S.T.O.P.

We stop driving as soon as we see a red signal. But in our day to day life do we put a brake on our self whenever we see red??? We tend to get carried away emotionally . Often, the turbulence within surfaces in the form of violent irrational behavior. Instead of responding to the situation, we react.


TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS.

As long as you blame people for your feelings, and believe they caused your feelings, you're stuck. You're a helpless victim. But if you recognize the fact that you choose your feelings and are responsible for your feelings, there's hope. Take some time to think about your feelings and decide what is the best thing to say or do.

Luckily, the other day, I heard a talk by Dr. Deepak Chopra and liked his theory. He calls it STOP.

• S = Stop immediately. Get a hold on yourself. Do not react.

• T = Take a couple of deep breaths

• O = Observe yourself. Be aware of your emotions and thoughts

• P = Proceed. Once you have regained control on yourself, move in the correct direction.

Even after years of practice, I do tend to react to the situation and later ruminate over it. We are not perfect but we can always try.

STOP worked for me.

Hope it works for you all as well…. People do not cause your feelings, You choose them.

The Storm

A lady was driving along with her father.


They came upon a storm, and the young lady asked her father, What should I do?

He said "keep driving". Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse.

The lady panicked. "What should I do." she asked? "Keep driving," her father replied.

She noticed that trawlers were also pulling over. She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!"

Her father told her, "Don't give up, just keep driving!"

Now the storm was terrible, but she continued driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out.

Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out." She said "But why now?"

He said "When you get out, look back at all the people that gave up and are still in the storm, because you never gave up, your storm is now over.

Friends, we all go through hard times sometime during our life.

Just because everyone else, even the strongest, gives up, You don't have to...if you keep going, soon your storm will be over and the sun will shine upon your face again.

"Never give up, because GOD never gives up on you."

Hand of GOD

Since the very first day of my life on this planet which we call Earth, GOD has played an array of roles in my life.

These roles did not pull me down but guided me in a number of ways during my life's journey here.

The different roles of GOD which has had a tremendous influence in my life are Father, Mother, Siblings, Teachers, Husband, Children, In laws and Friends...

Lessons learnt from each one --

Father -- Self confidence

Mother -- Love and compassion, Honesty, Non injury

Siblings -- Sharing and caring

Teacher/Guide/Guru --Wisdom, Knowledge, Discipline

Husband -- Trust, Endurance

Children -- Self respect, Faith, Devotion, Trust

In laws -- Acceptance,  Self control, Tolerance

Friends -- Togetherness through thick and thin

These are my life's lessons

What a transformation !!!

What have you learnt.???

Power to Change

We are so immersed rather trapped in our own lives with tasks and responsibilities that the ability to look at ourselves is missing completely. We have forgotten to live, to see the truth of  who we are, why we are as we are and how to change it.

The pain and hardships that follow chronic problems in our lifestyles and relationships play havoc in our lives  so much so that we are unable to get our foothold and bring back equilibrium into our lives.

However, we forget that in reality coping with these unnerving experiences sharpens us to become better individuals.

Simple well chosen words accentuates self confidence, calms an aggressive mind and aids in setting and achieving goals. The most popular line “Every day in every way I am getting better”. Some  call these affirmations Auto-suggestions.

For the positive affirmations to bring about a real change in our life, our subconscious mind, the seat of our true thoughts and behavior, needs to be tapped. Without our subconscious mind a change in our lifestyle is difficult because the conscious mind will resist.

When we  power the mind with positive affirmations we encourage ourselves towards a positive change. These positive affirmations deliver a positive message to our subconscious mind and help boost and reinforce a positive change in us.

• Sit in a quiet place. Relax. Quiet the mind by focusing on your breathing. This will help you to develop mental self-control and avoid distractions.
• Incorporate a wish for some goal to be reached and an expectation that it will.
• Evoke a strong positive affirmation during the process.

Let us bloom like the lotus because  the lotus swarms muddy waters, being held by a stem which rarely breaks no matter how much pressure  is applied.

The Pencil

A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter.


At one point he asked, ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’

His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson, ‘I am writing about the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special. ‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’

‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’

First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God and He always guides us according to His will.

Second quality: now and then, you have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.

Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.

Fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. In just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.



LET US SPEND A MOMENT TO REFLECT WITHIN AND LEARN. WILL YOU!!!

Food for Thought

A tourist complimented the local fishermen on the quality of their fish and asked how long it took to catch them. Not very long, they answered in unison. Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?

The fishermen explained that their small catches were sufficient to meet their needs and those of their families.

But what do you do with the rest of your time?

We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take siestas with our wives. In the evenings, we go into the village to see our friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. We have a full life.

The tourist interrupted, I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!

You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.

And after that? asked the fishermen.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate

directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant.

You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City.

From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.

How long would that take? Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years, replied the tourist.

And after that? asked the fishermen.

Afterwards? Well my friend, answered the tourist, laughing. When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions.

And after that? asked the fishermen.

After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children,

catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying with your friends.

With all due respect sir, but that's exactly what we are doing now. So what's the point wasting twenty-five years? asked the Mexicans.

And the moral of this story is:

Know where you're going in life, you may already be there! Many times in life, money is not everything.

Live your life before life becomes lifeless.

Namaste

A custom which is of Indian origin is used globally in various ways.

Namaste is an Indian custom of greeting and respect. The bowing of head with hands folded at the heart chakra is inculcated in us from childhood.

Namaste is the combination of nama means to bow and te means you. In other words, it means I bow to you. Both the hands are joined with the palms facing each other at the level of our heart chakra , the seat of love and compassion.

During prayers, with the head slightly bowed, the hands are folded at the heart chakra, finger tips of both the palms touch each other not the palms. The folded hands are then raised upto the forehead, thumbs touching the ajna chakra. At the end of the prayers, the hands are placed at the heart chakra with wrists touching the chest.

Namaste posture is also used for invocations during Reiki initiations, at the start and end of healing sessions.

When you greet an individual with an Atma Namaste, you identify him / her as a jivatma and not in his / her physical form.

When you want to be forgiven for hurting someone knowingly or unknowingly through words, deeds or action, look in his / her eyes and say, I salute the divinity in you. I salute the GOD in you. You identify the presence of GOD in the jivatma and ask for forgiveness.

Benefits: When the hands are folded, divine energy is assimilated through the hand minor chakras. At the heart, the flow of love increases due to activation of the heart chakra. Bowing the head and closing the eyes during prayer helps the mind to surrender to the Divine in the heart. At the same time, subtle energies from the lower chakras get activated. This enables the body to accept large amounts of divine energy emitted by the  GOD / Deity. When the thumb touches the ajna chakra, the mind once again surrenders, divine energy enters through the ajna and flows through the entire body through the Sushumna nadi. Thus purifying the physical (gross) and energy (subtle) bodies at the same time. When the hands are placed at the heart chakra with wrists touching the chest, one is able to completely imbibe divine energy.

Therefore friends, use Namaste  frequently in your day to day life...

Signing off with a Namaste…… means warm regards..