Let us persevere to achieve our goals and objectives. We must have self-belief that ‘We Can do’ and ‘We Can Win’. Positive Thinking will help us to stay determined and focused despite setbacks, which we shall have to overcome to reach our chosen Destination.
• Athletes and Sports persons train hard for years. They regularly fight and overcome pain barriers to reach their mark.
Our THINKING is shaped by the multiple inputs stored in our brain since childhood and the on-going experiences we have on a daily basis. Some experiences and events however leave a profound long-term impact on us.
All these experiences and inputs are a combination of whatever we term for ourselves as happy, sad and indifferent ones.
It is a universal truth that life will present all possible combinations in everyone’s life. No one can aspire to have only ONE kind of CHOSEN experiences.
It is however in OUR OWN HANDS to view and interpret these inputs:
The Power of Positive Thinking is immense. We can change our whole personality and the day-to-day state-of-being through Positive Thinking.
A whole body of writings is available on this subject and almost 4,000 books have been written on Happy Psychology and related subjects last year (The Times of India-Magazine Section, Sunday 1st Feb’09).
While there has been tremendous material progress the world over in the last decades and new opportunities are available for hitherto unheard of careers, new services are available, choices for the consumer have increased multifold, we have to recognize that in today’s globalized world, this automatically leads to higher competition and greater emphasis on performance.
Evolution is a natural process and the shape of things is continuously undergoing transformation.
We have to learn to live and enjoy in this wonderful world full of opportunities while being conscious of the challenges the pace of development poses.
There is an on-going debate between materialism and spiritualism and many ‘Gurus’ ascribe higher stress and depression faced by mankind today to the RACE towards materialism.
It is definitely POSSIBLE. We only have to imbibe POSITIVE THINKING and the RIGHT ATTITUDE towards things, events and happenings.
This will also help to achieve the necessary BALANCE.
According to Lord Krishna in Gita, the mantra is of ‘Karma’ and of ‘Detached Attachment’. It is a bit difficult but can be achieved to a reasonable degree if we think positively and strive to achieve it through continuous conscious efforts.
CONCLUSION
We can engage in the Worldly Pursuits and also follow the Path of Spirituality simultaneously by following the ‘GOLDEN MEAN’, the path of moderation. We have to keep defining boundary limits for ourselves and should never go overboard.
Positive Thinking helps us to view things differently and enables us to develop a healthy perspective.
We must give positive inputs to our mind to stimulate positive thoughts and filter out the negative ones.
· Feeling grateful can actually change our lives.
· Let us be grateful to the ‘God of Our Understanding’ for his /her blessings. Remember that God is always benevolent and is our best ‘Friend’. We have to do our deed and leave the rest to God, rather than constantly trying to force the results.
· The change in our perspective will enable us to view our whole life differently.
· It will enable us to become joyful, more determined and enthusiastic.
· Feeling grateful can actually make us healthier and shall lead us towards a ‘Higher Quality of Life’.
· We shall not feel depressed or anxious.
· We should be grateful to our parents, life partner, children co-workers and friends, as they are partners in our progress.
· Gratitude when expressed to others always comes back.
· We must record our ‘Thanks’. Normally we forget to thank others for the ‘Several Small Good Things’, which make life happy and joyous for us. Example-Thank the spouse for a good hot meal, thank your boss for his guidance and appreciation, thank your juniors for their support and good work etc.
(Many ideas have been taken from an article by Deborah Norville in The Readers Digest-Feb.’09 issue)
The thrill is actually in the ‘Journey’ and not so much on reaching the ‘Destination’.
· The anticipation, planning, joys of small achievements and heartaches due to failures are all parts of a landscape we witness from a moving train-sometimes green and rosy, at other times barren and rocky.
· One always gives way to the other and we should therefore enjoy both.
· We shall enjoy the sweet smell of success only after the struggle. (sometimes even failures)
· Mahatma Gandhi laid greater stress on the ‘Means’ rather than the ‘End’ and rightly so.
· Let us not aim at achieving success through bluff and unfair means. If we want to move through life with our head held high, then let us take the straight but sometimes longer path. This will make the Journey immensely rich and amazing.
CONCLUSION
Positive thinking will enable us to ‘Enjoy the Process’, the Journey of life, with all its ups and downs.
For Positive Thinking to change our lives, it must become our predominant mind-set.
ARUN VEDHERA
Attitudes are contagious, is yours worth catching?
Lot have been said and written about attitudes…..What exactly are attitudes?
The dictionary meaning of attitude is:
“1. a feeling or opinion about something or someone, or a way of behaving that is caused by this: example :It’s often very difficult to change people’s attitudes.
2 If you say that someone has attitude, you mean that they are confident and independent, often in a rude or unpleasant way.
All of us have been following a set of attitudes we learned in our lifetime through our own experiences and those of others. Some of them are positive ….helps us to live our lives to the fullest-enjoying every moment. There are other attitudes which make our lives and that of others miserable – harming ourselves or others around us.
There are a few other attitudes in life which are neither negative nor positive……but can be put under the category – General – living our lives the way we have been and living and doing nothing to progress in life – in our careers, our relationships, our physical, mental or spiritual aspects of life.
Attitudes are nothing more than habits of thoughts, and habits can be acquired. An action repeated becomes an attitude realized.–Paul Myer (in Developing the Leader Within You by Maxwell)
The essence of Life as human beings is progress…..One thing all of us have to understand clearly is that if in any way we want to improve our lives -want more money, bigger house, smaller cell phones, have good health, recover from our addictions-if any, looking for “peace within”, serenity and contended life, we have to work on ourselves to change for the better. There are no two ways about it.
“Changing our attitudes will definitely change our altitudes” But the problem is that many of us are not ready to change…..we fear change….Friends “pain doesn’t come from change ….it comes from resistance to change”
Here are a few “action steps” which will help you to work on the “Change of Attitude” Process. Try to work on it honestly and thoroughly. After all it is your life which can improve for the better.
First of all, do a little self searching exercise. You can ask yourself these questions:
a) Am I happy with the growth at my work.
b) Am I having a loving and understanding relationship with my wife/husband/partner or parents or children?
c) Do others treat me the way I want them to treat me?
d) Am I grateful for whatever I have today?
e) Do I believe that “my feelings are results of my thoughts” can I can change myself to think differently to feel and act differently.
There are many, who answer in affirmative to the above…they are doing a wonderful job with themselves are working on other areas in life where they feel there is scope for improvement…..and the focus is on progress and not perfection. Because once we aim at perfecting a particular thing or behavior…..we don’t even start…it is human nature….we tend to be perfectionists…..either we do it perfectly or we don’t do it at all…So friends …..we are not looking to have a noble price for living a happy and better life but are targeting at improving from our present one.
If the answer to any of the above questions is in negative, then it is time we get going and ACT.
Here are a few tools which helped me alter my attitudes thereby changing my life for the better .These tools have worked for me and thousands of others…and if these worked for us…it sure will work for you too…the only thing you have to do is let them.
1. Be honest, open minded and willing to change – This is the most important step. Until you are honest with yourself, open to ideas and suggestions, and Willing to improve ….there is nothing in this world which will work for you.
2. List down all the negative characters or traits you have – You can always take the help of your wife/husband/partner or a close friend as sometimes…we may not be able to see in ourselves what others can see in us.
3. Start working on them from “easy to hard” – start from the easiest one …the ones which requires less effort and gradually move on to the harder ones….break the harder ones into smaller parts….have a time limit…..set your own schedule… . but do a little bit on a daily basis….that way we will remain in touch with ourselves.
4. Compliment yourself on your achievements….howsoever small……compliment yourself …that way we are motivated to do a little more.
5. Thank your Higher power for whatever you have and whatever you were able to change……If you don’t believe in the concept of God…thank your stars……thank the universe…or thank science……the idea is not Whom to thank……but is to be grateful.
6. Snap yourself out of negative thoughts….and be conscious about them. One tool you can you can use is to wear a thick rubber band on your wrist and snap it whenever you are having negative thoughts…it will hurt you a little whenever you do that. By doing this you are giving signals to your brain that “pain is always comes from negative thoughts”…and if we don’t want pain….we might as well not think negative. Try it for 30 days and I am sure you mind will be alert whenever a negative thoughts comes.
7. Learn from your experience: “The one thing that is more painful than learning from experience is NOT learning from experience!”
Friends, life changes and if we WANT to be happy….we need to keep changing with time….and keep altering our attitudes to the changing situations and circumstances.
Most of us just need to start……..take action……. take the first step……….rest , God of your understanding and the universe will help you move on……
“It is easier to get older than get wiser”
Choice is yours….
Anurag Chopra
What have you to say on this ……Use the comments section below
You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your ATTITUDE toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
Brian Tracy
Our ATTITUDE toward life determines lifes’ ATTITUDE towards us
Earl Nightingale
The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their ATTITUDES of mind.
William James
There is little difference in people but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is ATTITUDE. The big difference is whether it’s positive or negative.
W. Clement Stone
A positive ATTITUDE may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
Herm Albright
If you don’t think every day is a good day, just try missing one.
Cavett Robert
How we think shows through in how we act. ATTITUDEs are mirrors of the mind. They reflect thinking.
David J. Schwartz
ATTITUDES are more important than facts
Karl A Menniger
Develop an ATTITUDE of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
Brian Tracy
ATTITUDE is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Winston Churchill
Happiness is an ATTITUDE. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.
Winston Churchill
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
Paul H. Duhn
It is so often true that whether a person carries with him an atmosphere of gloom and depression or one of confidence and courage depends on his individual outlook.
James Keller
The only disability in life is a bad ATTITUDE.
Scott Hamilton
There are no menial jobs, only menial ATTITUDE.
William J. Bennett
Being a sex symbol has to do with an ATTITUDE, not looks. Most men think it’s looks, most women know otherwise.
Kathleen Turner
A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of ATTITUDES.
Hugh Downs
Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. ATTITUDE determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz
Success or failure depends more upon ATTITUDE than upon capacity. Successful people act as though they have accomplished or are enjoying something. Soon it becomes a reality. Act, look, feel successful, conduct yourself accordingly and you will be amazed at the positive result.
Dupree Jordan
Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile, it returns the greeting.
Anonymous
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt
All the technology in the world will never replace a positive ATTITUDE.
Harvey MacKay
We awaken in others the same ATTITUDE of mind we hold toward them.
Elbert Hubbard
Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time.
Betty Smith
Attitudes are more important that facts.
It is more important that the past, than education than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success,
that what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company…a home… a relationship.
The remarkable think is we have a choice, every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day.
We cannot change our past.
We cannot change the fact that other people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90 % how I react to it.
Acceptance and Understanding Ourselves, the Power of Prayer and Inspirations (getting inspired) have been the starting steps of our roadmap. Let us move forward positively.
Overcome resistance to change, which is one of the major causes of irritation, uncertainty and our discomfort. This also generates negative thoughts, vibes and saps all our energy.
Do we want to draw comfort ONLY form the past and the old order? NO. We want to move forward.
Do we want to be called have-been and relics of the past? NO.
Do we want to be with it, in synch with the present world order, irrespective of our age or gender? YES.
Then let us welcome change. We have to flow with the times but should not try to topple every sensible order of things.
While advocating change, we should understand that stability is important and familiarity is comforting. Let us NOT RUSH to change everything but take well reasoned decisions.
Let us not attempt to change these and other bedrock foundations of our very being and the society.
> Let us not try to change the WORLD ORDER (unless some of us are true leaders or red-blooded crusaders)
> LET US NOT ATTEMPT TO CHANGE OTHERS, BUT ONLY TO CHANGE OURSELVES, i.e. OUR ATTITUDE.
> We should NOT attempt TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE and should note that INCREMENTAL CHNAGES will surely but steadily transform us.
CONCLUSION
A change in OUR MINDSET will remove many ingrained resistances form within us and allow the STREAM OF POSITIVE THOUGHTS to infuse our beings.
ARUN VEDHERA
There was once a boy who wanted to seek the secret of success. One day he approached a wise man living up in the mountain. When he found the wise man at the hut, he asked, “Wise man, can you tell me the secret to becoming successful in life?” The wise man was silent for a while. After a moment of silence, the wise man led the young lad to a nearby river. They kept walking into the river until the boy’s head was fully submerged in the water. The boy struggled to keep his head above the water. To his astonishment, the wise man did not help him. Instead, the wise man held the boy’s head in the water. After a few minutes the wise man pulled the boy out of the water and they proceeded to walk back to the hut. At the hut the wise man asked the young boy what he desired most when his head was submerged in water. To this the young boy quickly responded, “Of course, I wanted to breathe, you old fool!”
To which the wise man replied, “Son, if you desire success as much as you wanted to breathe, then you would have found the true secret of success.”
