Daily Positive Thoughts: February 01, 2017: Don't Just Do Something

Daily Positive Thoughts: February 01, 2017: Don't Just Do Something

Don't Just Do Something

Something is going wrong, it looks like there is a disaster in the making, and chaos is emerging fast. In the West we say, "Don't just sit there, do something!" In the East they say, "Don't just do something, sit there!" Now why is this? Intuitively we know that unless it's a life threatening situation, wisdom lies in the Eastern approach, because sitting still in body and mind, even if only for a moment, allows us to discern the right thing to do. It is the difference between reacting and responding. It allows new intuitions to overcome old instincts. Watch for such opportunities today.

Worry Confused With Concern (Part 1)

One of the most incorrect beliefs that we have acquired since childhood is that to worry is to care, worrying is caring. Our parents are the people whom we grow up with and are closest to in our childhood. As soon as we are born, in fact even before we are born, even when we are in our mother’s womb, they start transmitting the energy of this belief through their thoughts and later on when we are physically present in front of them, through thoughts, words and actions; to us, which we catch, because we being a spiritual energy, not only transmit or radiate but also absorb energy. As we grow up, this false belief keeps reaching us from everyone on a subtle as level as physical level from whom we meet and are close to including our friends, siblings (brothers and sisters), spouse etc. and slowly we start accepting this belief as being completely true and lead our lives according to it and even transmit the same to others. That is why it is extremely difficult to find a single person today who does not live according to this belief or does not bring it into their daily lives to some extent or the other.

A very common example of the above belief which we all have gone through sometime or the other is when we are late by just a few minutes in coming back home from office. On reaching home, we are asked a thousand questions and by our family members, perhaps our parents or spouse or children about where we have been and why hadn’t we bothered to call and also informed about another thousand negative assumptions they had made in that much time. Why? Because they had been worried for us. We are normally surprised with the fact they are worrying, because 9 out of 10 times we are late because of a not so serious reason, but our family members explain that we were worrying for you because we care for you. But worrying is not caring. Worry is fear or anxiety and care is love or concern, they are two opposite emotions which can never exist together at the same time.

In tomorrow's message, we shall demonstrate how on a subtle energy level, true love and concern is more beneficial than worry in coming out of negative situations, in which we find ourselves every now and then.

Spiritual Sensibility

Sense is practical intelligence.

Some of it is learned, yet the implication is that we have an inbuilt idea of right and wrong that enables us to act accordingly.

Spirituality is about understanding the self and realigning our sense of self with how we relate to the world around us.

When we integrate sense and spirituality, we engage meaningfully with a spiritual sensibility.

Message for the day

To celebrate is to bring about a positive change.

Thought to Ponder: Celebrations usually last for a day, but true celebration is to sustain the feeling and experience for a long time. When I understand and recognize the spirit of the celebration, I will be able to carry it forward into the days to come. Thus celebrations create a positive impact in my life. 

Point to Practice: Today I will celebrate something that I have in my life. It could be the happiness of having the gift of certain relationships and exchange of values through them, or of having some special quality in me. Let me today experience and celebrate this gift and sustain it through the day. This is true celebration which will create a change for days to come. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 31, 2017: The Power to Accommodate

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 31, 2017: The Power to Accommodate

The Eight Powers of the Soul - Day 8

These are powers that recharge the soul. As the soul comes into action it 

experiences the practical form of these powers. 

A stunning iceberg washed ashore on the coast of Alaska!!

 

The Power to Accommodate

Like the ocean that merges all that flows into it, I merge all that happens; so past is past, and the future seems clear and bright.

The Two Dimensions Of Being A Detached Observer

There are two dimensions of being a detached observer - the inner dimension and the outer one.

Let us look at the inner dimension of detached observation. It is the ability or the technique to stand back from or observe in a detached way our own thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes and behavior.  We are creators and our thoughts, feelings, emotions and attitudes are our creation.  In fact, this is the first step to becoming a ruler of the self and making the self powerful. If we fail to detach from our thoughts and emotions then they will be our masters, they will go out of control and will, as a result, leak away or waste our energy.  Practice simply being the witness of whatever you are thinking and feeling. This is an important aspect of any good spiritual practice and after a while you will find it an experience that both, frees you and empowers you.

