Daily Positive Thoughts: July 10, 2017: Spiritual Change Skill

Spiritual Change Skill

There is nothing more certain than that the world will continue to change. Accepting and not resisting this, is the first and most important inner skill in this frenetically changing, modern world. Life tests us every day to see how well we have developed this ability.

Equally, there is nothing more real than the inner space within each of us that never ever changes. We may change our thoughts, our feelings, even our sense of who we are, but we fail to visit the unchanging centre of our own self.

The ability to be in this inner space, where our peace is found, when all around would prefer chaos and crisis, is the deepest spiritual change skill. It is the eye of the storm, it is the oasis in the desert, it is the place where peace is power. Call in today. You'll be surprised how much it can influence and change everything and everyone around you!

Beauty In Character (Part 3)

We live in a world where we are all closely connected with each other. We all want to have a good nature but what is stopping us from changing ourselves? Is it a lack of determination or is it because we see everyone around us performing different types of negative actions which prevent us from seeing our own weaknesses. We think its fine to make mistakes and that’s the way the world works. Is it not high time we took on the responsibility of self-change and bought positive changes inside ourselves, which others can see and we also know and realize are happening inside us?

So, let’s make a promise to ourselves that we will look inwards and check where we are making mistakes. We will check deeply and not only on the surface. And then we will take the help of God and use our own spiritual strength to bring those changes in ourselves. Let’s do this favour on ourselves. Good human beings are few but they will always get the love and respect of all those whom they come in contact with. So, perform a simple practice for the next few months. Take one quality which you want to see in yourself and for one week, keep attention on yourself that you will bring that quality in your thoughts, words and actions. Then in the week after that, take one weakness and ensure that is not seen in your personality for that particular week. Do this for some time and see the difference it makes to your personality. Choose different qualities that you like and different weaknesses that you dislike and work on them separately. This will make you a perfect person. Of course, the tools that will help you in this process are introspection, spiritual wisdom and methods like meditation. So, let’s make a start today. When we change, the world changes. Self-transformation will lead to world transformation.

Happiness

Happiness is the art of living, the purpose of our existence. Happiness
is the true index of quality of life. Without happiness, life is dry
and meaningless. With happiness, life immediately becomes fulfilling
and wonderful. Happiness is an infectious feeling that immediately
lifts the sagging spirits of people. Happy people keep themselves happy
because they know the little ways to appreciate themselves and to see
the humour and magic in each moment.

Message for the day

Commitment for truth brings constant happiness. 
Expression: For the one who is constantly with the truth, there will be no fluctuations in the happiness - experienced by the self and expressed to the others. So there is benefit for both the self and others through this. Only when there is no truth, the support of falsehood is taken to prove and defend oneself. So the happiness is not retained constantly. 

Experience: When I am committed towards living by the truth, I will not be influenced by the different situations that I am faced with, but will be able to experience constant happiness. I will never be influenced negatively by negative situations and allow myself to lose my happiness. Also I naturally find my happiness rising constantly.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 09, 2017: Comparison with Others

Comparison with Others

Comparing yourself with others will leave you vulnerable on three counts: you'll either feel inferior, superior or impressed. All three of these states are dangerous because they all disregard the underlying principle of our true connection with each other - mutual love and regard, based on independently generated self-esteem.

To protect yourself from this vulnerability, make sure that your attention remains turned within, towards the spiritual experience of pure pride. Staying centred in your elevated self-respect will help you remain undisturbed by others around you.

Keep asking yourself, "Who am I?" "How would my spiritual personality respond to this event or person?" this will help to centre you further, and allow you to enjoy the successful efforts of others.

Beauty In Character (Part 2)

A person with a good heart will always carry good and pure intentions for everyone. Before performing any action, check how honest and how innocent your intentions are. A person who is of good character will not perform any action with any false desires in his heart and mind. Am I the type of person who is jealous of the other or am I a person who is keen that the other person move ahead, so much that he or she can even go ahead of me in any field? Am I so big-hearted? When seeing someone in pain, that someone who has harmed me or insulted me in the past, am I able to empathize and sympathize with such a person? Or do I internally, somewhere in the corner of my heart, feel slightly pleased when such a person goes through pain. These and many more are some of the questions to which I need to give honest answers. These answers are never revealed to anyone, but we know them inside.

Am I a nice person just on the outside or am I truly sweet not only in my words and actions but in the inner corners of my heart? This is the space where no one enters and only I am a witness to what is happening. Purity in character means no trace of revenge or anger or jealousy or hatred for anyone, even in my thoughts and feelings. Am I truly like that? Your mannerisms are external and visible but your character is not just what is visible but what only you know and are aware of. So, do a check – Do I reach upto God’s definition of a good person, which we have explained in this message? Do remember one thing. Everything we think about others, the slightest negativity in thoughts and feelings as well as attitudes reaches the other, even if we hide it from them externally. So be a good person with nice mannerisms and purity in character not only in words and actions, but in your thoughts also.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

See Specialities

Sometimes people are not able to use their specialities.  But even at such times if we have the ability to see their specialities, we will have the ability to give courage and enthusiasm to them.  We can provide them with such an environment that allows their own growth.  So
whatever the circumstances may be, there is progress. When we are able to see the positive aspect of others, we can keep our mind free from a major portion of negativity.  The potential of our thoughts can be used fully for our own inner progress and we can therefore make a contribution for the others too.  This earns us blessings and good wishes from others, which further enhances our own progress.

Message for the day

The language of silence is more powerful than the sound of words. 

Expression: When something is expressed in silence, it is with the power of thoughts. Such thoughts spread positive vibrations and reach out to the others, in such a way that even the words can't. Also when such kind of positive actions are added to the positive thoughts, the desired effect of that is seen. Then the words are not needed to express good intentions and good wishes. 

Experience: When I am able to express myself through the language of silence, I am able to be free from expectations for others to listen to what I am saying. I will only be silently communicating whatever I have to through my good wishes and inspiring others through my positive actions. So I am able to remain content and light, even when I have not yet seen the result of my communication. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 08, 2017: Natural Flexibility

Natural Flexibility

With humility and love, flexibility becomes natural. When I come across someone who is not being co-operative I need to become humble and try to understand what the other person is communicating, if not through words at least through actions. When I am able to listen with love and understanding, I will not be rigid anymore but will be able to adapt to communicate and co-operate with others.

Beauty In Character (Part 1)

A very important part of our lives is touching each one we meet with our love and good wishes at every step. We all know what a good natured person is and that we should be one and give happiness to everyone. We all also know that people all over the world, who are nice natured, differ from the rest of the world and stand above everyone else. They are respected more and also they get the blessings of everyone much more. How often do we say, such a person is extremely kind hearted, is always giving care and support to all those whom he or she comes across. Have you ever thought of becoming pure in character? We all know that a person who speaks and acts with purity is seen as someone with higher sanskaras or inner personality.

What use is physical or material success, if the person who has succeeded does not fulfill the criteria of a good person, with nice mannerisms and a nice nature?  Such a person may win material wealth, fame and a tag of success. But does he or she win everyone’s heart and blessings? Because unless you are loved and respected as a person, you will never experience inner joy and satisfaction, even if you have succeeded externally. After all, isn’t it often said – The one who wins hearts is the blessed one … ? On the other hand, the one who wins praise but not love does not receive the gift of blessings and will always remain discontented and unhappy. So to fly high in love, keep taking the blessings of each one by having a beautiful inner personality and being a positive person, gifting virtues to everyone. Let there not be a single person, whom you dislike or who dislikes you.    

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Recognize others needs

Everyone naturally works for the benefit of the self and others. But  sometimes we find that others are not able to appreciate our contribution. This is because we are not able to recognize the needs of  the other person. So there is a tendency to ignore the needs of the
other person. The one who discriminates well is able to understand the other person's need and give accordingly. 

So whatever is done naturally brings benefit for others. When we are able to bring benefit for the right person at the right time with the right thing, we are able to win the trust of the other person. We expect nothing in return, but have the satisfaction of helping at the right time.

Message for the day

Mercy means to give courage.

Expression: The one who is merciful is able to give courage to the ones who are weak, because of the ability to look at the positive qualities in them. The weak ones are never made weaker with negative and discouraging talk, but are encouraged to discover and use the strengths that are hidden within. So real mercy will give the courage to the other person to change too. 

Experience: When I have mercy on others, I will never lose hope on anyone, but will continue to have good wishes for everyone. Whatever the kind of person, even with the most negative situation, I will find my stock of good wishes to always be full. So I am able to be free from the expectation from the others to bring about a change immediately. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 07, 2017:  You Cannot Change The Past

You Cannot Change The Past

Letting bygones be bygones is easier if you remember you cannot change the past, but you definitely can change the future. You can change here and now so that a mistake is not repeated.

The Energies Of The Soul

When the soul is in the body it functions through three faculties (non-physical entities). Although each faculty (entity) can be given a different name, it is actually the same energy, the soul, functioning on three different levels simultaneously. These are the mind, the intellect and the sanskaras.

Mind is the thinking energy of the soul. It is the mind that imagines, thinks and forms ideas. The thought process is the basis of all emotions, desires and sensations. It is through this faculty that, in an instant, thoughts can be projected to a far off place (one can travel to a far off place on the thought level); past experiences and emotions can be relived or even the future anticipated in less than a second. It is the mind that experiences the variations of moods. The mind is an energy of the non-physical soul, not to be confused with the heart or even the brain.

The intellect is used to assess thoughts. This is the faculty (energy) of the soul used for understanding and decision-making which stands out as the most crucial faculty of the three.  With the deepening and broadening of the intellect, clear understanding and realization of knowledge becomes natural, and the power to decide and reason becomes clear. It is the intellect which remembers, discriminates, judges and exercises its power in the form of will-power.

Sanskaras is a Hindi word which best describes what we could call impressions. They are the record of all the soul's past experiences and actions. Sanskaras can take the forms of habits, talents, nature, personality traits, beliefs, values or instincts. Every action performed by a soul either creates a sanskar (this is how a habit begins) or reinforces an old one. Whatever impression is etched in the soul remains within the soul, forming a complete collection of all the experiences that the soul has had. When we speak of defects, specialties or virtues we are referring to the sanskaras. The sanskaras are the basis of the soul's individuality.

Good Wishes

Although we speak with a lot of logic and make the other person understand what we mean to say, we sometimes find that they are not as effective as they should be. Sometimes our words are also misunderstood and misinterpreted.  So there are a lot of conflicts that rise because of this and spoil relationships with others. What we say is of course important, but much more important is how we say it and with what feeling. We need to keep ourselves free from any kind of attitude, when
we have to say something to someone. This can happen when we have good wishes for others and thus we find that our words are effective.

Message for the day

The one with humility is the one who can be creative. 

Expression: Creativity comes to the extent that the intellect is humble. Such an intellect is able to create something new. Because humility is a form of love, it brings the enthusiasm for creativity and the ability to bring newness in everything that is done.

Experience: Humility gives me an experience of being a master, of being powerful. This power comes from the experience of being a constant learner, because I have no ego of what I already have. This mastery makes me creative, making me bring newness in everything I do. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 06, 2017: Consult your Conscience

 

 

Consult your Conscience

To consult your conscience: sit quietly and calm the mind, allow peace to fill your heart and then place a question before your conscience, your innate wisdom.

Motivation

The example of an iceberg shows the need to see under people's surface behaviour; the need of a deeper insight.

Only 10% of an iceberg is visible on the surface, 90% is under the waterline, invisible, but yet prominent.  If there is a wind coming from left to right, just by seeing the visible mass, we think it will move the iceberg to towards the right.  If, against all expectations, the iceberg moves in the opposite direction (left), it is because, under the waterline, there is a strong current running towards the left. 

Sometimes you, as a leader, try to move people in a certain direction by giving them orders, instructions, explanations and encouragement, but you do it on the basis of what you see above the surface. The visible part represents what is at the surface such as appearance, behaviour, manners etc.  You do not see what moves them under the surface so you become surprised and maybe frustrated seeing them move in the opposite direction.  The main part, which is the 90% not visible, is within the subconscious.  Under the surface (subconscious) you will find emotions, fears, attitudes, deeply held values etc.

If you want to move people, if you want to motivate others for a project or even just to reach others, you need to be aware of these kinds of things that you find under the surface. The key to understanding others better is to be more aware of your own feelings and under-currents, because, at a deep level, we are very much alike. If you understand your own fears and strong motivators, you will understand others much better.

Maturity

As we mature spiritually there is less need to have our self-respect bolstered by praise and special attention. As our thought processes become more compassionate and less self-obsessed, we feel increasingly satisfied with ourselves and our lives. 

We relate to people more easily  and feel no need to draw attention to our successes or complain about our problems.

Message for the day

The ones who work towards perfection naturally inspire perfection in others. 

Expression: All life's situations are lessons for bringing about progress, for the one who is committed towards perfection. Such a person never expects others to be perfect, knowing that every human being has his own weaknesses. He is instead able to accommodate others' weaknesses. He only inspires others to bring about transformation and work towards perfection. 

Experience: When I am constantly working towards bringing perfection within myself, I am able to take everything that happens to me in a positive way, as a chance for bringing about self-progress. Also I am able to keep myself positive seeing only the goodness in the other individual and encouraging it. So I am able to enjoy each moment of my life. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris