDEX+MATCH Formulas

For every 10 people using VLOOKUP, there is someone realizing its most annoying limitation. VLOOKUP formula can only search on left most column.

That means, if a table of customers has customer ID in left column and name in right column, when using VLOOKUP, you can search for customer ID only.

You cannot ask questions like what is the customer ID of "Samuel Jackson" ?

VLOOKUP would choke and bring your Excel world to a grinding halt.

Thankfully, INDEX+MATCH formulas come to rescue. These 2 beautiful formulas help us lookup on any column and return corresponding value from any other column.

Syntax:

=INDEX(list of values, MATCH(what you want to lookup, lookup column, is your lookup column sorted?))

Example:

=INDEX(customer IDs, MATCH("Samuel Jackson", Customer names, 0) )

Click here to learn more about INDEX & MATCH formulas.

4. IF Formula

Q: What do you call a business that does not make a single decision?

A: Government!

Jokes aside, every business needs to make decisions, even governments!!! So, how do we model these decisions in Excel.

Using IF formulas of course.

For example, lets say your company decides to give 10% pay hike to all people reading Chandoo.org & 5% hike to rest. Now, how would you express this in Excel?

Simple, we write =IF(employee reads Chandoo.org, "10% hike", "5% hike")

The syntax of IF formula is simple:

=IF (condition to test, output for TRUE, output for FALSE)

Click here to learn more about IF formulas.

5. Nesting Formulas

Unfortunately, businesses do not make simple decisions. They always complicate things. I mean, have you ever read income tax rules?!? Your head starts spinning by the time you reach 2nd paragraph.

To model such complex decisions & situations, you need to nest formulas.

Nesting refers to including one formula with in another formula.

An example situation: Give 12% hike to employees who read Chandoo.org at least 3 days a week, Give 10% hike to those who read Chandoo.org at least once a week, for the rest give 5% hike.

Excel Formula: =IF(number of times employee reads chandoo.org in a week >=3, "12% hike", IF( number of times employee reads chandoo.org in a week >0, "10% hike", "5% hike"))

You see what we did above? We used IF formula inside another IF formula. This is nothing but nesting.

You can nest any formula inside another formula almost any number of times.

Nesting formulas helps us express complex business logic & rules with ease. As an analyst, you must learn the art of nesting.

Lots of nested formula examples & explanations here.

6. Basic Arithmetic Expressions

=(((123+456)*(789+987)) > ((123-456)/(789-987)))^3 & " time I saw a tiger"
If you read the above expression and not had to scratch your head once, then you are on way to become an awesome analyst.

Most people jump in to Excel formulas without first learning various basic operators & expressions. Fortunately, learning these requires very little time. Most of us have gone thru basic arithmetic & expressions in school. Here is a summary if you were caught napping in Math 101.

Operator What it does Example
+ – * / Basic arithmetic operators. Perform addition, subtraction, multiplication & division 2+3, 7-2, 9*12, 108/3, 2+3*4-2
^ Power of opetator. Raises something to the power of other value. 2^3, 9^0.5, PI()^2, EXP(1)^0.5
( ) To define precedence in calculations. Anything included in paranthesis is calcuated first. (2+3)*(4+5) calcuates 2+3 first, then 4+5 and multiplies both results.
& To combine 2 text values "You are " & "awesome" returns "You are awesome"
% To divide with 100. 2/4% will give 50 as result. Note: (2/4)% will give 0.5% as result.
: Used to specify ranges A1:B20 refers to the range from cell A1 to B20
$ To lock a reference column or row or both $A$1 refers to cell A1 all the time. $A1 refers to column A, relative row based on where you use it. For more refer to absolute vs. relative references in Excel.
[ ] Used to structurally refer to columns in table ourSales[month] refers to the month column in the ourSales table. Works only in Excel 2007 or above. Know more about Excel Tables.
@ Used to structurally refer to current row values in a table ourSales[@month] refers to current row's month value in oursales table.
{ } To specify an inline array of values {1,2,3,4,5} – refers to a the list of values 1,2,3,4,5
< > <= >= Comparison operators. Output will always be boolean – ie TRUE or FALSE. 2>3 will be FALSE. 99<101 will be TRUE.
= <> Equality operators. Check whether 2 values are equal or not equal. Output will TRUE or FALSE 2=2, "hello"="hello", 4<>5 will all return TRUE.
* ? Used as wild cards in certain formulas like COUNTIF etc. COUNTIF(A1:A10, "a*") counts the values in range A1:A10 starting with a. For more on this refer to COUNTIF & SUMIF in Excel
SPACE Intersection operator. Returns the range at intersection of 2 ranges A1:C4 B2:D5 refers to the intersection or range A1:C4 and B2:D5 and returns B2:C4. Caution: The output will be an array, so you must use it in another formula which takes arrays, like SUM, COUNT etc.

7. Text formulas

While there are more than two dozen text formulas in Excel including the mysterious BHATTEXT (which is used to convert numbers to Thai Bhats, apparently designed by Excel team so that they could order Thai take out food #), you do not need to learn all of them. By learning few very useful TEXT formulas, you can save a ton of time when cleaning data or extracting portions from mountains of text.

As an aspiring analyst, at-least acquaint your self with below formulas:

  • LEFT, RIGHT & MID – to extract portions of text from left, right & middle.
  • TRIM – to remove un-necessary spaces from beginning, middle & end of a text.
  • SUBSTITUTE – to replace portions of text with something else.
  • LEN – to calculate the length of a text
  • TEXT – to convert a value to TEXT formatting
  • FIND – to find whether something is present in a text, if so at what position

You can find several examples of all these formulas & their users in our site. Just search.

8. NETWORKDAYS & WORKDAY Formulas

"There aren't enough days in the weekend" – Somebody

Whether a weekend has enough days or not, as working analyst, you must cope with the working day calculations. For example, if a project takes 180 working days to complete and starts on 16th of January 2013, how would you find the end date?

Thankfully, we do not have to invent a formula for this. Excel has something exactly for this. WORKDAY formula takes a start date & working days and tells you what the end date would be.

Like wise NETWORKDAYS formula tells us how many working days are there between any 2 given dates.

NETWORKDAYS formula tells us the number of working days between a start and end date

Both these formulas accept a list of additional holidays to consider as well.

  • NETWORKDAYS: calculate the number of working days between 2 dates (assuming Saturday, Sunday weekend)
  • NETWORKDAYS.INTL: Same as NETWORKDAYS, but lets you use custom weekends [Excel 2010+ only]
  • WORKDAY: Calculate the end date from a start date & number of working days
  • WORKDAY.INTL: Same as WORKDAY, but lets you use custom weekends. [Excel 2010+ only]

More on working with Date & Time values in Excel.

9. SMALL & LARGE Formulas

Almost nobody asks about "Who was the second person to climb Mt. Everest, or walk on moon or finish 100 mtrs race the fastest?".

And yet, all businesses ask questions like "Who is our 2nd most valuable customer?, third vendor from bottom on invoice delinquency? 4th famous coffee shop in Jamaica?"

So as analysts our job is to answer these questions with out wasting too much time. That is where SMALL, LARGE formulas come in handy.

  • SMALL: Used to find nth smallest value from a list. Use it like =SMALL(range of values, n).
  • LARGE: Used to find nth largest value from a list.
  • MIN: Gives the minimum value of a list.
  • MAX: Gives the maximum value of a list.
  • RANK: Finds the rank of a value in a list. Use it like =RANK(value, in this list, order)

10. IFERROR Formula

Errors, lousy canteen food & dysfunctional coffee machines are eternal truths of corporate life. While you can always brown bag your lunch & bring a flask of finely brewed coffee to work, there is no escaping when your VLOOKUP #N/As. Or is there?

Well, you can always use the lovely IFERROR formula to handle errors in your formulas.

IFERROR Formula - Syntax & Help

Syntax:

IFERROR(formula, what to do in case of error)

Use it like:

IFERROR(VLOOKUP(….), "Value not found!")

Click here to learn more about IFERROR Formula.


Junaid Tahir 
www.DailyTenMinutes.com

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Thursday 24 April 2014

[HM:257249] Sun Glasses - Frequently Asked Questions


If the sun doesn't bother my eyes, do I still need to wear sunglasses?

Yes. The sun has damaging UV rays that can cause photokeratitispingueculae and permanent retinal damage.



What exactly are UV rays?

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are located just past the violet portion of the visible light spectrum; sunlight is the main source. UV light is broken into three different types: UVA, UVB and UVC.

  • UVA has longer wavelengths and passes through glass easily; experts disagree about whether or not UVA damages the eyes.
  • UVB rays are the most dangerous, making sunglasses and sunscreen a must; they don't go through glass.
  • UVC rays do not reach the Earth because its atmosphere blocks them.

When do UV rays affect my eyes?

Most people think that they're at risk only when they're outside on a sunny day, but UV light can go right through clouds, so it doesn't matter if the sky is overcast. The sun's rays are strongest between 10 am and 2 pm.

Glare and reflections can give you trouble, so have your sunglasses ready if you'll be around snow, water or sand, or if you'll be driving (windshields are a big glare source).

The following put you at additional risk: sunlamps, tanning beds and parlors, photosensitizing drugs and living at high altitudes or near the equator. To find out how high the UV light levels are today where you live, here's a UV index map for the United States, updated twice a day by AccuWeather.



Can certain medical problems increase my risk for damage from UV rays?

Yes. People with cataracts (or who have had cataract surgery), macular degeneration and retinal dystrophies should be extra careful. Read more about these conditions in our Eye Problems and Diseases section.



What are my options to prevent UV damage to my eyes?

You must wear sunglasses to prevent damage to your eyes. While some contact lenses provide UV protection, they don't cover your whole eye, so you still need sunglasses.

Look for sunglasses that protect you from 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB light. This includes those labeled as "UV 400," which blocks all light rays with wavelengths up to 400 nanometers. (This covers all of UVA and UVB rays.)

Also, you may want to consider wraparound sunglasses to prevent harmful UV rays from entering around the frame.

 


What are the different kinds of lenses that are available?

With so many lenses available, it's a good idea to ask a professional optician for help when choosing sunglassesDifferent tints can help you see better in certain conditions, and a knowledgeable optician can help you choose sunglass tints that are best suited for your needs.

Blue-blockers block blue light and usually have amber lenses. Some evidence indicates blue light is harmful, and could increase risk of eye damage from diseases such as macular degeneration. These lenses are popular among skiers, hunters, boaters and pilots who use them to heighten contrast.

Both polarized lenses and anti-reflective coating cut reflected glare. Polarized lenses in particular are popular with those who play water and snow sports. Anti-reflecting coatings reduce glare caused by light reflecting off the back surface of your sunglass lenses.

Mirror-coated lenses limit the amount of light entering your eyes, so you're more comfortable.

Mirror coatings (also called flash coatings) are highly reflective coatings applied to the front surface of sunglass lenses to reduce the amount of light entering the eye. This makes them especially beneficial for activities in very bright conditions, such as snow skiing on a sunny day.

The mirrored sunglasses associated with state troopers are one example of a flash coating. The technology has advanced, however, so that today's choices in mirror coatings include all colors of the rainbow, as well as silver, gold and copper metallic colors. Hot pink, blue — almost any color is available.

Choosing the color of a mirror coating is a purely cosmetic decision. The color of the mirror coating you choose does not influence your color perception — it's the color of the tinted lens under the coating that determines how mirrored sunglasses affect your color vision.



What about sunglasses blocking infrared rays?

Infrared rays are located just past the red portion of the visible light spectrum. Though infrared radiation produces heat, most experts agree that the sun's infrared rays do not pose a danger to the eyes.



Which lens color is the best?

Lens color is a personal choice and doesn't affect how well sunglass lenses protect your eyes from UV light. Gray and brown are popular because they distort color perception the least.

Athletes often prefer other tints for their contrast-enhancing properties. For example, yellow lenses are popular with skiers and target shooters because they work well in low light, reduce haze and increase contrast for a sharper image.



Children don't need sunglasses, do they?

Children's sunglasses are essential. Children are at particular risk because they're in the sun much more than adults, and their eyes are more sensitive as well. UV damage is cumulative over a person's lifetime, which means you should begin protecting your child's eyes as soon as possible.

Most parents would not allow their children to go outside without shoes, yet many seem unaware of the need to protect their children's eyes.



I wear glasses. What options are available to me?

You can buy prescription sunglasses or glasses with photochromic lenses (which change from clear to dark) from your eye care practitioner. Clip-ons may be a less expensive option, and can be bought at the same time as your regular eyeglasses to perfectly match the frames.

Some eyeglass frames include sun lenses that magnetically attach to the frame. This gives you the convenience of clip-on sunglasses with less risk of scratching your prescription lenses.



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