Daily Positive Thoughts: June 29, 2017: A Free Mind

A Free Mind

A free mind is a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing. Most people spend much of their time looking for reasons to be offended. An open mind is never offended because it is free of any attachments.

It is never the self that is offended but always the illusion that the self has of itself that is affected by insult! If you can really understand this, deeply grasp it's truth, live it each day, then pain will be no more.

Next time you 'feel' offended look closely within yourself at yourself and ask yourself what was offended? If you remain aware you will see that it was only an image of yourself which you had become attached to, and that image did not resonate with the image contained in the insult. If you weren't attached, if you didn't identify with the wrong image of yourself then there would be no offence taken. You would then remain free and therefore happy.

Being A Good Transformation Agent (Part 1)

Often, we feel ourselves to be victims of different factors that seem to direct the course of our life without us being able to control them. The world does not seem to dance to our music and our will, and we feel ourselves to be victims because things do not work out or are not as we want. Therefore, we give up and decide to resign ourselves to this reality; to be victims of it and observe passively (non-actively), resisting what comes, getting frustrated and bad-tempered. However, we could position ourselves in another way: being transformation (change) agents (the ones who are able to change the external factors like people or situations) by creating a different reality. To do so we have to change our perception. Also, it is necessary to strengthen our capacity to tolerate, accept, let go and forget. Tolerance here also refers to understanding, love and compassion (kindness). Not to put up with people or things, but to remain above them, to go beyond them; to co-operate with trust and motivation. It is difficult for us to tolerate because we have expectations and pre-conceived ideas of how others should act and be. Then we create negative feelings towards them because they are not like that or don’t act in the manner that we want. This makes our relationship with them difficult.

When your vision towards others is positive, you see their qualities, their efforts and their values instead of their defects and their errors. You are open to listening to them and to understanding their intentions. That way it is easier to have good feelings towards them. Basing ourselves on a positive and objective vision and on good feelings, we do not have to put up with, or even tolerate the other - the relationship becomes streamlined.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

NEWS

All the news that you watch, read, listen - have you ever thought about its impact on your wellbeing?  This week, think about becoming more discerning and selective about what news content to absorb.

There's no need to turn off the news or tune it out, stay informed but take better control of your newsfeed.  Maybe just like food and drink, news must also be consumed with an appropriate balance and moderation.

Message for the day

To be a giver means to give according to need. 

Expression: The one who is a giver would be sensitive to the needs of others and will be able to give what the other person needs at the right time, instead of giving what he wants to give. Also such a person is able to give without expecting anything in return.

Experience: When there is even a little thought to share with others whatever I have, I would naturally be able to perceive my own inner treasures and experience being full. Sharing with others whatever I can, enables me to get their good wishes also. I thus find myself experiencing the richness of life. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 28, 2017: Meditation

Circle Meditation at Changi Beach

Meditation

Meditation is the process of getting to know yourself completely, both who you are inside and how you react to what is outside. Above all, meditation is enjoying yourself in the literal sense of the word. Through meditation, you discover a very different "me" from perhaps the stressed or troubled person, who may seem superficially to be "me". You realize that your true nature, the real you, is actually very positive. You begin to discover an ocean of peace right on your doorstep.

Following God’s Footsteps (Part 3)

God’s positive characteristics are countless and one can never stop remembering them. All that He is and possesses inside Him, He shares with the world. That is why He is so loved and respected all over the world. In the same manner as He serves the world, we are His children and need to learn to follow in His footsteps and become similar to Him, if not the same. So, everyday check yourself whether you are an obedient child of God. Obedience means – Follow Father, that means always follow God and set an example for others to follow you.
God is the most perfect being that exists and becoming similar to Him means becoming full of peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and knowledge. We cannot become an ocean of these virtues like Him, but we can follow Him and become similar to His qualities. That should be our goal. So, in every thought, word and action, let these virtues show and flow to others. Give yourself in others’ service. God is a constant server. His service is giving these seven qualities to us human beings and to the world in general. The more we also keep an aim of doing the same, the more full of those qualities we will become. The more peace, love and happiness we give to others, the more peaceful, loveful and happy we will become because this is a principle of human emotions. Giving is filling inside oneself. Also, become soul conscious, pure and humble like Him. If God’s personality is to be made one’s own or my personality is to be shaped liked how God’s personality is, then remember God a lot. Also, all that you take from Him, share with others. That will bring them closer to this Highest One that exists – the Supreme Father, the Supreme Soul, the Supreme Being – my Father and your Father, our eternal Father - God.

Rethink your spending habits

Right about now is a good time to increase our spending awareness, even if we have things under control.  It can only improve our financial well-being!

So before you spend, ask yourself: Is this the best use of my money?  Do I really need or use this?  Would something less expensive make me just as happy?

Rethink your spending habits, not to cut out the fun from life, but to redirect your spending from things that are not important to things that are important.

Message for the day

To be a creator means to use all treasures for a positive contribution. 

Expression: Even in the most negative situations, the one who has the thought of creation, works towards bettering the situation. Every thought, word and action is towards creation and not towards worsening the situation. Such a person is not concerned about who spoilt the situation or how it got spoilt. To the extent possible, he works towards bettering the situation. 

Experience: When I am working towards creation, I am able to make the best use of my resources and treasures. I then experience constant progress. I also experience contentment of having made a contribution, however little it may be. I have no questions, but only answers under all circumstances. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 27, 2017: A Simple Diet

 

A Simple Diet

Remain healthy by maintaining a simple diet of

Pure feelings,

Good wishes &

Positive thoughts.

Following God’s Footsteps (Part 2)

A very important characteristic of God is that He is an ocean of seven important qualities – peace, joy, love, bliss, purity, power and knowledge. There is no one as full spiritually, as Him. And the most important thing about God is that He is constant. That means He never loses these qualities by performing negative actions, as we do. Even we have many qualities, but when we perform actions, which are sometimes negative, we lose these qualities. Also, when we lose our qualities, we take them from God to become full again.

Another aspect of God’s nature is that He is completely soul conscious, pure and humble at all times. These three characteristics are what make Him the Supreme Soul of the Universe. In fact, He is not restricted to this Universe, but is a resident of the soul world, which is a non-physical world beyond the sun, moon and stars or the world of five elements. He comes down in the world, when there is sorrow and peacelessness prevalent in the world and changes the world into one which is free from sorrow. He brings a world in which there is complete peace and love amongst human beings. So, He is a Supreme parent. In the same way as a physical parent takes care of his or her children and cannot see them suffer or experience sorrow, God always wants to see the world in happiness and united at all times. This is His nature and He is the only one who can perform this role because He is an ocean of qualities with which He brings benefit to the world.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Our Emotions

From frustration to frenzy, tears to tantrums, our emotions impact our performance & reputation at work.

Identify which emotions are appropriate in the workplace, & when it's OK to express & when to rein it in.  

Get better at regulating your emotions & you'll handle situations more professionally.  Then your emotions will range from cheerful to creative, energetic to empathetic!

Message for the day

Honesty brings success in relationships. 

Expression: Honesty means being the same inside out. Honesty with oneself helps one to bring about constant improvement in the self. Honesty with others enables one to relate positively under all circumstances. There is no rudeness but there is an openness that brings about love towards the other person. 

Experience: When I am honest, I am able to experience progress in my own life and others are benefited too with my own self-progress. I am able to maintain harmony in my relationship with others because I am open with them and I find myself successful in my relationships. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 26, 2017:  If you start it, finish it…

Arjun’s dilemma at Kurukshetra

If you start it, finish it… or forget it

A task left undone remains undone in two places – at the actual location of the task, and inside your head. Incomplete tasks in your head consume the energy of your attention as they gnaw at your conscience. They siphon off a little more of your personal power every time you delay. No need to be a perfectionist, that’s debilitating in an imperfect world, but it’s good to be a ‘completionist’. If you start it, finish it…or forget it.

Following God’s Footsteps (Part 1)

We all look upto Him. He is the one whom everyone remembers and is the one common Supreme Power that connects all of us together through a common relationship with Him. God is the Father of Humanity and the one whom we all love and respect the most because He is there with us eternally. He never stops taking care of us and helping us in our time of trouble or sorrow. There is never been a single moment in our life, when God is not available to us, when we have wanted His care and support. His love is a constant companion of ours. Even as a child, we were taught by our parents and other elders to always respect God and take His help right from the morning to the night in every little action we performed. Although as elders, sometimes we forget Him when we are busy in our daily routine and sometimes we give greater importance to our worldly loved ones.

God is the spiritual father and the loving parent of each soul or human being in the world. In fact, every specie of the world and even nature’s seed is God. He is called the creator because He transforms every human being and the entire planet from impure or old to pure or new. This is His task which He performs for the world. And because He is the creator in this way, everyone remembers Him so much because of all that He has done for us. This is the task which makes Him so worship-worthy and the most respected One in the entire Universe.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Are you a showy peacock?

We all have talents & skills, & when we use them they're like a peacock's feathers on full display. 

Be proud, but watch out for confidence turning into arrogance.  Otherwise we end up being like a showy peacock.

So celebrate your talents & skills but keep yourself grounded by remembering that just like a peacock's ugly feet, there's always something about ourselves that we can improve!

Message for the day

To be a light house is to show others the right path. 

Thought to Ponder: A light house is one which is stable even in the worst storm. When I am able to have this quality of stability, I will be able to show others the right path in all kinds of circumstances. The negativity of the situation may trouble or affect others, but I continue to provide the right direction to all. 

Point to Practice: Today I will give hope to someone who is hopeless. I will provide support, direction or encouragement to help this person move forward. I will also ensure that I am moving forward too, learning from all situations.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: June 25, 2017: Near to contentment

Freedom, the Intention of Life; By Nancy Oakes

 

Near to contentment

When you can think of yesterday without regret and tomorrow without fear, you are near contentment.

Connecting To The Qualities Of Others

Meditation adds immense value and depth to my relationships. It also brings closeness in them. Many obstacles and barriers, both on a physical as well as a subtle level, come between me and others when my consciousness and as a result, my perception are struck primarily in the physical dimension. If I hardly know five to ten per cent of myself, and that too mostly on the surface, my relationships are going to be similarly superficial. With my self-respect built on very weak foundations, it will tend to be delicate and I'll be prone to trying to maintain it by thinking about and focusing my energies on others' weaknesses, sometimes real and sometimes even imagined. I'll also find it hard to realize and appreciate their qualities. Such is the state of so many human relationships today.

In meditation, I go into the depths of myself, and deep within my inner being, I find the beauty of peace, love and happiness that is there inside me. I also realize that this same beauty lies inside each soul. Then naturally and very easily, without any effort, I get connected to the same qualities in others. I also find the strength to do the same. I am no longer judgmental seeing others’ temporary sanskaras of negativity. I find qualities that are basically there inside every soul: the original qualities or sanskaras of each spiritual being. It’s like a basic prototype for the whole of humanity, which I deeply see and realize.

Passing Clouds

Determined thoughts disperse the clouds of negative situations. A lot of negative situations are bound to come our way, resulting in grief, pain and disappointment. At the time, such difficulties feel insurmountable and seem to last forever. I need to recognize that the difficulties I face are like passing clouds. These clouds gather around me at times, are only temporary - sooner or later they will fade away. Understanding that no problem lasts forever will help me develop the determination I need to work on my problems. I will then be able to face any situation with ease.

Message for the day

To have the right intention while performing actions is to bring success. 

Though to Ponder: When the heart recognizes the need to do something, there has to be reasoning in the intellect, why I want to do it and with what intention. Without the right intention, feelings can make me get carried away, not able to contribute my best. For example, if I want someone to change (feeling) because I want to be more comfortable, it will not work. But, if I bring the thought that I want them to change, because they would be happier. This is the right intention, which would bring success to my feeling. 

Point to Practice: Today I will do actions with the right intention. All the major tasks that I do, I will first take a thought about why I am doing it. I will then do that action. This will enable me to bring quality to the actions that I do. So, whatever I do, I will be successful in that. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris