Thought of the day 31/10/2014

Take time to laugh, it is the music of the soul. 

Take time to think, it is the source of power. 

Take time to read, it is the fountain of wisdom. 

Take time to love and be loved, it is a God-given privilege. 

Take time to work, it is the price of success.

Soul Sustenance

Meditation - A Process Of Cleansing, Dialogue And Joining (Part 3) 

Meditation can be defined as a process of cleansing, a process of dialogue and a process of joining. Today we take up:

Joining 

We can take the third meaning of meditation from the Sanskrit word yoga. By understanding this word, we learn how to get divine cooperation, or put in another way, a certain external spiritual power that can liberate us and help us to dialogue positively with the self (explained yesterday). The word yoga means bringing together orjoining again. Joining again with what or with whom? Firstly, with our original and eternal self: the soul, and secondly, with the eternal Supreme Source of all positive power and energy; this Source helps us to recharge ourselves with energy and to know ourselves. 

At this time in the history of humanity, humans have lost the mastery and control over themselves. They do not have continual peace or a sense of purpose, happiness or fullness. The human soul needs to be recharged.Although the soul has great potential in its inner self, it needs a source of external energy for the latent (hidden) powers and virtues to emerge, just as occurs with seeds in nature. The seeds of plants and trees have their own source of inner energy. However, this energy cannot be released without the actions of an external energy source, in this case the energy of the sun. Through the power of sunlight, the seeds in the earth will sprout and flourish. The human body has its own energy, but needs external sources of energy on a daily basis: air, sunlight, water and food. Without these external sources, the human body would die. The external source of power that helps the latent virtues emerge in the human being is not physical, since the human soul is not physical either. This source of power has traditionally been called God or the Supreme Being: in fact it has been given many names. 

(To be continued tomorrow….) 

Message for the day

To be flexible is to enjoy everything that life brings. 

Expression: When I plan perfectly for the day ahead, I sometimes find that I am not able to implement all that I had planned for. Things seem to be coming up unexpectedly spoiling everything for me. I am then not able to be happy with what is happening and so find it difficult to do my best in the particular situation. 

Experience: It is as important to be flexible in my thoughts as it is to be particular about my daily schdule. Flexibility allows me to accommodate the unforeseen situations that come up my way and enables me to make the best use of everything. And so I enjoy everything that comes my way. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 30/10/2014

Transform regrets into realisations and therefore ensure that what could become waste is made into something worthwhile

Soul Sustenance

Meditation - A Process Of Cleansing, Dialogue And Joining (Part 2) 

Meditation can be defined as a process of cleansing, a process of dialogue and a process of joining. Today we take up:

Dialogue 

In Greek, the word meditation is translated as dialogismos, from which comes the English word dialogue. Meditation is a dialogue with oneself, with the true self; a very necessary process for developing self-knowledge and accumulating inner strength. 

The basis of spiritual dialogue with oneself is introspection. Introspection is the ability to examine and change oneself, as one wants to or should do. Without a consistent re-evaluation of our attitudes and thought models, negative habits easily dominate our consciousness. A healthy dialogue with our inner selves means that we interact positively with others, without being trapped or lost in ourselves. Introspection involves being an observer: observing and not reacting to situations or people with negative emotions such as anger, hate, fear, resentment and jealousy. Being detached observers helps us conserve our inner energy and keeps us spiritually, mentally and emotionally healthy. 

(To be continued tomorrow….) 

Message for the day

To be free from the burden of responsibility is to fulfill the responsibility well. 

Expression: When I am responsile for something or people expect me to be answerable for something, I tend to feel heavy because of these responsibilities. With the such a feeling of having a burden, I'm not able to fulfill my responsibilities to the best of my ability. 

Experience: Whatever responsibilities are given to me are according to my capabilities. When I remind myself of this I'll be able to be light and give my best to fulfill all my responsibilities. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 29/10/2014

See yourself as incapable and you won't know where to start.  

See yourself as awkward and you'll get nervous.  

How you see yourself is very important because it affects how you project yourself.  And as a result, it creates your reality.

So change how you choose to see yourself.  See yourself as confident and you tap into courage.  See yourself as capable and you'll make the best use of opportunities.

How do you choose to see yourself?

Soul Sustenance

Meditation - A Process Of Cleansing, Dialogue And Joining (Part 1) 

Meditation can be defined as a process of cleansing, a process of dialogue and a process of joining. Today we take up:

Cleansing 

Meditation is a useful method to help human beings redirect their life positively and healthily, and to achieve inner stability. The word meditation comes from the Latin word mederi, which means cure. Curing the inner self is not a matter of taking medicines, but it involves re-establishing the balance through knowing oneself, having the correct attitudes and making the correct use of mental and emotional energy. 

In meditation, we learn to observe our inner self and recover the resources that can cleanse (heal) and harmonize us: peace, love, truth, wisdom, purity and happiness. Through concentrated thought we learn to let these positive and pure energies manifest (show) themselves in our conscience and in our day-to-day actions. 

(To be continued tomorrow….) 

Message for the day

Trust comes when there is mutual respect. 

Expression: It is normally experienced that it is difficult to trust people around me. I do want to but the negative experiences do not let me do so. I add up to this negative experience with each incident that happens, which further breaks my trust for people. 

Experience: The only way to trust and gain people's trust is by having respect for them. Respect makes me look at the specialities in everyone and I am able to relate to these specialities. The more I look at the positive aspect in others, the more I am able to encourage others to use these specialities and relate to my own specialities too. This is the only way that trust comes. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 28/10/2014

There is a crown of light on those who are carefree. 

If you are worrying about anything you carry the baskets of burden on your head. 

Which do you prefer? Do you prefer the basket or the crown of light?

Soul Sustenance

Conquering The Emotion Of Jealousy (Part 3) 

Internal contentment or satisfaction is the antidote (neutralizer or healing agent) for jealousy. People with strong self-esteem and self-respect are the ones who remain satisfied or content and away from the emotion of jealousy while coming in contact with different people with their own unique specialties, virtues and attainments. 

Self-respect or self-esteem depends on knowing who I am, knowing my eternal (ageless), internal self. When I have found that sense of internal identity, I feel I have a right to be here, to exist. Without this dimension, it is very difficult to really respect myself deeply. If I base my self-respect on identifying with the superficial (artificial) aspects of my being: my looks, personality, wealth, success, my friends, intelligence or my role, I will never have a stable sense of self-respect, because all these aspects are changeable. Thus I will end up fluctuating all the time. To stay stable in my self-respect, I need to have a deeper understanding of my internal self and tap into those riches that are within me forever, waiting to blossom, like the flower from the seed. As I become internally aware, those riches and resources start flowing out of me. The more stable I am in my self-respect, the more I radiate what I truly am. I feel a deep sense of contentment and I am happy to be me, however I am. I accept myself as I am. 

Let us be honest a person who is jealous just cannot sit stably on the seat of self-respect – they keep moving i.e. fluctuating. Today they meet a person with lesser specialties or attainments than them and they are on top of the world - they rise above the seat of self-respect and enter the dimension of ego. Tomorrow they meet a person with more specialties or attainments than them and that is a bad day for them - they go underneath the seat of self-respect and enter the dimension of low self-esteem. What a shallow way of living! The ideal way of living – in both cases, remain in self-respect and give respect to the other. Remember that the jealous, the angry, the bitter and the egotistical are the first to race to the top of mountains. A confident and internally content person enjoys the journey, the people they meet along the way and sees life not as a competition. They reach the summit last because they know God isn’t at the top waiting for them. He is down below helping his followers to understand that the view is glorious where ever you stand. 

Message for the day

The ability to find solutions comes when I know the art of listening. 

Expression: I normally get to hear a lot of things and tend to get coloured by all that I hear. The more I hear about negative things, the more difficult it becomes to maintain my own positivity. Yet I can do nothing to ignore the things that make me feel negative. 

Experience: I need to know to listen to people rather than just hearing them. To know to listen means the ability to transform negative into positive. Just as a doctor listens to all the negative aspects about the disease etc and still knows only to give the medicine, I too need to listen in order to give what is required. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 27/10/2014

"You were right. I was wrong. I'm sorry."  Can you willingly apologise when you're wrong?

Being right doesn't really matter.  But what does matter is acknowledging when you're wrong, taking responsibility and apologising humbly.

Admitting you are wrong not only helps you to be more open-minded but it also enhances the quality of your relationships.

Soul Sustenance

Conquering The Emotion Of Jealousy (Part 2) 

In the 21st century, there are so many mediums which inculcate the feeling of jealousy in a person. Social Media is one such platform. While Facebook and Twitter rule the roost, commonly people wonder * How does he get so many likes? * How is she so photogenic? * Again a 'check in'! * His life is so eventful. You never know how and when these thoughts start affecting your life, mental peace and behavior greatly. 

Jealousy is a complex emotion, which often stems from insecurity or a fear of losing control.Everybody expresses and handles jealousy in a different way, but certain universal techniques can be used to help conquer it. Being aware of jealous feelings is the first step towards keeping it under control. Also conquering jealousy requires an honest conversation about how you feel. It's far healthier to talk about your negative feelings than to reveal them through your actions. The more you communicate with them, and seek reassurance the more your feelings of jealousy will subside. 

Hold a strong and determined belief inside yourself that jealousy is an emotion you will never face. Your idol or perfect self just doesn’t deserve the existence of the emotion. For instance, if you have an acquaintance of yours who is extremely pretty and sometimes, you envy her. That is the time when you need to firmly tell yourself that this is just not your perfect self. You can’t feel that way. Take a few minutes to stand back mentally from the person. The next step is to observe your thoughts as if you were an onlooker or a detached observer. Being as silent as possible, ask yourself as if the thoughts you are having are the ones you wish to keep, if they are going where you would choose them to go. In the resulting silence, steer (change direction) your thinking to where you want it to be; perhaps to personal affirmations (positive thoughts) you use to establish yourself on your seat of self-respect. The affirmations can be: * I am aware of myself as a special person with my own unique specialties or * I am aware of myself as internally rich, full of many invisible treasures, * I am aware of myself as a content being and overflowing with happiness, etc. This technique changes our attitudes and feelings and influences us positively. 

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

To have learnt means to bring about a practical change. 

Expression: From all that happens, I usually understand a lot of things and take important lessons. But sometimes I find myself making the same mistakes again and again. So I am not able to bring about real change.

Experience: Once I realise and learn from a mistake that has happened, I need to spend some time in understanding it even further. I need to ensure I don't ever repeat the same mistake. This will enable me to bring about real change. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 26/10/2014

Only in relationship can you know yourself, not in abstraction and certainly not in isolation. 

The movement of behaviour is the sure guide to yourself, it's the mirror of your consciousness; this mirror will reveal its content, the images, the attachments, the fears, the loneliness, the joy and sorrow. Poverty lies in running away from this, either in its sublimations or its identities.

Soul Sustenance

Conquering The Emotion Of Jealousy (Part 1) 

Man was handed the master key of the knowledge of good and evil karma by God. He used the key to perform good karma for some time. That was the day of humanity. Over a period of time, while playing the game of different roles in the world theatre, the key was lost and man started to perform evil karma. The evil man started identifying with evil so much that he forgot his original good self and thought that evil is the eternal self. That was and is the night of humanity. That is why in the scriptures, mistakenly it is said that even angels used to sometimes feel jealous. In Indian scriptures, devis and devtas, the original good men and women, have mistakenly been shown to possess the emotion of jealousy at times. Poor perception of the evil men, who made the scriptures and temples in the remembrance of the good men and women, the angels, after they had ceased to exist! The good men and women were nothing but our early births as we started our journey of birth and rebirth as flawless beings. 

Today humans are empowered beings who have the capacity to experience so many emotions, both positive and negative. Sadness, anger, happiness, sympathy and the list is endless. Out of all these one very powerful and dominating emotion is jealousy. When we see different players in this game of life playing different roles, sometimes while seeing them with the spectacles of role consciousness, feelings of jealousy or a desire to be like the other are experienced. Comparisons emerge in our minds. 

While being competitive and having aspirations to succeed are absolutely fine and there is no doubt that to do that sometimes we have to look at the other or even others and this drive helps us meet life’s challenges also, but when this look at the other is accompanied by comparisons and feelings of low self esteem as a result and takes the form of jealousy; it gets out of control and starts having an adverse effect on our relationships, that steps should be taken to curb those feelings. 

(To be continued tomorrow …) 

Message for the day

The way to bring transformation in others is to have mercy for them. 

Expression: Inspite of wanting to bring about a positive change in people and working towards it, I rarely find that kind of change that I expect. People continue to display their old patterns of behaviour and finally I end up only feeling disappointed or frustrated. 

Experience: Real change can come in people only when I am able to have a vision of mercy for them. With mercy I am able to percieve and bring out the best in people without actually being caught up with expectations. Once I am able to see the positive qualities I am able to encourage them to use these qualities. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 25/10/2014

Problems come and go.  Keep thinking about a problem again and again, and you make it bigger and more challenging than it really is!

So instead of magnifying, downsize your problems.

Think: The situation will pass.  I am bigger than whatever is happening.  I can handle it.

Make the problem smaller and you'll find solutions easily.

Soul Sustenance

The Law of Focus and Attention (Part 2) 

If our attention is focused on people's defects and weaknesses, we transmit energy to these aspects and strengthen these weaknesses in the other person and in ourselves. If, on the other hand, our attention is directed at the positive aspects of others, we reinforce these qualities and virtues and help this person express them, which is also beneficial to us. 

Our personality is made up of a series of values, beliefs and habits. If we wish to transfer our energy to new and positive aspects of ourselves, we must choose the personality traits that we want to emerge from us, focusing our time and energy on them and, in this way, this virtue, value or quality will manifest itself in our life. 

Message for the day

To forgive the self is to have the ability to forgive others too. 

Expression: I sometimes find it very difficult to forgive the mistakes committed by others. I do try to understand but am not able to understand the other person's behaviour and so find it difficult to forgive them. 

Experience: When I have love for myself and am able to learn from all that happens, I am able to forgive myself. When I know to do this, I can understand the other person too from his perspective and can easily forgive him. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 24/10/2014

The 3 R's of Relationships. Here are the 3 R's to make the relationships that matter most, easier: Roles, Rules, and Rituals. Roles clarify what is expected of you. Otherwise there's frustration and confusion when roles are unclear. Know your specific role in each relationship and play your part well. Rules are boundaries that outline what your limits are and where you stand. For healthy relationships, it's good to discuss and review your rules regularly, and know when to compromise. Rituals are simple things that build meaningful connections, such as making eye contact as you say 'good morning' and 'goodbye'. Make up and keep up with rituals that work for you.

Soul Sustenance

The Law of Focus and Attention (Part 1) Wherever we focus our attention is where our thoughts are directed with most frequency and interest. Thus energy is produced in this direction, whether positive and beneficial energy or negative and harmful energy. If we have a complicated mind, which thinks too much about certain things unnecessarily, our attention may be led towards the obstacles, problems, upsets and the things we worry about from a critical and negative viewpoint. By paying more attention to difficulties and problems, we feed these types of thoughts with our attention, so that we end up attracting these situations towards us. Finally, the problems and obstacles absorb us due to the amount of energy we have invested in them, turning what was perhaps a molehill (something very small) into a mountain. The situation does not necessarily change immediately on changing our attitude. With this inner change, however, we will have more energy, clarity and determination to face up to and change the situation. When we focus on seeking solutions to problems and difficulties with a positive and enthusiastic attitude, we attract positive energy towards us, and this helps us transform mountains into molehills. (To be continued tomorrow …)

Message for the day

The method to stay in constant enthusiasm and to keep others enthusiastic is to see specialities in others. Expression: Many times while I am sincerely working towards my task, I find myself losing my enthusiasm. I also might find people not very happy with me or my work. I do make an attempt to understand their feelings but fail to do so. Such negative responses further reduce my enthusiasm. Experience: I need to develop the art of looking at specialities in people. The more I am able to see their positive qualities, the more I am able to relate to them with that speciality. This encourages the other person further to use that speciality This will naturally keep me constantly enthusiastic. In Spiritual Service, Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 23/10/2014

"Yesterday was such a good day!" "The food yesterday was really tasty!" Does that mean today isn't a good day? The food today isn't tasty? Compare one moment to another & you don't enjoy the present moment. Drop the comparisons. Understand: every day, every moment, everything is different, unique & special. And then you'll experience contentment in the present moment & enjoy what is.

Soul Sustenance

Marrying Spiritual Practices With Actions Spiritual practices and life are interconnected; so are my thoughts and actions. It is not possible to separate them. The immediate influence of any spiritual practice like meditation is on the quality of my thoughts. The quality of my thoughts is then reflected in my day-to-day actions. As the quality of my actions improves, it starts influencing my thoughts positively and the quality of my spiritual practice also starts improving. When I really understand this, it becomes clear that the right way to live is to marry both these sides within my life -meditation and practical life, marry the process of improving the quality of my thoughts with my actions, because both are interconnected with each other. Actions performed by being too action conscious, in a wrong, non-spiritual consciousness, have led to a monotonous and meaningless existence, an existence without permanent peace, love and joy, causing feelings of discontentment and an emptiness in many hearts. On the other hand, religious or meditation practices, which were done with the aim of bringing peace and happiness in our personal life as well as in relationships, but were performed in seclusion (by detaching or becoming aloof from society), did not achieve the desired objectives and was unable to influence life positively. This caused spirituality to become disconnected from reality. I want my consciousness to become such that I can experience the richness of a life of actions, interactions and relationships of the world, but adorned (decorated) with the jewels of the energy and spiritual power that only meditation can provide.

Message for the day

The method for easy progress is to claim the blessings of all. Expression: Sometimes we find ourselves making a lot of effort and putting in a lot of energy for getting something done. Yet we find that the results are not according to the efforts that we have put in. We then begin to wonder it happens so. Experience: To be able to give happiness to those around is to increase the speed of my progress. For this I need to pay special attention to keep giving happiness and not giving sorrow to those around me. This brings me their blessings and these subtle wishes bring me happiness and success easily. In Spiritual Service, Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 22/10/2014

There are many words for which we have forgotten the meaning - love is one such word, and wealth is another.

When we hear or use the word wealth today we immediately conjure images of huge cheques, large properties, five star holidays and the very best in everything. In fact it is this limited form of wealth, measured and defined essentially by money which blocks the realisation and manifestation of true wealth. Every human being is wealthy beyond imagination. But not in their bank accounts. Real wealth is completely intangible, invisible and deeply internal. Every human being is a unique individual spiritual entity. And as such, a source of the most precious energy in the universe. Love is the gold of the soul. We are each that gold at the core of our being. But few of us are aware of it, let alone consciously tapping it and expressing it. No one teaches us that love is what we are, that our purpose in life is to know it, and give it, and that when we do, all other energies, including the material stuff, will come back to us. We are taught instead that love is dead, love is daft, love is for softies, love is sex, loving is losing not winning, love is indulgence, love is about doing deals in our relationships. No wonder we are stressed out. We have a totally distorted view of wealth and an inherited belief system which clouds our view and access to the riches we contain within our heart. No wonder there is spiritual poverty amidst affluence, no wonder the destitute wander streets paved with the riches of their neighbours. No wonder the children in the villages of India have a smile that lights up your soul, while the kids in 'material land' are always miserable with their lot! Are you wealthy, or are you Wealthy?

Soul Sustenance

Understanding And Overcoming Repetitive Thoughts 

Repetitive thoughts are mental dependences that arise due to a badly channeled imagination, false beliefs or mental weakness. For example, this happens when the pattern of negative repetitive thoughts makes us experience continuous feelings of guilt. Or we think, almost obsessively and continuously, that someone wants to hurt us or are after us. Or we create continuous thoughts of jealousy, hatred and violence with regards to another individual. They are negative and self-destructive habits. We fall into repetitive thoughts, which make us live in constant unhappiness. 

We spend a lot of time during the day with these types of unnecessary thoughts. They are leaks of energy that weaken us. We have created the habit of thinking like that and, therefore, it is in our hands to learn to change it. We can free ourselves of these dependencies and the result is to be freer, mentally, of negative and repetitive thoughts, which are like a constant hammering. It is a question of learning to control what we think, thinking positively and in a focused manner, meditating and exercising the mind. We exercise to keep the body healthy and strong; in order to have a healthy and strong mind we have to learn exercises like meditation and relaxation that help us to free ourselves from repetitive thoughts which are nothing but bad positions or postures of the mind. 

Message for the day

To be free from weaknesses is to move forward constantly. 

Expression: Most of the times I do win over my weaknesses and achieve progress but sometimes I find that I am defeated at the wrong moment by my own weakness and I experience failure. So instead of finding the progress that I should I find that I am moving back. 

Experience: In order to bring benefit to others and to myself, I should recognize and remove even the last trace of weakness that is working within me. For that I need to have a constant checking about the real cause of the weakness and remove it. Such checking and changing helps me to overcome my weaknesses. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 21/10/2014

For most of us, self acceptance isn't as easy as it could be!  

If you feel that you're not good enough, realise: you are enough.  

If you rate yourself against others, realise: there's no one else in the world quite like you.

Believe in your worth & uniqueness, & accept the whole package, flaws & all.  

Have self acceptance & you put yourself in a better position to improve yourself & the quality of your life.

Soul Sustenance

Limiting Influences On Your Decision Making Ability (Part 2) 

With whom does the choice to make your decisions lie? Are you going to be dominated by your fears and others’ negatively powerful influences, which paralyze your judgment power and confuse you sometimes or are you going to exercise your choice? When someone dominates you, they control you and make you feel irritated, frustrated and weak; they satisfy their own ego like that by controlling you and bringing you under their influence. You need to decide if you are comfortable being a victim of the other by being the one who satisfies the egos of others. It is not a very healthy attitude, on their part, but it happens in many relationships and we fall prey to that, because of a lack of spiritual power. Get back your personal ruling and controlling power and do not be afraid to be free and responsible for your choices. From today on, promise yourself that you will not allow your husband or wife, or children, or your friend, or mother-in-law, or your office colleague, anybody for that matter, influence the power of choice, the power to decide, that you possess. In the end, that way they will be happier; perhaps not at first, because a power game is created. Your personal freedom will lead to a healthier relationship, in the long run. Its fine to take an opinion or a viewpoint or support from someone, but there is a fine line between that and being controlled by someone, which we, many a times cross, and become a victim. 

You are free when you take responsibility for what you are and how you feel. In meditation you can realize everything that has influenced you and know how to clear it, so that only the highest, the most positive influence you. This depends on each one of us. In our present society, there are many influencing factors, from the most negative, violent, corrupt and mediocre, to the purest, highest and most spiritual. It depends on each one what you want to consume and allow to be influenced by. 

Message for the day

To bring equality in whatever I understand, desire and do is to be truly successful. Expression: Although my understanding of right and wrong is really good, I am not usually able to be or feel successful. This is because I notice a mismatch between what I know and what I want. So I am not able to bring that knowledge into action. Experience: A conscious effort needs to be put in from my side to compare and see which is better for me - what I know is right or what I feel I want. When I compare in this way, I will be able to change my desires in keeping with the right thing. When these two match, I will be able to bring it into action too. So I will be able to be successful. In Spiritual Service, Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 20/10/2014

True respect does not come from what we do, as much as how well we do it. This means we are shown respect according to the virtues and qualities revealed through our behaviour.

Soul Sustenance

Limiting Influences On Your Decision Making Ability (Part 1) It is extremely important to realize that, in any situation, you have the power to choose whether your response in that situation will be passive or pro-active, positive or negative, indifferent or attentive etc. You choose what action you take and how you feel. But do you exercise your power of choice all the time? You need to check which factors influence your decision making and push you either in one direction or the other? There are many factors that control and limit your power to make the right, and more importantly, free choices. These factors primarily include influences of people that dominate your ways of thinking, your beliefs, your attitudes, even your complete personalities, etc. You are also limited by the influence of your own fears, attachments, desires, biases or other negative and waste thoughts, which result in a lack of focus. There are a lot of people who are not used to thinking for themselves or even prefer being a ‘yes’ man going along with what others think and say, without having an opinion of their own. Also as you pass through your childhood and teenage life and enter adulthood, you acquire many preconceived ideas or beliefs from your family and social and cultural environment; that is why you assume inside that some things or people are always positive and others are always negative when, in fact, that’s not necessarily true. This directly affects the type of decisions you make, each time there is a requirement for one. In any particular situation, courage, wisdom, high self-esteem and focus is required to sit down calmly and make an assessment about the possible choices before you, and then finally make the right decision. The more you practice relaxation, positive thinking and meditation, the more you rise above all the negatively influencing factors mentioned above , the more you experience the positive qualities and powers mentioned above and exercise your power of choice accurately and with confidence. (To be continued tomorrow ….)

Message of the day

To be free from negative thoughts is to be free from punishment. Expression: Whenever there is a negative situation I tend to react very negatively to it. I tend to have a lot of negative thoughts and experience a lot of difficulty at that time. I then begin to blame the situation and feel that I am facing punishment because of it. Experience: I need to understand the fact that the biggest punishment I experience is through my own negative thoughts. The more I can free myself from these kind of negative thoughts I can free myself from experiencing any kind of punishment. In Spiritual Service, Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 19/10/2014

Success means to reach such a constant level of positive thoughts that pure actions happen naturally. Pure actions are like good seeds which, when planted, produce healthy, sweet fruit. 'As you sow. so shall you reap.' Concern for the quality of my actions today ensures the Success of my tomorrow.

Soul Sustenance

Nurturing My Relationship With Myself One of the most significant areas of importance in any human’s life is that of relationships. Someone with very good, close, harmonious and loveful relationships with loved ones, friends, colleagues, etc. is normally considered very fortunate or lucky. But of all relationships, the first and most basic one is the one I have with myself. So, how good, close or deep is my relationship with myself? How well do I know myself? Am I my own friend? If I think over the last week or fortnight, how many of my reactions were unexpected or uncontrolled or basically not the right ones? How many reactions left me confused, sad, unenthusiastic, peaceless, depressed, negative in any other way or in short uncomfortable? If there have been several such situations, it is an indication that there are still things deep within me that I do not know. Normally a friend is someone whose company I enjoy, for whom there is love and from whom there is some benefit. As in any worldly relationship, without knowing a particular person to the core I can never have a deep relationship with that person. As the phrase ‘spiritual knowledge’ implies, it is the knowledge of the spirit or the self. Only by knowing myself completely and having a good relationship with the self, can I channelize my inner potential that I have within myself - just as water from a river, when properly channelized, provides water for various purposes. In any worldly relationship, if enough time and attention is not given to it and it is not nourished, it gets affected negatively. In the same way, though it's obvious that I have to spend a large chunk of each day involved in situations arising from my duties, routine activities, responsibilities and worldly relationships; my relationship with myself should also be given enough time and attention, so that it does not suffer. If I am not careful about that, my worldly life may use up my energy completely and discharge my inner battery. I need to find times in the day when I give time to my relationship with the self and recharge myself. The peace and happiness I long for internally will be obtained by having a good, positive relationship with the self.

