Daily Positive Thoughts: January 19, 2017: Don't lose Today

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 19, 2017: Don't lose Today

 

Don't lose Today

If yesterday was lost in grief, don't lose today and tomorrow by keeping it in your memory.

Self Conversations And Their Significance

A very important subtle activity that we all indulge in for a lot of time in the day is having conversations with the self, sometimes consciously and a large number of times without even being conscious of it. We need to be extremely careful about what the quality of our conversations are because self-conversations very strongly influence our perception i.e. the way we see ourselves, others, situations as well as our personalities and also mould them. If channeled properly, they can be constructive i.e. ones that empower the self; if not, they can be destructive i.e. ones that bring the self down or weaken it in some way or the other. They possess immense potential, both positive and negative, if we want we can use them to liberate us or they can even limit us.  We can judge, criticize and threaten ourselves or praise and encourage the self in a positive way. It's important to create thoughts of acceptance, respect and approval for ourselves, even if situations don't go the way we desire or expect. Such positive conversations help rise above the dependence on what how people see us and what they think and talk about us, making the self extremely powerful.

Positive self-conversations are not fantasies or disconnecting from reality and a few minutes given to the activity do a lot of benefit and no harm at all. They can be done by detaching oneself from actions when we have an emerged conversation and our complete focus is on the conversation and we do nothing else at that time or whilst being involved in actions. Some actions like going on a drive, cooking, having a meal or simply taking a walk or going on a jog allow self-conversations to take place alongside. At these times we give less mental energy or attention to the conversations i.e. we can have a merged conversation so that the respective action is not affected adversely in any way. We can choose how much mental energy to give to the activity, depending on the karma alongside.

Simplify simple

Simple means: making things easy; having priorities organized; keeping things short and sweet; maintaining a clear focus.

Living a simple life is a nice idea, but not so simple in a world that's complicated & complex.

So let's simplify simple. Take one small area of your life today, for example, your email inbox, kitchen shelf, your handbag... Simplify one small thing and expand from there. What will you simplify tomorrow?

Message for the day

A personality of royalty lies in being constantly cheerful. 
Thought to Ponder: When we see someone with positive qualities, even during negative situations, we really admire their positivity. It could be patience, wisdom or any other positive quality that comes across. But much more than that, it is the happiness or contentment that is visible in the form of a cheerful face. This is the true personality of royalty that we too need to make an attempt to imbibe. 


Point to Practice: Today I will smile at whatever happens. Even if something goes wrong, I will find something to learn from it or something positive and be happy for it. Even if I can't find it right away, I'll at least take the thought that this has happened for a reason, because I know whatever happens, happens for the best. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 18, 2017: Balance in Life

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 18, 2017: Balance in Life

Balance in Life

The indication of balance in life is a sense of well-being, optimism and a clear conscience. The foundation for achieving this is to look after myself spiritually - making my mind peaceful, loving and thoughtful at all times. Then I will instinctively know how much to spend on my own well-being and how much on fulfilling other responsibilities. I can only give my best to others when I am myself at my best.

Changing My Thought Patterns

Why is it that we can't change the pattern of our thoughts so easily? Imagine a bird being so comfortable in its nest that, though perhaps sometimes it stands on the branch of the tree to inflate its chest and adjust its feathers, it never wants to fly and does not even realize it could fly. It never knows the blissful freedom of flight, never feels the wind through its wings.  It thinks the other birds that are flying around are unwise or foolish.  In much the same way, we never really leave our nests of old thought patterns. Our habitual thoughts become our comfort zone and each repetitive thought pattern is like a twig in the nest, which makes the nest stronger and our stay in the nest seemingly comfortable and permanent.  We never experience our true spiritual freedom or flight or feel the breeze of our inner beautiful nature.  Even the thought, I am a soul has to be realized eventually, so that we can actually experience its deepest truth.

In the world of spirituality, thoughts are like the map, but they are not the territory nor the reality of the experience.  Thinking I am a peaceful soul or I am a loveful soul or I am a powerful soul is not being soul-conscious, it is only theory or knowledge, but it is definitely an essential start.  Maps are important and necessary, until we know the way home to experience. Reaching this final destination of experience makes it easier for us and empowers us to transform or change our old thought patterns.

To have focus on the self is to become praise-worthy. 

I normally try to do things for others - to seek their recognition or appreciation. So I am busy trying to prove myself to others as being special and different. I then am not able to appreciate my own inner qualities. Instead of trying to prove things to others and trying to get their appreciation (which I don't always get anyway), I need to focus on myself. I need to make my actions such that I am proud of myself. This will automatically bring speciality in my actions and I become praise-worthy.

Message for the day

The power of determination makes possible, even what is impossible. 

Thought to ponder: Determination is to keep on trying till what I want to achieve, happens. If I am caught up in a maze, I need to try every way there is to come out. If I try one or two ways and give up, there is a likely chance that I will never find my way out. Determination brings the power to make things happen, even those things which seem impossible.

Point to practice: Today I will make a firm promise to myself to take up something that I had always wanted to do. I will tell myself repeatedly that I can do it and will achieve. I will continue to sustain this with the waters of my determination till I see the fruit of it - even if it is one small result. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 17, 2017: Decorate Your Life

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 17, 2017: Decorate Your Life

Kwan Yin: Goddess of the Compassion and Mercy

Decorate Your Life

You will stop being ordinary when you decorate your life with divinity and 

spirituality.

Aligning Your Action With Your Purpose (Part 2)

What our self or being wants and seeks at bottom is connected to living some values in an authentic way in all areas of life. What happens is that we have disconnected from our true, original and authentic spirituality, and we live the day-to-day routine from our defenses and our fears. So we do things only from a sense of duty and compulsive perfectionism, which weakens the imagination, sensitivity, spontaneity, and the pleasure of enjoying the path of human action.

We have to decide that we want to have time. The decision to have time for human tasks like playing, reading, thinking, reflecting, learning, meditating, innovating, having friends, loving, spending time with the family or simply being is essential in order to give meaning to life and to provide pure happiness, above the mundane (ordinary). It has to be facilitated on a practical level from the different degrees of power and management that each person has in life. Don't wait for someone to magically appear to make you happy. You have to know that nobody will come as if by magic to rescue you from your essential emptiness. It has to be you yourself who decides to live with a purpose and fill yourself in order to overcome your deficiencies and enjoy your life.

  

The one who is free from bondage is the one who can be a support for others. 

Sometimes I find myself not being able to be of help or unable to provide support to others as much as I would like to. This is because of the weaknesses working within me which make me look for support from others, thereby making me unavailable for others. I need to work at checking and removing my own weaknesses. When I recognize and work at removing my weaknesses, I'll become a source of strength and support for others. I'll not look for support from others but will be able to allow people to rely on me. 

Message for the day

To have a big heart is to find solutions easily.

Thought to ponder: To have a big heart, during upsetting times, is to be above the feeling of what is mine and what I have to lose. It is but natural to see what I have to gain, but added to this I also need to see what others are going to gain from this. When I am caught up with my needs and apprehensions, there will be blocks which will not help me create solutions.

Point to practice: Today I will work to find solutions in such a way, that there is benefit for all. I will not only look at benefit for myself (I will not worry about what I have to lose), but I will also see in what way it can benefit others. This practice will help me find an easy solution and also win the support and good wishes of all around me. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 16, 2017: Ending Waste Thoughts

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 16, 2017: Ending Waste Thoughts

Ending Waste Thoughts

'Why did this happen?' 'What happened?' When such questions enter our intellect again and again we start a queue of waste thoughts. This queue is very long and complicated. So whenever something happens instead of thinking 'why' or 'what' think 'there is something good in whatever happens'.

Aligning Your Action With Your Purpose (Part 1)

In the day-to-day routine you can have different desires and want different things: what you want for today; what you want to do at the weekend; what you want to achieve with your professional career; the results that you want to get this year; what relationships you want to focus on. But, at the bottom of all this, what is your purpose? What are you doing here? What do you want? Where do you want to go and how far do you want to get?

When you open yourself within to answer these questions, you will see that the inner voice that answers you is the voice of your own consciousness and is connected to some value: what you want is to discover how to live in the truth and not appearances, what you want is to live from an inner space of love, what you want is to be free, you want peace. If you listen to and follow this voice, you will come close to your wholeness and your contentment, because you will then align your energies: your vision, your intention, your motivation, your consciousness, with your action and your life. Each morning, on looking at yourself in the mirror, ask yourself: If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do? And if for various days in a row the answer has been no, then it is a sign that you have to change something, given that your action is not aligned with your purpose.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

What are your Everests?

A difficult project, the laundry, a 20 minute run....

You don't have to climb Mt. Everest, or ride a hot air balloon in Myanmar to live fully. 

Simply challenge yourself not to avoid anything or anyone that comes your way; & your Everests will come to you!

Recognize & face your challenges, even if they're only in your own mind. 

Then work out what you need to do to climb that mountain.

And when you conquer your Everests, you'll know that you've lived fully, because there's nothing more exhilarating than reaching the summit! 

Message for the day

Honesty inspires trust.

Expression: The one who is honest is clean and clear within. He is aware of his resources and uses them sincerely for his own benefit and that of others. Honesty also means to speak what is thought and to do what is spoken. So there are no discrepancies in thoughts, words and actions. So others are able to trust the one who is honest. Each action of an honest person becomes an inspiration for those around. 

Experience: When I am honest I break internal barriers. I am not caught up with the seeming negativity of the situation, nor do I feel helpless by the limitations set out by the situation. I am able to enjoy the gift of each moment and use it to the fullest extent. I find myself becoming an example for many, as others are inspired by whatever I do. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 15, 2017: Accounts Payable

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 15, 2017: Accounts Payable

 

Accounts Payable

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.

Unloading Your Pressure Baggage (Part 3)

Sometimes the pressure we are carrying is related to the situation we are in, sometimes we even carry a pressure of one situation in another situation i.e. it is unrelated pressure. All this continues throughout the day, day after day. What all this pressure does is increase the quantity of thoughts that we carry in our mind, which in turn reduces our efficiency and discriminating and judging power. The words and actions coming out from such a state of mind are improper and lacking in power, conviction and clarity. To ensure that we do not carry pressure baggage on our emotional back, as per our pressure equation (shared in the first message of this series), we need to change the incorrect beliefs that we carry, which are the root cause of our pressure and at the same time increase our ability to bear the different life forces. We carry thoughts that are determined by our belief of what success is and what failure is, what winning is and what losing is. Although we perceive such beliefs to be true, they are not true; they are like a facade that influence our perception of reality and generate in us feelings of pressure.  The truth, on the other hand, is deeper than beliefs.

While meditation will serve as an important tool to increase our inner power to tolerate or resist life forces; spiritual knowledge, understanding and wisdom will serve as an immensely important tool which will help us in correcting our beliefs. So in times of pressure, stopping yourself for a minute and assessing your thoughts, then going backwards, and checking the beliefs which are the root cause of the thoughts at that particular moment and then changing them requires strength and clarity, which we will obtain through the medium of spiritual wisdom. Once the beliefs are corrected, the thought patterns will change. Thoughts like - Maybe I won't arrive on time or If I don't finish this assignment successfully, I will lose my next promotion or If I lose my money in this financial investment, my family will stop appreciating me etc. which we create all the time - will be replaced by more positive thoughts of security, fearlessness, patience, peace, faith, determination, certainty etc.

Spot or no spot

Is that a spot on your face? Notice a spot on your face and then no matter how good you look, at that moment, the only thing you can think about is the spot on your face!

The more self-conscious you become, the more uncomfortable you feel.

Other people may not even notice the spot but they will notice you feeling uncomfortable. 

Spot or no spot, feel comfortable in your own skin and others will be comfortable around you.

Message for the day

Humility brings excellence.

Expression: Humility means there is no expectation of being perfect always. So whatever is done comes naturally. There is no feeling of threat about others' opinion, but the one who is humble is able to express inner talent without any fear and expectations. So humility takes one forward towards excellence. 

Experience: When I am humble, I am able to stabilize myself in my state of self-respect always. This naturally is felt even when I am not able to bring perfection in my actions or even when others are not satisfied with me. Internally there is a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that I am constantly learning and moving forward. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 14, 2017: Seeing Things Truly

Daily Positive Thoughts: January 14, 2017: Seeing Things Truly

 

Seeing Things Truly

We tend to see things not as they are, but as we are. Becoming quiet and simple inside is the first step towards seeing things truly.

Unloading Your Pressure Baggage (Part 2)

Can we experience freedom only when there is an absence of outside pressure? We feel pressured from many sides. At work, we feel the pressure to do tasks as per fixed guidelines of set systems and within boundaries of time, of keeping up our performance as per others’ expectations and as good as our compatriots. In relationships, we feel the pressure of experiencing success in them, of satisfying others and gaining respect from them. In studies, we feel the pressure of having to excel in them, not only because that is instrumental in building our future but because of the desire to be seen in a positive light by others. We feel the pressure of having to earn more and more wealth to satisfy the necessities, comforts and luxuries of the family and to maintain a certain image in society. In the face of problems, we feel pressure when we are not able to solve them quickly or in the way that we want. Failure or its fear, in any sphere of life, generates pressure in us.   Sometimes we experience pressure because the mind is not functioning as per our desires or directions or we are not able to transform our negative personality to a positive one as much as we want.  When we believe that something harmful can happen if we don't reach our set objectives on time or in a certain manner, we feel pressured. Physical illnesses or their fear can also create pressure for some of us.

And so life turns into an endless amount of pressure crests, like speed breakers that appear one after the other, unsettling us and not giving us time to relax. When we feel pressured, it seems that the life forces rule our life and we do not feel free.  In the long-term, this repetitive habit of creating feelings of pressure and carrying such baggage ends up leaving us exhausted on an emotional and spiritual level.

(To be continued tomorrow…) 

Bless and be blessed.

We are all blessed with life and all the opportunities it brings, though most of us forget to notice. 

But we also have blessings to give. In fact, the opportunity to give our blessings may be the greatest blessing of all. 

By bestowing our good wishes, encouraging, empowering others, we bless. 

And when we do, they return a thousand-fold.  

Message for the day

The true joy of living lies in the ability to enjoy the present moment. 

Expression: The one who is able to remain in the present is able to learn from the past and bring out the best from the self. Also there is a clear vision of the future, so all the energies are directed towards that vision. The mind is neither totally caught up with the past nor with the future. Since there is attention on the present moment, there is the ability to use it to the fullest extent. 

Experience: When I am in the present I am able to remain in the awareness of the gifts of the present. Having learnt from the past I am able to enrich myself from the different experiences that I have had. As I am also clear about where I have to go, I enjoy the journey and also move on towards constant success. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris