WHY
ARE WE SO STRESSED OUT?
Are we running after a
chimera? Or, like Rama and Lakshmana, are we running after a non-existent
golden deer? Or like the Pandavas, save Yuddhistara, we partake water from a
poisonous lake? In all situations, our mind is fully aware that what we are
attempting is incorrect and inchoate, yet we undertake that activity. There are
a couple of reasons for this hara-kiri or running after the hubris. We are not
wakeful enough, neither are we listening to our
gut feeling and or we have a woeful sense of time management.
A) We are not wakeful (not
sleepy in a literal sense) as we are not focused or centred. We cannot
differentiate between choices. Consequently, we make mistakes that often
consume us.
B) Our mind and thoughts
(a human mind on an average receives 50,000 thoughts a day) batter us
endlessly. Now the company we keep
and the food we partake has a significant impact on the human mind and body.
Negative company drains a person and toxic food and drink totally enervates and
debilitates our system. I was a victim and patient of alcoholism and realize
the suffering one goes through because of it. Following the techniques of
Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama, I overcame the disease. There is a deep connect
between the stomach and mind. That is why it is called the gut feeling or the
sixth sense. Our solar plexus keeps sending us signals. It depends as to
whether we are conscious and wakeful enough to listen to those signals. Yoga is the latest
buzzword. With regular practice of Yoga, especially Suryanamaskar and Pranayama,
our solar plexus develop to receive and transmit important signals.
C) Tools for effective
Time Management-
- The POSEC METHOD –
That is to prioritize by organizing, streamlining, economizing and then
effectively contributing.
- Do a SWOT analysis
and become winners.
- Learn to work in
groups and Art of delegation.
- Attempt all hard
tasks first
- Build in
flexibility in your schedules or else one would suffer from psychosomatic
disorders.
- Develop hobbies,
read creative books and self help books.
- Every morning and
night while being grateful make an inventory of do’s and don’ts
- Learn to say NO.
Also learn to say YES. A ‘Yes’ mind makes an individual take up
responsibility. Taking up responsibility can empower a person. Imagine a
situation where you could have shouldered responsibility but evaded it or
- Live life king
size and learn to celebrate.
We
can celebrate only if we are able to quiten our minds. These are some ways to
quiten our mind and develop a relaxation room or space in our minds. For that
we can do the following:
Go
for long walks, talk out our problems, hug a person (perhaps someone whom you do not like), write
down all our botherations, be in sync with our breath and movement,
pursue a passion, be a daredevil, get out of our comfort zone, exercise
vigorously (positive endorphins get released which have a soothing effect on the mind and
body), have cold water baths to
conquer passion and carnal instincts (they can be a distraction especially during
examination times).
Despite
practicing all techniques, we may not be able to find our place in the sun. So,
what does one do?
Simply
surrender to the immense power within ourselves and learn to accept.
Realize
‘Aham Brahmasmi’ or ‘I am the infinite reality’, as written in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Our mind has that
immense power.; Iit needs to be harnessed
and realized. We just need to declutter our minds.
‘Your
mind is an instrument. It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the
task is completed, you lay it down. As it is, I would say about 80–90 per cent of
most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but because of its
dysfunctional and often negative nature, much of it is harmful. Observe your
mind and you find this is to be true. It causes a
serious leakage of vital energy.,’ writes Eckhart Tolle.
Today, he is a great
philosopher. At the age of 29, he was about to commit suicide.
There
are several ways to channelize this energy. There may be some who may practice
meditation, breathing techniques and observe silence to quiten minds. There may
be others who remain focused by playing a game of tennis and sweating it out or
pursue other passions. You have to choose the path that suits your personality.
However, the ultimate aim is to be in the present and lead a happy life.
Feel
blessed, feel grateful and feel abundance. Let your mind not be judgemental and
complain and cling on to negativities.
As
Alice Walker said, ‘Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should
look like the future you are dreaming.’
In
the pages that follow is a collection of articles on various facets of human
life which is intrinsically connected with the mind.
Mind Management 2
Recently
I received a message on my mobile phone, ‘I am the son of Lord Krishna. I keep
visiting Tirumala. Yet, I take drugs. Why do I suffer? Please, help me!’
My terse
response was, ‘Meet a psychiatrist, undergo counselling, practice medictation and undergo the Happiness Programme of
the Art of Living’.
The
caller was not satisfied and kept pestering me with a flurry of such messages.
This
person was positively in a state of misery and fear. Fear is an unpleasant
emotion caused by the threat of danger or pain. His crutch and life boat was
Lord Krishna. To my mind , it seemed a state of hallucination, perhaps because
of medicines and drugs. The mind of the caller was both fragmented and deeply
disturbed. He appeared to be in a state of imbalance. No one in his right frame
of mind would come up with such outlandish prepositions.
He
refused to take proper medication, meet a psychiatrist or undertake the Art of
Living programme. Here was a challenge staring me in the face. This individual
positively required attention and help.
The
Patanjali Yoga Sutras have identified the following as root causes of miseries
in life —Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dwesha and Abhinivesha.
1) Avidya — This is nothing but lack of knowledge
or ignorance. Everything around us keeps changing constantly. It could be our
cells, blood, stomach lining, hair, to name a few. Yet, we are oblivious of the
change.
2) Asmita — Is our intellect and our self. We get
stubbornly stuck to our opinions. Like the caller was fixated with the idea
that he was the child of Lord Krishna and stay put at Tirumala. Yet, he was
partaking drugs. We are unable to comprehend life beyond a state of our
stubbornness and ignorance. Unfortunately, the mind is stuck in our mirror
image of stubbornness. We too become The Pictures
of Dorian Gray.
3) Raga — Mmeans craving. Normally, craving arises out of
certain pleasurable experiences of the past. It has a deep imprint on the mind.
Such impressions only aggravate our wants and misery. It is a vicious cycle of
pleasure begetting more pleasure and ending up in a cachet of misery.
4) Dwesha — Iis nothing but hatred. Hatred is antithetical
to craving. Though it arises out of craving, the premise is an unpleasant
experience. This could be because of certain tragic moments in the past or
unrealistic expectations which do not materialize.
5)
Abhivivesha — This is fear of the unknown. An emotion which affects all of us.
Only a saint or an insane person has overcome this barrier. Fear can also help
as a protecting cloak when it is in relatively small measure. This helps us to
not indulge in chest thumping bravado. Erudite scholars too live with this
primordial instinct.
The
above points have been explained in a succinct and elaborate manner by Sri Sri
Ravi Shankar in his commentary on Patanjali Yoga Sutras.
The
caller proclaiming to be the son of Lord Krishna was in obvious pain and agony.
He could experience ecstasy only through scientific help, that is, by consulting a psychiatrist , taking proper medication and undertaking an Art
of Living course. That was, of course, my suggestion. However, his escapist
response was that the course would be expensive and where could he locate a
centreer. This is how a fragmented and an escapist
mind reacts. That is primarily looking for excuses and not accepting the reality.
I suggested that through the Art of Living website a centerre could be identified and a course undertaken. There
are also free courses such as Nav Chetna workshops which he could attend.
The
caller continued to escape and dodge the inevitable. This is how human mind
reacts. It keeps hunting for excuses. Invariably, the cloak of negativity and
ignorance shrouds the mind from combating the problem.
Exercising
all love, caution and care, I asked him to chant ‘Om Namaha Shivaya’ 108 times thrice a day for 108
times, to
purge his mind from all negative thoughts and makeing positive affirmations by writing “I am happy,
healthy and peaceful’. This task was also to be done thrice daily for 108 times; and the Tapas to be done for 41
days. In case a day is missed for some reason, repeat the process again for 41
days. Such signals to the mind are extremely useful and powerful. The mind then
responds to positive thoughts and discards negative feelings and emotions.
He has
not contacted me so far since then. Presumably, he has embarked on the journey
of Tapas and hopefully has found support and a beacon of light in the dark
tunnel. His Ishta Devata, Lord Krishna, wielded the Sudarshan Chakra wading
through negativity and impurity. Sudarshan Kriya, Pranayama, Yoga and
Meditation will certainly swathe through the cobwebs of his troubled mind and
increase his Prana, Chi or energy to obliterate the negativity.
I am
waiting for the 41 days to end so that he can be happy, healthy and peaceful.
Jai Guru Dev.
Mind
and Successful People
Successful
People 1
Success can be measured
materially and metaphysically. Physical success is being triumphant and
victorious. A non-achiever is called a loser. Humans and the human mind always
pine to be associated with success and be in the company of successful people.
That is the characteristic or nature (chitta) of the mind. Humans
aspire and hunger to achieve the pinnacles of glory and success.
‘Success is simple. Do
what’s right the right way at the right time,’ writes Arnold H. Glasgow. Metaphysical
success is equivalent to spiritual success.,
Aa
state where results do not matter. One is oblivious to the final outcome. A
seeker gives his 100 per cent and is satisfied and
contented with that, by continuously
doing his Sadhana. In case an individual is a practitioner of Yoga, he would
unflinchingly follow the path of Ashtanga Yoga (the eight limbs) as laid down
by sage Patanjali. These include Yama, Niyama, Aasana, Pranayama, Pratayahara,
Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. It is just not performing the physical exercise
but far beyond that. Further, the seeker needs to be disciplined,
alert and wakeful. The food he partakes should be Sattvik and not Rajasik or
Tamasik. To achieve bliss, the
practitioner should be endowed with enormous patience.
If a seeker is
following the tenets
of the Art of Living, he needs to continuously follow the path of Sadhana, Sudarshan
Kriya, Satsang, Seva, Meditation, Spiritual Practices, and Silence. This is
true of whichever path
one adopts without getting distracted and venturing into ‘spiritual shopping’.
Then the mind would be in the Present
Moment, contented, blissful
and happy.
‘Success is not final,
failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,’ wrote Winston
Churchill.
Successful people
enhance their productivity through relentless practice and honing their
skills. Skills are augmented through
continuously updating knowledge,
reading quality literature,
evolving with the latest technology, being alert and aware of the rapidly
changing environment. The world is truly flat in this age of software, mobiles,
apps and cloud (SMAC).
Moreover such people
maintain good and intelligent company. Good company is like being owners
of precious and priceless books which nourish and nurture a person with
information and increase the repository of knowledge. Over a period, one can be
a proud owner of a library of outstanding friends and books instead of mere
acquaintances. Only strong, willing people can become successful. ‘Failure will
never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough,’ wrote Og
Madino.
Imagine a person
aspiring to open for the Indian cricket team and has
no clue about Sunil Gavaskar or Virendra Sehwag among
other openers! An achiever should be fully abreast with the culture and history
of the environment he inhabits. ‘A people without the knowledge of their past
history, origins and culture is like a tree without roots,’ says Marcus Garvey.
The individual should
be fully adept with the intelligence and emotional quotient of his environment
apart from the social and behavioural.
An eye for the specifics
and details separates the chaff from the grain. An achiever minutely captures
in his amazing photographic memory all that is unfolding around him without
missing even the minutest detail. You need to know more than your juniors and
peers and perhaps more than your seniors. However, one should not be boastful
and pompous about knowledge acquired. Humility wins you friends and their
loyalty acts as a stepping stone in achieving additional milestones.
Never forgetting the
family, the inner circle of friends and close relationships is the
quintessential hallmark of
a successful man. As these were the very individuals who helped the achiever when
there were dark clouds hovering and the mind was clouded with doubts and
apprehensions. The empathy and bonding of the family transports the individual to
a different platform and zone. They were with us, are with us and will be with
us,
should be the Mantra. Discarding them or abandoning them will be only at the
individual’s peril. This should be particularly remembered by artistes and
those working in the tinsel world. Arrogant behaviour will never pay. At any
cost, a successful person can never outpace, outdistance or outstrip events.
There could be periods of conflict and turmoil when we would desperately need
the succour and
comfort of our family and friends.
Most importantly,
successful people work in teams. Synergy of teams breed positive thoughts and
originality. This infuses fresh ideas and
visualization which are extremely useful for the self and the organisation. The
symphony and orchestration of a soccer team on the pitch is a celebration to
the eyes of cynosure as they play in harmony and unison. Imagine the plight of
a football team, where players play an inward-looking game where they do not
pass the ball.
The car man, Henry
Ford, correctly states, ‘Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is
progress, working together is success.’
Successful individuals
are synthesizers, like ants, who work to build beautiful
anthills.
Successful
People 2
The successful completion
of a task releases endorphins
in the body which act as a tonic and also an analgesic. ‘Always bear in mind
that your own
resolution to succeed is more important than any other,’ said Abraham Lincoln.
Resolution
is the positive intent, resolve or aspiration to give
a 100 per cent to achieve the targeted goal. Before treading the path, one
should feel grateful and blessed. Then abundance will be provided by nature.
Half your
job is already done.
‘Resolution
one: I will live for God. Resolution two: If no one else does, I still will,’
wrote Jonathan
Edwards.
Effort,
skill and courage are prerequisites
brewing this heady cocktail. Successful people tap
the potential from the depths of their minds and hearts and conquer the
fear of failure in the process. They become the architects of their lives,
while understanding the geometry of the mind.
Mind
is that element of a person which enables him to be aware of the world and
its myriad experiences
to think positively and to feel the faculty of consciousness,
simultaneously purging negative
thoughts in the bargain.
Successful
people overcome
negative emotions like FEAR, ANXIETIES AND PHOBIAS. This was the hallmark of
our sages and Rishis. Their minds were not clouded by negativity and ineffectual,
Sisyphean or nugatory thoughts.
One
has to dream big, even if it may
appear outlandish in order to
become high end
achievers and ensure
that to never
kill an idea, however witless it may appear on the surface. For who knows, in
its bosom may lie a hidden treasure awaiting to be explored. Such individuals
are blessed with a YES mind and are in the zone to be achievers. Importantly ,
such individuals dare to dream, even if the dreams are small ,
or crazy .
They dare to dream and dare to live those dreams. That is their Audacity of
Hope. Be it a Mahatma, Mandela ,
a Modi or an Obama.
Under
the spiritual guidance of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the Art of Living celebrated ,
its silver jubilee between 16 and 19 February 2006, which was attended by 3
million people .
Later,
the organization planned a mega
event on
11–13 March 2016, christened the World Culture Festival which commemorates 35
years of the Art of Living where around 40 lac people from 155 countries were present.
How do such gargantuan events of this magnitude take place? It
is the strong belief of devotees and volunteers which make these events
successful. How and Why?
‘The
mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher
demonstrates. The great teacher inspires,’ writes William Arthur Ward. Pujya
Gurudev is a
living inspiration of being
an inspirational teacher.
Successful
individuals foster friendships and build trust. There is no deficit in trust.
They respect colleagues and only symphony is orchestrated in the environment.
There is no room for any
cacophony.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
always differentiates between mere hearing and the art
of listening. Listening
is a trait of a humble person; while
hearing is the character of a brusque and an
inaccessible person. The accessible leader is available to all his followers at
all times, 24x7, 365 days of the year. This is the unique quality that
endears him to his followers.
Successful persons are
adaptable to new ideas, thought processes, abstractions, propositions,
suggestions and intentions. Their minds are not closeted by achievements or
failures of the past. Achievers always live in the present moment.
‘I was never afraid of
failure; for I would sooner fail than not be among the greatest,’ wrote John
Keats.
Those who are high-end
achievers are not driven by only wealth or traditional definitions of
‘success’. They are drivers in pursuit of excellence. Such trailblazers,
pathfinders and trendsetters are continuous learners. For them, leadership
implies 3Ls —learn, learn more and learn even more. For sky is the only limit
to the repository of knowledge. The mind needs to soar as high as possible to
the point of apogee. During the process of learning and acquiring knowledge,
such individuals keep their minds open and interact with as many people as
possible to hone their skills.
Top grade sportsmen,
artistes and scientists are compulsive learners and are extremely humble about
their achievements. There is only one path from the top and that is downhill.
Successful people and high-end achievers never believe that they have reached
the summit or the pinnacle or that they are too powerful to fall. Such a
conjecture smacks of capriciousness and arrogance and that
would be their nemesis. Each successful career is a lesson in humility. Rewards
and recognition are meant to act as motivators, not create a
glass ceiling of conceit and false sense of superiority.
Successful people are
surrounded by positive oriented people and positive thoughts since negative
emotions are a big drain on the resources. It is important to ascertain
positive feedback and build on the synergy of the group. Understanding group
dynamics is an important physical and a psychological tool. They glean
synergies of any joint venture.
The achievers work with
people and individuals who share their values, long term vision, inherently
believe in themselves and the set goals. They direct the wind and also the
sails. It is essential for such people to build on their own strengths and
those of the organization. It is essential and paramount to prioritize goals
and targets, identify self-do lists and to focus on projects which can be
delegated.
‘A leader is one who
knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.’ says John
C. Maxwell.
Long ago there was
tutee who desired to learn Zen from a Master. While he was being taught, he
approached the teacher to ask if it would be a prudent decision to gain
knowledge from yet another Master. The Master replied, ‘The hunter who chases
two rabbits catches neither one.’
A successful person is
one who focuses on one goal and does not indulge in shopping or seeking various
avenues. For example, a Sachin Tendulkar learnt his craft under the tutelage of
his coach, Mr Acharekar. He did not hop from one cricket stadium to another in
order to hone the skills of batting.
Similarly, we find in
the Mahabharata, Arjuna trained under
Guru Dronacharya and became a master archer. Likewise, in the metaphysical
world, a seeker would lose his equanimity if he indulges in spiritual shopping.
A successful person has
to necessarily be positively inclined and upend the obstacles faced in life by
adopting a robust and efficacious attitude towards life. He needs to beat
procrastination and eliminate all unnecessary work.
It is paramount that
such an individual is revolutionary in thinking, open to ideas and keeps
abreast of the latest technologies. The prana/energy level of such an
individual should be high and should be receptive to listening and not just to hearing
advice. Such individuals are effective, confident, and energetic and connect
with their superiors, peers and juniors. They should be clear headed,
courageous and have an insane drive to succeed, while maintaining
their balance and humility. Talismanic figures like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul
Dravid, legendary super star Amitabh Bachchan, come to mind. These individuals
were motivated risk takers and positively inclined people with imaginative
ideas.
‘Be
fearless. Have the courage to take risks. Go where there are no guarantees. Get
out of your comfort zone even if it means being uncomfortable. The road less
travelled is sometimes fraught with barricades, bumps, and uncharted terrain.
But it is on that road where your character is truly tested. Have the courage
to accept that you’re not perfect, nothing is and no one is — and that’s OK,’
says Katie Couric.
Successful
people always focus their attention on the goal. They do not indulge in the
blame game and are willing to accept responsibility for their failures. They
seldom miss the journey for the destination.
They
are risk takers, investors and secure in their thinking and are willing to be
creative, have a divergent opinion and are imaginative in their thought
process.
Whenever
they undertake an activity it is preceded by a SWOT analysis. They are willing
to diversify on their experiences and come up with fresh ideas and look at the
world through the prism of self fulfilment.
The
most important trait of a successful person is knowing that the mind
appreciates that every achievement and act is transitory in nature and that it
too shall pass.
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