A HAPPY MIND

A HAPPY MIND To be happy in life and calm the obdurate and recalcitrant mind, human beings should be aware of certain intrinsic laws of nature. These are the Law of Attraction and the Law of Acceptance. Further we need to train our minds to keep reminding ourselves that we are blessed, we are grateful and have abundance in our lives. Life is full of valleys and peaks. It can never be a rising curve or a straight line indefinitely. There are constant changes in life and we have to simply observe them. As Buddha says, “The only permanent aspect in life is its impermanent nature.” Law of Attraction simply states that if a person is joyful and happy the individual would attract such people and thoughts. Such a person is positive in nature and begets positivity. The reverse is also true. If the mind focusses on lack it would only attract lack. Therefore, we need to be constantly reminding ourselves that we are blessed, be grateful with whatever we have and feel we have abundance. In such a situation we attract only positive energy or prana from the universe. In fact, to such people the universe conspires to provide more. The Bible says that if we are grateful for what we have, we will be given more and if we are not grateful and happy, all that was given would be taken away from us. The human mind vacillates between the past and the future. In the past, the mind is regretful and when it is in the future, it becomes anxious. In either case the mind is not at peace or in the present moment and thus remains unhappy. Eckhart Tolle puts it, “Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now”. As we sweep our house, we need to declutter our mind. Sweep our mind of negative thoughts. Virendra Sehwag comes to my mind as a cricketer whose mind was not filled with cobwebs. With absolute panache he could score runs. Yes, he could score a triple century and also get out on zero. But apparently it did not affect his mind. Unlike a Marcus Trescothik, who could not survive mentally on foreign tours, plagued by multiple phobias. This leads us to various types of personalities. Personality is derived from the Latin word “persona”, the mask used by actors in Roman theatre for changing their makeup. Personality refers to our characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations. The human mind is temperamental in nature and action. It has several attributes, different dispositions, moods and reacts and responds in a variegated manner. The mind can be our greatest friend or enemy and like a chameleon acquiring various shades and patterns. Eminent psychologists, Paula Costa and Robert McCrae have developed a five-factor model to elaborate various psychological traits of human personality. a) Open to experience- Those who score high on this factor are imaginative and open to new ideas. b) Extraversion- People who are socially active, assertive, and fun loving as compared to those who are shy and introverts. c) Agreeableness- Essentially cooperative, caring and friendly people as opposed to hostile and self-centered individuals. d) Neuroticism- These are emotionally unstable people, irritable in nature and are hypersensitive. Those opposite to this trait is centered and well-adjusted. e) Conscientiousness- Those who score high on this attribute are dependable, responsible, hardworking and achievement oriented. So, in which quadrant would we like to place our minds and personalities to keep it happy? ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ravi Valluri is working as the CEO of Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd. and Chhattisgarh East West Railway Ltd. He was an officer of the Indian Railway Traffic Service and worked on various zonal railways. He has authored both fiction and non-fiction work and is also a faculty of the Art of Living. His recent works include collections of short stories, Heartbreak at Coffee Shop – An Array of Tales, A Tale of Parallels, novels like Art of War to Art of Living and A Story of Faith and Miracles. He can be reached at valluri.ravi@gmail.com or WhatsApp at 9618564024.