“Social networking sites are addictive”- 31 August 2014.
Anonymous.
Q. I am in 11th and recently passed tenth with 96.2% and now I am preparing for medical entrance. I have a question that even though I don’t waste time on facebook. Just overlook on my account for 5 -10 min a day should I still deactivate it? I feel that if I will deactivate my account I won’t be able to keep in touch with my school friends. Please guide me.
Ans. Social networking sites can become addictive and make you distracted. Ask yourself a question- after you spend 5 to 10 minutes on Facebook how much more time you spend on thinking about your friends and the data that you have received from the site. If you think it is a small amount of time and it is helpful in maintaining contact and a good respite from studies then by all means retain the account. If you feel that huge amount of time is wasted and it also distracts you while studying then please deactivate it for a year or so till your exams are over. Make an honest and wise decision. Do not fool yourself by false and dishonest evaluations in which case it is better to deactivate it. Your life does not depend upon it while making a career is vital. You are a good achiever and must maintain your position.
Aditi.
Q. I am a 12th standard student – my dreams are high but sometimes I think whether I would be able to achieve them? Sometimes I lose confidence and if I get it I become over confident but yes I am good at studies. Please help me.
Ans. It is important to dream big but at the same time it is important to keep your mind focused on short term goals and achieve them successfully. Long term goals and big dreams require a long term commitment and patience like the tortoise in the fable of the hare and tortoise. Go on doing things at a pace that is comfortable and keep your mind on the goals that are short term and long term as well. You are sure to succeed. But impatience and over ambition may spoil your plans. Be positive all the time. Have faith in your abilities and yourself.
P.G
Q. I am pursuing BE from M.P. My problem is that I am unable to speak English fluently. I
started reading English newspapers but that is just increasing knowledge. Please tell the solution to this which I can do from home itself instead of doing the courses. I really want to have good communication skills. When I speak our common language “Hindi”, I speak very confidently in a good manner but this doesn’t happen with English. I also try to speak English but always get stuck in between. Please help me as this is something really very important to me.
Ans. English is a foreign language for most Indians and has to be practised daily to become proficient in it. It does not come naturally to people. In homes where parents speak the language children easily pick it up from childhood. It is good you are reading the newspaper and try to read it loudly so that you can hear your own voice. That helps in improving your pronunciation as well as your grammar. Also as you are doing right now keep speaking the language with friends and family as much as you can even if you get stuck in it, do not stop and do not hesitate. The only way to master it is to overcome your fears of ridicule and your social inhibitions of speaking wrongly. You are still a student and by the time you finish your studies you might be able to master it if you pursue speaking it with a single minded devotion. Try thinking in the language and then speaking. If you think in Hindi and speak in English it becomes a translation. Try to think in the English language in your free time. All the best to you.
