Daily Positive Thoughts: October 10, 2016: Transform Negativity

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 10, 2016: Transform Negativity

Transform Negativity

The energies of life come to meet us at every moment. Most come from other people who, are either in the same room or on the flickering, technicolour screens with which we now share most of our homes. The vast majority of these energies are not positive. So how do we handle the 'the negatives', whether it's someone's attitude, their hurtful gestures or our daily dose of world violence and mayhem. There are three cardinal rules. First, do not absorb it - don't be an emotional sponge. Second do not reflect it back. Otherwise you begin a cycle of emotional exchanges which may last a long time. And third, do the one thing which marks us as intelligent human beings - transform it. Even if the scene is a disaster there is some benefit somewhere in it. Even if you are watching two people's beliefs or opinions slug it out to the edge of violence, don't take sides. Instead offer a solution then stand well back. Even if the person hates you, accept their state of being and return the light of love. In time, with patience, it will illuminate their darkness, and return to you by the bucketful! Just wait.

On A Spiritual Joyride (Part 4)

A spiritual childhood is a birth in the lap of God, in which the soul goes through a transformation or change and experiences a new turning point in its life after which life starts giving you beautiful rewards. Rewards like an increase in levels of happiness, a mind filled with peace, lots of spiritual strength, purity in thoughts, words and actions and also change in one’s personality.  Life starts changing as situations no longer hurt your consciousness and give you as much sorrow as before. Also, the ability to give different shapes or mindsets to your consciousness when faced with different types of challenges in life and overcoming them is something we learn when we take birth as a spiritual child of the Supreme Father and Mother, whom we commonly call God.

Spirituality means a love filled life and at the same time a pure consciousness which means a spiritual love and not a physical one, which becomes a source of happiness and also brings about lightness. A pure and non-physical love also brings freedom from an unstable life in which sometimes there is a lot of joy, but the joy many times brings with it sorrow filled periods. Also, life stops being a roller coaster ride in which there is always insecurity about what will happen next. Also, the different relationships with the one Father of the soul or God fills the self with different types of attainments, which cannot be explained. At the same time these different experiences with God give you a lot of fulfillment and you also love sharing these attainments with others and also bringing others on the spiritual joyride with you.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Gratitude

Two words that can improve any relationship: "Thank you!"

If saying thank you is already habitual for you, say it with a renewed feeling today.

If you haven't already done so, then invite "Thank you" into your vocabulary.

It seems like the simplest thing to say, but gratitude and appreciation really does make a difference.

So, thank you!

Message for the day

To choose the right path is to use strengths in the right way. 

Thought to Ponder: However fast I run, I will not be able to get anywhere, if I do not choose the right path. I first need to see clearly what I want to do and where I need to go. Once I have decided, I need to use all my strengths to move towards that goal.

Point to Practice: Today I will stop and check if I am moving in the right direction. I will create a small little goal for myself in any one area and work progressively towards that. This will ensure that my energies are being focused and bring results. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 09, 2016: Title can go here

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 09, 2016: Title can go here

Title can go here

 

"Wow...that's beautiful!" Is either a cry or a thought when faced with the mountain sunset, a spectacular view or a well formed man or a woman.  But where is the beauty, where is the appreciation of beauty, where is the ability to discern beauty? It is within our own consciousness. For the essence of who and what we are beauty itself. The essence of beauty is not found in the body, a face or a mountain - they only stir the essence of beauty within our own spirit. And that beauty is not only something we taste within ourselves, but it emerges in our character as virtue, and in our life as care. For what is virtue, but love in action? The next time you say, "That's beautiful!" know that you speak of yourself, and it is you who are beautiful. Always were, always will be.

On A Spiritual Joyride (Part 3)

Spirituality is a beautiful and fulfilling lifestyle which everyone in the world needs to adopt and it is not only for people who have an interest in religion already or are spiritually inclined. Spirituality gives the power of relieving yourself of all pressures and it also teaches us the way of keeping our thoughts, words and actions in check, both of which are necessary for being successful. Also, spirituality does not mean leaving material comforts of life and lead a life which is different from the world but on the other hand it changes our relationship with material comforts and makes us less attached to them. This helps us experience permanent joy from them. On the other hand an attachment to them can give sorrow also at times. So, never hesitate to sit on the joyride of spirituality, as we call it, because life and the relationships and roles that way we play and the way we play them changes after doing that. Ask someone who is spiritual and loves leading a life according to spiritual principles and does it without overdoing it i.e. he or she does not become over-spiritual so as to lose the balance. Such a person will say will tell you how lightness and contentment along with the power to handle situations and also the ability to change your thinking whenever required, from negative to positive are some of the benefits of a spiritual life.

Also, talking about love filled relationships; there are people, whose relationships were on the brink of finishing. A spiritual life gave them the method of living their life with love, immense happiness and power and they overcome their difficult relationships without making much effort. In fact, there are many marriages of people who joined or got associated with the Brahma Kumaris, which were saved from divorces, because of their change in ways of thinking and facing the difficult situations that arise in marriages because of ego clashes and differences of opinions.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

  

Restless to Restful

Often we're tired because we're running marathons in our minds. 

Thinking about things to do, what's been done, what should have been done; what others did, are doing, should do... Tiredness makes the mind even more restless.

Why not take a thought break! Slow down your thoughts and let your mind go from restless to restful. 

Release tiredness and the mind will think better.

Message for the day

To experience happiness is to give happiness to others too. 
Thought to Ponder: The one who walks on the right path can show others the path too. When I start appreciating what I have, I will be able to be happy. Then, I can inspire others too to experience happiness too. Also, it is only what I have that I can give others.

Point to Practice: Today I will take a thought to be happy with whatever life brings. Even if something negative happens, I will just remain happy. I will see if there is a learning from it that I can take and move ahead. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 08, 2016: Friends and Relatives

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 08, 2016: Friends and Relatives

The small, but jaw dropping picturesque town of Chiavenna along River Mera in Italy

Friends and Relatives

If my friends and relatives do not choose to accompany me on my spiritual path, why should I chase after them trying to get them to change? They won't listen to me anyway, no matter what I say. A better approach is to focus on my own change process. A river doesn't need to urge people into drinking its water. People are naturally drawn to it, provided its waters are pure, free flowing and sweet. In the same way become so attractive through your spiritual efforts that everyone will want to join you naturally.

On A Spiritual Joyride (Part 2)

Variety in life is the only way to sustain a spiritual journey which many of us are on. Meditation is a technique which is being practiced by millions all over the world. At the Brahma Kumaris, people from around 115 countries practice meditation in their daily lives but at the same time, as per the knowledge shared by God, they take care that meditation does not become like a daily routine. Everyday meditation is done with different types of positive thoughts. In this way, spirituality is like a fun filled joyride in which different experiences become a daily part of your life. Also everyone at the Brahma Kumaris will not study spiritual knowledge only when they are alone or at home. They will visit one of the centres of the Brahma Kumaris daily for an hour, wherever they are. And they will listen to spiritual knowledge in a gathering. This type of daily routine is something which is rarely seen in any other spiritual movement of the world. The intention behind this type of practice, besides better understanding of the knowledge, is an increase in enthusiasm by sitting with people of the same mindset and gaining from their spiritual power, which is called the power of the gathering.

Spirituality also brings with it the duty of sharing all that you listen and learn, with others, which itself is a way of remaining enthusiastic. Along with sharing, which we call service at the Brahma Kumaris, there is great importance given to changing oneself and improving one’s behavior which is a way of going ahead in life on a non-physical level. This is because changing oneself automatically causes a positive energy of change to flow in my words and actions, which further flows to others causing an increase in enthusiasm in oneself. This is the spiritual joyride on which we sit every day and wait for the next day with a lot of interest.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Truth

The power of Truth is such that you need never be concerned about proving it. 

You need only be concerned with being it and living it. 

Truth is always revealed, at the right moment, at the right place. It is for this reason that the simplest, most powerful expression of truth is humility. 

Real humility results in so much power of truth and inner silence that you don't need to say anything at all in words. 

The power of humility allows you to see the benefit in everything, even in the insults of others.

Message for the day

The easiest way to bring positivity in life is to become worthy of God's love. 
Expression: A simple checking whether to perform an action or not is to see if it would be approved by God. When every action is thus checked, there would be positivity and benefit expressed through everything. There would not be any negative, waste or even ordinary actions performed, but only those that are sealed with the power of positivity.

Experience: When I am able to bring about such positivity in my life, I'll not only win the love of God, but also the love, praise and good wishes of all those around me. I also become trust worthy and an image of support for those who are seeking to bring positivity in their lives. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 07, 2016: How to Stay Peaceful

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 07, 2016: How to Stay Peaceful

Sadhus in Durbar Square, Kathmandu, Nepal

How to Stay Peaceful

Desires cause peace to disappear. You think that acquiring things will make you feel secure, but the reality is that the more you have the more fear there usually is of losing it, and the further you are from peace. Desires are the cause of all conflicts. When you want something and cannot get it you become frustrated. Learning to be free from desires is learning how to stay peaceful.

On A Spiritual Joyride (Part 1)

A very beautiful aspect of our lives is variety. Variety means doing a lot of different things in life which give a feeling of freshness and enjoyment. It means loving every moment of the day by making it special. Whenever you have spent many days in your life doing one particular thing or working on one particular task, ask yourself am I becoming a one task- force. Or do I, while performing the task, also take care that my work is accompanied by periods of creative activities like reading, playing, interacting and improving my personality by spreading all that I know, to others and learning more than I know now?

There was once a king who loved the role he was playing and also gave a lot of love to the people he ruled. There was no one in his kingdom who did not like him or respect him but yet boredom was something he had to face repeatedly. The same routine was something he experienced everyday and did not know how to overcome that. So, one day, he along with his queen, decided to spend a fixed time everyday talking to people in his kingdom discussing the problems that they were facing. And also, he started fixing small targets in his life, like ensuring that by this particular day, this particular work will get done which can also be termed as goal setting. He realized soon that by filling his life with the flavor of ambition, which in small amounts, is extremely useful for progress, his life was no longer repetitive. In fact, life became something he enjoyed, as long as the ambition was kept in limits and he did not overcome over-ambitious, which could lead to stress. Love for each task you perform and at the same time different tasks during the day is the secret to a happiness filled life. A spiritual perspective to variety in life is filling your mind with new thoughts everyday and maintaining a pure and positive mindset. At the same time, let this positive mindset or consciousness be differently positive everyday, by giving the mind new directions everyday, which can also be called being spiritually adventurous

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Integrate Integrity

Integrity means to integrate all the facets of your personality into one consistent, reliable, transparent self.

You're the same inside and out; nothing to hide, no masks to wear. You're honest with yourself, say what you mean and respond to situations authentically, without compromising your values.

With integrity life is easier, you feel good about yourself, there's trust in your relationships, and accountability in your work.

How do you integrate integrity into your life?

Message for the day

To use treasures in a worthwhile way is to be content. 

Thought to Ponder: We are all endowed with a lot of treasures. Treasures like our specialties, our time, our good wishes, our encouraging words are in our access. Without using these treasures, if we ask God for more, or expect from others, it is difficult to get them. When we start using what we have in a worthwhile way, we find these and other treasures increase automatically. 


Point to Practice: Today I will remind myself of any one specialty of mine and make a conscious attempt to use it in my day to day activities. I will remind myself of this, from time to time, and use it consciously whenever I can. When I am busy using my own inner treasure, I will not only be content, but also start achieving success in all I do.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 06, 2016: Love

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 06, 2016: Love

Love

Love provides the environment for everyone's growth. When I experience true love I can provide the right environment for people so that they can progress in their lives. Today I will not hold onto those I love nor expect them to do everything according to my needs, but instead will give them real support.

Realizing Our Natural Nature Of Peace

If we look at nature, we will notice that everything in nature – plants, flowers, etc. do everything they do peacefully – they grow, flourish, decompose and die in peace. We get an obvious impression from them that peace is their natural nature. Even the five elements – earth, wind, water, fire and sky are mostly peaceful by nature. It’s only when we try and exercise control over them and interfere with their balance that they lose their peace. Most of us, irrespective of our age, even in these stressful and hurry filled times, act peacefully and express our peaceful nature in relationships by means of peaceful thoughts, words and actions, unless something is wrong in the relationship. We instinctively like peaceful relationships. If something is wrong in a relationship and it lacks peace even to a small extent, we do not feel good or comfortable about it. All this proves to us that we, like nature, are essentially peaceful by nature. That is our basic personality.

Most of us have, at some time in our lives and even more frequently in the case of many of us, experienced and expressed our peaceful nature. It's so natural, we are not even consciously aware of it. What we are more aware of is when we are distanced from the natural i.e. we are unnatural - worried, scared, irritated etc. But these unnatural phases always pass and we finally return to our peaceful self. There are some people who are permanently grumpy and tight with someone or the other, because of something or the other. On some days we also feel as if we are continuously living on the edge and continuously succumbing to frustration and anger. But even then, away from everyone’s eyes; everyone, the compulsive angerholic (one who cannot live without anger) and you also, will, at some stage, look inwards, relax and have an inner personal spiritual retreat in which they will find relief by experiencing their true nature of peace.

Stay Grounded

Do you walk around with your head in the clouds? Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

Having our head in the clouds allows us to dream big. But if you stay up in the clouds then you don't achieve anything.

To turn your dreams into reality, try to keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground. 

Then you'll stay grounded in reality and make things happen. Be a dreamer and a doer!

Message for the day

The easiest way to bring positivity in life is to become worthy of God's love. 
Expression: A simple checking whether to perform an action or not is to see if it would be approved by God. When every action is thus checked, there would be positivity and benefit expressed through everything. There would not be any negative, waste or even ordinary actions performed, but only those that are sealed with the power of positivity.

Experience: When I am able to bring about such positivity in my life, I'll not only win the love of God, but also the love, praise and good wishes of all those around me. I also become trust worthy and an image of support for those who are seeking to bring positivity in their lives. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 05, 2016: Treasure Every Moment

Daily Positive Thoughts: October 05, 2016: Treasure Every Moment

Treasure Every Moment

Treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time. Remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift... That's why it's called the present.

The Soul Realized (Part 3)

Whenever you get up in the morning, say to yourself that I am a spiritual energy which is completely different from the physical body i.e. it is not made up of the 5 physical elements, also called five tatvas in Hindi, which the physical body is made up of. The words human being literally mean human + being where human means humus or soil, which is non-living and being means spiritual energy, which is living. This is called soul realization. In the teachings of the Brahma Kumaris, which are direct versions of God and in our day to day lives, we commonly use the terms soul consciousness when speaking in English and aatma abhimani when speaking in Hindi. Both these terms mean that I am a soul and I emerge the consciousness of being that in my day to day routine and also while meditating. This does not mean that I stop performing actions and taking care of my work and other responsibilities but I perform all those duties and while performing them I realize that I am a soul and that means experiencing the form and qualities of the soul. The form of the soul is not a physical form, because the soul is a non-physical energy or light. Here, light does not mean that it can be seen by the physical eyes. Also, it is a light, which is minuscule in size or of a very small size and cannot be seen even under a physical magnifying glass or microscope, because it is non-physical in nature.

To make visualization easy, we at the Brahma Kumaris, experience the soul to be a star of subtle light at the centre of the forehead, just above the eyebrows, in meditation, though the actual location of the soul is inside the brain, as explained in yesterday’s message. The soul looks at the world outside, through the eyes, listens through the ears and speaks through the mouth, which are the main actions performed by the soul. Also, the other senses of touch, smell and taste are performed by the soul while sitting in its position. Lastly, the qualities of the soul are peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and truth, which undergo change depending on the actions performed by the soul. If the soul performs positive actions, these qualities increase and if the actions performed are negative, they decrease.

Relationship

Had a disagreement with someone you're close to and then found it's gone too far and you're no longer talking? 

Often when we're hurt, we speak harshly and hurt the other person. And then we both continue to hurt in the absence of the other.

Do you wish you were still on talking terms? Why not take time to reflect on the value of the relationship. Let your fondness for the other person flow in your heart. And then write a note, an e-mail, or a text; or simply pick up the phone and start the conversation. Converse to get the relationship back!

Message for the day

Real positivity is to have positive thoughts even during a negative situation. 

Thought to Ponder: To think positive when everything is going on fine is good enough. But to create a positive thought when things are not fine is real positive thinking. It is such practice that makes us stronger, better and more powerful with each passing difficulty. On the other hand, every turbulent situation makes a weak mind weaker.

Point to Practice: Today I will find something positive in the most negative situation. I will try to find the brighter side to something that seems obviously negative. I will remind myself of this and sustain it, so that negativity doesn't influence me. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris