Brahma Kumaris

16.11.15 Speak Sweetly Nature did not like hardness in speech, so there is no bone in the tongue. Sometimes life can be like an obstacle course. Instead of getting daunted by the challenges and hurdles set up before you, see the obstacles as an opportunity to strengthen and expand your creative capacity, and in doing so find ways around, through, under, over.... To overcome the obstacle, identify 1) the obstruction and 2) the instructions as to what you need to do. Then construct a plan on how you will reach your goal and overcome that which is in the way. Rediscover The Essence Of Happiness Have you ever wondered - what is the real essence of happiness, what is and what is not real happiness? Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that he has enough happiness provided. Happiness, joy and love hold different meanings for each individual. A person may find happiness in shopping and another may find the same kind of pleasure in social work. But there are some aspects which have the capacity to at least put on a smile on every individual's face. Simple gestures like maybe a hug or a morning greeting. Going to each mate of yours at the work place or to each loved one at home every morning and greeting them with a huge smile on your face will bring you happiness as well as to the other person. So, real happiness is not an external stimulation by watching an action movie or eating out or buying a new dress; it is not the result of acquiring something - whether it be a new car or a position, or of receiving some good news. True happiness is not relief from suffering - whether from an illness or a difficult situation, nor is it the achievement of a goal - whether personal or professional. All these are externally dependent, where happiness is confused with stimulation, excitement, achievement, acquisition or relief. Happiness is not all of these. You commonly say "Well, what I like best," ... just then stop and think. Because although each of the above episodes bring us happiness, there is a moment just before you begin to enjoy the episode which is better than when you are enjoying the episode, but you don't know what its called or what it feels like to enjoy that. Each one of us can experience that joy, we just need to find it. Remember that happiness is not a future promise. It can only be experienced now, in each and every mundane action of the day. (To be continued tomorrow ...) Soul Sustenance Conquering The Emotion Of Jealousy (Part 3) Internal contentment or satisfaction is the antidote (neutralizer or healing agent) for jealousy. People with strong self-esteem and self-respect are the ones who remain satisfied or content and away from the emotion of jealousy while coming in contact with different people with their own unique specialties, virtues and attainments. Self-respect or self-esteem depends on knowing who I am, knowing my eternal (ageless), internal self. When I have found that sense of internal identity, I feel I have a right to be here, to exist. Without this dimension, it is very difficult to really respect myself deeply. If I base my self-respect on identifying with the superficial (artificial) aspects of my being: my looks, personality, wealth, success, my friends, intelligence or my role, I will never have a stable sense of self-respect, because all these aspects are changeable. Thus I will end up fluctuating all the time. To stay stable in my self-respect, I need to have a deeper understanding of my internal self and tap into those riches that are within me forever, waiting to blossom, like the flower from the seed. As I become internally aware, those riches and resources start flowing out of me. The more stable I am in my self-respect, the more I radiate what I truly am. I feel a deep sense of contentment and I am happy to be me, however I am. I accept myself as I am. Let us be honest a person who is jealous just cannot sit stably on the seat of self-respect – they keep moving i.e. fluctuating. Today they meet a person with lesser specialties or attainments than them and they are on top of the world - they rise above the seat of self-respect and enter the dimension of ego. Tomorrow they meet a person with more specialties or attainments than them and that is a bad day for them - they go underneath the seat of self-respect and enter the dimension of low self-esteem. What a shallow way of living! The ideal way of living – in both cases, remain in self-respect and give respect to the other. Remember that the jealous, the angry, the bitter and the egotistical are the first to race to the top of mountains. A confident and internally content person enjoys the journey, the people they meet along the way and sees life not as a competition. They reach the summit last because they know God isn’t at the top waiting for them. He is down below helping his followers to understand that the view is glorious where ever you stand. Message for the day The ability to find solutions comes when I know the art of listening. Expression: I normally get to hear a lot of things and tend to get coloured by all that I hear. The more I hear about negative things, the more difficult it becomes to maintain my own positivity. Yet I can do nothing to ignore the things that make me feel negative. Experience: I need to know to listen to people rather than just hearing them. To know to listen means the ability to transform negative into positive. Just as a doctor listens to all the negative aspects about the disease etc and still knows only to give the medicine, I too need to listen in order to give what is required.