Daily Positive Thoughts: August 20, 2017: Creativity

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 20, 2017: Creativity

Creativity

Acts of virtue emerge from deep within, from an inner sanctuary of silence from which inspiration flows. Every action has its seed in a thought and every thought is a creation of the thinker, the soul. I choose what thoughts I want to create and as is my thinking so are my actions and also my experience in life. Going within, I touch the stillness and pure love that lie at the core of my being and every thought that I create is of benefit to myself and of benefit to humanity.

Internal And External Attachments (Part 3)

Each time we attach ourselves to anything which is external or internal (we have mentioned some common examples of both types of attachments in the last two days’ messages), we create fears, amongst which the main one is the fear of loss of what I am attached to. The attachment not only gives rise to fear but also brings with it emotions like anger, ego, sadness, jealousy, greed, comparisons, hatred etc. All these emotions have their roots in attachment, which gives rise to insecurity.

Any type of attachment out of the ones mentioned in the last two days’ messages or some other is a sanskar that is so deeply embedded inside us that it seems normal to us. It is just a sanskar but it has immense amount of power and it manages to imprison us completely, but most of the time we do not even realize we are imprisoned. The negative emotional states connected with this kind of attachment create a state of internal mental pressure or an inner emptiness and make us feel absolutely helpless at times. Over a period of many births, we have become so accustomed to these attachments and the various forms of suffering connected with it that we have started believing that these are an integral part of the human personality and human life since the beginning and are, therefore, natural. And so we continue with the sanskar and even keep strengthening it, never ever thinking that it should be removed. We do this with internal stress and unhappiness to the point that even our health gets affected adversely. The natural state of the self is free and not attached in this way to anything. Attachments, whether external or internal, are acquired at different points of time in birth-rebirth cycle and are not natural or there from the beginning. All the things mentioned in the last two days’ messages have existed from the beginning but attachment to them has not. The present suffering indicates to us that these types of attachments are something abnormal or not natural.

The Canvas of your Mind

Every day is an opportunity to be creative - the canvas is your mind,
the brushes and colors are your thoughts and feelings, the panorama is
your story, the complete picture is a work of art called, 'my life'.
Be careful what you put on the canvas of your mind today - it matters.relax7

Message for the day

A pure state of mind brings tirelessness. 

Thought to ponder: 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. 

Point to practice: 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. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 19, 2017: Offer Up

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 19, 2017: Offer Up

Offer Up

Free yourself from forcing, expecting or wanting someone to receive what you think they should take - it could be your idea, opinion, or an opportunity you think they should accept - you can't make anyone take anything - your own experience probably confirms this. Offer humbly. Offer gently. Offer as if you are a master, and then let go, and retire like a shy child. When you can dance the dance between being master and child, you'll be surprised how much more others will accept what you have to say, and how much more they appreciate your offerings.

Internal And External Attachments (Part 2)

We had explained some common examples of external attachments yesterday.

Some common examples of internal attachments are attachments to:

- your ideas,
- your beliefs,
- your opinions or viewpoints,
- your memories,
- a certain way of thinking
- a particular virtue/virtues or specialty/specialties,
- a particular power/powers,
- a particular sanskar/sanskars - either positive or negative, etc.

Whether the attachment is external or internal, the act of attaching is always internal. e.g. if you attach yourself to your job, you will say my job. Your job is something external, but you hold on to it inside you - inside your consciousness.

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Keep sense organs under control

We are usually controlled by our sense organs. For example, whatever
our eyes see, we are distracted with that. Thoughts continue to wander
in that particular direction and we have no control over them. At that
time even if we do try to control, we find it very difficult. The
stimulus the sense organs get is not in our hands, but how we choose
to respond definitely is. So we need to give the training so that we
see only positivity in everything, i.e., we also have the power to
transform even negativity into positivity. Then at the right time,
this training will help us keep our sense organs under control.

Message for the day

To move forward is to be on a pilgrimage. 

Thought to ponder: 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. 

Point to practice: 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. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 18, 2017: Relationships are like a tapestry

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 18, 2017: Relationships are like a tapestry

 

 

Relationships are like a tapestry

 

Relationships are like a tapestry... The fabric is strongest when the threads are spun with openness, love and trust. Let me be the first to display these strengths.

Internal And External Attachments (Part 1)

Attachment can be on two levels - either internal or external.

Some common examples of external attachments are attachments to:

- people,
- objects,
- your physical body,
- your position or role in your family, society or in your professional field,
- money,
- places,
- physical comfort/comforts,
- the way you look or dress up or carry yourself or your physical personality in general,
- a particular skill/skills,
- a particular interest or hobby like watching movies, online social networking, etc.
- your routine or a certain way of working at home or at the workplace,
- respect from others,
- how people see you or behave with you or what they think of you, etc. 

(To be continued tomorrow...)

Increase Inner Power

We do have a lot of thoughts to bring about a change in our lives. But
most of the times we find that we are not able to bring this thought
into practice. As time passes by the thought too loses its importance
and we find ourselves caught up with waste or negative thoughts. We
need to keep a chart of our waste and negative thoughts as well as our
powerful and positive thoughts. Only when we are consciously aware of
how much we are spending through our negative and waste thoughts and
how much we are accumulating through our positive and powerful
thoughts can we be determined. We also are able to increase our
accumulation and thereby increase inner power.

Message for the day

God's love brings out the perfection from within. 

Expression: The power of God's love brings about change internally. Through His love everything old and unwanted finishes. There is the natural tendency to bring about such perfection that the one who loves Him and gets His love becomes like a mirror - a mirror in which perfection of others too is visible. 

Experience: There is such inner strength that I get because of God's love that even if somebody does something to hurt me, I don't allow myself to get hurt. Even if people are saying negative things, they don't influence or touch me in a negative way. I am so full with God's love that it naturally flows out to those around me. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 17, 2017:  Trust Grows From Faith

Trust Grows From Faith

 

It can be difficult to learn who to trust. When we have had bad experience with people who betrayed our trust in the past, it can be difficult to let anyone else in. It can take some time to learn to trust anyone again. Trust goes both ways. If I want to gain someone's trust, I have to show them that I trust them before he or she will open up to me. When I am truthful, this will be evident in everything I say and do. When others realize this, they will begin to trust me. From trust, love begins to grow.

Absorbing Spiritual Light (Part 3)

Continuing from yesterday’s message, we should not keep the vices bottled up inside us like prisoners. Prisoners are always plotting to escape. If we change them into our friends they can help us. For example, the energy required to be stubborn is almost the same as that required to be determined except that one is positive and the other negative. The soul learns to transfer such energy. Anger becomes tolerance. Greed can be transformed into contentment. Arrogance, or the respect for false identity, can become self-respect. Attachment can be changed into pure love.

The more I inculcate the Supreme Soul or God’s virtues, the closer I feel to Him, but if I allow inner disturbances due to any vice, my high stage is grounded. All the power stored up until that moment will leak away. I must recognize that I really do not like being body-conscious.  As I wish for higher experiences I choose to live the life of a meditator with purity in thought, word and action. Obstructions come within and without, but through my connection with God I am drawing so much power so as to remain unaffected. This needs soul-consciousness. So in discarding the rubbish of the vices I have gathered over many births, I become my original form and maintain it through my closeness or companionship with God.

Make up

While we spend much time 'making up' our faces to ensure our
appearance is beautiful for others, we forget to make up our minds.
This is not about making decisions. Making up our mind means ensuring
that our thoughts are positive and our feelings towards others are
filled with good wishes. When we do, others begin to sense a deeper
beauty emanating from behind the skin! This is inner beauty. Don't
hide behind your face. Let the real you show through…

relax7

Message for the day

Royalty of personality lies in cheerfulness. 

Thought to ponder: A royal person maintains his royalty and poise in all circumstances. Cheerfulness in all situations is royalty. There might be situations challenging my state of self-respect and happiness. But I will continue to move forward with a sense of self-respect and positivity. 

Point to practice: Today I will remain seated on my secret of self-respect in all I do. I will order situations, my mind and my own sense organs whilst seated on this seat. I will not come down and get colored or affected by the negativity of the situation. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Daily Positive Thoughts: August 16, 2017:  Wise Wealth

  

 

Wise Wealth

 

There are many words for which we have forgotten the meaning - love is one such word, and wealth is another. When we hear or use the word wealth today we immediately conjure images of huge cheques, large properties, five star holidays and the very best in everything. In fact it is this limited form of wealth, measured and defined essentially by money which blocks the realization and manifestation of true wealth.

Every human being is wealthy beyond imagination. But not in their bank accounts. Real wealth is completely intangible, invisible and deeply internal. Every human being is a unique individual spiritual entity. And as such, a source of the most precious energy in the universe. Love is the gold of the soul. We are each that gold at the core of our being. But few of us are aware of it, let alone consciously tapping it and expressing it. No one teaches us that love is what we are, that our purpose in life is to know it, and give it, and that when we do, all other energies, including the material stuff, will come back to us. We are taught instead that love is dead, love is daft, love is for softies, love is sex, loving is losing not winning, love is indulgence, love is about doing deals in our relationships. No wonder we are stressed out. We have a totally distorted view of wealth and an inherited belief system which clouds our view and access to the riches we contain within our heart. No wonder there is spiritual poverty amidst affluence, no wonder the destitute wander streets paved with the riches of their neighbours. No wonder the children in the villages of India have a smile that lights up your soul, while the kids in 'material land' are always miserable with their lot!

Are you wealthy, or are you Wealthy?

Absorbing Spiritual Light (Part 2)

How many times do we hear, Oh, he is always in a bad mood..., It is my nature to be irritable..., He will never change... This shows the extent to which the soul's own light has faded and been replaced by the dark curtain of negativity. Therefore it is better that we do not try to deal with each vice and defect individually. As the soul fills itself with the power of spirituality, its overall condition automatically improves.

Another significant point is that there is a deep-rooted awareness within the soul of God and His sanskars, however much it may be covered by dirt and weakness. This is because each soul is the child of God and being his children we inherit his sanskars. These sanskars are present in us when we start playing our part in the physical world, but gradually they fade away as we take more and more births. As these sanskars are brought to the surface of the consciousness, automatically our thoughts and behavior patterns change.

In modern psychology it is stated that we must express all our negative emotions and note suppress them.  But the fact is that letting it out leads the soul further into slavery to that emotion. Remembering that thoughts, decisions and actions are formed on the basis of sanskars, which are deepened by repetition, the soul can only cause harm by expressing any defect or vice. On the other hand, the psychological effect of suppressing negative emotions can be quite drastic. Suppression can lead to severe personality problems, even madness or insanity. The right path is that we emerge our positive sanskars with the help of meditation and other self-development techniques and the negative ones automatically vanish away.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

Inside Connection

When there is the connection outside without looking within, there is
inability to be the best and do the best in situations.  Instead if
there is a constant connection within, before the connection is made
outside, then it becomes easy to express the inner qualities necessary
to deal with the problems outside. When we allow our mind to get
disturbed over small things, it will cost us our peace of mind.  We
are not able to retain our inner power, which is needed to experience
freedom.  On the other hand, if we are able to retain our inner peace,
We can be connected with our innate divine nature.  We are able to
experience true mastery.

Message for the day

As is the aim so is the qualification.

Thought to ponder: If I have a high aim, I will set high standards for myself. I will make efforts to reach that aim. So the qualities that I imbibe will be of a great standard too. So, it is important that I constantly set high standards for myself and make my life qualitatively better. 

Point to practice: Today I will, in any one aspect, set an aim for myself. I will then check to see if I can do a bit better than what I think I can do right now. I will make sure I will set an aim for myself a bit higher than what I normally do. This will increase my qualities and will automatically keep me prepared for higher things. 

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris