Daily Positive Thoughts: August 03, 2016: Attitudes

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 03, 2016: Attitudes

 

Attitudes

When you extend pure love to everyone with selfless motivation that is an attitude of kindness. When you send good wishes and pure feelings to those who are in deep sorrow,  that is an attitude of mercy. When you see the virtues rather than the weaknesses in people,  that is an attitude of compassion. When you bless and uplift someone even as they defame you, that is an attitude of forgiveness. When you tolerate a situation and take responsibility as well as give cooperation even when not appreciated, that is an attitude of humility and self-respect. Every second, every moment and every breath of your life is nurtured by attitude.

Ruling The Kingdom Of The Mind (Part 2)

"Am I a weak king or a mighty (strong) one?" This is a question that each one of us needs to ask ourselves at the end of each day. Every night, call upon your ministers - the thoughts, feelings and emotions in your kingdom court and have a heart-to-heart conversation with them regarding the kingdom and its people, which are your attitudes, expressions, words and actions. A court is also held to check the daily report of the behavior of the ministers. As the ministers of a kingdom, so its people (as mentioned above). To keep the kingdom in order, an able (talented) king will train the ministers and its people to react correctly to topsy-turvy situations which the kingdom is exposed to every day, which causes instability in the kingdom. This ability is the power of the king in action.

To train the ministers to respond correctly, a powerful king will, at the start of the day and at regular intervals in the day, give thoughts of power to the mind such as - I am an ocean of success or I possess the all powerful driving force of motivation or I can destroy obstacles that try to obstruct my path coupled with thoughts of peace such as - I shall not react angrily, but maintain my calm or I shall not look at others' actions but keep my focus on my stable stage or I shall keep a relationship of outer detachment to external situations as well as inner detachment to internal pressures coupled with thoughts of love such as - I am an overflowing source of good wishes or I will be forgetful of others' mistakes or I shall absorb others' virtues and fill others with virtues coupled with thoughts of joy such as I will remain light and give others the same experience or I shall spread the wings of enthusiasm and fly high or I shall gift a smile and a greeting to everyone. These types of thought suggestions will in turn positively influence the feelings and emotions, the ministers of my kingdom and my attitudes, expressions, words and actions, the people of my kingdom. How? We shall explain that in tomorrow's message.

To look at positive in people is to relate to them well. 

Seeing positive in people earns me multiple benefit. One, I will be able to keep my mind free from negativity. Two, for having seen the positive side of people, I will be able to encourage them to use that aspect of theirs when in interaction with me. Three, I will also be able to earn their good wishes as I am relating to them positively under all circumstances. Today I will only have good wishes for everyone I meet. I will take a good thought for everyone dear to me and also for the ones I come into contact with. For today, I will not think negative about anyone. If the thought does come, I will postpone it.

Message for the day

The biggest service is to ensure that if any one comes to us, they don't go away empty handed. 

Expression: When someone comes to me I need to ensure they don't go away empty handed. That is, I need to find something to give them that will make them feel benefitted. Something that will make them feel better. They need to feel that they have gained something from the interaction they had with us. 

Experience: Today I will have special attention that if anyone comes to me, I will give them something that will make them better. This need not be any physical thing, but it could be an encouraging word, a pat on the back, a solution, a suggestion or even a good wish in the mind. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 02, 2016: Work Well

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 02, 2016: Work Well

Picking lavender in the Lavender fields, France

Work Well

Work is only work if you prefer to be somewhere else. Work tends to be a negative perception of a task which we reluctantly approach. Work is only labour when we forget to see our life as it truly is - an opportunity to be creative, enrich others and be enriched ourselves. When we are able to see work in this way, we find something called enthusiasm inside. When we are enthusiastic we work well and we are valued. We are used as a role model. When we work well it is much easier to say no when we need to, for we know our own value, and we are not dependent on others' approval to feel good about ourselves. When we put love and enthusiasm into what we do, it rebounds in the form of opportunities and blessings, two of the most important ingredients of a truly wealthy life.

Ruling The Kingdom Of The Mind (Part 1)

Have you ever looked inside the inner kingdom of your mind where your thoughts, feelings and emotions are your ministers? Is it a kingdom of law or anarchy (lawlessness)? Do you ever wonder - "Ah, I wish there would be more order and less chaos in my kingdom!" So what stops you from creating a kingdom of law and order? Is it external situations or is it your internal reactions to these situations? Just for one day, perform this little exercise, check that out of the tens of thousands of thoughts and feelings you create in a day, how many are your own creation and how many are responses to external events. If they are your own positive creation or if they are responses to events, but correct ones, then be proud that your ministers are obeying you. Do you realize that the time when these thoughts and feelings are the wrong type of reactions on your part and not your original correct creations, is the time when these ministers are wicked and disobeying you.

A kingdom where the ministers disobey the king (that is you) repeatedly, is a kingdom, the atmosphere of which is lacking in harmony, love and joy, which in our case is our mind. It is a kingdom which is not respected by its people, who work under the ministers of thoughts and feelings, the people being your attitudes, expressions, words and actions, who further disintegrate and go their incorrect way following the orders of their seniors - the thoughts, feelings and emotions. It is a kingdom where the king has to bow down in front of the outsiders, the neighbours, which in this case is the external situations and other spiritual kings like me, involved in these situations. Also, it is a kingdom which is lacking in stability and susceptible (vulnerable) to attacks by the neighbours repeatedly.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

 Coping with Grief

Everyone copes with grief differently, so be patient and give yourself time to heal. Accept your feelings and find constructive ways to release your emotions. Recognize that there's a loss and a vacuum that needs to be filled thoughtfully. Also know when to reach out to get support and share your grief. And whenever you remember the person you've lost, send them love and good wishes.

Message for the day

To have a vision of seeing specialities is to pave the way for progress. 

Thought to ponder: When I have a vision of seeing specialities, I am able to encourage people to do better. Firstly, I am free from negative or waste thoughts. And most importantly, I am able to help people discover their strengths and give them the power to use them. This ensures progress for them as well as me. 

Point to practice: Today I will encourage at least one person with my positive words. I will observe something good in that person and appreciate. This practice will help us experience continuous progress, in spite of difficult circumstances or mistakes. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 01, 2016: Self- Mastery

Self-Mastery

Within each one of us there is a master of the universe. Not the universe out there but the inner universe of our thoughts and feelings, attitudes and actions. Most people realize too late what awaits within and how valuable it is. For too long we allow ourselves to be distracted and bewitched by all that is happening outside. To be the master of your inner world is to be the master of your own destiny. Are you going to be the master or a slave?

Yoga - A Lifestyle (Part 3)

The practice of spiritual yoga or connecting the mind with a higher source of spiritual power i.e. God, causes His spiritual energy to enter our mind and fill our minds with the seven primary qualities - peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and knowledge. These qualities nourish all our body systems and make them free of illnesses. Each time we experience an impure or negative emotion, its negative effect travels to all these systems and this causes the birth of illnesses in these systems. Spiritual yoga, which at the Brahma Kumaris is called Rajyoga meditation and is karma yoga, because it can be done while performing any action, does the opposite. Because Rajyoga is a yoga with the Highest power existing in the universe, it is given that name. This Highest power is God and He is the Highest because He is an overflowing source of all these seven qualities mentioned above. So a link with such a source gives us an experience of these qualities and as a result these qualities flow to each cell of all the systems of the body and cause these cells to heal and become full of pure spiritual and as a result physical energy. Also, each one of us has a target organ or system which is most prone to disease. What this organ or system is for each one is connected with the karmas of the soul performed in this and previous births, which reflect in the systems of the body. Rajyoga meditation, as taught by the Brahma Kumaris, because of the mechanism explained above, helps in keeping this target organ healthy and also brings with it mental peace and a stress life.

Lastly, as you follow the path of spiritual yoga, take care that physical health issues are also addressed since a healthy body finds it easier to meditate correctly and also perform actions in the remembrance of the Supreme Being with comfort. On one side the meditation helps in clearing up the negative sanskaras of the soul which are created in the soul when a negative action is performed either in this or previous births, and are the primary cause of all our illnesses. At the same time, on the other side care should also be taken of the physical body through the mediums of a right diet, exercise and sleep, so that the spiritual journey is smooth and obstacle free; a journey on which we welcome all of you.

Observing but Not Absorbing 

To observe means we take a new, appropriate mental position in whatever situation, or in whatever relationship, we find ourselves. Observation is a silent skill — a skill we need to learn if we are to assess clearly what positive changes are needed to be made in the self in a particular situation or relationship. 

If we fail to learn this art of observing, we are likely to react and absorb ourselves in the negativity of the person, or event. We get lost in the quicksand of 'what's wrong?' which prevents us from putting things right. As we absorb and fill ourselves with negative emotion, we become heavy and remain helplessly rooted to the ground. The gravity of overload does not allow us to rise above a situation and to understand the reality of what is happening. As a result, we lose perspective and overreact. 

If we wish to understand how the mental position of observation gives us the power of perspective, we can look at the example of the bird and the ant. The ant, extremely busy, running here and there, scrambling over everything in its rush to find and collect food, will see only what is in front of its nose. The bird, on the other hand, leaves the earth and, as it flies higher and higher, starts to see the bigger picture, compared to when it was on the ground, or on the branch of a tree. Seeing the whole picture, it has a completely different perspective. It is only then that it can truly see where to go and what to do. When we get absorbed in a situation or relationship, we lose perspective, we are like the ant, we get too involved in the details, missing the obvious, and cannot imagine, or think of other possibilities.

Message for the day

To have inner strength in all circumstances is to ensure progress. 

Expression: To have inner strength is to be so powerful within that there is a capacity to mould myself in all the variety that life brings. The more I know how to pave my way forward and also have the power to do it, I ensure progress. Like a blade of grass I need to be rooted yet know how to mould myself according to the wind. 

Experience: Today I will make the effort to find a way to deal with someone or something that I haven't been able to. I will find something in me that I can use to deal with what is difficult outside. There is surely something in me; I just need to find it. Even if I can't find something, let me at least take the thought that I have the power within me to do it. And as I keep practicing I will surely get success. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 31, 2016: Co-operation

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 31, 2016: Co-operation

Co-operation

Co-operation is perhaps one of the least recognized but most valuable of human virtues. So, for a person to be co-operative means for them to have a quiet eye for what is needed to bring success, and to supply it (and no more) at the right time, in the right place and then to be off. Someone who co-operates, offers their services and then splashes their name on the achievement is not co-operative. It requires invisibility and precision to do and then to go without waiting for results. It also takes a discerning eye to see exactly what is needed, to be removed sufficiently from your own approach to a task and just to contribute one ingredient. Sometimes not even an idea but, however clever you may consider yourself to be, just lend a hand, a support.

Yoga - A Lifestyle (Part 2)

All of us are living beings with a mind and an intellect, which we use to connect to various objects, people and events throughout the day. This is called our mental energy. This mental energy travels extremely fast and can reach another person in much less than a second. Very often we focus our mental energy on the physical body for mental peace and physical fitness through the medium of yog asanas or yogic postures to attain the desired purpose. That for us is a way of letting go of our stresses and negative energies stored in the body. It makes our mind and body healthy. We also focus our mental energies on our breath through the medium of pranayama whereby flawless and smooth breathing is experienced which benefits our physical body immensely and also gives us mental energy.

If you are new at the Brahma Kumaris, and if you are practicing yog asanas and pranayama for their physical and emotional health benefits, from before, you don’t need to stop them. This is because both these are extremely important mediums for this purpose and widely acclaimed and proven successful techniques which have saved many people from the most serious of illnesses and also reduced the intensity of many illnesses. There are lakhs of people all over the world who share their experiences confirming this. But the Brahma Kumaris add another dimension to this physical side of yoga – a spiritual yoga i.e. connecting the mind and intellect to the supreme source of spiritual energy or God, which is also called yoga or connection with a non-physical pure entity - God. So those who have been practicing yog asanas and pranayama, if they desire, can continue to do the same but add the spiritual yoga in their lifestyles. Those who have not been practicing yog asanas and pranayama concentrate only on the spiritual yoga, which not only purifies the soul but also has immense benefits for the physical systems of the body and helps in purifying them. This is because a pure mind means a mind full of the seven qualities of peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and knowledge, which in turn influences the main systems of the body and makes them free of illnesses. The mechanism of how the mind affects the different body systems, in further detail, will be explained in tomorrow’s message.

I Can!

If you find it difficult to have effortless attention for long periods of time, 

you need to build up your focus endurance, just as athletes push past their point of exhaustion.

Gradually expand your attention span by working for slightly longer stretches.

Regularly give yourself short attention breaks. Every couple of hours, mix high focus intense activity with less intense activity.

When your attention begins to waver, stop telling yourself that you can't focus. 

Start telling yourself: "I can focus." "I can do a bit more."

Message for the day

To make effort and get the fruit is to ensure real progress. 
Thought to ponder: Sometimes, things come easy and sometimes they don't. When we put in a lot of effort and then get the result of it, there is double benefit. One is of course the result as a positive outcome and the satisfaction is much more because I have earned it. The other is the many trials that I had to make would let me gain many experiences and I end up getting richer with these experiences. 

Point to practice: Today I will take up something I had started with enthusiasm or wanted to start. I will give my thought, time and energy to it and make sure that I make it happen. I will take a thought today not to leave it mid way but see it through till I succeed. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 30, 2016: Empower Others

Daily Positive Thoughts: July 30, 2016: Empower Others

 

Empower Others
Empower others by filling your own heart with courage, your thoughts with determination and your eyes with destiny. 

Yoga - A Lifestyle (Part 1)

All of us are constantly living a life of yoga, which in spiritual terms is called a link or connection between two entities i.e. the one which remembers and the other one which is remembered. Examples of what we have yoga with could be a person or God (calledrajyoga) or your actions (called karma yoga) or spiritual knowledge (called gyan yoga) or bhakti (called bhakti yoga) or your breath (called pranayama) or your physical body (called hath yoga) or even a physical object like a candle flame. So, yoga is life and should not be limited to sitting in a particular posture for a few minutes at a particular time of the day. Basically, remembering anything or anyone is yoga. The word yoga should not be limited to exercise which is a narrow definition of yoga. Focusing on one’s own body is extremely important, but only one aspect of a yogi lifestyle. A complete or comprehensive yogi lifestyle is focusing on pure and constructive sources right through the day including God, because yoga means union or link, a union which will benefit the soul and body positively.

We all live our lives in search of peace, love and happiness and also inner powers which we as spiritual beings are lacking in. So yoga i.e. our mental energy correctly channeled and connected with something positive provides us with that. People also call performing actions as yoga which is called karma yoga, but only performing selfless actions with complete dedication nowadays with the stresses and strains of everyday living can be depleting on a mental energy level unless the karma yoga as it is called is accompanied by a mental union or link with the Supreme while performing the actions, which helps us in remaining unaffected by the stress caused due to being over-busy in those actions. That in the true sense is karma yoga i.e. selfless karmas performed in the remembrance of God. This link between me, the spiritual child and God, the spiritual parent, nourishes me continuously and gives me the strength to perform actions with complete accuracy and get the desired success filled result.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

There's no use crying over spilled milk right? 

But if you don't recognize the importance of the spilled milk, you'll just make the same mistake again.

Leverage the regret to your advantage, by learning from the experience. 

Then harness the lesson learnt by asking yourself: what will I do differently in the future to prevent similar regrets?

Message for the day

To have a powerful intellect is to take the positive and leave out waste. 

Expression: I need to make my intellect powerful like a swan (it only takes jewels and leaves out the pebbles). I need to recognize and accept what is good for me and reject what is not good for me. With practice I find that it becomes a habit to see only that which is good for me. This will make me positive in all my future interactions too.

Experience: Today I will make a conscious effort to find some aspect of my life that is positive. This I need to remember consciously and remind myself from time to time so that I can carry it through the day. This will ensure a touch of positivity to all I do. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris