Daily Positive Thoughts: November 06, 2016: Understanding

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 06, 2016: Understanding

A Procession of Nuns, Rangoon, Burma, 1994. Photographer: Steve McCurry

Understanding

A big-hearted soul does not sentence others on the basis of a single act, but appreciates others through understanding their entire journey.

Positive Thought Based Living (Part 1)

Living in a world of high speed and action in our everyday lives, we need to spend a few minutes every day looking at how much time we spent in the day in giving and spreading the fragrance of our specialties and loving each one whom we meet, with a big heart. Always see and check whether each action of yours is dedicated to the benefit of others and not only for benefiting the self. We all know and realize that the day to day routine includes work tasks of different types but life is also about giving and receiving from others all that’s beautiful in life like peace, love and happiness. It’s fine to be over involved with work but even in that work there are some people who are more in touch with their inner goodness. Some will make it a point to share good things with others in the form of good words while talking to them and good gestures while interacting with them. Some people will make it a point to share with others, something good over email or on the phone before starting their daily routine at office or even the regular work at home if they are not working.

So life isn’t all about working hard for a living but living a value based life and spreading the fragrance of values to others. Values are not to be kept within you but shared with others and distributed with a big heart. There are some people who will put up a good thought every day, in their homes or on their computers screens or at some place in their office where everyone can read it, take inspiration from it, bring it into practice and also inspire others with it. This is called positive thought based living and not just plain living which most of us indulge in. Live life to the fullest and enjoy it but not at the cost of giving up values. Let every person whom you come in contact with, feel you are different not only in terms of personality and skills but also in terms of your basic nature and the virtues or qualities you possess. Then the world will become a beautiful place to live in and we will be like one big family closely knit together in a bond of pure love and happiness.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Emotional Turmoil

When you find yourself in a stormy emotional outburst, with thunderous words, flashes of lightning and tears of rain... retreat to the eye of the storm!

From this point of calm, look at your emotional turmoil: 

What are you really feeling? 

The storm has been brewing for a while: 
Why did you let it build to this intensity?

Get your emotions under control, then handle the aftermath of your emotional outburst and figure out how to resolve your deeper issues.

Message for the day

To be mature is to understand the importance of the task in hand. 

Thought to Ponder: The one who is mature would know what his duty is, according to the time. If an adult plays with toys, it would not be right. In the same way, the one who is mature would not get distracted with tasks that are waste or unnecessary. He would do the right thing at the right time. 

Point to Practice: Today I will keep a check on my actions. I will check if I am wasting any time in matters that are not useful. I will make sure that I will do the required tasks according to the need and time. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 05, 2016: Ice Vice

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 05, 2016: Ice Vice

Ice Vice

We are all essentially made of virtue. Even the baddest person in the world will find time to do something good...at least once a year. If you conducted a straw poll on people’s preferences between peace and conflict,  the result would be predictable. The deepest meaning of human relationships isn't hate, it's love - we know that because we all seek it, and occasionally give it! But virtue is not so popular in these days of cynicism and disrespect. Vice is way out ahead in the world of human affairs. Lying, stealing, cheating, killing and insulting can be found at all levels of every society. Why? What made virtue lose its fashion, why did we collectively decide to surrender ourselves to vicious ways of living. Could it be down to one simple belief - survival of the fittest? Could it be the birth of desire and possession? Could it be that we started to think that we might not get what we wanted, or lose what we had? Could it be that we found others acting towards us in ways which were far from loving and caring? Probably yes to all of those as they are all interconnected. But we still have a choice and that choice will define the quality of our life - virtue or vice? Harmony or conflict?  Love or fear? If we did not have that choice we would not be unique, individual beings with opportunity to know and exercise our free will. But seriously, if virtue and vice were standing trial and you were in the jury, who would you vote for. Which one would you ice? So make your choice and live your choice, it is much more relaxing. You did vote for virtue didn't you?

Fulfilling Desires By Changing Your Belief System (Part 2)

We have been holding a lot of incorrect beliefs as to what can lead us to back to our eternal and original state (these states were discussed in yesterday’s message) and many of our actions are based on these beliefs. We have mentioned a few examples of incorrect beliefs below. There are many more, which you could reflect on.

Lust and attachment increases love in a relationship.

Anger is necessary for success in relationships and is important for getting work done and gaining respect. It provides a mental upsurge of energy.

Greed attracts physical prosperity and brings happiness.

Ego is power; a person with no ego is generally timid or submissive.

Worry prepares us for the worst, worrying for someone close is expressing our love for them.

Being emotional and crying for our loved ones in bad times, is expressing love for them. Being emotional and crying in good times is expressing and experiencing joy.

Gossiping increases social bonding and gives one an experience of joy.

Jealousy inspires us to do better and achieve more.

The Supreme Teacher changes our belief system and not only makes us aware of these incorrect beliefs but reconditions us by incorporating correct beliefs inside us so that we start performing karmas or actions based on them and start progressing towards our eternal and original state.

Open the Closed Mind

Sometimes we're quick to make assumptions and fast to close our minds. 

Rather than rushing to close our minds, let's open the mind to learn more and understand better.

Being open minded doesn't mean that we shouldn't stand by the truth as we know it, or that we must accept every point of view. 

Being open minded means that we're willing to reconsider and revise our assumptions.

When we open the closed mind, we discover the delight of playing with possibilities!

Message for the day

To spend the day with God as a Companion is to add quality to all tasks. 
Thought to Ponder: For the one who keeps God as a Companion in every task, there is quality and meaning in everything. Even when we are faced with something difficult, we still are able to do it with ease. Each task becomes special too. 

Point to Practice: Today I will say "good morning" to God and make my day beautiful. I will start the day with this consciousness and throughout the day keep Him with me. This will keep my mind carefree and easy, whilst doing and facing everything. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 04, 2016: Think In a New Way

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 04, 2016: Think In a New Way

Japan

Think In a New Way

Your thoughts guide you to your destiny. If you always think the same you will always get to the same place. Think in a new way and you will be a new person. Give happiness to all and you will live in peace. Create peace in your mind and you will create a world of peace around you.

Fulfilling Desires By Changing Your Belief System (Part 1)

One most important characteristic that differentiates the Supreme Soul from human souls is that the Supreme Soul is the only entity that exists in this World Drama that is completely desire-less and remains that way eternally. If we were to make a list of desires that human beings have, we would name a lot many and various different types of desires. Whatever karma or action any soul performs at different points in the World Drama, whether positive or even negative, pure or even impure, they are all performed to fulfill these different types of desires. But when seen from a spiritual perspective, whatever the external form of the desire may be, the internal desire is always very simple – to go back to its eternal (or inert) state of peace or original state of peace, love, joy and power. The eternal or inert state of each soul is the state in which it exists before it begins its journey of birth and rebirth, when it resides in the soul world and the original state of each soul is the state in which it exists when it has just begun its journey of birth and rebirth i.e. at the beginning of the birth-rebirth cycle. Even negative karmas based on the personality traits of anger, greed, ego, lust, etc. may externally seem to be filled with violence or impurity, but internally, each time any soul performs such karmas, all it desires is a return to its eternal and original state (we shall explain this in tomorrow’s message). But it does not realize how these karmas take the soul away and not close to these states.

This is where the role of the Supreme Soul comes in. The Supreme Soul is completely desire-less and possesses the capability, knowledge and power to fulfill these desires of the soul. Being the Supreme Teacher, He guides and teaches us what are the right karmas or actions that can help us fulfill our desires and take us closer to our eternal and original state and which actions, take us away from it. Also He is the only one who can teach us how to connect with Him so that these desires are fulfilled, because he is the Ocean of all the qualities that exist inside us in our eternal and original state and connecting with Him fills us with these qualities. The connection and the right actions, both, are vital for our progress.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

Settling of Debt

If we recognize that all inner and outer effects or results in our lives have causes which can be found within ourselves, then we understand karma or the law of sowing and reaping. 

If we are aware that we have just awoken to this law, and that we are consciously live with this law in our awareness we will also be aware that we were asleep to this law before - perhaps for a long time, possibly many births. It is therefore highly likely we tried to break the law. What we did not know was we cannot break this law. We cannot take anything without having to pay it back at some future stage. We may receive but we may not take - there is a difference. If we have taken then we must payback. Any form of pain or discomfort - mental, emotional or physical - means it is payback time. The universal debt collector has come to knock on our door. Accounts are being settled. If you can regard all pain, from a bump on the head to an emotional crisis, as the settling of a debt, you will be using the oldest wisdom to respond to life in the most enlightened way. The destination, once all accounts are settled, and all debts paid, is true peace and real freedom. Peace of mind and freedom from all pain.

-relax7

Message for the day

To be free from weaknesses is to make difficult things easy. 

Thought to Ponder: The real difficulty of a task lies in my own weaknesses. No task is as such difficult or easy. But when it is challenged by any weakness of mine, it seems difficult. Instead of having fear or negativity in any task, it is better to work on my weakness. Once I am free from my weakness, tasks seem easy too. 


Point to Practice: Today I will check if any weakness is interfering with my tasks. If I find a task difficult, there is surely some weakness interfering. I will then work on any such weakness, once I recognize it.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 03, 2016: Discovering Spirituality

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 03, 2016: Discovering Spirituality

Discovering Spirituality

Faith in spirituality enables us to trust ourselves. With trust we can let go of the past and have the courage to dare. To dare with courage gives us the confidence to know that we can achieve what we set out to achieve. If we begin with doubt then we have sown the seed of possible failure. Faith in spirituality always allows us to win. Every step of faith opens another chapter in our lives.

Rising Above Limits And Mental Barriers (Part 3)

When a mental limit has been set in our minds, the first thing one needs to do is look inwards and check it. The next step is to change it with the help of mental strength and spiritual power, without which the limit continues to dominate our personalities. This process is commonly called at the Brahma Kumaris as – check and change. So, the weak personality characteristic in the form of a mental barrier which is influencing our thought patterns is first checked and then erased (removed) or transformed (changed) into a powerful nature characteristic which then is able to dominate the limit set and bring it down. Also, standing back from the weak thought patterns, observing them and steering or changing their direction from a negative frame of mind to a positive one is another method of working on winning or lifting the barrier.  A person who is constantly thinking about failure needs to check that personality characteristic and the number of thoughts that he creates in one particular day which are focused on the possibility of failure in his life. He then needs to change them to affirmations or positive thoughts of success accompanied by visualizing the success repeatedly in a complete day with no room for the weak thoughts and images of possible failure to enter his mind.

There are 3 types of people – the first type are neither able to check and as a result they are not able to change. The second type are sensitive enough to check but they do not have the power to transform or change the direction of the thought patterns either due to lack of the power of determination or they are determined but lack the mental  strength to do that. The third type can check and change both and overcome the limit and mental barrier with their mental strength. We have talked about various methods of increasing mental strength in our previous messages. Some of them are – creating positive and powerful thoughts related to the virtues of peace, love, joy, bliss, purity, power and truth or thinking deeply or churning spiritual knowledge listened to or read in the morning or meditation which is a connection between the soul and the Supreme Being or God at the Brahma Kumaris.

Take Action

Are you avoiding or hesitating to take valuable opportunities because of fear of failure? 

The longer you avoid or hesitate, the more the fear increases. You can reduce the fear of taking action.

Remember: it's not important whether you succeed or not. What is important is to take action. 

Taking action helps you to overcome a little of your fear.

Message for the day

The biggest service is to give hope to the hopeless. 

Thought to Ponder: The one who gives hope is the one who does the greatest service. When someone is negative and weak, instead of pointing out and making him weaker, it is important to give him some hope so that he can overcome that situation or weakness. 

Point to Practice: Today I will check my words. I will see if I am being positive and encouraging or not. I will also make sure I speak words that give hope to at least one person. This will help me inculcate a habit of speaking positive encouraging words. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 02, 2016: Strength to Continue

Daily Positive Thoughts: November 02, 2016: Strength to Continue

 

Strength to Continue

Determination brings the strength to continue, the steadiness to succeed, and the wisdom to slip past difficulties undisturbed.

Rising Above Limits And Mental Barriers (Part 2)

A significant reduction in our success rate in coming out of difficult situations is brought about by confusion or a lack of positive conviction. This lack of positivity is caused by different types of positionings of the mind which are harmful to our power of determination or faith. You know the story about the elephant whose one leg used to be tied using a small rope since the time he was young and he used to experience a lack of freedom in moving around wherever he wished. At that age, the small rope was enough to tie the elephant. As the elephant grew bigger, he possessed the physical strength to break the rope and wander around freely but instead of making use of his strength to break the rope, he did not do so and remained confined to the same small region where he used to be tied because his mind was conditioned that he cannot break the rope, which is an example of a mental limitation. In a similar manner, the inner region of our mind is the place where we as children got used to being tied with the different types of ropes of a lack of optimism or positivity – I cannot do well or I am not good enough or I am not as successful as others or I am low on self-confidence or I am an under-achiever. These ropes in many people are so strong that even when situations of success have arrived in their life in different forms as they have grown up and they have achieved reasonably in different spheres of life and they can easily break these different ropes, they still remain low on optimism. This lack of optimism restricts their freedom to succeed and ability to achieve bigger and up to the potential they possess and as expected by their friends and people whom they are close to.

The reason why our hidden potential remains untapped in most cases is a weak consciousness and this weakness is caused by emotional limitations in the form of weak thoughts and feelings over the years. These thoughts and feelings have been expressed sometimes without us realizing how each thought and feeling is having a powerful negative effect on the situations around us and coming back to us negatively in the long term. Limits are self-created and not imposed by society or circumstances on us as some of us might think and seem to experience from our life journey. We often say I feel I am weak because the following person has dominated me all my life. The dominating person is not the cause of our low self-esteem but it’s what shape we have given to all his words and actions in our minds since we have been with him, is the cause of us seeing ourselves in a poor light and feeling under-confident.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Do you track your success by others' achievements? 

Instead of thinking, you are less than anyone else, or that anyone else is less than you, be proud of what they've achieved.

Get enthused by others' success and learn all you can from how they got there. 

Not that you have to climb Everest, invent the internet or replicate what they've done.

Claim their inner resourcefulness, determination, courage, creativity or whatever else as your own.

Feel empowered by their achievements and let that propel you forward to your own success.

Message for the day

To get a real award, avoid waste and negative. 

Thought to Ponder:  If there is a long time practice of avoiding negative and waste, I will be able to appreciate fully the gifts of life. This is the reward I get. Also, since I am not sowing wrong seeds, whatever fruits I reap are positive too. Even when life brings different situations, I still am able to receive positive fruits. 

Point to Practice: Today I will check my own thoughts at least 10 times today. I will check the quality of my thoughts. If I catch myself having negative or waste thoughts, I will create one single positive thought like "I am the master of my life" or "I choose my destiny with my actions" or simply "I am happy today". 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris