Positive Thinking

short story with a Moral

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:52:16 +0000

A short story with a Moral

There is a story of about a sea captain who in his retirement

skippered a boat taking day-trippers to Shetland Islands.

On one trip, the boat was full of young people.

They laughed at the old captain when they saw him say a prayer

before sailing out, because the day was fine and the sea was calm.

However they weren’t long at sea when a storm suddenly blew up

and the boat began to pitch violently. The terrified passengers

came to the captain and asked him to join them in prayer.

But he replied, “I say my prayers when it’s calm.

When it’s rough I attend to my ship!”

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Is there a lesson for us, here?

If we cannot seek God in quiet moments of our lives,

we are not likely to find Him when trouble strikes.

We are more likely to panic. But if we have learnt

to seek Him and trust Him in quiet moments, then

most certainly we will find Him when the going gets rough.

How to donate – The art of giving generously

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:48:34 +0000

The Art of Giving

“Rivers do not drink their own water, nor do tree eat their own fruit, nor do rain clouds eat the grains reared by them.

The wealth of the noble is used solely for the benefit of others?

Even after accepting that giving is good and that one must learn to give, several questions need to be answered..

The first question is - when should one give ?

One does not know really whether one will be there tomorrow to give!

The time to give therefore is - NOW. The next question is – ‘how much to give ?’

One recalls the famous incident from history. Maharaja Rana Pratap was reeling after defeat from the Moghals. He had lost his army, he had lost his wealth, and most important he had lost hope, his will to fight.

At that time in his darkest hour, his erstwhile minister Bhamasha came seeking him and placed his entire fortune at the disposal of Rana Pratap. With this, Rana Pratap raised an army and lived to fight another day.

The answer to this question how much to give is - “Give as much as you can”!

The next question is – what to give?

It is not only money that can be given. It could be a flower or even a smile.

It is not how much one gives but how one gives that really matters. When you give a smile to a stranger that may be the only good thing received by him in days and weeks!

“You can give anything but you must give with your heart !

One also needs answer to this question - whom to give ?

Many times we avoid giving by finding fault with the person who is seeking. However, being judgmental and rejecting a person on the presumption that he may not be the most deserving is not justified. ”Give without being judgmental !

Next we have to answer – ‘How to give ?

Coming to the manner of giving, one has to ensure that the receiver does not feel humiliated, nor the giver feels proud by giving.

‘Let not your left hand know what your right hand gives? Charity without publicity and fanfare, is the highest form of charity. ‘Give quietly !

While giving let not the recipient feel small or humiliated. After all what we give never really belonged to us. We come to this world with nothing and will go with nothing. The thing gifted was only with us for a temporary period. Why then take pride in giving away something which really did not belong to us?

Give with grace and with a feeling of gratitude.

What should one feel after giving?

We all know the story of Eklavya. When Dronacharya asked him for his right thumb as “Guru = Dakshina”. He unhesitatingly cut off the thumb and gave it to Dronacharya.

There is a little known sequel to this story..

Eklavya was asked whether he ever regretted the act of giving away his thumb when he was dying.

His reply was “Yes ! I regretted this only once in my life. It was when Pandavas were coming in to kill Dronacharya who was broken hearted on the false news of death of his son Ashwathama and had stopped fighting. It was then that I regretted the loss of my thumb. If the thumb was there, no one could have dared hurt my Guru? The message to us is clear.

Give and never regret giving !

And the last question is – ‘ How much should we provide for our heirs ?

Ask yourself , ‘Are we taking away from them the ”gift of work? – a source of happiness!’

The answer is given by Warren Buffett: “Leave your kids enough to do anything, but not enough to do nothing !

I would conclude by saying: let us learn the Art of Giving, and quoting Sant Kabir:

“When the wealth in the house increases, When water fills a boat, throw them out with both hands ! This is the wise thing to do!

Live simply. Love generously. Speak kindly.

forgiveness – learning to forgive

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:33:25 +0000

HOW YOU TREAT ME IS YOUR KARMA, HOW I REACT, IS MINE

Why is it so difficult for us to forgive others? Why do we find it so hard to let go?

Sometimes, even years after a certain incident; sometimes, even after they have apologized; sometimes, when they have hurt you unknowingly and have no idea that you are struggling to forgive them.

Why?

Because we are usually under the misconception that we will be doing them a favor by forgiving them.

That in fact, is not the case.

When we forgive someone, we actually do ourselves a huge favor because through forgiveness.

We release all the negative thoughts, emotions and energies that we are so desperately holding onto in our anger.

Replaying the moment again and again in our mind, torturing ourselves in so many ways.

It hurts us more than them, when we don’t forgive.

We find it hard to forgive because we think we are in the more powerful position when we hold back forgiveness.

Actually we are the weak ones, if that’s the kind of power we rely on to give us strength.

We are also not able to forgive because we take everything so personally.

Not everything another person does is done with the concious intention of hurting you.

Sometimes they are just trying to protect themselves and that’s the best they way they know how to protect themselves.

Haven’t you heard of the saying ’The Best Defence is Offense’?

We need to give allowance to others for their insecurities and their imperfections without taking things personally.

So even if you do it for the most selfish of reasons, go ahead and forgive.

First, forgive yourself for holding onto the grudge for as long as you did.

Then, forgive the other person.

Positive Thinking

Mon, 17 May 2010 08:28:40 +0000

Positive thinking can be one of the most powerful weapons one can have. We are living in a brutally competitive world where a minor slip can result into voyage to abyss. Each one of us has this constant need of love, admiration and acceptance. However, people often fall victim to outbursts, anger, fear and dislikes. All these elements are mere manifestations of our negative thoughts. But the thing with negativity is that, the more you express it, the more you attract it. That’s where power of positive thinking comes into the picture. This is not something to be underestimated and certainly not to be considered as a mere preaching tool of sages and holy men.

If you can simply think in a positive way, you can most certainly affect the outcome of your actions. Whatever we do begins with a thought. We are always thinking something or the other. So why not we should strive to incorporate this inevitable thought process in our lives in a positive way? Positive thinking is a virtue and a necessity in today’s world. The single attribute of positive thinking can help in making a difference to our lives and also to the people in our surroundings. Positive thought instigate positive attitude towards a task, which in turn changes the outcome. Health experts and psychologists have reiterated the virtue of positive thinking in our lives. It is the crucial foundation upon which a healthier, happier and longer life is build upon.

It is important to identify negative thoughts as soon as they appear on the surface and bury them before they start taking root. The challenge is to apply mind and logics instead of emotions. Cultivate the hobby of positive thinking. Hang around with people who have a positive disposition towards life. Positivity is infectious and when you are surrounded by delightful people, you start feeling and behaving the same.

We must live in the present. Most of our fears and insecurities arise from past regrets or future worries. Avoid sentences like ‘I wish I could have’ or ‘I wish I should have’. Past is gone and future comes when it comes. Present is what we have so we must make the most out of it. Develop a healthy eating and sleeping schedule. De-clutter your life and your home. Be natural and be happy with what you are and what you have. Focussing on what you have will make give you more happiness instead of pondering over what you lack. These simple suggestions will help you in developing positive thinking in your life.