Tennis Match : U.S. Open, Queens, New York Life is a Sport Life is a sport. Are you a spectator, a coach or a player? The spectator sits outside the game, airs opinions and cheers the game with enthusiasm and passion. The coach is also outside the game, but has a significant role in empowering and supporting the player. The player is in the game, focused on the now, focused on the results and on improving their game. Take part in the game and know when to be a spectator, a coach or a player. Be Merciful No one wants to feel pitied by another; it is a demeaning experience. However a gentle form of encouragement can enable us to believe in ourselves again and regain our optimism and courage. A person with the quality of mercy works on such subtle level that the support given never demeans or implies weakness in the other person. Relieving The Stress Of Subtle Inner Burdens (cont.) We must create the necessary space to share pending matters, messages, ideas and feelings with our loved ones in a safe atmosphere, protected from violence and full of respect. In that atmosphere, we can express ourselves, share and love. We have to create the atmosphere ourselves. It is our responsibility to make the other understand that there is something important that we have to tell them. In order to live in freedom we have to be aware of all the burdens that we have pending from the past, what things we have to fix, solve, clear up and communicate, and free ourselves from all of them. To start with, make a list of all the pending conversations that you have. Give yourself a date that is soon and realistic in order to have these conversations. Make them happen. Don't put them off any more. Don't allow your mind to keep on making excuses. Imagine that today is your last day. What is it that you have to say, communicate, and/or clarify and with who? Do it soon. Today might be your last day or the last day of the person with whom you have a pending conversation. Living without pending conversations keeps the path clear, your conscience clear, your heart at peace and your mind light. Soul Sustenance Enhancing (Strengthening) Qualities With The Help Of Meditation (Part 1) The present lives of most people are filled with frequent phases of stress and anxiety. The meditation which we are sharing with you in this set of messages will help you focus on the experience of the quality of inner peace and tranquility and combat this stress or unwanted noise of negative thought and visualization processes. There is an important basic principle on which meditation is based - where our attention goes i.e. what we give our thought power and visualization power to, there the energy of the mind and intellect flows; and where energy flows, things grow. If we give our thought power and visualization power to something positive or constructive or useful, there is a constructive use of the energy of the mind and intellect, there is a buildup of the positive energy of the mind and intellect and hence there is a feeling of empowerment (strengthening). If we give our thought power and visualization power to something negative, there is a wastage of the energy of mind and intellect and hence there is a feeling of disempowerment (weakening). When applied to the virtue of peace, as we 'give' our mental or emotional attention to the topic or idea of peace, we feed it with the invisible energy of our mind or consciousness; as a result it grows from a thought into a deep feeling of peace and the final result is the experience of inner peace – not only do our thoughts and feelings become peaceful, but our words and actions are also filled with a peaceful vibration, which is not restricted to us but which others around us also experience and absorb. Inner peace is not a state of timidity or submissiveness. It is a state of inner power. Experiment with the thoughts we will mention tomorrow in our meditation. Using the meditation as an example, you could meditate on other qualities such as fearlessness, love, humility, happiness, tolerance, flexibility, or any other quality you would like to strengthen or enhance within yourself. (To be continued tomorrow …) Message for the day To take up responsibility is to inspire cooperation from others. Expression: When there is the initiative to take up responsibility, there is accuracy in words and actions too. There is the use of one's own specialties in the task that is to be done and so others too keep getting inspiration to use their specialties. So the task is filled with honest effort that is the contribution of each and everyone. Experience: Since I take up responsibility for everything that comes up in my life, I find that others too take responsibility to contribute their share to the task. So I find others cooperating with me and the most difficult task becomes easy. The power of cooperation works wonders in the most difficult task.