Brahma Kumaris

15.11.15 Co-operation To be co-operative means to have a quiet eye for what is needed to bring success, and be willing to just contribute as needed. To be just a hand, a support, at the right time, in the right place. Cooperation is to give people what they need. We tend to give people what we feel they need. In the process, we tend to advice or force our ideas on them. But, what really works is trying to understand what people need. If someone, is angry, they lack peace at that time. So, I need to give peace. And of course, I need to be peaceful and patient, in order to give the peace that they need. Today I will really help one person, by giving what he needs. I will try and understand what people around me really need and start giving those qualities. This will help me create a habit of providing the right thing at the right time. The Dynamics Of Greed Deficiencies inside us bring about a spiritual void or the lack of wholeness (fullness). As we lay the foundation of our lives on deficiencies or weaknesses, the result is suffering, sorrow and peacelessness. If we act in harmony with spiritual virtues and qualities, the result is cooperation, happiness, peace, contentment and finally, wholeness. A spiritual void leads to selfishness and causes the creation of greed inside us. We want to have more and possess more, which generates a state of expectation and stress. We fill our lives with things and objects to cover up deeper deficiencies. Then we are afraid of losing them. We generate expectations of all kinds, and when they are not fulfilled we react with anger, frustration, fear or disappointment. The inner emptiness makes us become greedy. We fill ourselves with objects, properties, things. We take and consume more than what we can give to the Universe in the form of positive thoughts, feelings, vibrations, actions etc. and this brings about imbalances in the self, in relation to others and with nature. Something similar happens on a physical level. The body has a capacity to recycle and eliminate waste through different mediums. However, since we consume more toxins than the body can process, it leads to imbalance and we are more prone to feeling physically ill and unfit and developing diseases etc. 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.