The external dimension of detached observation is the technique of being a witness to or an observer of the scenes, of the world around us.  As we stand back and watch the scenes of life being played, on the world stage around us, without being actively involved, we can see the big picture more clearly. This makes it easier to judge clearly what is the most suitable contribution that we can make and the most suitable role we can play - through our thoughts, words and actions.

Listen to yourself

Each day is filled with a hundred choices and decisions, and wisdom is our best guide. 

Wisdom comes from three places - experience, learning and our deepest intuition. Each day is an opportunity to gather and use all three.

Experience comes from engaging with life, learning comes from observing, and intuition comes from listening to our self. 

At the end of the day sit down and write down what was the main experience, what did I learn and what did I hear...from myself? You did listen to yourself...didn't you?

Message for the day

To be a master is to win in situations.

Thought to Ponder: There is a long time practice of being a victim of situations. As is the situation, so is the reaction. It automatically results in a loss of strength and hope to make the situation better. On the other hand, to be a master is to understand that the situation is temporary and I have the power to change it. This will give me encouragement to make at least a small contribution to change the situation. 

Point to Practice: Today I will keep a chart of the extent to which I have been a ruler. I will check how many times during the day I have kept the controls with me in the variety of situations that the day brings to me. This will give me a clue to the extent to which I am able to control situations and direct them to a positive way instead of allowing it to control me. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 30, 2017: The Power to Cooperate

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 30, 2017: The Power to Cooperate

The Eight Powers of the Soul - Day 7

These are powers that recharge the soul. As the soul comes into 

action it experiences the practical form of these powers. 

 

 

The Power to Cooperate

With the power to cooperate, I do not feel like I am competing against anyone, but rather I am helping all. Here, the surrender of ego is needed.

How Often And Why Do I Need To Meditate (Part 2)? 

As explained yesterday, we regularly and quite easily slip into four main negative habits. So meditation is not only sitting in a quiet corner, and connecting with the self and the Supreme, at a couple of fixed times during the day, but it is also the way to gently remember and remind ourselves, many times in a day, that we as well as others, are souls or spiritual beings not physical beings, by detaching ourselves from actions and also while being involved in actions. These reminders given to the self over a period of time become natural and prevent us from succumbing to these four habits. Given below is a basic meditation, which you could use to remind yourself regularly during the day:
I have a body but this body is not me…
I have thoughts but these thoughts are not me …
I have feelings but these feelings are not me …
I have attitudes but these attitudes are not me …
I have emotions but these emotions are not me …
I have beliefs but these beliefs are not me …
I perform many actions through my sense organs, but these sense organs are not me…
I play many roles but I am not my roles…
I experience joy or sorrow through my sense organs, but these experiences are not me …
I am a soul – a being of energy, which is neither created nor can be destroyed, and my original and true nature is one of peace, love, joy and power…

What does courage mean to you?

Is it being honest with yourself about your mistakes? Being honest about your shortcomings?

Is it to trust that things will work out, even when you can't see how? Is it taking action even when you are afraid? Does it have to be something heroic?

Ask yourself what courage means to you. And then keep pursuing courage in action.

Message for the day

To have the ability to understand a problem is also to have the ability to find a solution.

Thought to Ponder: Just as an expert in any field would notice a deficiency, if I have the ability to recognize a problem, I will surely know what the solution is. I need to focus my energies to find the solution. Then I will be able to use my resources well.

Point to Practice: Today I will only focus on solutions. Whenever a problem comes up, I will spend time thinking about what I could do to change it. When I direct my mind in this way, there will neither be worry nor will the problem remain. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 29, 2017: The Power to Face

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 29, 2017: The Power to Face

The Eight Powers of the Soul - Day 6

These are powers that recharge the soul. As the soul comes into 

action it experiences the practical form of these powers. 

England-Stepping Stones

The Power to Face

Nothing seems like an obstacle, but rather a stepping stone to victory. To lack this power means to be dominated by external dramas. 

How Often And Why Do I Need To Meditate (Part 1)?

As with anything else, the more we practice meditation, the more we feel the benefit of what we are doing. We do need to practice meditation regularly because the habits of: 

i.                  identifying with our physical form,

ii.                 Succumbing to mental and emotional negativity (in the form of waste and negative thoughts) along with negativity in words and actions,

iii.              becoming attached to the physical as well as the non-physical, and 

iv.               being dependent upon the experience of physical stimulation of any sort (from e.g. food, movies, people, sports etc.) for happiness are extremely deep.

These habits have deepened over a period of many many births, because of repeating them regularly, due to a lack of spiritual awareness. As a result, in the present moment also we regularly and quite easily slip into these four habits.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

Where there is knowledge energy is saved. 

I put in a lot of effort to deal with the situations I am faced with. But sometimes I do not find the success that I should. I then put in more energies to bring about the desired change, but without any positive result. In order to deal effectively with the situations, I need to understand the situation accurately. If I don't succeed once, I need to check if I have understood the situation accurately or not. With understanding, my energies don't get wasted away, but get focused accordingly.

Message for the day

To understand that I am a creator of my thoughts is to have the power to control them.

Thought to Ponder: To control thoughts after they go out of control is really difficult or almost impossible. But when I understand that I create thoughts, I can have mastery over them. From time to time, I need to remind myself of this, keep a check on my thoughts, steer and stop them whenever and wherever necessary. 

Point to Practice: Today I will take one thought, "I am the master and creator of my thoughts. So, I have the reins in my hands and can guide them how I want.". Even if any other thought comes, I can have a control over them, instead of them controlling me. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 28, 2017: The Power to Discriminate

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 28, 2017:  The Power to Discriminate

The Eight Powers of the Soul - Day 5

These are powers that recharge the soul. As the soul comes into action it experiences the practical form of these powers.

The Power to Discriminate

Like the trained eye of a jeweller who discriminates the real from the imitation, I can discriminate what is true and what is false. 

Rediscover The Essence Of Happiness (Part 3)

When you feel stuck in a hard time, change your attitude by letting go or shedding off your attachment to possessions and people (external attachments) and habits (internal attachments) that no longer work for you. When you get rid of your attachment to physical things and people and emotional habits that weigh you down, and start to feel lighter — you’ll witness how by letting go, you’re making room for new things, new values to enter your life. As a result, your subconscious will be relieved by letting go of emotional burdens or bondages.

To achieve the above purpose, try the short meditation below. Think as well as visualize alongside the following thoughts:

I become aware of myself as a tiny sparkling star of light, an energy, situated just above the eyebrows – a soul... In soul consciousness, I experience the beauty of the many qualities like peace, love and joy; of the spiritual being that I am... Now, with the medium of visualization, I, the soul, travel beyond the world of 5 elements to the soul world, a non-physical dimension of the subtle light of golden red hue (shade)… Over there, I visualize, in front of me – a sparkling Sun of golden light - God, the Father and Mother of me, the Supreme Soul, the ocean of peace, love and joy, which is His eternal nature... He radiates the immense spiritual energy of peace, love and joy...  I turn my mind and intellect to His light... I feel the warmth of His presence and the light of His love for me gently healing the wounds of the past that are buried deep inside me, the soul... wounds left by ego, fear, sorrow, jealousy, hatred, anger that have reduced my happiness all this while… I feel a deep feeling of emotional freedom inside me, I feel light and my happiness is restored…

Fortunately, being happy is easy but it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you better stop worrying about it and see what treasures (whether your internal ones or from the Supreme) you can tap into.

The nectar of sweetness spreads happiness and increases success. 

We are usually task oriented and are focused on the task at hand. We don't pay that kind of attention to relationships too. This attitude creates an environment which doesn't allow us to increase the efficiency of our work. I need to pay special attention to maintain relationships also, along with the work that I get done. The sweetness within me spreads around positive vibrations to those around and creates a conducive environment which increases efficiency of the task.

Message for the day

Simplicity is the promise of happiness.

Expression: The one who is simple is able to see through the complications of situations and people. He has the ability to only pick out what is useful and worthy from the expanse of all that is available. A simple person's words and actions are the ones that give happiness to those around. 

Experience: When I am simple in my vision and attitude, I am able to remain happy, as I am free from the complications of all that is happening. My mind is not caught up with unnecessary things, and I am able to remain easy in the most difficult situations. This attitude of mine also helps in creating an environment of happiness where others too experience this happiness. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris