Brahma Kumaris

11.12.15 Saying NO Say 'no', and mean it. Saying 'yes' when you would rather say 'no' is stressful! Saying 'no' is difficult when we confuse rejection of a request with rejection of the person. Saying 'no' doesn't mean you don't like the person, just that you're refusing their current request. Moods Bad moods happen. You can stay in a mood or you can pull yourself out of the mood. When you're in a better mood, make time to understand what put you in that mood. Understand how your thoughts shape your moods. Choose think unhappy thoughts and you'll most likely be in a bad mood. Choose to think happy thoughts and think your mood away! It's as simple as that. Think: I choose to be happy, to feel good, no matter what. A Journey To Happiness Or A Journey Of Happiness (Part 1)? A commonly expressed misnomer (an inaccurate expression), in our everyday interactions is - "Wait till I achieve this particular goal, whether it be a promotion, success in a particular exam, marriage, retirement, a birth of a child or an end of a nerve wrecking (tight) situation and I will be happy". Why are all of these misnomers? Aren't these all life is all about? Isn't calling all of these misnomers unnatural? Try remembering a single moment in your life without these and you will be left wondering. In this message, we try and convince our readers the futility (worthlessness) of waiting for goals to be achieved and then becoming happy. So we argue is it a journey to happiness or is it a journey of happiness? The wait for happiness is futile because one goal is followed by another challenge; the challenge is followed by another unexpected phase, leaving us without any moments to experience our desired happiness amidst so many uncomfortable pressure points. Happiness can be defined as a state of being created, while working towards a goal, not a feeling to be experienced after achieving the goal, simply because life is a journey with a series of goals, sometimes one after the other and sometimes with two or even more than two goals co-existing with each other. So should one anxiously wait for the goals to be achieved or should one take the wait for goals to be achieved, in one's stride accepting it as a part and parcel of our life journey. For very long, we have associated happiness with achievement and this has become an integral part of our modern day belief system, as the speed of life has become faster and more challenging with each day. We suggest a change in this ideology and associate happiness with experiencing each day - creative ideas; experiencing strengths, specialties and skills by bringing them in action and also experiencing beautiful relationships with others; the relationship with the self; and love by sharing and receiving it from others. (To be continued tomorrow ...) Soul Sustenance Rediscover The Essence Of Happiness (Part 3) When you feel stuck in a hard time, jump-start a pro-change attitude by letting go or shedding off your attachment to possessions and people (external attachments) and habits (internal attachments) that no longer work for you. When you get rid of your attachment to physical things and people and emotional habits that weigh you down, and start to feel lighter — you’ll witness how by letting go, you’re making room for new things, new values to enter your life. As a result, your subconscious will be relieved by letting go of emotional burdens or bondages. To achieve the above purpose, try the short meditation below. Think as well as visualize alongside the following thoughts: I become aware of myself as a tiny sparkling star of light, an energy, situated just above the eyebrows – a soul... In soul consciousness, I experience the beauty of the many qualities like peace, love and joy; of the spiritual being that I am... Now, with the medium of visualization, I, the soul, travel beyond the world of 5 elements to the soul world, a non-physical dimension of the subtle light of golden red hue (shade)… Over there, I visualize, in front of me – a sparkling Sun of golden light - God, the Father and Mother of me, the Supreme Soul, the ocean of peace, love and joy, which is His eternal nature... He radiates the immense spiritual energy of peace, love and joy... I turn my mind and intellect to His light... I feel the warmth of His presence and the light of His love for me gently healing the wounds of the past that are buried deep inside me, the soul... wounds left by ego, fear, sorrow, jealousy, hatred, anger that have reduced my happiness all this while… I feel a deep feeling of emotional freedom inside me, I feel light and my happiness is restored… Fortunately, being happy is a cakewalk but it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you better stop worrying about it and see what treasures (whether your internal ones or the external ones i.e. from the Supreme and others) you can tap into. Message for the day The way to become victorious is to face and overcome obstacles. Checking: Throughout the day you would surely be coming across many situations where you have to face obstacles. Check your thoughts at that time. Is there a wish for the obstacle not to have come at all? If there are any such thoughts you will never be victorious. Practice: Take a thought in the morning, 'I am ready to face all the situations that the day brings even if they seem like obstacles. It is the duty of obstacles to come and it is my duty to become victorious. And if the obstacle never comes I can never call myself victorious.'