Message of the day

The one who has attention on the self is the one who constantly experiences progress. Expression: Whenever I am faced with a situation, it is very easy to think and talk about others and their mistakes. I hardly have any time to look at and understand myself and my mistakes. I then continue to repeat the same mistakes again and again. Experience: Whatever the kind of situations I am faced with, I need to remind myself that I am the one who is going to benefit by bringing about a change in myself. So with this thought I need to constantly continue to check myself and bring about a positive change in myself. In Spiritual Service, Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 18/10/2014

The foundation of all spiritual growth and personal development is the awakening of self awareness. Most people however are not yet self aware, and the majority of those, are not aware that they are not aware. Self awareness is easy and begins with simply taking a mental step back, and observing your thoughts, feelings, attitudes and actions. Whenever you do you learn about our self and the basis of personal change and growth is always learning. Step back, what do you see, what enters your awareness? What does it tell you? What does it show you about yourself? Don't judge it, just see it. Don't run away from what you see, just watch it. Accept it. Allow whatever is happening within your thoughts and feelings just to be. And suddenly you will find that inner peace which surpasseth all pleasure.

Soul Sustenance

Overcoming The Fear Of Interaction Or Socializing There are various activities that you are perhaps afraid of doing, but that you know they are very useful activities to indulge in e.g. if you are afraid of socializing or interacting with people, either on a one-to-one basis or in a group. In a party or a situation where lots are people are enjoying the company of each other or in a meeting with your boss for e.g., you feel out of place and uncomfortable. The problem might lie in a negative image of the self or low self-esteem, lack of confidence, fear of the other’s opinion about you, lack of spiritual strength, past failure in having done so, being influenced by the other person’s role or position etc. How do you overcome this fear? By interacting with more and more people. The more you interact and mix up with them and express your viewpoint fearlessly, you realize that it is not a problem. Even if you make a mistake or you feel unsure, with practice you will see that there is no problem. Most of our fears are overcome with the practice of doing what you are afraid of. If you do not make a brave step forward in order to overcome the fear of expressing yourself, you will continue to be the victim of this fear. This fear is then a negative energy that paralyses your intellect as a result of which your concentration and your decision-making power reduces. It also disorganizes your ideas, and confuses you whenever you express yourself in front of a person or people. What is more, fear produces clumsiness in your words, body movements and actions and makes you lose your image of credibility. It gives an impression of nervousness and low self-respect to the other. You have to overcome it, and you will manage to do it with practice and by changing the vision that you have of others: they are not a threat, they are not judges who are going to pass a judgment against you, they are offering you the opportunity to express yourself. If you value yourself, you will not be afraid of not being appreciated by them and others will finally appreciate you. If you do not value yourself, the opposite will happen.

Message of the day

The one who is free from expectations is the one who is constantly cheerful. Expression: Usually I am quick to percieve my own desires and I do realise that desires give sorrow. So I make effort to overcome them. But most often I am not able to recognise my own expectations that I have from people which destroy my own cheer. My expectations from others prevent me from bringing about a positive change in myself. Experience: I need to recognise that each and every individual is unique with his own unique specialities and values. When I recognise this uniqueness I will not expect people to behave according to what I feel is right but will respect them for what they are. Thus I'll be able to be constantly cheerful. In Spiritual Service, Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 17/10/2014

Often when our minds are quiet, we can hear our inner voice, the wisdom that we carry at the core of our being.

All we need to do is recognise, value and learn from our inner tutor.  Imagine the cost effectiveness and convenience of having a tutor available 24/7.

So go on 'listen in' to receive some in-tuition.

Soul Sustenance

Overcoming Frustration In Relationships 

There are two things in life that we can never change:

• the past and

• other people 

This often brings us one frustration after the other, especially when we do not get the results that we want.Frustration is also a sign of failure, and every time that you fail in getting what you want from the other, your self-esteem and self-confidence are reduced.

Frustration is a form of anger. You allow the negative emotion to control you, and therefore you lose control. Most times situations will not be as you want them to be and neither will people behave as you want them to. Therefore, you can decide now if you want to continue allowing the other to dictate your reactions according to how they behave, which results in the loss of your rule, control and personal power, or you can decide that no matter how the other behaves, you rule over your responses; you decide what you want to think and feel. 

When another tries to control you and then gets frustrated because you don't do what he or she wants or you aren't who he or she expects you to be, they get in a bad mood with you; they look at you with anger and what do you do? You then place an invisible barrier between you and him or her. In such a way that they cannot 'enter' into your world and you do not leave yours either, they lose their influence over you. In the same way,when you try to control people you lose your influence over them and distance is generated.

Message of the day

True service is to serve equally through thoughts, words and actions. 

Expression: Whenever I think of serving others, I think of only serving through actions or maybe even through words. I never think of serving through my thoughts too. So sometimes I do find that my service is not complete and doesn't have a true impact. 

Experience: Before I can think of helping someone through words or through actions, I need to make sure I have good wishes for them. Only when my feelings for them are full of positive and powerful wishes can my service create its impact on others. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 16/10/2014

Do you find some meetings a waste of time?

We do need to work together & make decisions, share information & generate ideas. 

So how will you make meetings more effective?


Hold a walking meeting, if you can, or a stand up meeting to keep it short.

Alternatively, try a different environment to make things creative. 

Stick to agreed start & end times, & by the end of the meeting identify clearly who will do what, by when.

Go from "Not another meeting!" to "That was a good meeting."

Soul Sustenance

The Creations Of The Mind 

Scientists have learned a lot about our physical functioning, but most admit that what actually keeps a human being alive is a mystery not completely solved. Rising above being just a product of chemical and electrical activity in the brain, as believed by many of us, spirituality orients me and trains me to come close to my real self, my spiritual self. Before I was a stranger to my own self, unaware of what is going inside my consciousness and distant from my own self. The first step in coming close to myself is that I learn to use the energy of my mind in the most effective way possible. For this, I decide to find a place where, each day, I can sit for a few minutes without interruptions, in order to focus on the self and explore the inner world of the creations of the mind - my thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions. 

There has been a lot of conflicting views in the world about what the mind is and how it works. In the teachings of meditation by the Brahma Kumaris, the mind, which gives rise to my thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions, is seen as a faculty of the soul, not the body. It is rather like the difference between a television set and the movies seen on that set. The movies originate in the minds of the directors, not in the television set itself. The television set is just a medium for displaying the movies. So it is with all these four creations (thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions). These originate in the non-physical consciousness and not in the physical brain. The brain is just a processor of them and the body is a medium via which all four are displayed or brought onto expressions, physical gestures, words and actions. When I realize this, and really understand this difference, it very empowering. I am then able to use the power of discrimination to make choices between thoughts, feelings, attitudes and emotions that are useful and empowering for myself and others, and those that bring me down. 

Message of the day

Truth is effective when it is combined with tact. 

Expression: I usually react when something goes wrong. In the heat of the moment I give corrections and others don't seem to understand. Then I tend to become confused, as it is difficult to make a choice whether to leave the situation as it is or to prove my point to the others. 

Experience: Unless truth is combined with tact I cannot make people realise their mistakes. When I find something going wrong, I need to wait for the right time for saying what I have to. I also need to tell it in a way that the other person can understand. Only then will my words have their impact on others. 


In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thought of the day 15/10/2014

All the unnecessary, repetitive thoughts that linger around in our minds create a stuffy atmosphere and affect how we feel.

Next time your mind feels stuffy, filter out any negativity or unwanted thoughts. Remove all the contaminants from your mind, just like an air purifier.

Now you can think fresh thoughts, feel good and breathe easy! 

Soul Sustenance

Saying Goodbye To Anger 

'I expect' is the great illusion, which converts itself into demanding rights without due respect for others. 

Anger in all its forms is a direct result of an expectation not being fulfilled and brings cries (although sometimes silent ones) of * They should have done this * Why did this happen? or * Don't you know better? Disappointment, accusations and demands are violent energies, which we throw around very naturally and easily in our daily life when our expectations are not fulfilled. They are like a burning fire that eats away at our original spiritual qualities, turning them to a dust that pollutes the self and others. 

Instead, let us continue to practise returning our thoughts to the self and remembering our original source of peace. In that experience of deep, natural peace, we will find balance and clarity and the ability to tolerate and adjust to the unexpected. 

One of the keys of meditation practice is to quickly gather our thought energy and take it inside to connect to our original qualities, no matter what may be happening outside, or even inside! 

Let me disconnect from the external and plug in to the internal energies that support me and then I will be able to say goodbye to anger very easily.