Spiritual Growth: the Spiritual Challenge of Modern Times

Spiritual Growth: the Spiritual Challenge of Modern Times 

To grow spiritually in a world defined by power, money, and influence is a Herculean task. Modern conveniences such as electronic equipments, gadgets, and tools as well as entertainment through television, magazines, and the web have predisposed us to confine our attention mostly to physical needs and wants. As a result, our concepts of self-worth and self-meaning are muddled. How can we strike a balance between the material and spiritual aspects of our lives? 


To grow spiritually is to look inward.


Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.


To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.


Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize. Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.


To grow spiritually is to search for meaning.


Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm.  Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to---a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.


To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections.


Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.


Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible. 

How To Determine What You Want In Life

How To Determine What You Want In Life

What do you really want in life?


Most people don’t discover what they want in life until it’s time to die – and that’s a shame.


Most people spend the best years of their lives watching television or doing things they dislike. An author described humanity by saying, “Most people die at twenty and are buried at eighty.” Are you one of the living zombies?


What do you really want in life?
Some people struggle in answering such question. When asked what they want or what their goals in life are, many are unsure. They dillydally in their decision, hardly giving any thought about what they want in life. People without definite goals are letting time pass them by. Are you one of these people?


If you are undecided about what you want out of life, do not worry.  There are many ways of discovering your purpose in life.


To discover what you want in life, try looking deep into your heart. Oftentimes, people are ruled by logic. People live by what they think they should be or by what others like them to be. The discovery process is the perfect time to listen to your heart. What your heart desires comes from the whispers of your authentic self. Your authentic self is the real you.  


Listen to your heart to be able to listen to your authentic self. What your heart says usually feels right. What your heart desires is what you usually love to do and this represents your passion. Anything done with passion is like play where the task is accomplished without hesitation. You pour out your very best and feel no pressure or resistance. 


You will totally enjoy doing things that are your passion. Setbacks, difficulties, and obstacles will make it more challenging, but should not deter you from pursuing your goals. Naturally, there may be barriers that may prevent you from reaching your goal, but your heart’s desire will find ways to overcome these barriers so that you may ultimately get what you want in life. Remember this: the universe supports people who are pursuing their passion and those who are pursuing their destiny. 


However, this does not mean that you don’t use your head. People are born with both the mind and heart. Your duty is to live your best life and be in harmony with your mind and heart. The poet Rumi wisely said, “Live completely in the head and you cannot feel the breath and rhythm of life. Live completely in the heart and you may find yourself acting like a love-struck fool with poor judgment and discipline. It’s all a fine balance - the head and heart must forge a lifetime partnership if one wants to live a beautiful life.”  


Listen to your instinct. Part of human nature is the mysterious and spontaneous reaction on things. Often times, these are called instincts. Your authentic self communicates with you and guides you via instincts. Instincts are those gentle nudges that urge you to act and follow a certain path. Your role then is to listen attentively.


Often times, we listen to what others say and allow them to run our lives. Parents often do this to their children. “We come from a family of doctors, so my son must also be a doctor.” How often do we hear this from parents who have good intentions for their children? Parents unconsciously block the true expression of their child’s real self and calling. Friends and critics will discourage you and point out the impossibility of your dream. Before heeding their advice, evaluate the accomplishments of the critics. Did they achieve theirs dreams? Do they dream big at all?


Remember, it is your destiny that is in line, not theirs. It doesn’t mean, though, that you will not listen to what other people say. Hear them out just the same. But the final decision should be yours.


There is only thing to remember: Every person, to live truly and greatly, must define how he wants to live and what his brightest life will look like.  Listen to your instincts and follow your heart’s desire. You will never go wrong.

How to Deal with People to Get What You Want

How to Deal with People to Get What You Want 

People communicate with each other in various ways for a lot of reasons. And one of these reasons is when you need something from someone. For people in business, this can either be in the form of products or services. You may want to sell a product while the other party must find your product useful for his intention. You may want to offer your services while the other party must be satisfied with the services you render according to his needs. In short, the way to get somebody or anybody to do what you want is to make them want to do it.


To get something you want through intimidation or violence is to invite trouble. Yes, it’s possible but not advisable to use forceful methods because the results are undesirable and at times disastrous. Imagine if you force an employee to take a leave of absence for having apparently violated a company rule. The relationship between management and the employee, or perhaps between management and union (if the employee is a member of it), is likely to be severed. 


To get what you want, give people what they want. Just what do people want? Physical health, family ties, financial security, spiritual growth, peace of mind, a successful career, and fame are the basic needs of people. There is one important yet intangible thing everybody wants and that is appreciation. Being appreciated and complimented makes a person feel important. When you feel important, you feel needed and wanted, and this gives you a whole lot of reason for existence. 


Just how do you give somebody the feeling of importance? Say it, act it; just give it freely, honestly, and wholeheartedly. As literal as it is, saying how appreciative you are for a favor received, makes the other person feel important. You may not be able to describe exactly in words the feeling of importance when you’re in the shoes of the recipient. But definitely, what you can not describe is real and priceless.


Pre-empt importance. Give some sort of sign to the other person that what you want from him, will make him feel important. Let’s take charity for example. A recipient wants or needs contributions from the giver. It can either be material or service contribution, or both. Even before the act itself, the giver somehow expects appreciation from the recipient and this will give him a boost of importance. Appreciation may not necessarily be in words. A smile and/or a pat would suffice and they can come from both giver and recipient. The giver shows his feeling of being appreciated. The recipient shows his feeling of appreciation for the gift. Somehow magic or chemistry takes place. It’s a feeling both parties would enjoy happening many times over.


Are you aware that the feeling of importance, brought about by compliments and appreciation, is good for your health, mentally and physically? Whether you are the giver or recipient, it is good for both. There are medical findings that substantiate health effects brought about by positive emotions like compliments and appreciation. Frequent doses of the feeling of importance activate the brain cells and various harmonies in the body that promote good health. To put it plainly, the feeling of importance is the antioxidant of life.


Can you think of a better way to nourish other people’s feelings than to show your concern and appreciation? Well, you can show something better than appreciation, and that is - a truckload of appreciation. 


You know what you and I and everybody else should be doing right now? We should go out there and show our feeling of appreciation to everything and everybody. Let’s go!

Spread Love

Spread Love
The most gracious of emotions that man experiences is love – when you love, you can truly be your higher self. Love brings out the best in others.
Points to be considered:
- Love universally meaning love everyone without any discrimination or set notions.
- Love is unconditional acceptance rather than changing people.
- Fill yourself with love and project that love to all, universally.
- Talk to everyone affectionately and forgive their mistakes.
Just look at a mother who loves her child, or a lover who longs for his beloved. If you’ve experienced love, you’ll know how pure this emotion makes you. The feeling is that of flawlessness and invincibility. It is bliss and joy – the power of love.
Conclusion:
Love is not something that can be taught – but yes, it is possible to experience it. Nowadays it has become a commercial deal – if you do this I’ll love u and if you do that I will not! It’s subject to conditions – and is more of a power struggle.

Smile

Smile
One smile and everyone around you knows that you’re happy. Deep within, you feel that things are right and feel the joy. When you are happy, you smile and when you are sad, you frown. It has been that way always, with the emotional changes in your mind, your body responds. However, it works both ways meaning not only does action follow emotion but emotions follow action too.
Points to be considered:- If you act happy, you feel happy.
- If you act depressed, you’ll feel depressed.
- If you act peaceful when you’re angry, the anger will definitely calm down.
- Smile when you’re not happy – you’ll realize that soon you being to feel the joy within you.
Try this:
Hang down low with a very sad expression on your face and frown for something. Soon you’ll feel the emotions creep in too. Now try this, act like you’re happy – you’ll soon realize that you are feeling happy too.
Conclusion:The best thing is to smile when you’re facing a problem – that’s being really brave. Spread the SMILE VIRUS!! Because everybody needs the smile.

Seek Out One New Experience

Seek Out One New Experience
The basic conditioning of the mind is such that it is hell-bent on seeking familiarity. That which is familiar and known naturally appears to be more captivating to the onlooker. Millions of dollars are spent in advertising every year – only to increase your familiarity with the product. However, if you look at life, you will discover a fascinating truth. Whenever you’ve learnt something, it has been from something new, something untried. When we took our first step as babies, we were full of uncertainty – but gradually we soon learned to walk expertly.
Points to be considered:
- Your life can be judged by the new experiences that you’ve had.
- Your mind will resist the idea of the new – and want to go back to the familiar things. All you have to do is try something that’s new.
- There is a principle called Action Now. There are times in life when you’re faced with a difficult choice with regard to the course of action you must take.
- Your initial response will be to delay the action and stay immobilized. However remember the first world – Action which means that you need to act. But the simple choice of it’s delayed. Action must happen now/immediately.
- Your new experience for the day can be anything from eating something you’ve never tasted before or a place you’ve never been to or you may meet and talk to someone new. You can even try mastering a new skill.
Conclusion:
Life is a wonderful gift but different experiences are what ultimately constitute life. You go through different experiences, which ultimately get framed in your mind as beautiful memories. So it’s not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years. Ironically, in spite of knowing that life grows in the moments that are new and unknown, most of us are afraid to try out the new – be it meeting new people or doing new things. So lets emerge from our cocoons and become butterflies that flutter around!

Prayer For Someone Else

Prayer For Someone Else
‘Prayer is a way to ask God and you make an unselfish prayer since you make it for someone else.’Your hotline with your creator is a prayer! We are taught to pray since childhood. However most of us have forgotten the prayers of gratitude that we had mugged in our childhood years. A typical prayer nowadays is more of asking and less of thanking. One such prayer: “God please give me patience and make it fast!!” God has become just a provider and a complaint box.
Points to be considered:
- Everyone prays for himself or herself which is not a big deal. - There is nothing wrong in asking from God. All that you ask for with a pure heart will be given to you in abundance.
- It has been observed that when someone else prays for you, it comes to pass much faster than what it would normally take, this is the magic of prayer for someone else.
- You might ask who do I pray for. Look around and you’ll find the answer.
Look at this example:
There are millions around the world who are starved, deprived, unclothed who don’t even know they must pray. A small proposal from you will surely help! The best form of prayer is the one that comes from instinct and is beyond words. You’ll watch the effects as you get more and more in prayer. This way we add value to the lives of others and that’s what living ultimately is all about.

The love of excellence

The love of excellence

I observed some peoples do not do their best because the employer does not pay much, but this is not reason to do poor work.
Human is born with great sacred responsibility to give his best in his life to the world. The quality which you implement in to your work will determine the quality of your life. A botched job shows a botched ideal, a low ambition. A finally wrought piece of work is an indication of a superior mentality.
It is pitiable to see multitudes of peoples weakly desire for success, but not willing to pay the price for the big things they desire. But it is impossible to achieve the success without your resolute will, firm determination to be successful in whatever you undertake. Willpower carry you upstream, no matter how strong the current.
Put your trademark upon everything you lay a hand on. Everything you do should stand for superiority, for excellence. Efficiency never has to go begging for improvements; the man that masters his skill goes to the front.
Suppose this example, a young lady working for newspaper once said she did not put in her best efforts because her company “did not pay much”. Small pay is no excuse for doing poor work. Payment which one receives should have nothing with the quality of his work. Quality of person’s work shows the quality of person. The work should be a matter of sense of right and wrong. It is question of your character not the question of your income. A person has no write to do poor work and demoralize his character by doing poor work because it doesn’t pay much.
It is not the question of cheating the employer, you cheat yourself when you do poor work. The employer is not injured half as much as you are by careless work. It may be loss of a few bucks to him, to you it is loss of character and self-respect.
There is no pleasure like that which comes from doing your level best, no satisfaction like that which comes from stamping superiority, putting the royal trademark of excellence, quality upon anything which goes through our hands.
And now prepare to do your best in all things which you undertake and show the world superiority of your personality.

Positive mental attitude-pays more always

Positive mental attitude-pays more always
“The mantra for true positive thinking is hope for the best and prepare for the worst”
Positive thinkers expect positive things to happen. However, they know that these things could go wrong but because they focus on the positive, they handle such situation much better. They have the right mental attitude to tackle problems rather than crib about them.
Points to be considered:
- Thinking positively is not an insurance against things going wrong hence you could fail despite thinking positive.
- When you fail, instead of feeling defeated, simply ask yourself,” what can I learn from this?”
Ex: one of the boys whose father fell seriously ill was totally shattered since cancer was detected. “Life is so unfair!” he said. He lost his father within two months. This event was the most painful one in his life. When he thought positively, initially skeptical but eventually he realized that the illness had made him come closer to his family. He began to take care of his mother more. The boy learned to value people when they are alive. And also he began to donate to the Cancer Aid Association. So many positive changes!
Conclusion:For the positive thinker, there are no failures – only learning experiences. This is a great way to become a winner forever.

Mental exercises

Mental exercises
Your mind has infinite power but it needs exercise. It can be exercised in different ways for each of its faculties thus making that particular faculty more effective. Intelligence may be genetic but it can be developed too. Research has shown that learning has a far greater impact on it than genetics can ever have.
Mental exercises:
Your mind has infinite power but it needs exercise. It can be exercised in different ways for each of its faculties thus making that particular faculty more effective. Intelligence may be genetic but it can be developed too. Research has shown that learning has a far greater impact on it than genetics can ever have.
Points to be considered:
- Your mind and body are inseparable as described in quantum physics “the body is nothing but a manifestation of thoughts”.
- A lot of diseases may be traced to your mind – specially the thoughts that you think will decide and have their reactions on your body.
- Just like the body which needs regular exercise, so does the mind. The straight forward rule that applies here is – use it or lose it.
- Practice some mental exercises like crossword puzzle, Reading, Resolving a problem, Mathematics, Riddles, and Anagrams etc.
Sometimes at the time of mental exercises a person tried them and was overwhelmed and gave up saying he was mentally exhausted. Physical training produce acids and toxins thus making you tried as it is a bodily process. However, there are no such secretions during mental exercise which means that getting mentally tried is only a delusion! It’s all in the mind!
Ex: when sunlight is focused at one place with a convex glass, its consequence is a fire! That’s the power of concentration which you can tap by exercising your mind.
Conclusion:
Anything that challenges your cerebral muscles also builds them up. Your mental exercises need to be as you teach your mind, you’ll be able to solve problems more easily. Even your level of common sense will increase and so will your ability to remember things. All these skills are more acquired than genetic. Your brain is very supple. It depends on how much you stretch it.

Live In The Present

Live In The Present
Life is a journey when your destination is unsure. So why wait for the destination that is unknown, and leave our joy to it? Let us enjoy the present which is the journey of life itself. The mind is a machine programmed to act up. This happens most of the time, as our mind is not in our control.
Points to be considered:
- The mind has a monkey like tendency to swing to either the future or the past without any rhyme or reason, at the very first opportunity and this flow of thoughts is out of our control. - We need to train our mind to be paying attention. Meditation helps a lot however, if we completely focus on doing the job of the present moment, every task is a meditation in itself.
- Participate in any activity with total concentration and you will see that the quality of work shows a marked improvement and is more satisfying.
- Every chore then becomes a meditation. Another important aspect of this law is the matching of your thoughts and action.
- Once you have decided to do something, apply yourself to it fully. Leave no stone unturned to achieve it. This is not only for the extraordinary tasks in your life but also for every small thing, like preparing tea, or playing a game.
- Your mind moves into the past or the future most of the times. Past is nothing but a track of memories or events that have happened to you. Your past exists nowhere except in your mind.
- The future is nothing but anticipating based on your past experiences. It is something that has not actually happened – it is an expectation. Your mind loves these two and hates to be in the present. And that is exactly your challenge. Of course, you need to learn from your past. Similarly, you must plan the future – an unplanted future will never yield the result that we expect. However, most of us don’t stop at that.
Conclusion:
Too much of dwelling on the past results in remorse and too much of future orientation is a source of concern. Both of these are extremely dangerous, for they will surely obstruct your view of the present. The best strategy to avoid them is to stay centered in the present. This will come with long and constant practice. The mind should be gently brought to the present. The moment you are aware of your mind that’s diverted, gently bring it back to the present. In this way, you will be able to slowly but surely but surely stay in the present.

Listen More Than You Speak

Listen More Than You Speak
A good listener is not all about just talking less. Listening is something that has to be learnt. Since even if you don’t talk more and listen, people will still open up more to some people. The reason being that your body language betrays you if you’re not interested in listening fully, it will send clues that the other person will pick up. When you listen you have to be very quick to respond. So give all your attention to the other person.
Points to be considered:
- Everybody wants to be heard. More than a helping hand or a piece of mind, what people do need is an attentive ear which listens to their problems, worries and all they have to say.
- You have to become a listener. God has given us many clues when he made this body. We have two ears and one mouth to listen twice about what we speak.
- Most of us are so interested in ourselves hence go on talking about ourselves all the time. But this is perfectly normal thing, its human nature.
- A really miraculous change comes when you being to put others first. When you start to do that, people will react to you very well – it’s just like treating others as you’d like to be treated.
- People need to be heard – and you can give them that by being a listener. Being a great conversationalist is all about being a great listener. Always listen more than speak.
- There are a few very irritating things you can do to spoil a conversation – one of them being to complete sentence for others. It becomes a guessing game between the two – as a result the communication becomes a competition!
- Another wrong thing is to interrupt when something exciting is going on. Interrupting a person is a surest way to spoil the communication.
- This is not easy, especially if this is a habit but with practice and conscious effort, it is not impossible.
Conclusion:
Listening effectively starts with a purpose to get the state of the mind of the talker – it is your goal to grasp fully what the other person is trying to say. Response is equally important – it involves communicating through verbal/non-verbal clues that you are getting the message. Spend time listening. It is a beautiful way to get a lot of information from others. And remember, to have been a great listener too…

Keep An Open Mind
A human being has one remarkable quality – he tends to learn from the past. Nature has prepared us with this loop that makes sure we always remember our experiences and use them to evaluate similar situations in the future. This is how we learn and grow. But there are times when this feature becomes a problem! In childhood if you were chased by a wild dog, this will be stored in your memory and will make you believe that all dogs are dangerous and make you fearful of a dog even if dog even if the dog is friendly.
Points to be considered:
- Don’t defend mistakes or beliefs.
- Though it is very tempting to tell the other person, “You are wrong!” it doesn’t help. You yourself might be at the wrong end, so put yourself under the scrutiny first and then react. - Keeping your mind open has a spiritual component too. No even in your life is a mere chance, but it has a deeper significance to it.- If you have an intuition, have the guts to follow it. If you think you know a person, try and bond with the person.
- Be open to the way events are moving, for they will direct you somewhere.
Look at this example:
When something new is registered in the mind, it tends to measure up to the information it already has in store and if it is not in sync, your mind will reject it. This is how old beliefs become stronger and deep rooted.
Conclusion:
Let things move the way they are. Learn to go with the stream, rather than trying to go against it. Accept other ideas, opinion and decisions. A closed mind is like a closed parachute. It is of no use and a big burden on your back!

Honesty is the best policy

Honesty is the best policy
“More important than being honest with others is being honest to you”
We think that telling lies is a great way to escape problems. We believe that the person we are lying to can’t make out that we are lying. People close to you will always be able to make it out if you are lying. And as for strangers, they’ll eventually discover that you lie and will discount what you say. There are many people around us who tell a lot of lies – they are never taken at face value. Always remember, empty vessels make more noise.
Points to be considered:
- If you’ve done something wrong, it is most difficult to admit it – but that’s exactly what you’ve got to do.
- Being honest means that you do your job honestly and deliver all your duties to the best of your abilities.
- The biggest payoff is a clear conscience.
- When you look at yourself in the mirror, you should be proud to see a person of integrity.
- There are times when someone charges less or return you some extra change being dishonest at that time, may gain a few rupees but your honesty may save that person’s job.
- Whatever you give comes back to you – so remember when you cheat and lie, you’re ensuring that you will be cheated and lied to.
Conclusion:
You might say, ‘all this sound good but being totally honest is just not possible in today’s world.’Remember – if you have to speak a lie that helps someone, it’s better than a truth that hurts. The responsibility to choose is yours, use your ability to lie as wisely as possible. It may be very tempting to lie and get away from the situation – but you need guts to tell the truth which pays in long run. Since you can never hide something forever – it will always come true. So choose the option that pays in the long run – honesty!

Have Faith In Yourself

Have Faith In Yourself
Having faith in yourself is about knowing your limits first. You need to know what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. This knowledge will come to you only from trying. You might say you are not but have you tried it yet? If you haven’t, how can you say you’re good or not? You’re capable of much more than you try to do! People have cured diseases like breast cancer, when all of medical science had given up, the only tool that they had was faith.
Points to be considered:
- If you’ve failed in the past or it is something you’ve never done before, you tend to avoid it.
- Though not making mistakes comes from experience, experience comes from making mistakes! So not trying something means you will lose the experience and you’ll not develop that particular ability, and in the end, the lack of that ability would raise even more fear in you. This vicious circle is what we must break. - Most important thing is to know your strengths and have faith in yourself that you can really do things well.
- If you have the power it takes to be a sage, faith merely channelizes them so that you can accomplish miracle.
- Let your faith be without any doubt, and in the end it will yield results.
- True knowledge lies in the extent of one’s limitations and abilities.
Conclusion:
What do you think Columbus thought when he first sailed west? Was it about fear of all the problems that he was expecting? No, it was faith – that someday he will find land. And he did! Faith in God eventually boils down to faith in yourself. So have faith and you will be able to accomplish even the most challenging tasks, but without self-confidence, even the smallest hurdles will seem like mountains.

Every Day Is Lucky Day

Every Day Is Lucky Day

"The formula for luck is equal to opportunity plus preparedness"Many of us wish we’d be lucky, but most of us are not prepared to accept that there is an element of hard work too involved. You will miss all of the shots if you don’t even try and you should not worry about the result as long as you have given your best shot. Luck is an excuse that we used to blame the result on. Therefore, nobody but you decide what circumstances you will be in.

Points to be considered:

- There are few events way beyond your control; like a natural calamity or an accident. It can happen to anyone at anytime.

- The common question you will hear would be,”Oh God! Why did this have to happen to me?”,” why am I so unlucky?”

- A golden rule for all troubles is God matches troubles with people.

- The universal law is that you will never face a problem that you cannot solve. Hence do not call troubles and problems but ‘challenges’ or a ‘situation’.

- Everything that happens to you has some hidden meaning or coincidence behind it.

- Look at your life till now and you’ll find certain events that took place, rather surprisingly to put you in this situation.- The universe sends message through events and it takes an alert and composed mind to read the clues.

- Believe that today is your lucky day and you spend the day in positive expectation.

- Though you hope for the best, you need to be prepared for the worst.

And this event has to have a superior significance, and it is part of a larger picture.

Conclusion:

Be grateful for all the good things that happen to you. There are millions of people less privileged around you who don’t have basic things that we take for granted, like food, shelter or education. There are so many fighting for freedom or from poverty. Even the rich are not spared, different diseases and problems are widespread among them. Compared to all these, you’re far better off. Doesn’t that make you feel extremely lucky?

Do One Good Deed Anonymously

Do One Good Deed Anonymously
“Heed to the saying ‘Treat others as you would like to be treated’”
The UN statistics say 1% of the global war funding can be used to feed every living person on planet. And according to economist John Fuller, there is enough wealth in the world for each of its six billion people to be millionaires! You have access to the basic necessities is enough to put you in the upper half of the world population. We crib at our dinner table about the food and never think about the African countries that are at war against each other for decades leaving them poor to even afford food. We complain when our parents don’t allow us to do something – never thinking of countries still struggling for their freedom.
Points to be considered:
- You are among the blessed – so don’t you feel you should share a part of this good fortune with others?
- When you start to share, you will be giving to people who need more than you and create value in the world.
- Your good deed can be for anyone around you and it must bring value to the life of the person you’re making to.
- The beauty of doing something anonymously will make you realize that true greatness is unsung.
- God is the greatest giver. He has given us the world, this life yet, he’s never told you to behave in a certain way since he has given all this.
- It‘s without expectations. So when you give, God is working through you, secretly. You are his channel. This deed will be the noblest form of you.
Conclusion:
When you do a good deed, your internal reaction is to take credit for it but when you do the deed anonymously; your ego is not boosted. Hence if you’ve done something good, only you need to know.

Be Positive About Everything

Be Positive About Everything
“All of us believe that the world is composed of two forces- The good and the bad – or the positive and the negative.”
The good/positive consists of things and events that we feel good about, whereas the bad/negative things are the painful experiences. You never know what will happen next – and just like everyone else, you most likely fear the existence of the negative in your life. You don’t want the pain that’s associated with it. You just want the positive experiences. But who decides what comes to you – fate, your past life karmas or is it God who decides to give you doses of pain and pleasure? The answer is you! Yes, you decide whether what comes to you is positive or negative.
Points to be considered:
- Yes, you don’t have any control over the situation you face but you have complete control over how you react to the situation. 10% is what happens to you and 90% is how you react to it!!
- No one can actually choose or predict the events that life through up but what you can control is your reaction to that situation. That is the choice that you make and this is the time to choose the positive.
- Nature has given a challenging battle to man – of thousands of thoughts we have every day, only around one percent are positive.
- For every event that happens has one negative effect, and there are more than one positive effects. The problem with us is that we hardly ever look at positives – we just apply all our energy and attention to the one frustrating negative point. This negative grows to surpass our mind – till we believe that the event was a negative one.
Ex:
1) put a rotten fruit in a basket of completely good ones, and soon the rot spread.
2) the optimist calls the glass half full whereas the pessimist calls it half empty. This shows that both react differently to the same situation.
Conclusion:
Even the most negative events of life have a positive side to them it requires the power of insight to see it. Maybe the illness of your loved one brought you closer to him/her or the loss of some possession made you realize its true value and made you more careful about it in future. That is the right perspective!

How To Use Creativity To Improve Your Life

“Are there still original ideas in the world?”

“They beat me to that bright idea; what else can I do?”

“I’ve failed many times before that I can’t think of anything else to solve this problem anymore.”

These statements reflect the thought of an individual who has given up on creativity. Sadly, a lot of people share this way of thinking. They never viewed creativity as a very useful tool to improve or improvise in life in all its diversity.

A situation that requires a solution can be approached in a variety of ways. There isn’t a single way fix to a problem. Being creative opens new horizons and can deliver many benefits. Creativity can sometimes be mistakenly interpreted as an obstinate attitude. Some people think that insisting on doing things in a different way is a sign of stubbornness.

Never hold back a good idea. Everyone is free to interpret his own unique way. Any interpretation by itself is creativity at work. A person who enjoys creative thinking can easily come up with innovative solutions for situations that require a quick fix.

For instance, your car got stalled on a deserted highway due to a leaky rubber hose on the cooling system. Tough luck! Of all places, it had to happen in the remotest places.

If you have some chewing gum in your pocket, it just might be a handy fix. Start chewing the gum and patch it on the leak. To keep the gum in place, tie it with a piece of rag. This quick fix might do the trick so you can drive several miles without an overheated engine, until you get to a service station to have the leaky hose replaced.

There used to be a television series entitled “MacGyver.” The main character is an extremely creative and crafty guy. Whenever he finds himself in a tight fix, he tries to find a way out of it with his quick fixes utilizing available materials around him.

In a way, creativity is a never-ending learning process. From learning, you gain untold benefits, which you can use in real life situations.

Being creative might require you to think out-of-the-box, venturing your mind into the uncommon. You can never be sure of your ideas until you try them. As long as there is no perceived danger involved, it is always worth a try.

Inventions are products of creative minds. The field of science, in whatever branch you may touch on, is invention itself. Without creative minds, science would have been a forlorn field of knowledge.

It must be noted that most adaptations to improve or improvise are aimed at improving current conditions. Upon analyzing honest applications of creativity, the ultimate intention is to achieve good for all and the will to build lasting peace. After all, this intention is what counts most.

Erich Fromm spelled it out clearly, “The conditions for creativity are: to be puzzled, to concentrate, to accept conflict and tension, to be born everyday, and to feel a sense of self.”

Take It Easy and Enjoy Life

Can you remember your childhood days? During those times, nothing yet seemed complicated – all we had to think about were crayons, cookies, or Santa Claus. We didn’t care about the things we didn’t know because we were just too oblivious of the things that might bother us.

But as we grow older, we get anxious with the things that surround us – life and death, loving and parting, success and failure, to name a few. We find that almost everyday, we are obliged to be concerned about people or events.

Nevertheless, always keep this in mind: Don’t take things as if they are responsible for the way you feel. Events or situations do not trouble you. How you look at them does.

If you miss those carefree days, you just have to look back at how you used to view things then, and you will know what to do now.

Here’s a guide to make sure you won’t lose your way:

Cherish the simple things: Trust in the power of a smile or laughter, a kiss or a hug. Believe in kindness, honesty, dreams, and imagination. Living positively is the first step to becoming happy.

Loosen up. Laugh at your mistakes. You might remember the time when you were delivering your speech and your mind went completely blank right in the middle of delivering it. It’s embarrassing. But most likely, your audience will forget about it in a day or two. We all mess up occasionally. The good thing is that people tend to forget such situations.

Surround yourself with what you love. Get a pet. Retain film moments as keepsakes. Keep away from those that drag you down. If that high-paying job makes you sulk at the thought of having to go to work, find a job you like first before quitting. If some people force you to comply even if you think of doing otherwise, stay away from their company.

Don’t put off. Go on that trip. Take your Master’s. You’ll never know the extent of your life. Do something, while you can.

Don’t push yourself too hard trying to please everyone. You just can’t. And it never seems to be worth it anyway. When you want to make somebody’s day, start with your loved ones.

Keep fit. Be that attractive person you always picture yourself to be. Cherish your health. It’s the best way of showing you are putting your best face forward.

Do not assume. Don’t fret about forgetting your speech before you actually do it. Don’t worry about not getting the job you want because you might mess up at the interview. It’s good to expect the worst; but don’t end up expecting only the worst.

Alter your way of thinking. When you’re being ridiculed, criticized about your family background, or condemned for past mistakes, put on deaf ears. Don’t believe everything you hear. You know yourself better than everybody else does. Never wallow in self-pity.

Remember: Don’t get upset over things just because it’s how most people would react when faced with the same situation. When you find yourself being negative – angry, down, jealous, etc. – you also unknowingly drain your energy and enthusiasm. You just have to try keeping these negative feelings in the low, because giving in to these emotions would sometimes make you unreasonable, and you might end up making bad decisions.

Happiness is always in your grasp. You can attain it, as long as you know how.