Category Ask the Psychologist

I have no luck at all

I feel like I have no luck at all, if I apply for a scholarship I get rejected while my friends who have applied for various schemes are accepted. Sometimes, I think that people who cheat prosper in life.

Sounds like you are quite discouraged because of your repeated setbacks and think that luck will never smile at you. Perhaps you also feel envious that your friends seem to easily get what they want.

The biggest obstacle to success is one’s attitude! Successful people are very careful about what they say to themselves. They boost themselves with positive self-talk. They are grateful for what goes well and also for the challenges. So when you keep telling yourself that you have “no luck at all,” it becomes an automatic thought, and becomes true for you, and you defeat yourself.

For success, you need to be very clear about what you really want (instead of wanting something because others are doing it) and what steps you will take to achieve it. When you face obstacles, you have to keep trying. If you don’t succeed, you have to find a new way to get what you want without giving up your values. However, if something is truly not meant for you, then you also need to let go with grace and focus on what is meant for you.

Remember: “What we call luck, is simply pluck… and doing things over and over, courage, will, perseverance and skill are the four leaves of luck’s clover.”

 

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What are rights?

All children should have food to eat, a safe place to live, good medical care, and an education. These are called rights. A family helps protect its children’s rights.

The biggest “family” in the world is the United Nations, or UN for short. The UN makes rules to protect the rights of everyone in the world’s family. If people somewhere are being mistreated or denied food, safety, shelter, or freedom, the UN can step in to help them.

The UN members include nearly every country in the world. At the UN headquarters in New York City, leaders from those countries work together to keep peace in the world.

The world family plays together too. Athletes from around the world compete in sports at the Olympic Games every two years. The winter games happen one year, and then, two years later, it’s time for the summer games.

The world is filled with different races, different religions, and different ways of life. When the different people get together to solve problems or play sports, they learn to respect each other, help each other, and be friends.

 

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Why should we help the homeless?

Your home may be a palace, a flat, a farmhouse, a houseboat, or a mobile home. It is the place where you feel safe, warm, and loved.

But not everyone has a home. Millions of people in the world are homeless. They live in the open and sleep under bridges, in refugee camps, even in open fields.

Sometimes, people lose their homes. Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes can wipe out entire neighbourhoods or villages and leave many families homeless.

People also lose their homes when they flee from a war or when they are starving and must find food elsewhere. Some people become homeless because they can’t find work or low-cost place to live.

Children whose families are homeless must sometimes spend their childhood working, rather than playing games or going to school.

Fortunately, many people help the homeless. When there are natural disasters, people and groups from all over the world send money, food, and medical supplies. Governments often help people who must flee a war.

Cities have shelters where people can sleep and be safe. Charities provide meals and warm clothes. Some groups build houses for the homeless, and others offer job training.

Ask a grown-up what you can do to help the homeless in your community.

 

Picture Credit : Google

Who are leaders?

At school, it’s the head master. On a cricket team, it’s the captain. In an army, it’s the general. These people are leaders and it’s their job to run things.

Countries are run by leaders too. Different countries have different kinds of leaders.

Some leaders are elected by the people of the country. That means the people vote for their leader. They elect a president, prime minister, or premier. Canada, France, India, Mexico, South Africa and the U.S.A. all have elected leaders.

In some countries, the leader is a king or queen. Kings and queens are chosen by the people. They are members of the country’s royal family. When the king or queen dies, another royal family member takes over. Saudi Arabia, Brunei, and Swaziland have ruling kings.

Some countries have both a king or queen and an elected leader. The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have queens or kings, but the real leaders of these countries are prime ministers elected by the people.

Some countries have leaders who are chosen – or who choose themselves – for life. Only when they die will a new leader take charge.

 

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What is team work?

In a tug of war, many little children pulling together can win the game. They might even drag a grown-up through the mud!

The people on a rowing team must work together, too. If the rowers all pulled their oars when they felt like it, the boat would never get anywhere, much less win a race.

Rowing teams – like many other teams – have a leader. A rowing-team leader is called a coxswain. The coxswain steers the boat and call out the timing to the closest rower. This rower sets the pace so that all the rowers pull at the same time.

People often work together to get a job done. Most of the time, they choose a leader. Then they decide on a plan of action. The leader directs the work of the group and makes sure each person does part of the work.

 

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How do kids take care of pet animals?

Water buffaloes really do love water. In Asia, people use these huge animals to plough fields and rice paddies. Buffaloes are work animals, not pets. Still, children enjoy caring for them – especially when it’s bath time!

After working hard in the sun, buffaloes need a rest. During the hottest part of the day, children ride them to the nearest lake or river. Here, the buffaloes sink happily into the water. They love to wallow in the soft, cool mud with only their eyes and noses showing. The children splash and swim around while the animals cool off. Then, they give the buffaloes a good scrub. After such a nice break, the buffaloes are ready to go on with the day’s work.

Inuit children in Northern Canada help train sled dogs. At stables in the United Kingdom, children may groom horses. On farms around the world, children feed chickens and ducks.

Do you walk your dog or feed your cat? Do you fill the feeder for the birds outside? If you do, you’re helping animals too.

It’s fun to take care of animals – whether they are work animals, pets, or wildlife near our homes.

 

Picture Credit : Google