Contemplation: April 30, 2019: Secrets to Overcoming Procrastination

Contemplation: April 30, 2019: Secrets to Overcoming Procrastination

Secrets to Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination is not only the thief of time, it is the creator of subtle inner tension. You know you are cheating yourself. There are three secrets to overcoming procrastination. One, don’t wait till you feel like doing it – the feeling will come when you start doing it. Two, list all the things you have to do and then prioritise the list. Three, create a vision of the result and be motivated by the vision of the outcome, not the thought of the process.

Control

Normally control is understood as something which we need to have over
others or situations. So when things go wrong, the first thought is to
control others. But since neither the situations nor the people are in
our hands, we are unable to succeed in controlling them. Instead of
trying to control something that we have no control upon, we need to
start with ourselves. The more we are able to keep a control on
ourselves with constant attention, checking and changing, the more we
will be able to have everything in control.

Negative Control And Domination In Relationships

In a lot many of the different types of relationships we find ourselves in, may they be our personal relationships or at the workplace, we sometimes feel ourselves to be in a position where we feel we are being dominated and controlled negatively by the opposite person. A very common example of the above negative energy, in personal and non-personal relationships, is when someone gets angry with you and manages to make you react and get upset, they mange to dominate you. Over a period of time they start realizing that they possess an invisible and powerful remote control, using which, whenever they want to control you, what they should do is to get angry with you and that way they will achieve the desired control. Their anger becomes a remote control. When you react you are allowing this control or allowing the other's remote control to work. It is you that chooses to allow yourself to be influenced and dominated. It is important for us to realize that we can choose and take the decision to allow ourselves to be controlled and dominated, or we can choose to express what we feel without being affected by the reaction of the other and still maintaining our love, respect and good wishes for the other.

Let us not allow ourselves to be dominated and influenced by entities external to us which includes objects and people or we will lose energy. Each moment we allow another person's remote control to work successfully or we allow an object to control and dominate our emotional state, we weaken internally. We become like a puppet in the other person's hands. A puppet is never powerful because it does not act on its own but is controlled by someone else. We need to prevent that, if we want to conserve our energy and remain spiritually strong. Meditation and spiritual knowledge both increase our spiritual strength and also increase our self esteem or self respect over a period of time. Both these increases help us remain in self control and not only disallow the other's remote control to work but also become assertive (not aggressive) and take a stand when required.

Soul Sustenance

Performing A Spiritual Audit At The End Of The Day - Part 2

Yesterday we had explained how self evaluation at the end of the day is extremely vital to one's progress and development. A useful exercise in this regard is keeping a daily chart for about 3 personality traits or points and filling it up every night (lesser than 3 is also fine, but not more , because then you might feel lazy in keeping the chart after a few days and also you might lose focus and the personality traits may not transform as much as you want). You could either evaluate yourself with a yes or no or perform a percentage wise evaluation like 50% or 90% for e.g. We have mentioned below, some of the common traits from which you could select the traits to keep a daily chart for. You could incorporate some other specific traits (not mentioned in this list), which you want to change or develop, depending on your personality:

In the entire day, today; not only in my words and actions, but also in my thoughts:
* Did I see everyone's specialties and keep good wishes for each one, in spite of obvious weaknesses being visible?
* Did I remain free from all forms of anger, like irritation, frustration, grudge, revenge, etc.?
* Did I ensure that I neither give nor take sorrow, hurt, pain from anyone?
* Did I remain free from waste and negative?
* Did I remain ego less?
* Did I remain untouched by name, fame, praise, insult?
* Did I remain stable?
* Did I remain free from judgments, criticism, jealousy, comparison, hatred, etc.?
* Did I keep a conscious of serving each one whom I met?
* Did I bring the 8 main powers into practice and experience being powerful?
* Did I remain in self-respect and give respect to everyone?
* Did I practice being soul-conscious in actions and interactions?
* Did I take a one minute break every hour to reflect, meditate and control the traffic of thoughts in the mind?


Message for the day

Humility is to respect everything that comes our way.

Expression: To love simple things is humility. It teaches to respect all that life brings. That means there is an ability to appreciate and value everything appropriately. So one is able to use everything that comes one way to the fullest extent for the benefit of the self and that of others.

Experience: When I am humble I am able to remain focused on my inner peace and not lose my sense of personal well-being. I am able to simply learn from everything that happens to my life and add on to this sense of well-being. No situation is difficult or impossible to work on, but I am able to overcome all challenges with ease.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 29, 2019: Travelling Companions

Contemplation: April 29, 2019: Travelling Companions

Travelling Companions

On the journey of life, we find many travelling companions. Some are like-minded, others' are incompatible.  Some encourage us to travel further; others' may hold us back.  Some stay with us until their own journey steers them on a different course, and then we say goodbye!

Today, take a moment to appreciate your travelling companions.

Co-operation

Normally there is a tendency to do everything alone. We mostly feel
that it is much easier not to involve too many people in order to
avoid the different kinds of personalities we have to deal with. We do
expect others' help but not always do we get that. We then continue to
blame them which only creates negative feelings. So the responsibility
seems like a burden and we feel heavy. The basis of the success of any
task is the combined resources of many people. Each and everyone have
his own specialties and when we are able to connect to them, we are
able to make use of them for the task. So even the biggest task seems
easy with the cooperation of all. Secondly, our positive feelings
combined with the good wishes of all involved will be for the task
which will add to its success.

Identity Crisis

The primary quality or the original condition of a pure mind, a pure self, is peace. Initially there was no confusion about 'who I am'. As time passed by, and we came in the process of birth and rebirth, we began to identify with what we are not, starting with our own physical form, and then with external things like lands, positions, material possessions and people. These multiple identities generated the first confusions. In those moments, our inner peace was broken. This is why today many of us suffer from an identity crisis, but we are so used to living in this crisis that we are not even aware that it is a crisis. We are not sure what we should be. We are constantly comparing ourselves with others. We regularly aim to be like others. We even imitate (copy) the lifestyles of others: all signs that we don't know who or what we are. And if we think we are sure about who we are, the stability it brings does not last for long, as it is almost always based on something external to the self, something that must therefore be subject to change. In other words each and every one of us has learned to identify with something we are not.

This loss of true self-identity, at the most deep level, the spiritual level, is what gives rise to fear. And when what we fear might happen actually does happen, we get angry and try to control what we cannot control, so that it doesn't happen again.

Soul Sustenance

Performing A Spiritual Audit At The End Of The Day - Part 1

Our normal day at the office or/and at home is filled with lots of actions and interactions. On a normal day, without realizing consciously, we create almost 30,000-40,000 thoughts. So, not only are we active physically but extremely active on a subtle or non-physical level also. Imagine sleeping with all this burden of thoughts, words and actions which have been created throughout the day, many of which have been waste and negative in nature. What would be the resulting quality of my sleep? So it is extremely important to perform a spiritual/emotional audit or evaluation at the end of each day.

In a lot of professional sectors of life today, people recognize the need for reflection and audit, not only of financial records but also a general evaluation of the respective sector, to maintain and improve both the service to customers and the job satisfaction of people working in the sector. Checking my own behavior, as a daily exercise; not just checking, but also bringing about respective changes for the next day, enables me to continue to develop and grow, as a human being and in the quality of my work and personal and professional relationships. Have gone through the self-evaluation, it is also advised to become completely light by submitting the mistakes made and heaviness accumulated in the day to the Supreme Being. Doing this helps me put a full-stop to the same and settle all my spiritual accounts at the end of the day. I need to put an end to all commas (when looking at scenes that caused me to slow down and reduced the speed of my progress), question marks (when looking at scenes which caused a why, what, how, when, etc.... in my consciousness) and exclamation marks (when looking at negative or waste scenes, which were unexpected and surprising) which were created in the day's activities. Along with remembering what all good happened during the day, what did I achieve and what good actions did I perform, there is lots to forget at the end of the day, which should not be carried into my sleep at any cost. Disturbed, thought-filled, unsound sleep, will result in a not so fresh body and mind the next morning, which will cause my mood to be disturbed, adversely affecting the following day.

(To be continued tomorrow...) 

Message for the day

To be clean at heart is to give happiness to others.

Expression: The one who has a clean heart is the one who always tries to do the best for those with whom he comes in contact. Thus, the person develops the ability to accept others as they are and ignore anything wrong done by them. Instead, he is able to do the right action without losing the balance. So such a person brings happiness for himself and for others through every action he performs.

Experience: When I have a clean heart I am able to have an experience of my inner qualities. I am able to enjoy the beauty of the different relationships, each relationship and each person being unique. Thus others are able to get in touch with their inner beauty too. So there is happiness experienced by all.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 28, 2019: Motivate Yourself

Contemplation: April 28, 2019: Motivate Yourself

Motivate Yourself

It's a tough life. Some days it’s hard to get out of bed and get going. Why? How come our levels of enthusiasm seem to fall so easily? Why can't we get ourselves motivated? Simple, really. We try to reverse the energy flow in a universe where all energy is radiating outwards. We try to break one of the spiritual laws. We are taught that winning and achieving is about getting and keeping, when the truth is that it is about giving. Winners are go givers not go-getters, and their definition of winning is not getting one over on the other guy, but overcoming their inertia and giving something of themselves to someone or something other than themselves. This reverses the flow of energy from outside in, to inside out, and as we all know, the deepest satisfaction in life comes from giving. While it is hard to fathom living a life of giving, when everyone else is on the take, there is an ancient law which ensures that if we did, we would never go without. I think you know what that law is. It allows you to be motivated in a completely different way. No need for any magical formulas or rigid belief systems ... try it today!! What you give is what you...

relax7

Fortune

Fortune is usually perceived as having a chance to be in a special
place or to have the chance to do special things. Life reveals that we
cannot always be in such a position nor do we get a chance to do such
special things. At such times we tend to consider ourselves less
fortunate. All we need to do is to make a value addition to every task
we do. We can do this when we are stabilized in our state of self-
respect and we are aware of our specialties. When we are connected to
our specialties in all we do, we can make even our most ordinary act
special. This is to be really fortunate.

Experiencing Perfection And Success In Role Playing (cont.)

While playing my different roles, another important ability (a few abilities were mentioned in yesterday's message) that I need to possess is to become victorious over the different scenes that I play. What does that mean? I need to remember that every scene, every act, whether positive or negative, in every role, shall pass. No scene or act is permanent. What happens is that, in a bodily consciousness, each time I am part of a positive scene in my life; I tend to become attached to it and want to hold on it and keep it with me permanently, which is not possible. And each time I am part of a negative scene, I tend to become impatient and want it to get over as soon as possible, which again is not possible all the time. As if a few minutes or few days of the scene or act are difficult for me to pass or bear. Positive scenes bring me into a strong, temporary wave of happiness or excitement and negative scenes into a wave of deep sorrow, both of which are incorrect emotions. To make sure that I don't get taken in by both these waves, which is becoming victorious over scenes, I need to remain detached while playing different roles in different scenes. I will be able to become a master at this detachment, again when I am established completely as my spiritual self.

Separating role and actor increases opportunities for seeing what my role actually demands, and reduces the chances of being unduly influenced by others. Stepping away from the stage, even for a moment, I'll see more clearly how the other actors in that particular scene are behaving, and what is required of me. So, in this regard, it's a good practice that at different times of the day, I step back for a few seconds and detach myself from the role that I am playing and remind myself that I am a pure being of consciousness, a sparkling star like energy full of peace, love and happiness and nothing else. This is my spiritual identity.

Soul Sustenance

Your Identity is Your Destiny

There is a direct connection between identity and destiny. It's a simple process to see and understand, even on a daily basis. If you wake up irritated (in a bad mood) it means you are seeing yourself as an irritated being (soul). Perhaps you even think and sometimes say to your self, “I’m irritated today.”

It means your self-identity is negative. So you filter the world through your negative filter and the world actually looks like an irritable place. As a result, you think negative thoughts, generate a negative attitude and give negative energy to others. They in turn will likely return the same negative energy, which you are sending to them and perhaps avoid you altogether. So your destiny of the day becomes …. Not so positive! Now see the same principle and process in life on larger scale. Look around outside you now, and you will see a reflection of how you see your self inside. Your circumstances, your relationships and even the events of the day reflect back to you how you see yourself.

Message for the day

The one who is able to discriminate well is able to bring about real benefit.

Expression: Everyone naturally works for the benefit of the self and others. But the one who discriminates well is able to understand the other person's need and give accordingly. So whatever is done naturally brings benefit for others and also for the self.

Experience: When I am able to bring benefit for the right person at the right time with the right thing, I am able to win the trust of the other person. I expect nothing in return, but have the satisfaction of helping at the right time.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 27, 2019: Out of the Box

Contemplation: April 27, 2019: Out of the Box

Beautiful Box of Joseph I of Portugal, by Jean Ducrollay, 1756...gold, silver and diamonds

Out of the Box

When we get stuck in attitudes & habits, we confine ourselves to living within the 'box'.

'Boxes' can be useful.  They can ground our ideas & imagination.  But when the 'box' becomes rigid & out-dated; that's when fear stays in & creativity stays out.

Dismantle the 'box'; the attitudes & habits that are working against you.  Get out of the 'box'!  Be free & live fully.

Responsibility

When we are responsible for something or someone, we tend to feel
burdened. This becomes like a bondage, which doesn't let us fly. The
feeling is of being trapped like a caged bird. So the work is not done
in the best way as feel handicapped by the situation. The true meaning
of responsibility is not just additional duties to be done, but has
more to do with being honest to the task and doing everything with a
sense of purpose. When we do it with this attitude we find things
getting easier and we also receive help at every step. We are able to
accomplish more work with more lightness and we enjoy all we do.

Experiencing Perfection And Success In Role Playing (cont.)

Continuing from yesterday's message, if I'm able to protect and maintain my inner spiritual identity in each role that I play in the day, it's much easier for me to switch roles. I switch roles so many times even in one particular day. If I lose myself in a particular role, my mind and intellect tends to become limited and restricted to that role and I'm not able to see beyond the immediate needs of the role and I find it difficult to adapt to another role. As a father, for example, I may also be called upon to play the different roles of husband or a Managing Director or a friend or a brother or a son or a son-in-law etc. Also many a times, for e.g. in the absence of the mother, I may have to play the role of the mother or in the absence of the Plant Manager in my company on a particular day, I may have to play his role, etc., both being roles that I do not normally play. I'll have a better chance of being able to fulfill all these roles if I don't get too caught up in any of the roles while playing them and remain in my spiritual consciousness while playing them. A spiritual consciousness will keep me detached.

Every role demands different positive personality traits or sanskaras to be put into practice. I need to be flexible and possess the ability to pick those personality traits from my complete spiritual store house of personality traits that I the soul possess inside me, that are best suited to the role and are required for that role at that particular moment, so that the role and the act is played accurately and perfectly to my satisfaction as well as the other's satisfaction. In a bodily, limited consciousness, I will not be able to that.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Qualities, Virtues And Powers

Innate or basic characteristics are properties that are unchangeable. It's impossible to take the heat out of the sun or sweetness out of sugar. Heat and sweetness are part of the unchanging make-up of the sun and sugar respectively; they are the basic properties of each of them. In the same way, in spite of whatever I have become as a human individual, my deep basic characteristics are still the same ones that have always existed in me. It's my inner core of qualities that in fact inspires me to seek the ideal in whatever I do. The impulse to seek and to dream comes from my own store of innate attributes that is just waiting to be found and brought into practical activity.

The innate qualities of the soul are those that are the most basic: Peace, Truth, Happiness, Love, Purity, Power and Bliss. They are so basic that they themselves are the foundation of all virtues and powers. They are like primary colors and virtues and powers are secondary colors. Just as orange (a secondary color) is made of red and yellow (both primary colors) and blue is made of yellow and green, virtues such as patience, tolerance, courage, generosity etc. and powers, are obtained by mixing the basic qualities e.g.

Patience - peace, love and, power Humility – love, peace and truth
Courage - power and truth

The aim of meditation is to emerge and enhance my qualities so that my behavior becomes full of virtues and powers. 

Message for the day

To do something altruistic each day is to ensure happiness.

Expression: When there is the thought to do something altruistic for someone every day, there is the ability to give happiness unconditionally. Whatever the relationship or whatever the personality of the other person, the one who develops the habit of doing this, is able to remain a source of support for those around.

Experience: The best gift I can give is to give happiness and to finish sorrow. When I am constantly thinking of this, not for any reward but just for the sake of it, I am able to discover and enjoy the fruit of that action. I am free from expectations and am able to enjoy the action itself.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 26, 2019: Great Souls

Contemplation: April 26, 2019: Great Souls

Great Souls

Great souls take advantage of every moment and every opportunity to give happiness to others through kindness in their thoughts; such souls are willing to overlook weaknesses and mistakes and have the desire to help everyone reach their potential.

True Contentment

Many times I find that my words, actions or behaviour tend to upset
others in spite of my not wanting to hurt them. I seem to be very happy
with the situation, but others don't seem to be. At that time I am not
really able to understand the reason for this and I consider the
others to be unreasonable. I need to check myself when others are
getting upset with me. I need to make effort to check and change
myself constantly so that I am able to move along with the demands of
time. This is what will bring about true contentment - such
contentment that neither will I be upset nor will I upset others.

Experiencing Perfection And Success In Role Playing

Spirituality gives me the detached realization of being pure consciousness. This realization not only detaches me from my physical body, but also detaches me from the different roles I play through my physical body (male or female) and the different acts or scenes in each role, in one particular day or one particular lifetime. The roles may be many, the acts and the scenes may be many, but I am the actor playing the different roles and participating in the different acts.

There is great strength in experiencing myself as an actor as compared to the previous existence in which I used to lose myself and forget my spiritual identity completely while playing the different roles, identifying more with the roles and thinking myself to be the role instead of being a spiritual actor.  An actor, even while in the midst of the most dramatic scenes, even whilst getting excited or emotional or angry, knows he is not the part itself, the part is just temporary. He knows he is something more than that, and that when the play is over, the role will not exist anymore. So, even though I play my role, I don't cut off myself from the role and don't leave my responsibilities, I need to adopt the observer or spectator or detached consciousness instead of the player consciousness. A player tends to get over-involved. So, the balance has to be maintained - I play as well as remain detached. Only then the roles will be played to complete perfection and I will experience success in each role.

(To be continued tomorrow ...)

Soul Sustenance

Understanding And Expressing Your Potential - Part 2

A person with a free mind (discussed yesterday) can use all of their creative capacity in order to live out their dreams.

To use one's creative capacity fully means:

• Being aware of the power of the imagination and channeling it in a constructive way.

• Being able and to be open to discovering and to learning.

• Becoming aware and dissolving self-limiting beliefs.

• Being attracted by excellence, embracing the experiences of superior quality and letting go of the desires and experiences of lesser quality.

• Having good discrimination power thanks to which one has a good power of decision.

• Having the will power and discipline to apply decision.

• Having the courage to be different and to overcome obstacles.

Message for the day

To forgive is to give correction.

Expression: When there is forgiveness, the harm of the mistake is forgotten. The mistake itself is remembered only to the extent that the correction is to be given. So there are no negative feelings expressed even while giving correction. And the words that are used are few but prove to be very effective.

Experience: When I learn the art of forgiving I am able to be free from the burden of negative and waste thinking. So there is never any difficulty in giving correction when necessary. The mind is free from the attitudes of the past and it creates harmony in relationships even if the opinions or personalities don't match.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 25, 2019: Introversion

Contemplation: April 25, 2019: Introversion

Trolltunga, Norway

Introversion

The ability to enjoy one's own company is one of the greatest gifts life has to offer. Learning to turn my thoughts away from all my responsibilities at the day's end and take my mind into a state of peace and benevolence enables me to carry greater and greater loads without feeling the burden. When my inner landscape is full of beautiful thoughts, everything I do is a pleasure. Gently, I calm down chaotic situations and offer solace to troubled minds.

Attachment

In life we get attracted and become attached to a particular object,
person, relationship or situation. Attachment seems to be the normal
state of our living experience. We seek it without a second thought.
Is attachment a desirable state? When a person develops a strong
attachment, he is likely to become sorrowful when the attachment is
broken or diminished. His emotional and mental state suffers. The
broken hearted, the vindictive behavior, the hatred, the jealousy and
sometimes suicides are the result of broken attachments. It is a risky
business to make the happiness of others our total happiness; to
experience the difficulties of others as our difficulties. We should
not build our life to such an extent around someone else's life or any
object so that when anything goes wrong we cannot function or we fall
apart. It is healthier, stronger and much more in wisdom to love
everything and everybody, play our roles and perform our duties to the
maximum with everybody and still remain detached. We will be able to
provide more help to others when we ourselves are strong from within.

Experiencing The Subtle Body Or Body Of Light (Meditation)

I feel comfortable... peaceful... I focus my eyes on a specific point and let them rest there... My hands are in my lap... I am aware of my breathing... I begin to breathe deeply, inhaling and exhaling... When I inhale, I imagine an energy filling my lungs that relaxes me... it makes me peaceful... it calms me... On letting go of the air, I feel that all the tension, worries, confusion... are leaving me... After some moments of deep breathing, I centre my attention on my feet, where I feel a gentle light energy... like a vibration that relaxes my feet... I mentally withdraw this energy that connects to my feet... I visualize how a white light goes slowly up my ankles... my legs... like a light current... I feel as if my feet, legs... were to disappear... become light... weightless... I carry on bringing my attention upwards, slowly through my body through    my pelvis, until my chest... I feel that current of warm white light running through this part of my body...

Now I look at my hands... I separate them... I move my fingers... I relax them, feeling how that white light withdraws, going up my arms... My arms relax... my hands... my arms are weightless... This gentle light energy now goes up my neck and envelops my face... Waves of light and peace run over my face... the muscles of my face are relaxed... I feel very light... a pleasant feeling of well being is filling my entire body... I experience a very deep peace within me... I concentrate this light energy at the centre of my forehead... I visualize this light energy as a star floating between my eyes... that radiates energy and light... I am live energy... I am light... my form is light... I am a being of light... I am free... different from my body... I feel incorporeal (non-physical)... beyond the awareness of my body... I feel at peace... free... completely free of the limitations of this body and the physical world... I am a being of peace... I radiate this energy of peace in the form of vibrations that spread outwards... to the place I am in... to my surroundings... and all the atmosphere becomes peaceful and calm. I enjoy this state of being light.

Soul Sustenance

Understanding And Expressing Your Potential - Part 1

A free being is the one who recognizes their potential; they care for it, nourish it, use it and express it. It is an awakened being. It has stopped blaming, complaining and making excuses. It has taken on its full responsibility and has an attitude of gratitude at each moment. It is a relaxed being, but it does not get too comfortable in comfort zones or laziness. Out of peacefulness and spiritual strength, it rises above beliefs that limit their potential to grow and shine.

Its energy is full of love, courage and determination. It is a concentrated energy that governs their mind and emotions; it is not distracted by the unimportant, it does not lose sight of the important and does not allow itself to be trapped by anything or anybody. Therefore, their energy is fully centred and has great power. Not the false power that comes from stress, adrenaline, pride and ego, but rather the power that arises from a being whose conscience, decisions and actions are aligned. From a being that knows that nothing or nobody can prevent it from being free and express their full potential. A free mind is a mind without limits, open to everything and closed to nothing. It is a mind that clings on to nothing and, because of this, is relaxed with everything. A mind is closed because it gets stuck on something; it is blocked by fears or disturbed by worries. A person with a busy, closed and clinging mind will get disturbed, they will fluctuate, they will lose their emotional stability and they will be easily offended. This doesn't happen to a person with a free, open and relaxed mind because they never lose sight of the true meaning of who they are.

(To be continued tomorrow …)


Message for the day

To search for solutions is to use resources for the right cause.

Expression: Usually a lot of energy and time is wasted to find the cause of something that goes wrong. But thinking about that only wastes the resources that could be used for finding solutions. So it is not necessary to understand the causes but to find solutions. So the one who understands this fact is able to make the best use of available resources to correct the situation.

Experience: Being focused on the solution rather than on the problem, I am able to use all my inner resources in the right way. I am free from complaints and am able to put in effort to do the best in the given situation. I am constantly happy and content because I know that there is a solution for every problem.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

https://astudypoint.blogspot.com/

Contemplation: April 24, 2019: Think Simply

Contemplation: April 24, 2019: Think Simply

Think Simply

With so many choices and decisions, so many demands from people and events, in our modern fast changing world, it's a real challenge to 'keep it simple'. Making it simple means making things easy and clear. The magic wand to wave over your life is 'planning and prioritising'. Make plans, long and short term and then prioritise. Then practise taking one thing at a time, so you can have one thought at a time, with some space before you have to have your next thought. But don't get attached to your plans or priorities. Be flexible (easy) and yet focused (clear) and in this way you can teach yourself to think simply and act simply. One thought at a time. At your own pace. In your own space. A simple life is a contented life.

Full-stop

Constant awareness of a positive thought enables me to maintain my own
inner positivity. The way to remain stable is to apply a full-stop.
When difficult situations come my way, it is very natural to have
questions and exclamations in the mind. It becomes very difficult to
apply a full-stop and finish the situation in my mind. Because of such
waste thoughts I am not able to experience stability in difficult
situations. I need to bring out in my mind one or the other positive
point about the situation. When I understand the meaning behind the
situation, I am able to accept it. This acceptance enables me to be
free from waste questions and negative thoughts and I am easily able
to apply a full-stop. This is what brings inner stability. (No
question-mark.... why me, when, how, who...?)

Negative Reactions To Negative Actions

We very commonly react negatively with anger to another person's anger filled words or actions, which we perceive to be unjustified or unreasonable. But this kind of action on our part, which we feel is our right and is a justified reaction or response, only adds to the negative energy already existing inside a particular situation, increasing the energy and making the situation even more complicated and difficult to resolve. Two negatives never make a positive, they make a higher negative, to which a very high positive has to be added (as compared to before) to bring the situation back to neutral or normal. Also, when you react, you are doing exactly what you believe the other person, the attacker, is doing - injuring someone on an emotional level, which is a form of subtle violence. 

Lastly and very importantly, the other person's negative and impulsive behavior, directed at you, portrays that at that particular moment he/she is experiencing an emptiness or void of wisdom, joy, peace, love and power, a void which he/she believes you have created and can only be re-filled by you. The anger filled action is a desire directed towards you, for this filling up. Hidden behind his/her anger is the feeling, "Because of this person, I have lost my happiness at this particular moment and he/she should give it back to me immediately", which means that the other person is lacking the realization that no other person is ever responsible for your happiness. You are, always. Instead of switching on the awareness of this spiritual fact and emerging the value of forgiveness inside yourself, forgiveness because the other person is lacking this wisdom at that moment of time, you react, which makes you similar to him possessing a similar belief, something which you will definitely not appreciate too much. But, what happens is that the emotional storm inside you at that moment hides your ability to see how you are yourself injuring your spiritual heart. While you are in that emotional state, there is no way you can heal the wounds of the other's heart i.e. correct the other person.

Soul Sustenance

Stress Management

Standing Back, Observing and Steering -

Standing Back : We can do this individually or as a team, when stressful situations occur. We may take a few minutes to stand back mentally and physically from the situation or scene.

Observing : The next step is to re-view the situation, as if we are an onlooker or a detached observer. Being as silent as possible, we can ask ourselves if the thoughts we are having are the ones we wish to keep, if they are going where we would choose them to.

Steering : In the resulting silence, it is possible to steer (change direction) our thinking to where we want it to be; perhaps to personal affirmations (positive thoughts) we use to calm us. The affirmations can be: 'I am aware of myself as calm and peaceful or, ….as happy and satisfied’, etc.

This technique changes our attitudes and feelings, which influences positively the situation as well as how others respond.

Message for the day

To have a clear aim of where the action will lead is to be successful in everything.

Expression: Many a times it so happens that one acts immediately seeing a situation. But the one who is successful analyses the situation and predicts the outcome of the action that he performs and then acts keeping the end result in mind. Because of knowing the consequences of the actions before actually performing that action, he is able to continue putting in effort in spite of the challenges and difficulties. So he continues to give his best to the task.

Experience: When I am able to give time to myself to think before performing any action, I am able to take the opportunity to be clear in my thinking. The consequences of the action I wish to take are clear in my mind and so, the action taken to overcome the situation is right. Hence, I receive easy and sure success.


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

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