If Youre Not Happy with What You Have, You Might Never be HappyÂ

If  Youre  Not Happy with What You Have, You Might Never be Happy   I’ll be happy when: I buy my dream car; I buy a home in a certain address; I have a million dollars in the bank; I find my dream partner. Does this sound familiar? How many times have you heard someone say this or something similar?The search for happiness is not something new.Human beings have been constantly searching for happiness since the dawn of recorded history.Philosophers like  Aristotle  and  Socrates  theorized about happiness more than three hundred years before Christ.Happiness is considered to be so important that it the United States Declaration of Independence names it as one of the unalienable rights, alongside life and liberty.In the last few decades, the search for happiness has taken a new direction.People have become too materialistic, and happiness has been pegged on collecting more material things. We constantly want more and think that we will be happy when we get it.We believe that we will be happy when we get more money, a better car, a bigger house, a mor e beautiful spouse, a better job, and so on.Unfortunately, this is just an illusion that has led to something known as  destination addiction.We think that happiness  is in the next destination, whether that destination is a car, a house, a job or a partner.If you are preoccupied with the idea that you will be happy once you achieve something you don’t have at the moment, you need to stop in your tracks.Happiness is a personal choice. It is the result of your thoughts and actions in the present moment. In the words of  Jim  Rohn, happiness is something you design for the present, not something you postpone for the future.Being happy is a matter of focusing on the good things you have going for you at the moment, rather than worrying yourself with expectations about the future, which is not assured.If you  don’t stop the preoccupation with the next big thing and focus on being  happy with what you have now,  there is a chance  you  just  might never be happy.Fortunately, being ha ppy with what you have is something you can learn â€" all it takes is a little conscious thought.Below are  some tips on how you can stop obsessing over what you  don’t have and be happy with your life as it is right now, even as you work to make it better. STOP DEFINING CONDITIONS THAT NEED TO BE MET FOR YOU TO BE HAPPYWhen you ask  people what they need to be happy, many of them will respond with a list of conditions that need to be met in order for them to be happy.The irony is that by defining things that need to happen for you to be happy, you are actually making it harder for you to be  happy.Let me explain why.When you say that ABC has to happen for you to be happy, you create a distinction in your mind between being happy and not being happy.Since your mind is logical, being happy when these conditions have not been met would lead to  cognitive dissonance, so in effect your mind keeps you from feeling happy until these conditions have been met.To make matters worse, human beings constantly seek growth. Once you get something you wanted, you start craving for something else.This means that when you get what you wanted, you will have new conditions that need to be met in order for you to be happy.This  keeps  your goal posts for achieving happiness shifting,  thus  making it even harder for you to be happy.With this in mind, the key to being happy where you are now is to stop defining things that need to happen in order for you to be happy.So long as your basic needs â€" food, shelter and clothing â€" are met, anything else you need to be happy is subjective.It depends on your own ideas of what happiness is. Instead of pegging happiness to something you hope to have in future, start pegging it to what you currently have.AVOID THE COMPARISON TRAPMost times, our happiness is tied to things we don’t even need. Very often, we crave these things simply because others have them, so we think we should also have them.How many times have you seen someone spen d thousands of dollars to buy a new car, not because their old car is not working anymore, but because their neighbor or colleague bought a new car?Researchers even found that  neighbors of lottery winners often go bankrupt  due to risky financial decisions made while trying to keep up with their lucky neighbors.The problem with comparing yourself with others is that it shifts your focus from what you have to what you don’t have, which in turn makes you feel unsatisfied with what you have.Sadly, with the internet and social media having become a normal part of our lives today, comparing ourselves with others has become far too easy.You log onto Instagram and see photos of your friend on a vacation you cannot afford, and suddenly you start feeling like your job is not good enough.You log onto Facebook and see that one of your high school friends has purchased a sports car, and suddenly you start thinking about how old your car is, despite the fact that it runs just fine.These compa risons can easily make you feel like nothing is going well in your life.If you want to be happy with where you are in life at the moment, you need to realize that  another person’s success does not translate to failure for you.Just because someone bought a car or a house by the beach does not mean you need one.For instance, your neighbor might have gotten a job that requires him to move around a lot, thereby forcing him to buy a car.This does not mean that you also need a car, yet you work down the street, and your job doesn’t require you to move around.Perhaps your neighbor even bought the car on loan and is not happy about the purchase.The point here is that you should focus on your life and ignore how others live theirs because everyone is on a different path.While avoiding the comparison trap is a surefire way of  achieving happiness with what you have, it is not always an easy thing to do.You cannot simply tell your brain not to compare you with others and hope that it will automatically stop doing  it.Fortunately, there are some tips you can use to train your mind to stop making useless comparisons. These include:Associate with people from diverse backgrounds: Don’t associate with people from only one class. For instance, if you only associate with people who are richer than you, it will be almost impossible not to compare yourself to them. If you associate with people from diverse backgrounds, on the other hand, you won’t be much inclined to compare since you will realize that there are people who are less privileged that you yet they are also happy.Limit your use of social media: Social media provides one of the greatest temptations for falling into the comparison trap.  Instead of spending hours on social media  checking  what people are doing with their lives, why not spend the time doing something productive? In addition, you should remember that people are not posting their failures on social media. What you see on social media is only a fr action (the best fraction) of what their lives are like in real life.Focus on what you are good at: Find what your  unique strengths are and focus on them. Work hard to be the best at what you are good at. This will make you less inclined to make linear comparisons with others. For instance, if you are the best actor in your region, you won’t feel like less of an achiever just because your friend is the best basketball player in the region.Adopt a mentality of abundance: People who are constantly comparing themselves with others operate from a scarcity mentality. They think that someone else’s gain is their loss. People with an abundance mentality, on the other hand, know that the world does not work this way. They know that there is enough for everybody, and that when their friends win it doesn’t mean that they are losing. When you adopt the abundance mentality, you stop comparing yourself with others because you know your time is coming.PRACTICE GRATITUDEWhen you are sufferi ng from destination addiction, you are so focused on what you need to have that you forget about what you actually have.I want you to take a moment to think about all the things you  have in your life today.Did you have some food to eat when you woke up this  morning? Are you educated? Do you have a job? Do you have a place to live? Are you healthy? Are your family members alive? Do you have good relationships with them? Do you have a spouse or partner who loves you for who you are?If you answered yes to a single one of these questions, you have a reason to be happy.If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you are probably better off than almost half of the people on earth.According to  DoSomething.org, about 3 billion people (almost half of the world’s population) survive on less than $2.50 a day.If you are better off than half of the world’s population and you are still unhappy, what do you think will make you happy?If you want to achieve happiness, you should stop focusing on what you don’t have and start being grateful for what you have in your life.How do you do this?I have a very practical gratitude exercise that I practice every day, and you  should  try it too.Every evening, before you go to sleep, get a notebook and write down the five things that you are grateful for that day.Whether it is something you accomplished at work, whether it is something good that someone said or did for you, or something that made you smile.It doesn’t  even  have to be something new.For instance, if you are always grateful for your spouse or kids, there is no problem with including them in your list every single day.This gratitude exercise might sound silly, but it actually works.When you end each day by thinking about the things you are grateful for rather than what you are lacking in your life or what your friends are doing with their lives, you will realize that your life is actually good.Even as you work hard to achieve your goals and dreams, you w ill be happy with the much you have been able to achieve so far.CHANGE YOUR REASONINGAll of us are constantly trying to improve our lives â€" we want a better job, a better neighborhood, better cars, a bigger house, and so on.There is nothing wrong with that.Actually, improvement is a good thing. It shows we are growing.However, before you focus all your energy on chasing improvement, you should examine your motivation for improvement. Is there a legitimate reason behind your need for improvement, or are you simply doing it because you want more?For instance, if you want a better job because you want to take your kids to a better  school, that  is a great thing. If you want a bigger house because you just got your second kid and therefore want more space, that is great.However, if you are just chasing a bigger paycheck and a bigger house and a bigger everything because you think more of everything is better, then you have a problem on your hands.Here is the thing, there will always be something better out there.There will be better houses, better cars, more beautiful potential partners, better paying jobs, and so on.If you are chasing something simply because you think more will make you feel better, you will never be truly  happy because there will always be something that is outside your reach.It has even been scientifically proven that being materialistic leads to unhappiness.According to a  2001 study by Lisa Ryan and Suzanne  Dziurawiec, people with more materialistic values are more likely to find their lives unsatisfying.Therefore, if you find yourself craving for material things, evaluate the motivations behind the desire. If you have solid justifications for seeking more, you should use that as a source of inspiration to work even harder.However, if you are chasing more just because you think having more will make you happier, you should shift your attention from chasing more to enjoying what you already have.REALIZE THAT YOU ARE ENOUGHThe feeling tha t we are not enough  is another reason why most of us are unable to achieve happiness.How many times have you felt like you are not successful enough, not smart enough, not beautiful enough, not funny enough, not tall enough, and so on?When you feel like you are not enough, it can be tempting to chase perfection and think that you will be happy once you achieve the quality you are chasing.Maybe you feel that you will be happy once you lose 20 pounds or once a certain clique accepts you and so on.However, here is the thing: no one is perfect in this world.Even the people you admire have something they wish they had.In addition, our feelings of inadequacy are tied to something else.For instance, you might feel you are not interesting enough because a certain group of people have not accepted you into their circle. However, even if you became interesting enough, they might still reject you because of something else.Feeling inadequate and thinking that you will be happy once you improve something about yourself is like chasing your own tail. There will always be something to chase.In addition, there is nothing you can do about some of these things.For instance, if you believe you are not tall enough, there is not much you can do about it.So, should you remain unhappy because of something you have no control over?To avoid this, you should realize that nobody is perfect and that you are good enough.Your shortcomings are part of who you are, they are part of what makes you unique.Don’t beat yourself up because of them. In the end, people who are meant to  be in your life will  accept you  regardless of your flaws, while those who are not meant to be in your life will reject you even if you somehow managed to make yourself perfect.GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONEWhile I said that chasing more and more for the sake of it is the perfect recipe for remaining unhappy with what you have, lack of growth can also keep you from achieving happiness.As we grow older, many of us s ettle into life and increase our aversion to risk.We feel that we have  achieved some level of success and we become afraid of losing it all.As a result, we start playing it safe and doing what seems practical.Eventually, we end up in a comfort zone where there is no growth in our lives.The problem with playing it safe is that it forces you to give up on your dreams.Instead of taking risks or gathering the courage to go after what you want, you  remain where you are because you are afraid of failing and losing what you already have.Eventually, the lack of courage to go after your dreams leaves you feeling unhappy with your life.To avoid this, you should get out of your comfort zone and go after what you want. You are never too young or too old to go after what you want.Actually, studies show that the greatest regret for people who are almost dying is  not going after their dreams and aspirations.You don’t want to have the same regrets later in life.And here is another thing.If you get out of the comfort zone and go after your dreams, it won’t matter whether you succeed or not. Even if you fail, you will still be happy knowing that you gave it your best shot.STOP LIVING IN THE PAST OR THE FUTUREI mentioned earlier that happiness is something you design for the present. It does not depend on your past or your future.Still, very many people remain unhappy because they are living in the past or the future.Their unhappiness is caused by something that happened in the past or something they are hoping for in future.While there is nothing wrong with remembering the past and thinking about the future, you should not things in your past or future influence your happiness.For some people, achieving happiness is impossible because of something that happened in the past. Either they think that life shortchanged them, or they feel that they somehow messed their lives.They cannot be happy because they are essentially living in regret and denial.Unfortunately, things in the past have already happened, and there is nothing you can do to go back and change them.For others, their search for happiness is curtailed by their expectations for the future. They believe that they will become happy once they achieve something in future.However, the future is not guaranteed. You cannot go into the future and make it happen now.Therefore, it makes no sense to let things you have no control over keep you from achieving happiness. The only time you have control over is the present.If you want to be happy with your life today, you should stop living in the past or the future and focus on the moment you have now.WRAPPING UPIn life, we all want to live up to our biggest potential and achieve our greatest levels of success, and there is nothing wrong with that.However, many of us obsess so much about what we don’t have that we forget about what we actually have.We adopt the belief that we will be happy once we get the next big thing, which unfortunately sets us up for a life of unhappiness and discontentment.If you want to live a happy life, you should give up the idea that happiness is in the next destination and focus on being happy with what you have now.Fortunately, with the tips shared in this article, you can make a change in your life and learn how to be happy with your life as it is now.

What Are Hpv Vaccine - 871 Words

On February 2, 2007 Texas Governor Rick Perry issued an executive order, that every girl from ages 9-26 be given the HPV vaccine. In order to understand the uproar that followed, we must understand several aspects of the order. First, we need to understand what the HPV vaccine is. What is HPV, and how does it get transmitted? Second we need to understand what lobbying is, and how it can be applied to this case. Once we identify these important aspects, we can draw a conclusion about whether this political decision was genuinely for the citizen’s protection, or the governor’s wallet. HPV is short for Human Papillomavirus. The virus can cause anal cancer, mouth/throat cancer, vaginal cancer, and cancer in the penis for men. â€Å"There are about 17,500 women and 9,300 men affected by HPV-related cancers every year† (Eggen 1). It has been medically proven that the vaccine could have prevented the cancer. The human papillomavirus is passed from one person to another during any skin to skin sexual contact. The virus is most common during late teen years to early twenties. The vaccination is recommended for preteen girls and boys at age eleven or twelve. Some parents feel as though this is preparing their child for sex, and do not find it morally acceptable. However it has been proven that â€Å"the HPV vaccine has a better response in preteens, and this could essentially mean better protection for a child† (Eggen 1).Some social conservatives objected at the time that the vaccine wouldShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Penile Cancer1458 Words   |  6 PagesPapillomavirus (HPV), and that 14 million Americans become infected annually (CDC HPV Questions and Answers, 2016). Human Papillomavirus can cause penile cancer in men, cancer of the vulva, vagina or cervix in females, and esophageal, oropharyngeal, and anal cancers in both men and women (CDC HPV Questions and Answers, 2016). Consequently, 27 million Americans annually are diagnosed wit h cancer from HPV (CD11.7C What Is HPV, 2016). The morbidity and mortality rates for cervical cancer caused by HPV in theRead MoreInformative Essay on Hpv1566 Words   |  7 PagesHuman Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing What is the Human Papillomavirus? Commonly known as HPV, it is an infection that spreads through sexual contact. There are over one hundred different types of HPV; several types cause genital warts, while other high risk strands can lead to cancer of the cervix, anus, vagina, and penis. Because HPV is often asymptomatic, many people are unaware of their infection status, and thus, their potential for transmitting the virus to a sexual partner. The significanceRead MoreHpv Vaccine, The Cochrane Library, And Google Scholar1229 Words   |  5 Pagesterms included â€Å" human papillomavirus vaccine†, â€Å" human papillomavirus†, â€Å"HPV†, â€Å" human papillomavirus safety and effectiveness†, â€Å"human papillomarvirus vaccination rates†, â€Å"HPV randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews†. Since licensure of the HPV vaccine in 2006, HPV vaccine coverage among US adolescents has increased but remains low compared with other rec ommended vaccines. Studies show that the influence of accurate information about vaccines is maximized when conveyed from providerRead MoreThe Common Sexually Transmitted Infections1539 Words   |  7 Pagessix, a scientist created two vaccines that protect the human body from contracting the virus. The Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil and Cervarix because they were clinically tested to be safe on humans. Unfortunately, ever since the HPV vaccine was developed and approved, people started to neglect the vaccine because it has to be taken at the age of eleven or twelve for both boys and girls. Some parents fear that if their child is exposed to the vaccine it might encourage early sexualRead MoreHPV: The Most Common Sexually Transmitted Infection Essay1539 Words   |  7 Pagestransmitted infection (STI) is human papillomavirus (HPV) (CDC, 2013). Over half of sexually activity people will become infected with HPV at some point in their lifetime (National Cancer Inst itute, 2012). HPV can fall into two categories: low-risk HPV and high-risk HPV (National Cancer Institute, 2012). Low-risk HPV, also known as HPV types 6 and 11, cause about 90% of genital warts (National Cancer Institute, 2012). High-risk HPV, also known as HPV types 16 and 18, causes about 70% of cervical cancerRead MoreHuman Papillomavirus ( Hpv ) Vaccine Essay1229 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine My niece is 11 years old and my sister-in-law is being pressured from doctors, friends, and even the news media to give her a certain type of vaccination called HPV, Gardasil being the most common. At the end of our conversation, she mentions that at least she has a choice and turned to me, saying you may not have a choice when your kids are that age. I was stunned and she goes on to tell me how the government is trying very hard to make this particular vaccinationRead MoreThe Truth About Human Papillomavirus1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe Truth about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and around the world (The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [CHP], 2009). Today, parents vaccinate their children because vaccinations are recommended by the child’s pediatrician and most importantly vaccinations are required for the children to attend school. When a new vaccine becomes available parents are becoming reluctant to get the vaccination for their child fearing negativeRead MoreCervical Cancer Essay785 Words   |  4 Pagesestimated that 79 million Americans are currently infected with a strand of Human Papilloma virus (HPV), and that 14 million Americans become infected annually (CDC HPV Questions and Answers, 2016). HPV was discovered in 1979 when HPV-16 and HPV-18 were found to be linked to cervical cancer (Hausen, n.d.). Every year 27 million Americans get cancer from HPV (CDC What Is HPV, 2016). Cancers associated with HPV whose rates were larger than the mean U.S. rate (11 .7 per 100,000) were located in the SouthernRead MoreThe HVP Vaccine Controversy Essay565 Words   |  3 PagesHPV Vaccine is it helping young girls or making thing worse for them, everyone has their own believes if it will make a differences for young girls and their future. In both articles Mike Adams and Arthur Allen discusses their own issues on the topic of the HPV vaccines. Adams and Allen discuss the cost of the vaccine, public health issue, and the risk young girls having by getting the vaccine or not getting the vaccine. Nation wide people have their own opinions on the HPV vaccine, and weatherRead MoreHuman Papillomavirus ( Hpv ) Vaccine1429 Words   |  6 PagesEssay: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Prior to June of 2006, Human Pappilomarius (HPV) was almost unheard of to the general public. But after FDA approval of Gardasil manufactured by Merck Co., HPV vaccine became the headline of many articles and breaking news of many TV channels. Why? Let’s us explore it. According to World Health Organization (WHO), HPV worldwide is the most common sexual transmitted Disease (STD). There are more than 100 strains of HPV and in those 13 strains are known

The True Experience Of War - 1668 Words

In high school, very few teachers know of the true experience of war. When learning about war in class, most teachers take their information right from the textbook. I was lucky to have the experience of having a teacher who knew the actual effects of war on a person when I took a European history class with Marilyn Lubarsky. She spoke a great deal about her father’s experience with war and stories she had heard from former students who went on to serve in the military. Upon hearing that I needed to interview someone with a direct experience with war, Marilyn seemed to be the perfect candidate to interview. As with any story, it was best for me to begin by asking her about her father, Robert Lubarsky’s beginnings in the military. Robert first enlisted in the military the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. The lines for enlistment, that stretched for blocks of New York City, were filled with the young children of immigrants. To hear that there we re lines of young boys my age willing to put their lives on the line for their country really shocked me. It made me think to myself, would I be willing to put my life on the line in a similar situation? It made me extremely thankful and embarrassed for myself. I was thankful that there has not been a situation where me joining the army was necessary but I was embarrassed because I never realized how unthankful I was for the life I lived. Sitting in an air-conditioned library bares no comparison to theShow MoreRelatedIntrospection in How to Tell a True War Story, and Into the Wild1494 Words   |  6 PagesTell a True War Story† Tim O’Brien expresses his thoughts about the true war story and how the war story is changed according to the person who tells it. Jon Krakauer illustrates Chris McCandless’s journey into the Alaskan wilderness and reasons for McCandless’s gruesome death in an isolated place, in his book â€Å"Into the Wild.† O’Brien relates introspection and a soldier’s war story by saying that the war story portrays the feelings of a soldier. A soldier’s war story is not the exact war story;Read MoreIt Is Difficult For A Soldier To Recall And Relate His Or Her Experiences Of War771 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿It is difficult for a soldier to recall and relate his or her experiences of war. During war, soldiers are often throw into a confronting and new experience where they quickly learn about the true hardship and struggle of warfare. Being deployed onto new a surrounding, unpredictable events can occur which may lead to detrimental effects on soldiers physically and more importantly mentally. Especially after returning from a war, a solder can show great signs of post dramatic stress due to the traumaRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1441 Words   |  6 Pages a novel written by Tim O’Brien, is a set of short stories about the soldiers’ experiences fighting in the Vietnam War. He reflects and tells his experiences about the war. Stories far from pride, triumphs or combats, show O’Brien’s feelings and experiences of friendship, loss and love and how they affected them after the war. People tell stories so they can understand each other in a better way, to share experiences, this is a way to keep the memories that might have f aded alive. Storytelling becomesRead MoreWilfred Owen Essay836 Words   |  4 Pagesportrayal of these conflicts with the reality. Owen purpose is to challenges our thoughts and perspectives on war to show its true effects and stop the glorification that it receives in society. This can be seen in his poem Dulce et Decorum Est as he causing us to question whether it really is sweet and decorous to die for ones country by showing the reality of war through his personal experiences. These views can also be seen in the poem Anthem for Doomed Youth as Owen portrays the treatment the deadRead MoreSuffering And Human Cruelty : The War Experience1282 Words   |  6 Pagesinescapable in the war experience† By: Kristen Manoski Sixteen million. That is the number of deaths that resulted from World War One. 16 million soldiers, defending their nation, trying to do what is right. The violent and scarring nature of war is implanted into the minds of both soldiers and civilians, altering their personality, state of mind and placing deep strain on their lives.This years theme is â€Å"Suffering and human cruelty is inevitable and inescapable in the war experience†, and I, an avidRead MoreThe Things They Carried Questions1139 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Things They Carried† Questions a) The main topic of this novel is burdens. O’Brien is writing about what burdens the soldiers and he had to carry throughout war, physically and emotionally. One way I know is because of the title- â€Å"The Things They Carried.† This title almost summarizes the whole book. O’Brien frequently showed and explained the burdens that were inner conflicts of his and outer conflicts too. In the chapter â€Å"The things They Carried,† O’Brien showed an emotional burdenRead MoreHow to Tell a True Story by Tim OBriean Essay869 Words   |  4 PagesThe Vietnam War was the longest war in the United States history. Whether they volunteered or were drafted, one out of ten soldiers did not survive the war. With the average age of the men being just twenty-one, they were not grown up enough nor mature enough to deal with such tragedy, and grotesque, unspeakable encounters. During the span of the twenty-four years that the U.S. helped fight in the Vietnam W ar; 58,148 men and women died in action. Families, friends, and neighbors all fought for theRead MoreHow To Tell A True War Story by Tim O ´brien1000 Words   |  4 PagesTell A True War Story† In Tim O’Brian’s short excerpt, How to Tell A True War Story, the narrator recounts his hardening experiances in the Vietnam War (1956-1975). O’Brian details the story of Rat during the war, and his experiances losing his best friend. Through the use of literary divices such as imagry, paradoxical ideas, as well as themes that juxtapose each other, O’Brian is able to deliver an effective message in reguards to the complex relationship between physical war and war storiesRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1242 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Tim O’Brien is obsessed with telling a true war story. O Brien s fiction about the Vietnam experience suggest, lies not in realistic depictions or definitive accounts. As O’Brien argues, absolute occurrence is irrelevant because a true war story does not depend upon that kind of truth. Mary Ann’s induction into genuine experience is clearly destructive as well as empowering† (p.12) T im O’s text, The Things they Carried, details his uses of word choice to portray his tone and bias. Tim O’BrienRead More Fact Verses Fiction in OBriens The Things They Carried Essay1454 Words   |  6 PagesCarried The difference between fairy tales and war stories is that fairy tales begin with Once upon a time, while war stories begin with Shit, I was there! (Lomperis 41). How does one tell a good war story? Is it important to be accurate to the events that took place? Does the reader need to trust the narrator? In The Things They Carried, Tim OBrien examines what it takes to tell a good war story. He uses his own experiences in Vietnam in conjunction with his imagination to weave together

Capital Market Efficiency and Its Implication for Financial Reporting Free Essays

Capital market efficiency has been a widely debated topic since the term was introduced. The efficient market hypothesis was introduced by Eugene Fama in 1970 and is one of the most important topics that is covered in financial accounting theory. There have been many papers and studies that have backed the efficiency market hypothesis. We will write a custom essay sample on Capital Market Efficiency and Its Implication for Financial Reporting or any similar topic only for you Order Now There have also been many others that have tried to show that the markets are inefficient. Are securities markets efficient or not? I believe that they are, and because they are efficient, there are multiple implications of efficient securities markets for financial reporting. In 1970, Eugene Fama introduced the efficient market hypothesis. Since there are many definitions and forms of an efficient securities market, I will focus my attention on the semi-strong form. In the semi-strong form, a market is considered efficient when security prices traded on that market at all times fully reflect all information that is publicly known about those securities. This hypothesis or theory has had many proponents for and many against it in recent years. These people have done their own studies and research on the market trying to either prove or disprove that the markets are efficient. An important statement in the definition of an efficient securities market is publically known. It focuses on the theory that the market prices are efficient and include all publicly known information. It does not rule out that some people will have inside information, and they will know more about the company than the market. Since these people know more than the market, they may be able to earn excess profits on their investments if they choose to take advantage of their inside information. While most insider trading is legal, it is illegal for insiders to trade when they trade with information that is not publicly known to further their own profits. By enacting trading laws, like insider trading, it just further solidifies that the markets are efficient. Market efficiency is a relative concept. This means that the market is efficient relative to the quality and quantity of the publicly known information. Nothing in the definition suggests that the current market prices reflect the real firm value. Due to the possible presence of inside information, for example, the market prices may be incorrect. What the definition does imply is that once new or corrected information comes along the market will adjust the prices quickly. This adjustment happens because rational investors will revise their beliefs. They will start buying and selling securities due to their new beliefs which in turn will change prices. Another important point of the theory is that investing is fair game if the market is efficient. In an efficient market there is an expected return on that security, and one way to establish the expected or normal return is by using the capital asset pricing model. In an efficient market, the investors cannot expect to earn excess returns on a security over and above the expected return of the capital asset pricing model. Under the efficient market hypothesis, a security’s market price should fluctuate randomly over time. The reason that prices will fluctuate is that anything about the firm that can be expected will be properly reflected in the price by the efficient market as soon as the expectation is formed. The only reason that prices in an efficient market will change is if some unexpected and relevant information comes along. By examining a time series form by the sequence of price changes, the time series should fluctuate randomly. A random walk is a time series of price movements that will not follow any patterns or trends and that these past movements cannot be used to predict future price movements. There seems to be an increasing number of people against the theory of market efficiency including Professor Charles Lee (2010). He states that the market efficiency has its limitations. He uses the United States housing market as an example of a market that seems to have been dominated by greed. He believes that emotions now dominate the markets and assist in setting the prices in the securities market. The other emotion that he points out is that of fear. The unwillingness to grant credit and to take risks are direct results of fear. Since these emotions dominate people’s actions, the markets are not as efficient as originally thought. Shiller (1984) created a model which featured two types of agents. The two types of agents are â€Å"smart-money† investors and noise traders (ordinary investors). The smart-money investors focus on fundamental information and react quickly to news about fundamental information in an unbiased manner. Noise traders are vulnerable to fads and may also overreact to news. Noise traders may also trade for consumption-based or liquidity reasons. Since there are noise traders in the market that assist in driving prices, the markets are not completely efficient. Critics of market efficiency also point out that there are several recent instances where the market prices must have been set by psychological considerations instead of by rational investors. The first example is the stock market crash of October 1987. During this crash, the general economic environment stayed the same, but the stock market lost about one-third of its value. A second example is the Internet â€Å"bubble† of the late 1990s. The values assigned to high-tech and Internet related companies were inconsistent with rational valuation. In looking at market efficiency, any large swings upwards or crashes downward that do not have related unexpected information can be signs that the market is not efficient. Despite these cases and examples of reasons that the market is inefficient, I believe that for the most part the market is efficient. It is not completely efficient, nor will it ever be, but for the most part the securities are properly priced. I believe that if the market was not efficient, there would be more professional investors that would be able to beat the market as a whole. I believe that with the information and the speed with which it is available today it is more efficient than in 1970 when Fama first introduced market efficiency. I do agree with the notion that there are some people who invest with emotions. When you talk to people about a company such as Apple, you will find just as many people who â€Å"love† the company as you will who dislike it. My feeling is that most of the emotion trading will for the most part cancel out and will not represent enough trading to dramatically adjust market securities prices. There are many fund managers who believe that they can outperform the market. Efficient markets depend on these participants who think that the market is inefficient and trade in the market in an attempt to outperform the market. Jensen (1968) performed the first study of mutual fund performance. He found that active fund managers underperformed the market and were unable to add value. In my personal research, I have found that when looking at â€Å"professional† analysts opinions, they are all over the board. My belief is that fund managers should focus more on correctly diversifying people’s portfolios than suggesting and trying to get them to invest in securities that they feel are undervalued. In order for the market to be efficient, the arket must be able to quickly analyze and adjust prices for new information. Nowadays with the Internet, investment journals that come out daily, and television shows and channels related to securities markets, the markets are more efficient than in the past. An example of the market being able to react quickly was in the article â€Å"The Stock Price Reaction to the Challenger Crash: Information Disclosure in an Efficient Market. â€Å" Maloney and Mulherin found that â€Å"the market pinpointed the guilty party within minutes. Regardless of whether you agree with the efficient securities markets theory or not, there are many implications of efficient securities markets for financial reporting. In W. H. Beaver’s article â€Å"What Should Be the FASB’s Objectives†, he outlines four implications. The first implication is accounting policies adopted by firms do not affect their security prices, as long as policies are disclosed. The accounting policies have no differential cash flow effects, and the information is given so readers can ea sily convert across different policies. The policy that is chosen will affect the reported net income, but it will not directly affect future cash flows and dividends. The efficient market is not fooled by different accounting policies when securities of firms are compared. The second implication is that efficient securities markets go hand in hand with full disclosure. Management should report firm information if the benefits are greater than the costs. Investors use information that is available to them to improve decisions in market efficiency. Confidence in the securities market will increase because of the information available. An important standard of full disclosure is Management Discussion and Analysis. The objective of MDA is to enhance investor understanding of the issuer’s business by providing supplemental analysis and background material to allow a fuller understanding of the nature of an issuer, its operation, and known prospects for the future. The third implication is that market efficiency implies that financial statement information does not need to be presented in such a form that everyone is able to understand. The majority of investors are educated and will understand the information as presented. They are the ones who buy and sell and will move market prices to an efficient level. Naive investors are then price-protected since they can trust the efficient market to price securities. The final implication is that accountants are in competition with other information providers. With new pertinent information investors will change their beliefs. This revision of beliefs is a continuous process. If accountants did not provide useful, cost-effective information, the usefulness of this function would decline to other information sources. Accounting information is generally useful to investors. The theory of efficient securities markets has been around for more than forty years. The concept should be around for many years to come. As in all theories, there are people that will continue to try to further prove the theory and people that will work to disprove the theory. From all available information and from my experience, I believe that securities markets are efficient. Due to the efficient securities markets, there are many implications for financial reporting. How to cite Capital Market Efficiency and Its Implication for Financial Reporting, Papers

The Colonial Period Apush free essay sample

The New World was thought to be the answer for struggling Europeans. Hundreds began sailing across the Atlantic in hope to transform their lives. However, when they arrived, the land was already occupied by strangers. These strangers were known as the Native Americans. The Native Americans were courteous to the Europeans but with time, conflicts between the American Indians and Europeans arose and resulted in death and despair. These two forces spent majority of the 1600s with negative tension, especially in the New England and Chesapeake regions. Wars broke out throughout this time period and relationships were put on the line due to measures taken by both sides. In the New England region, wars stretched out between the Indians and colonist through the 1600s. One of the first significant wars in this area was the Pequot War that took place in 1637. Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth colonies and two Native American tribes formed an alliance and fought against the Pequot tribe. We will write a custom essay sample on The Colonial Period Apush or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Encounters of the Europeans and Native Americans led to the indigenous people of America fighting against their neighborly tribes. Afterwards, the New England Confederation came into play to provide defense against the Dutch, French, and Native Americans. The confederation fell after defeating King Philips War. The conflict arose and caused additional alliances between Europeans and Native Americans. These two groups cooperated and fought against Metacomet’s tribe and his other allied tribes. This showed that the colonists turned a tribe against one another and breaking a relationship they once had. However, relationships took an even more major down fall when a tribe began massacring in New Amsterdam. Killing by the thousands, the tribe would show no mercy to the Dutch. The Dutch beforehand had murdered the tribe’s women and children. Furious, the tribe sets out to massacre New Amsterdam were Anne Hutchinson happened to settle there with her children after her exile. Relationships were being tested and got to a point where most were broken and throughout the land, other regions had the same issue. Conflicts were always in the mist between the Europeans and Native Americans especially in the Chesapeake region. When John Rolfe introduced the tobacco cash crop to Virginia, the slave labor began to increase. The Headright System came into place shortly afterwards because of the economy boom due to tobacco, more land was needed which required more slave labor. Indians were slowly being pushed off their lands forming negative relationship because the Indians were now upset that they are being forced off their own land. Later on the two Powhatan wars further expanded the negative relationship. The Powhatan wars were two wars between the English settlers in the Chesapeake region against the Indians of the Powhatan Confederacy. After the war, it had left the Virginian Native Americans with very little land and the Powhatan tribe was wiped out. The actions of the colonists murdered an entire tribe which left the Indians infuriated and these group of people where left with negative tensions. Later in the 1600s, Bacons rebellion came into the lives of many settlers in the region. Nathaniel Bacon and his followers believed Sir Berkley was not defending the frontiers against Indians. This showed that the Native Americans were furious with the colonists that it got to a point where they were attacking them creating a negative relationship. By this point in time the relationship between Europeans and Indians was a thin line. Throughout the 1600s, the bond between Europeans and Native Americans thinned with time. New England and Chesapeake were two areas where encounter between these two groups had many conflicts. The New World was supposed to be a new start for the Europeans; a place where they would not have to worry about the poverty they were leaving behind or the ashamed life. When they arrived to see the land occupied, it never stopped them from achieving their wishes. Native Americans and Europeans relationships were spread too thin due to the measures they took.

12 Examples of Chemical Energy

12 Examples of Chemical Energy Chemical energy is the energy stored within chemicals, which makes it energy inside atoms and molecules. Most often, its considered the energy of chemical bonds, but the term also includes energy stored in the electron arrangement of atoms and ions. Its a form of potential energy that you wont observe until a reaction occurs. Chemical energy can be changed into other forms of energy through chemical reactions or chemical changes. Energy, often in the form of heat, is absorbed or released when chemical energy is converted to another form. Chemical Energy Examples Chemical energy is a form of potential energy found within chemical bonds, atoms, and subatomic particles.Chemical energy can be observed and measured only when a chemical reaction occurs.Any matter considered to be a fuel contains chemical energy.The energy can be released or absorbed. For example, combustion releases more energy than is needed to initiate the reaction. Photosynthesis absorbs more energy than it releases. Examples of Chemical Energy Basically, any compound contains chemical energy that can be released when its chemical bonds are broken. Any substance that can be used as a fuel contains chemical energy. Examples of matter containing chemical energy include: Coal: Combustion reaction converts chemical energy into light and heat.Wood: Combustion reaction converts chemical energy into light and heat.Petroleum: Can be burned to release light and heat or changed into another form of chemical energy, such as gasoline.Chemical batteries: Store chemical energy to be changed into electricity.Biomass: Combustion reaction converts chemical energy into light and heat.Natural gas: Combustion reaction converts chemical energy into light and heat.Food: Digested to convert chemical energy into other forms of energy used by cells.Cold packs: Chemical energy is absorbed in a reaction.Propane: Burned to produce heat and light.Hot packs: Chemical reaction produces heat or thermal energy.Photosynthesis changes solar energy into chemical energy.Cellular respiration is a set of reactions that changes chemical energy in glucose into chemical energy in ATP, a form our bodies can use. Source Schmidt-Rohr, Klaus. Why Combustions Are Always Exothermic, Yielding About 418 kJ per Mole of O2. Journal of Chemical Education.

How to Define Acceleration

How to Define Acceleration Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity as a function of time. It is a vector, meaning that it has both magnitude and direction. It is measured in meters per second squared or meters per second (the objects speed or velocity) per second. In calculus terms, acceleration is the second derivative of position concerning time or, alternately, the first derivative of the velocity concerning time. Acceleration- Change in Speed The everyday experience of acceleration is in a vehicle. You step on the accelerator, and the car speeds up as increasing force is applied to the drive train by the engine. But deceleration is also acceleration - the velocity is changing. If you take your foot off the accelerator, the force decreases and velocity is reduced over time. Acceleration, as heard in ads, follows the rule of the change of speed (miles per hour) over time, such as from zero to 60 miles per hour in seven seconds. Units of Acceleration The SI units for acceleration are m / s2(meters per second squared or  meters per second per second). The gal or galileo (Gal) is a unit of acceleration used in gravimetry but is not an SI unit. It is defined as 1 centimeter per second squared. 1 cm/s2 English units for acceleration are feet per second per second,  ft/s2 The standard acceleration due to gravity, or standard gravity  g0 is the gravitational acceleration of an object in a vacuum near the surface of the earth. It combines the effects of gravity and centrifugal acceleration from the rotation of the Earth. Converting Acceleration Units Value m/s2 1 Gal, or cm/s2 0.01 1 ft/s2 0.304800 1 g0 9.80665 Newtons Second Law- Calculating Acceleration The classical mechanics equation for acceleration comes from Newtons Second Law: The sum of the forces (F) on an object of constant mass (m) is equal to mass m multiplied by the objects acceleration (a). F am Therefore, this can be rearranged to define acceleration as: a F/m The result of this equation is that if no forces are acting on an object (F   0), it will not accelerate. Its speed will remain constant. If mass  is added to the object, the acceleration will be lower. If  mass  is removed from the object, its acceleration will be higher. Newtons Second Law is one of the three laws of motion Isaac Newton published in 1687 in  Philosophià ¦ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy).   Acceleration and Relativity While Newtons laws of motion apply at speeds we encounter in daily life, once objects are traveling near the speed of light, the rules change. Thats when Einsteins special theory of relativity is more accurate. The special theory of relativity says it takes more force to result in acceleration as an object approaches the speed of light. Eventually, acceleration becomes vanishingly small and the object never quite achieves the speed of light. Under the theory of general relativity, the principle of equivalence says that gravity and acceleration have identical effects. You dont know whether or not you are accelerating unless you can observe without any forces on you, including gravity.