Daily Positive Thoughts: August 06, 2017: Get Past Your Past

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 06, 2017:  Get Past Your Past

Get Past Your Past

Let the past be the past - both my past and the past of others. There's no need to keep repeating the past in my head.

Think: Whatever happened, happened, it's OK for me to move on. Let me be supportive and make it easy, not difficult - for myself and others. When I stay in the present, everything is pleasant.

Accept Change, Don’t Resist It (Part 1)

Change resistance or the inability to adapt to change is the most common reason for the life stresses that all of us are faced with. There used to be a time when change was not so sudden as it is now. The modern lifestyles have made change so sudden that we have reached a point where change resistance has almost become like a syndrome or illness. There was once a businessman, who was very successful in everything he did. He earned success in his profession, relationships, earning wealth and everything else. It was all great going until one day his company began to go into a loss. At the same time, his relations with his family began to get disturbed, because of this. As a result, his self-esteem began to fall. Life was not the same again for him.

This can happen to any of us, a sudden change of fortunes. Suddenly one single negative event, only a single change, can change our lives. What should have the businessman have done, to remain positive? He became, from extremely successful to unsuccessful. A change of perception you would say. And here we also throw light on the golden principle of acceptance. Acceptance follows the change of perception and also cannot take place without the perception change. It is an opposite emotion than the one which we commonly experience – that of resistance, when faced with a difficult situation.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Aim at the Goal

While moving towards the destination, we generally tend to get
distracted with even the little things that happen. Even a small
negative or positive incident is enough to distract our thoughts from
the destination. We become so busy with such things that our vision
moves away and there is no movement forward. We need to first clarify
our goal. Once we have done this, we need to take care that our vision
is focused on it. Even when situations come by, trying to distract us,
we need to remind ourselves that these are only side-scenes, which are
not important for us. It is more important to keep our energies
focused towards the goal.

Message for the day

The power of cooperation enables the most difficult task to be successfully done. 

Expression: To have the power of cooperation means to have the ability to see and use the specialities of others in any task that is to be done. It is the ability to respect and use the suggestions and ideas of each and every one which contributes for the success of the task. So the one who is able to use this power is able to be successful in any task that he takes up. 

Experience: When I am able to give cooperation and take cooperation from those around me, I never experience fear for any task that has to be done, but am able to be at ease, knowing that everything is possible. I am also able to earn the respect of those around me for having made the best use of their specialities, which further facilitates the success of the task. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 05, 2017: Trustee Consciousness

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 05, 2017:  Trustee Consciousness

Trustee Consciousness

We all have a relationship with everything. Obviously the relationship we have with the people and objects in our immediate vicinity is more intimate than the rest of the world. For most of us the most common relationship is possession. In our minds we think we own and possess things like cars and houses and carpets and golf clubs etc. This thinking easily spreads into jobs and tasks and positions and perhaps even other people. "I want you", and "You are mine alone", is the essence of many romantic film scripts and song lyrics. What we forget is that this relationship is wrong. It is not possible to possess anything. Care for..yes. Use...yes. But possess...no. You can't take it with you when you go, so we say! And yet it's the idea of possession which lies at the heart of all fear, war and conflict. Can you see it? Fear of loss, fear of not acquiring what we have already decided is ours in our minds. So what is a better relationship we can choose which takes all the fear away. Be a trustee. Everything comes to us in trust, for us to use and then to set it free. The consciousness of trustee sets us free of the tension of grasping and guarding. To see ourselves as trustees of everything that we receive, including our bodies, encourages our innate capacity to 'care for with dignity'. It is a much more relaxing way of relating to the things which we are privileged to receive in life.

Going Beyond False Identifications

The more I identify with the physical factors of my life, the more I become a prisoner to my destiny or the various up and downs of my life. E.g. if my self-respect is attached to my beautiful new car, how will I feel about myself when the car becomes old and its beauty and shine reduce? Or if I my car is stolen or gets immensely damaged in a road accident? Then, I shall find myself in an identity crisis. The same will be true if my business or job is everything to me. If one day, I am in a good financial state and I enjoy a very respectable and dominant position, and the next day I find myself in a dispute in my profession and I suddenly lose all of that, and nobody wants to know me, I will feel as if I have lost my soul and have almost died. The problem is sometimes so great that people do, literally, lose their desire to live. It happens, too, in relationships, when your partner leaves you either due to a separation, a divorce or even death - a partner in whom you have invested all your love and emotions. Or if my identity is tied to my back balance or property, and suddenly I am broke.

All of these are actually false identifications, and the crazy part of living this way is that I can never be satisfied, even if I succeed in maintaining my false identity. These kind of false identifications do not keep me placed stably on my seat of self-respect and either bring about an inferiority complex or a superiority complex - both of which are false, so both bring insecurity. Even while I am externally successful, having my identity based on that success means I am a slave to them. I've handed over my self-esteem to them. I become addicted to it.

Humility

To focus not only on the self but on others too brings humility.  Such
humility allows others to come close. The one who is humble is able to
give others what is required.  Yet he balances with certain
quietness, so that others don't become too casual and familiar. When
we are humble, we become easy and light giving the love that we have
within.  We are free from the sorrow of expectations.  Instead we
actually become a reservoir of treasures from where others can take
benefit.  We are constantly a giver, being available for others.

Message for the day

Success comes through maintaining self-respect. 

Expression: Where there is self-respect, there is naturally a stable state of mind, even in the most challenging and difficult times. This in turn brings right judgement at all times, which allows discrimination between right and wrong. Right judgement leads to right actions. So there is constant success for such a person. 

Experience: Self-respect is the state of mind where I am able to appreciate my own uniqueness and give regard to myself. When I am able to be in my stage of self-respect, I am able to be stable in all situations. This seat of internal stability keeps me light and easy under all circumstances. I am also able to experience constant success even in the most difficult and challenging times. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 04, 2017: Healing

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 04, 2017: Healing

 

Healing

I gently return to equilibrium, nurtured by a well spring of love. I, the soul, am washed and soothed by the quiet energies of stillness. Embracing the vastness of my inner landscape, I understand the cycles of growth and decay. Today I will fix something broken, or find a new use for it.

Simplifying The Union With The Spiritual Parent 

The easiest definition of the word yoga is union.  When you unite with someone or something, you keep thinking about that someone or something and keep visualizing the same. It is as if you experience a union with the object or the person in your mind.  In this way, there is a subtle (non-physical) communication with them which, when you meet, will turn into a form of words (physical communication).

We communicate with others mostly through physical means, but we cannot do the same with our spiritual Father and Mother - God, as He does not take a physical form.   Our communication or union has to be subtle (non-physical), through the vibrations that we radiate as souls or life energies.  There is deeply rooted belief in many – a belief that goes back to many centuries, that this union takes many births of effort to become a master at, but that’s not true, it just takes a little practice and patience. The reason why it may seem difficult, at first, is that our mind tends to be filled with thoughts, feelings and images related to other people, friends, family members with whom we have interacted or will be interacting, our workplace, the past, the future, unnecessary anxieties and many more issues.  We need to learn to drop these thought conversations with others and creation of subtle images of other people and situations so that we can redirect our mind and vibrations to the Supreme.  This also means learning how to make our mind and intellect quiet enough, and as a result, receptive enough, to receive, listen and feel His vibrations and His thoughts, and to experience His subtle presence.  Ultimately it is an exchange of the energy of pure love between the soul and its Parent.

Intuition

Only when we find the quietness in our own minds can we begin to hear
our inner teacher, so that we may receive some in-tuition. Only when
we are ready to recognize and value the wisdom that we carry at the
core of our being will we turn our attention inwards and 'listen in'.
But it's been a long time since we truly listened, so a little
practice and patience will be needed. Sit down, be quiet and listen in
at some point today and you might be surprised at what you hear. Then
do it again tomorrow. All you need to do is remember that you are the
listener and not the noise.

Message for the day

The best way to progress is to gain good wishes and blessings from others. 

Expression: For the one who earns the blessings of others at every step, there is easy success. There is positivity and speciality revealed in every action and benefit for the self and others. Even the most difficult circumstances, don't deter such a person, but he has the power and the courage to move on. So there is constant progress, whatever the situations may be.

Experience: When I am able to take good wishes from those around me, I am able to experience being obstacle-free. I am able to move forward with ease under all circumstances. Even in the most difficult situations, I am able to take the benefit from those around me, for others are willing to provide support at the right time, because my actions have earned good wishes from others. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 03, 2017: Spirituality in Daily Life

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 03, 2017: Spirituality in Daily Life

Spirituality in Daily Life

Spirituality is not a luxury, something for people who have nothing else to do but sit around and meditate. In fact, it is the lack of spirituality in daily life that is causing the breakdown and destruction of our planet and our civilization. As we restore spirituality we can find methods of working together to create better selves and a better world. Thus we can see, looking at our global relationships, that spirituality is an integral part of life.

Peace And Love - My Original Nature (Part 3)

Many of us sometimes use anger as a weapon in what we sometimes call controlling people and we forget that it is not possible to control people, but it is easy to influence them. Influencing people is always easier and that can take place with peace and love and keeping good wishes. Also, looking at people with positivity and having a vision for them that they are good helps to make them do what we may expect them to do. Also, being humble and kind-hearted will make people respect you and do what you desire or bring any change that you desire much more.

Always remember we are inherently peaceful and loveful souls and as we come in the cycle of birth and rebirth we lose these qualities and start becoming full of desires of different types. Expecting or desiring a certain type of behavior from someone else is the root cause of all forms of anger. Also, desiring a certain type of situation, as per our liking is another cause of anger. Both these desires, when not fulfilled, make us irritated or upset or even violent in some cases. On the other hand, accepting situations and people with ease is possible for those who are full internally, with different qualities and powers. These qualities and power come with the help of spiritual knowledge and following a path to bring the spiritual knowledge in your life. The more spiritually strong we become, the more we are able to remain above changes in our life which are not as per our liking. Also, we remain stable when sometimes people close to us are behaving in a way, which is different from what we think is right or preferred. Also fulfillment on an external level can sometimes make us egoistic. On the other hand internal fulfillment of different qualities makes us humble and very uncomplicated in our dealings, a behavior which satisfies people easily.

Love

Love is the strength that gives you life. When you receive love you
lose fear and you can give the best in you. The practical form of love
is respect. Respect means acceptance of the fact that we are all
different and unique and at the same time, we all have something
important and valuable to share.

Message for the day

To be elevated is to perform every task with understanding. 
Expression: To understand means to know what to do. So the one who understands and performs the task with this understanding,  surely performs only elevated tasks. No task is negative, or waste. Nor are actions ordinary, but each and every action is special because there is clear understanding. Others too get inspiration from such actions. 

Experience: When there is clear understanding of what I have to do, I am able to do what is right. So in this process, I find that there is a lot of time and energy saved and I am able to move forward very easily. I find that I am able to use my speciality in the right way bringing benefit to myself and others. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 02, 2017: A Calm Mind Can Find the Answer

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 02, 2017: A Calm Mind Can Find the Answer

 

A Calm Mind Can Find the Answer

When we confront a problem or a difficult situation, we tend to face it with worry or negative thoughts. Although outwardly we might seem to face the situation, we are not able to deal with it. And most of the time we find that we are failing. The best way to deal with a situation is to start by calming the mind. Only a calm mind can find the answers to problems. I need to understand that every problem has an answer. When my mind is relaxed I can trust my intuition to find the answer that is already there.

Peace And Love - My Original Nature (Part 2)

For most of us, there are always different types of people we have to deal with, whether at our work or in our families. The challenge lies in interacting with everyone without getting angry. This is because our personalities or natures are different and our opinions also vary. Sometimes, two people are right in their own way, yet their views do not match in a particular situation. This leads to anger filled interactions. Also, when two people are right in their own way, but with different perceptions, it is ego that does not let peace and harmony be a part of that particular relationship. So, anger and ego are big enemies for good relationships in any sphere of life – personal as well as professional.

Also, when it comes to overcoming anger and ego, the first step is to look inwards and access the treasures of peace and love, which are inside us. They just need to be bought into practice by realizing one’s spiritual self, which is the soul. Realizing brings positive virtues of peace and love to become a part of our nature. These inner treasures are also increased by connecting the spiritual self with the Supreme Being or Supreme Soul or God. God is the non-physical Supreme Ocean of peace and love. This connection is called meditation. Also, in the entire day, practice seeing everyone as a soul, whose qualities are peace and love, even if anger and ego are more visible in them. This is because anger and ego are acquired sanskaras and peace and love are each and everyone’s original sanskaras. So, seeing each one’s original sanskaras, sends them the energy of those positive emotions. As a result, they get motivated to bring those sanskaras on the surface and use them instead of using anger and ego, which are negative sanskaras. 

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Balance

To be balanced is to have the ability to do the right thing at the
right time.  It is the ability to use the head and the heart at the
same time.  It is the ability to have love and discipline. There is
neither too much love nor too much discipline.  There is an equal
quantity of both. When there is balance in my every act I am
successful in my relationships.  Because of this I receive their
blessings too.  I experience success in all I do and am able to enjoy
a life of bliss.  I am not caught up with questions about anything but
am able to get the solutions in a second.

Message for the day

Forgiveness means to forget the mistakes of others. 
Expression: The one who is able to forgive is able to forget the mistakes in his future interactions even after noticing the mistakes of others. He is able to be loving and so he is able to give corrections with love. Only when there is love in one's interactions, will the corrections given will be effective. Also such a person will not be caught up with anyone's mistakes and will be free from attitudes. 

Experience: Even if there is a temporary feeling of negativity, if I am able to forget the mistakes of others and forgive them, I am able to be free from negative feelings. I am able to be light and free from the burdens of the past interactions with them. So I find myself successfully able to deal with others, whoever they may be. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 01, 2017: Cripple Effect

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 01, 2017: Cripple Effect

Cripple Effect

What goes around comes around is not a new insight. It is something most of us intuitively know but easily forget, as we attempt to hold on to most things which come to us. What we don't realize is the ripple effect can easily become the cripple effect. Everything we think and do not only ripples out into the world, it also creates an impression on our own consciousness inside. If one day you decide to get really angry (very unrelaxing) at someone, then you create a memory of your irritation and carve a kind of scar or groove on your consciousness (non-physical of course). Within this scar or groove is a recording of the image of the person as you have decided to perceive them, and the energy of your anger surrounding that image. Remember, you put it there, not them. Two days later you see the same person and that triggers the image and the anger which you have already recorded within. The emotional turbulence inside your consciousness makes it very hard for you to remain positive, connect and communicate effectively, positively and harmoniously with them. In effect you are crippled and clouded by your own emotion. Most of us experience this, sometimes many times a day, but refuse to see that we cripple ourselves, preferring to blame the other person. Which is why we can stay crippled for a long time and not even realize it.

Peace And Love - My Original Nature (Part 1)

Life for all of us is full of many different type of situations which at times cause emotions of anger and ego inside us. Both anger and ego negatively affect relationships. So all of us at times should make the silent effort of keeping them away from our life situations and remaining calm and peaceful. Many times with some of our family members or friends or even in some other unimportant interactions, we are tested by these two emotions. In other words, it is very easy to become angry in such situations. It is upto us to take care that we use our inner resources of peace, love and joy and use them to give others the same experience.

There is lots of research in the world in the present time how anger is harmful for our health.  Illnesses like blood pressure, heart attacks, insomnia and back aches and other problems like digestive disorders are caused by angry outbursts. People indulge in such behavior very commonly in their families or elsewhere. Also, there are some viewpoints in the world that a little bit of anger is good and it gives an adrenaline rush. It is also seen that there are some people who believe that ego makes you powerful and helps you to become successful. Also some people feel that anger increases your efficiency because it helps work get done many times. But all of these are wrong beliefs and in fact the truth is that ego is weakness and instead of helping you get respect, you lose respect with it. Also instead of anger helping you get love and co-operation from people, it makes you lose it.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Trust

If there is the thought that we can do things ourselves without other
people's help, it means that we have arrogance of our own potential or
we are not able to have trust for others. This lack of trust doesn't
allow us to use others' potential for the benefit of the task. So we
are deprived of a very useful resource and we will not be able to be
happy. We need to understand the fact that there is greater success in
cooperation. It is much more useful to invest our time and resources
in training and developing others' potential. This brings about the
best from people and so there is a greater contribution and hence
greater success in every task that we take up.

Message for the day

To transform the self means to receive blessings. 

Expression: The one who brings about transformation in the self-learning from all situations, attains victory constantly. He will naturally be able to take the learning from all situations and move on inspire of negative situations. He is also successful in his relationship with others, as he knows to mould himself. 

Experience: When I am able to bring about transformation in myself according to time, without just expecting others to change, I am able to get the love and good wishes of all. Because of the ability to mould myself, my thoughts too would be easy and light. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris