Contemplation: September 04, 2019: Goals

Contemplation: September 04, 2019: Goals

On the Edge, Mount Blanc, France

Goals

Goals offer structure and motivation but are you aware of your own value without those goals?  Who are you without goals?

A pure state of mind brings tirelessness. 

A pure state of mind means being positive in spite of the situations. When the mind is clean and pure, there is energy in the mind and so the body too. Even there is exertion in the body, the power of the mind can recharge the body. On the other hand, negative thoughts drain us of energy and enthusiasm. Today I will keep my mind clean. I will not let any negative thought creep in. I will focus on what is positive. Even if I am exhausted physically, I will take some time off to make my mind positive, peaceful and powerful. This will help me rejuvenate and re-energize.

Filling Myself And Others With Invisible Treasures

Soul consciousness or the awareness of the soul is the key to the internal treasures of the original and eternal qualities of the soul. The moment I switch on the awareness of the soul, a spiritual point of subtle light or energy, situated at the centre of the forehead, I start accessing the qualities of peace, love and joy that lie hidden inside my consciousness. Since these are not physical treasures, they are limitless. It's like suddenly I become an owner of an ocean of these qualities. The ocean is inside me and not anywhere outside.

When we hear the word 'ocean', the first characteristic that comes to mind is limitless. So suddenly I am the owner of an ocean of peace, love, power and bliss. I can draw and drink as much of these qualities as I want and these qualities will never get over, because an ocean is an unlimited, tireless and big hearted provider or giver, never expecting anything in return. The ocean will never refuse me, but, as stated above, the key to accessing the ocean is the awareness of the soul. It is a common experience of many that the moment we are in the consciousness of the body, we suddenly feel empty of these treasures and we experience emotions of peacelessness or sorrow or hatred or jealousy or powerlessness or fear etc., because in those moments, we have lost access to the ocean.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Soul Sustenance 

The Art Of Tolerance (Part 2)

In the Ramayana, Mahavir Hanuman has been portrayed as carrying a great mountain in his hand as if it were a ball. It does not matter if the problem, obstacle or storm seems like a great mountain: one need to turn something that appears as big as a mountain into a small toy, and overcome it as if it were a game. Making something big very light makes you also feel light. Don't turn a small stone into a mountain; turn the mountain into a ball. To take the expansion to its essence is tolerance.

Expanding obstacles and problems in your mind or speaking of them to others means to create mountains. Don't go into expansion: put a full stop and turn over the page of life and that way you will advance. A tolerant person is always capable of taking expansion, problems and obstacles to their essence with knowledge, meditation and silence. When you choose the longest road, doing so consumes more and ends up by exhausting your time and energy. Expansion is the longest road and the essence is to take a shortcut. Both work in order to get to the other side, but those who take a shortcut are able to save their time and energy, they do not get discouraged. They constantly enjoy themselves and overcome everything with a smile. That is being tolerant. When you have developed the power of tolerance, you do things with pleasure. We are not referring to the physical pleasures but rather to living a life with pleasure in your heart, and that way you will be able to transform any situation or task from confusion into pleasure.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To be free from weaknesses is to move forward constantly.

Projection: Most of the times I do win over my weaknesses and achieve progress but sometimes I find that I am defeated at the wrong moment by my own weakness and I experience failure. So instead of finding the progress that I should I find that I am moving back.

Solution: In order to bring benefit to others and to myself, I should recognize and remove even the last trace of weakness that is working within me. For that I need to have a constant checking about the real cause of the weakness and remove it. Such checking and changing helps me to overcome my weaknesses.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 03, 2019: Change

Contemplation: September 03, 2019: Change

Change

It is wise to bend rather than to break. Those who change will get spiritual wisdom. Conversely, those who have wisdom will decide to change. Change is the first law of Nature.

Various Synonyms Or Meanings Of Peace

Peace has a number of synonyms, which all have slightly different shades of meaning:

Serenity
The feeling of contentment and being completely full with no need for further additions to the self; a feeling of satisfaction, of wholeness of the self.

Calmness
There are no disturbances or waves in the mind, like a pool of water that is clear and still with not even a ripple to disturb it.

Tranquility
Tranquility is the state of harmony in nature and in ourselves that keeps everything in balance naturally.

Quietness
In this state, there are no sounds of uncontrolled thoughts jumping around like a monkey in the mind; our thoughts become essenceful, returning to the point, with no expansion; it is an economy of thinking that creates quietness.

Stillness
There is no movement of thoughts. I remain absorbed in one thought and, in the stillness of silence, I am at rest, with a feeling of complete detachment from everything.

Peace has the meaning of harmony, balance, order and freedom: when we are free from waste and negativity, then we exist fully serene, fully at peace with everything.

Peace is my original energy and treasure and with the practice of meditation I step inside and experience it.

To keep a fast for the mind is to free it from waste and negative. 

We do keep fast on some days. On such days, we take care not to include certain things in our food or lives. But, true fasting is to keep the mind free from what is not good for it. That means, I need to work on keeping my mind free from negative and waste thoughts, which only harm my mind. Today I will keep a fast for my mind. I will not think of something that is not good for it. To do this, I will also take a beautiful thought of positivity like, "I have the best in my life" or "today is a great day". Then, I will be able to keep a fast for the mind in the right way.

Soul Sustenance 

The Art Of Tolerance (Part 1)

It is important to understand that to overcome problems you need, on the one hand, inner power, and, on the other, the capacity to tolerate. Tolerating does not mean to put up with. To tolerate is to accept, understand and know how to face things. That is, to tolerate is not to put up with and then explode at a later stage. In tolerance you dissolve that which, otherwise you would be putting up with. Tolerance is like the ocean, which is an example of tolerance, because we throw a lot of dirt into the ocean, the ocean absorbs it and, over time, transforms it. Tolerance is being like the ocean, that is, knowing how to absorb and dissolve, and finally to make it disappear.

Tolerance has to be balanced with the capacity to face things, which is based on bravery, courage and personal security. Having the power to tolerate gives you security and trust that you will be able to, you will achieve it, and you will advance. Tolerance is necessary for shared living, to be and allow to be. With the virtue of tolerance, you will continue to smile, you will never be discouraged. To smile when someone praises you is not to be tolerant. However, when someone turns into an angry enemy and insults you, but you do not have even the slightest sign of dejection on your face, not even in your thoughts, that is to be tolerant. To look, to speak and to enter in contact with feelings of compassion, patience, comprehension, love and respect, with a person that you do not have a good relationship with, is to have tolerance.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To bring equality in whatever I understand, desire and do is to be truly successful.

Projection: Although my understanding of right and wrong is really good, I am not usually able to be or feel successful. This is because I notice a mismatch between what I know and what I want. So I am not able to bring that knowledge into action.

Solution: A conscious effort needs to be put in from my side to compare and see which is better for me - what I know is right or what I feel I want. When I compare in this way, I will be able to change my desires in keeping with the right thing. When these two match, I will be able to bring it into action too. So I will be able to be successful.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 02, 2019: Be Happy

Contemplation: September 02, 2019: Be Happy

When a baby elephant sees the sea for the first time

Be Happy

Give yourself the permission to be happy right here, right now.  Be satisfied with what you have when you are in pursuit of what you want.

Hero Actor

To be an inspiration to many is to be a hero actor. When we see
negativity in others, we usually think and speak about it. We then
take no inspiration to think and act positive. The more the attention
is drawn towards negativity, our actions will become negative too.
Whatever the situation we are in, we need to make effort to change our
own actions and turn them to positive. We will then be free from
looking at the negativity in others. And our actions will become an
inspiration to those around us, which will inspire them to become
positive too.

The Power To Accommodate

Closely linked to the power of tolerance, the power to accommodate means having a heart so big and generous that I am able to rise above all differences of character and personality while interacting with other soul actors, knowing that every actor in the enormous drama of existence has a unique personality, contribution and role to play. Whereas tolerance heals wounds and removes hurt, accommodation accepts and values differences, observing them and ultimately absorbing them in my love, as an ocean absorbs the rivers that flow into it. While completing my own part as a river, I also need to be aware of God as the Ocean of Love and the Ocean of Wisdom and I as the master Ocean of Love. When I enter this consciousness through meditation, the goodness of all other soul actors becomes clear to me very naturally, and it is no effort for me to go beyond conflict and clashes of opinion.

I become like my father, the Supreme Soul who is an Ocean of Love. My father sees every actor in this world drama as his child and his love is the same for each one of them (even though they have different personalities and roles) because he has the spiritual knowledge that every soul's original nature is loveful and the present nature is just an artificial one which has been acquired while coming into the process of birth and rebirth. In the same way, I too, experience myself to be a master Ocean Of Love and see all souls as my brothers and absorb their different natures. This is the power to accommodate which I can inculcate inside me through the practice of meditation.

Soul Sustenance 

Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 4)

Very often in a group or team, while moving towards a common goal or objective or purpose, the leader of the group or gathering is required to give his opinion to make the objective of the team possible. Servant leaders are extremely active, positive and authoritative in giving their ideas, when they are required to do so, but are able to keep a relationship of detachment with their ideas. They maintain a right balance of authority (while giving the idea) and humility (while accepting the result of the idea, the result could be rejection or even acceptance of the idea). Also servant leaders are detached when accepting or receiving or listening to ideas from team members. The more the attachment to one’s own ideas, the more will be the tendency to resist or reject the others’ ideas, which they do not do.

Also, when a leader starts misusing his leadership for his own good and greed, and becomes egoistic, his team members start staying away. Servant leaders, through their humility, become an inspiration for others. Experiencing power and autonomy is healthy, but when a false sense of ownership sets up in leadership and the leader starts taking his role for granted, it is the time when a leader will experience great downfall in his role as a leader.

Altogether, a good leader is one who uses his mind or law to handle himself and his heart or love to handle others which ultimately brings justice to his role. Such a leader who maintains this balance of love and law wears the crown of servant leadership gracefully through various stages of life, enjoying the respect and earning the good wishes of all whom he comes into contact with.

Message for the day

To be free from negative thoughts is to be free from punishment.

Projection: Whenever there is a negative situation I tend to react very negatively to it. I tend to have a lot of negative thoughts and experience a lot of difficulty at that time. I then begin to blame the situation and feel that I am facing punishment because of it.

Solution: I need to understand the fact that the biggest punishment I experience is through my own negative thoughts. The more I can free myself from these kind of negative thoughts I can free myself from experiencing any kind of punishment.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: September 01, 2019: Too Much Thinking

Contemplation: September 01, 2019: Too Much Thinking

Too Much Thinking

The biggest disease of the mind is over-thinking, especially too much thinking about others. Thinking too much is like eating too much. The heaviness makes it impossible to remain light and flexible.

The Mirror of Knowledge

To see ourselves in the mirror of knowledge is to bring progress in
ourselves. The usual way of looking at ourselves when things don't go
right with us is to either look at ourselves with self-pity or to
point out others' mistakes. When we do this we lose the opportunity of
learning from whatever has happened and so there is no progress. The
ideal way of looking at ourselves when things go wrong is to look with
a knowledgeful eye and see what we can improve in ourselves. We only
have to look and we are sure to find something that we can work on and
improve. This brings about real progress in us.

Overcoming The Fear Of Interaction Or Socializing  

There are various activities that you are perhaps afraid of doing, but that you know they are very useful activities to indulge in e.g. if you are afraid of socializing or interacting with people, either on a one-to-one basis or in a group. In a party or a situation where lots are people are enjoying the company of each other or in a meeting with your boss for e.g., you feel out of place and uncomfortable. The problem might lie in a negative image of the self or low self-esteem, lack of confidence, fear of the other's opinion about you, lack of spiritual strength, past failure in having done so, being influenced by the other person's role or position etc.  How do you overcome this fear? By interacting with more and more people. The more you interact and mix up with them and express your viewpoint fearlessly, you realize that it is not a problem. Even if you make a mistake or you feel unsure, with practice you will see that there is no problem.

Most of our fears are overcome with the practice of doing what you are afraid of. If you do not make a brave step forward in order to overcome the fear of expressing yourself, you will continue to be the victim of this fear. This fear is then a negative energy that paralyses your intellect as a result of which your concentration and your decision-making power reduces. It also disorganizes your ideas, and confuses you whenever you express yourself in front of a person or people. What is more, fear produces clumsiness in your words, body movements and actions and makes you lose your image of credibility. It gives an impression of nervousness and low self-respect to the other. You have to overcome it, and you will manage to do it with practice and by changing the vision that you have of others: they are not a threat, they are not judges who are going to pass a judgment against you, they are offering you the opportunity to express yourself. If you value yourself, you will not be afraid of not being appreciated by them and others will finally appreciate you. If you do not value yourself, the opposite will happen.

Soul Sustenance 

Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 3)

Servant leaders are sacrificial leaders, ready to make the sacrifice when required. We explain with an example -

Jessica and Ruchika were close childhood and school friends. Jessica was the Head Girl of the school. One day there was a home assignment to be completed by the class. Jessica had forgotten to complete her assignment. She was afraid of the consequences and even more of the humiliation that she was not ready to face being in such a respectable post. She was also afraid of Ruchika’s assignment as being selected as the best one by the class teacher. Jessica’s mind was in a state of turmoil. On one hand was her self identity based on her role of the Head Girl and also the attachment to the same and on the other hand was her friendship and the voice of her conscience. If she chose the former and prevented Ruchika’s homework from being selected as the best, she would be seen in the same light as Ruchika and would save herself embarrassment. If she chose the latter and allowed Ruchika’s homework from being selected as the best, she would lose, but earn respect in the form of blessings and good wishes of her best friend Ruchika. Finally insecurity and the fear of loss of face in front of the class and the class teacher took grip over her. She chose the former, she harmed Ruchika’s homework and prevented Ruchika from submitting it on time and as a result prevented it from being adjudged as the best. She had won. Her ‘id’ – Head Girl had won. But the servant leader inside her had lost. Her relationship had lost. She did not pay heed to the voice of her conscience and her special relationship with Ruchika. As a result she brought about sorrow to her friend. Later on she repented and realized, that day she had not worn the crown of leadership well enough. She had not heard the voice of the servant leader inside her, a leader who could sacrifice the I and keep her friend ahead of her. She realized her mistake and decided to hear the voice henceforth.

Many times, while playing leadership roles, we are also faced with similar situations as Jessica found herself in, whether it’s in school, in the family, in our social circle or at the workplace, when we have to make a choice, when the I has to be sacrificed and the other has to be kept ahead – sometimes we do that easily, sometimes we find it difficult. There is a servant leader inside each one of us, which favours the sacrifice. We need to awaken that servant leader. Spiritual knowledge helps us in doing the same.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day 

Patience enables one to easily overcome obstacles.

Projection: Usually, when faced with obstacles there is an urgency to remove it without any proper planning. That means we want to overcome the obstacle without putting in any effort. And when it is not possible, it tends to create impatience and frustration in us.

Solution: It is important to do some internal work to overcome an obstacle. First, it is good to check to what extent there is faith in the self. With faith in ourselves, we need to plan out before we act to remove or overcome the obstacle and we will, then, find ourselves successful. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: August 31, 2019: Meditation

Contemplation: August 31, 2019: Meditation

Meditation

A racing mind that reacts sensitively to little things indicates thinking that has lost its spiritual strength.  Meditation restores that strength.

To move forward is to be on a pilgrimage. 

When someone goes on a pilgrimage, there is only one thought of moving forward. Our life, too is a pilgrimage of experiencing progress in all we do. When something uncomfortable comes up, my vision needs to be fixed only on the goal and nothing else. Today I will create an aim for myself of something I want to achieve. This could be even a short term goal or even imbibing a quality in myself. Every time I am faced with any difficult situation, I will focus my energies on achieving my goal instead of wasting time and energy worrying over what is wrong.

Motivation - The Life Driving Force (cont.)

When surrounded by challenges, sometimes we all need a little extra nurturing, and that gentleness can come from loved ones, or just from ourselves. Also, enjoying watching television, enjoying the hot chocolate and the coffee, enjoying the cold drink and the ice cream, enjoying the brisk walk and the gym, enjoying the picnic and the party, enjoying the holiday - these are all things that help us replenish our energy and remain motivated to some extent when we've had a rough day. But remember that to remain constantly motivated you need to also take a look at the non-physical dimension of thoughts and feelings. Physical treatments, therapies and relaxation strategies will help you but they cannot change the way you think. Your thinking is the cause. And behind your thoughts, your beliefs are a deeper cause. We need to pay much more attention to our thoughts and feelings, learn to manage them, learn to fill them with peace and calm, and then our personality will change for the better, as we restore our mental and then physical well-being and learn to remain motivated and fearless amidst challenges. Remember no one else creates our thoughts and feelings, and they don't just happen, though it feels that way sometimes. When you learn to identify and assess the quality of your thoughts and feelings, you can begin to choose the ones you know are positive and that in turn keeps you motivated.

Also, remember there's virtually always something positive that can be found in the challenges we face. Bear in mind that the period of challenge is short and you will soon overcome the challenge. On a lighter note, spend a little time each day thinking of all the things you are looking forward to doing once you are free from these exams that life has to offer - though don't daydream for hours about this! Also, when you long for life without difficulties and challenges and you want to keep yourself motivated when faced with them, remind yourself that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. Challenges are not here to stay and while they are there, they bring about self empowerment.

Soul Sustenance 

Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 2)

A good leader, before orchestrating (controlling) his team members will learn to orchestrate (control) his inner orchestra of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, moods and perceptions to create the desired tune or team result. When leaders become dictators or start orchestrating (controlling) their team members first, the fall of the team gets certain. A good leader is characterized by the way he makes his fellow members work as a team with him being a part of it. Misuse of leader power has a negative effect on team members' perceptions of the leader's ability and desire to engage in open communication. Because open communication is vital to any project, these perceptions can hurt team performance. These negative effects of leader power can be virtually eliminated simply by clearly communicating the idea that every team member is individually instrumental for any given task at hand.

Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid”. By comparison, the servant leader shares power and puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Servant leaders spread an energy of trust in the group, which catalyzes higher levels of engagement of team members, greater involvement of their effort and ideas and greater speed in change and creation of the new, which is the objective of every team. As a result, an excellent team culture is developed.

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To be free from negative thoughts is to be free from punishment.

Projection: Whenever there is a negative situation I tend to react very negatively to it. I tend to have a lot of negative thoughts and experience a lot of difficulty at that time. I then begin to blame the situation and feel that I am facing punishment because of it.

Solution: I need to understand the fact that the biggest punishment I experience is through my own negative thoughts. The more I can free myself from these kind of negative thoughts I can free myself from experiencing any kind of punishment.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: August 30, 2019: Life Can Begin To Flow

Contemplation: August 30, 2019: Life 

 Begin To Flow

Life Can Begin To Flow

As we grow in strength in our spiritual life, we give up the habit of worrying. It serves no purpose other than to make us feel tense and miserable. When I stop fretting about things that are beyond my control and focus instead on generating optimistic and kind thoughts, my life can begin to flow in ever more positive directions. Such a light and easy approach to life enables me to take everything in my stride.

The nourishment of happiness brings health. 

The one who always gets the nourishment of happiness, has a happy and healthy life. Every aspect of life is filled with good things. There is enthusiasm and energy for making use of the resources in the best way. There is the power to overcome physical ailments too. Without happiness, life becomes dull and boring and there is no energy to do anything. Today I will be happy. Even if things go wrong, I will not worry about it today. I will do all I have to do, but with the consciousness of being happy all the time. This will ensure that I remain healthy in the mind, and therefore the body too.

Motivation - The Life Driving Force (cont.)

"Challenges are like spice - in the right proportion they enhance the flavor of a dish. Too little of them produces a bland, dull meal; too many of them may choke you at times."

Have you ever noticed some people only work a few hours a day and are hardly ever confronted by deadlines or other pressures, but they are more stressed and less motivated than those working long hours to tight deadlines. Have you ever watched two people doing the same or similar work, to the same deadlines? One tears their hair out with a lot of anxiety. The other is completely relaxed while doing it. Some people are trailblazers, they love challenges. They love it when they are occupied and bottled up with challenges at hand and passionate about overcoming them. They work hard on themselves to overcome challenges and are not overwhelmed by them. What really reinforces them to do that is the motivation that they have to overcome the challenge and become successful.  Challenges motivate them. At the same time, there are times when there are too many challenges to overcome and deadlines to meet and the same people who have overcome challenges earlier are not able to cope up with them and keep themselves motivated. That is the time when they realize that what they are going through is stress and challenges have affected their motivation levels adversely. Why the difference between two people, why the difference from challenge to challenge or situation to situation? Perception. So it's not what you do, or when you have to do it by, that causes your stress and brings down your motivation; it's how you perceive the whats and whens of daily life that generates your stress and affects your motivation levels. It's how each one perceives what they do and the possible outcome. And your perception is based on your beliefs and beliefs don't come built into your genes. All beliefs are learned. We learn them, send them into our subconscious and they then pop up and out through our thoughts, emotions and words. The problem is we not only hold beliefs, we identify with them. But beliefs are not the truth.

(To be continued tomorrow ....)

Soul Sustenance 

Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 1)

It is commonly stated that perhaps those who are best suited to leadership power are those who never seek it. On the other hand, those who have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, find to their own surprise that they wear it well. This process starts as early as our school life, when we become monitors and prefects and are granted significant responsibilities. We learn leadership at a young age. The type of leadership skills we inculcate at that age are important.

Importantly, a good leader, starting at an early age, should inspire and not aspire. Personal aspirations that are regardless (irrelevant) to others always convert a humble and successful leader into a failed one. A good leader should influence, not control - controlling i.e. passing orders, policies, rules, goals, targets, reports, visions and changes to force team members to work the way they believe it should be done; failing to listen or only perfunctorily listening (listening with little interest); exhibiting the “Do as I say, not as I do” mentality and providing inadequate support. Negative thoughts, words, actions or inactions expressing emotions like:

* Why aren’t they performing better?

* What’s wrong with that person?

* Why don’t they know their job?

* They should know their job!

lead team members to believe that leaders disrespect them and do not care for them at all. It results in failure of an organization or the task in hand.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

The one who has attention on the self is the one who constantly experiences progress.

Projection: Whenever I am faced with a situation, it is very easy to think and talk about others and their mistakes. I hardly have any time to look at and understand myself and my mistakes. I then continue to repeat the same mistakes again and again.

Solution: Whatever the kind of situations I am faced with, I need to remind myself that I am the one who is going to benefit by bringing about a change in myself. So with this thought I need to constantly continue to check myself and bring about a positive change in myself.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: August 29, 2019: Success

Contemplation: August 29, 2019: Success

Roger Federer: the greatest tennis player of all time

Success

Your determination pulls success towards you, and your focus pushes obstacles away.

To have an elevated consciousness is to fly across obstacles. 

When we are low, we have to struggle and fight with each and every obstacle. On the other hand, when we are able to fly with an elevated thought, we are able to fly across all obstacles easily. Because of being in a higher position, obstacles look very small and we are able to influence them positively. Today I will not be afraid of obstacles but will find a means to fly up above. That means, a simple thought like "I have the power to overcome this situation" or "Success is my birthright" would help me maintain my confidence and self-respect. This will give me the power to deal with even a big situation.

Motivation - The Life Driving Force

Motivation is the driving force behind our thoughts, feelings, words and actions which transfers us from one reality to another, from where I am to where I wish to be. It is an inner positive energy, a combination of enthusiasm and clear perception that enables us to accomplish a task or overcome a challenge.  It is the desire to be continually interested and committed to a task or to attain a goal or cross a difficult situation.

Our thoughts really do color our perceptions, and affect our motivation levels in many ways. What thoughts are serving you today? Which thoughts are weighing you down? Have you ever turned over the exam papers of life - challenging situations, overpowering situations, disturbing situations, de-motivating situations; looked at the questions that life throws at you and wondered if you are sitting the right test? Or glanced through these papers of life and only see questions or aspects you aren't equipped at handling? Or worse still, know that you once knew the answers to these questions but frustratingly, those nuggets of spiritual wisdom, required to overcome these situations are now out of reach no matter how far into the back of your mind you grope, causing emotions of worry, frustration, fear, anger, discouragement, depression, panic and hopelessness to erupt inside you?

(To be continued tomorrow ....)

Soul Sustenance 

Living With A Purpose 

How can we define heaven? Heaven could simply be described as the place to experience peace, joy and happiness. So, what is our heaven in our practical life? How can we experience it? Fulfilling our dream or true purpose or experiencing it being fulfilled is our heaven. Living out our dream and purpose is to live in our personal space of heaven here and right now. 

If everything that we do during the day and in life is directed at fulfilling our purpose - our reason for being, for existing and for living - we will be much happier in everything we do, because everything will be channeled or focused towards what we really want. On the other hand, if we do a little bit of everything, but without knowing where we are going or what our true destination is, we will be like a ship that has lost its way in the ocean. The ship’s crew steers the ship – it now goes towards the left, now to the right, goes backwards, then forwards towards the north, towards the south and in the end stays in the same place and gets nowhere, although it’s crew is busy or is working all the time. The crew lets itself be carried by the currents, the tides, the waves in the ocean and the winds above the ocean. It has lost its bearings and doesn't know how to be guided by the stars, which would show the crew the right way. In our case, the stars being our intuition. Without our life’s course dictated by a true purpose, we let our consciousness asleep and don't listen to our intuition, which will reveal to us our purpose. 

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

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/