Pessimist to Optimist If you have the habit of seeing things from a pessimistic viewpoint, then all you need to do is broaden your scope for a moment and step outside of your negative perspective. View the situation from a different light. See the opportunity in every difficulty, not the difficulty in every opportunity. Focus on the possibilities and not the impossibilities. Be more optimistic and you'll be healthier and less stressed than when you were a pessimist. Focus on the present Worries are an illusion. They make you live in the future, giving you the belief that you are very busy and takes you away from the present. Worries are an excuse for not doing what you really have to be doing. A reactive person appears very busy and worried. With worry, no problems can be resolved. A proactive person focuses attention on the present, acts with initiative, and the understanding that being calm and free from worry is far more effective. Internal And External Attachments (cont.) Each time we attach ourselves to anything which is external or internal (we have mentioned some common examples of both types of attachments in the last two days' messages),we create fears, amongst which the main one is the fear of loss of what I am attached to. The attachment not only gives rise to fear but also brings with it emotions like anger, ego, sadness, jealousy, greed, comparisons, hatred etc. All these emotions have their roots in attachment, which gives rise to insecurity. Any type of attachment out of the ones mentioned in the last two days' messages or some other is a sanskar that is so deeply embedded inside us that it seems normal to us. It is just a sanskar but it has immense amount of power and it manages to imprison us completely, but most of the time we do not even realize we are imprisoned. The negative emotional states connected with this kind of attachment create a state of internal mental pressure or an inner emptiness and make us feel absolutely helpless at times. Over a period of many births, we have become so accustomed to these attachments and the various forms of suffering connected with it that we have started believing that these are an integral part of the human personality and human life since the beginning and are, therefore, natural. And so we continue with the sanskar and even keep strengthening it, never ever thinking that it should be removed. We do this with internal stress and unhappiness to the point that even our health gets affected adversely. The natural state of the self is free and not attached in this way to anything. Attachments, whether external or internal, are acquired at different points of time in birth-rebirth cycle and are not natural or there from the beginning. All the things mentioned in the last two days' messages have existed from the beginning but attachment to them has not. The present suffering indicates to us that these types of attachments are something abnormal or not natural. Soul Sustenance The Three Mirrors for Inner Beauty (Part 1) “Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” are famous words. To check our external beauty or tidiness, we look into the mirror on the wall each day. But on a mental, emotional and spiritual level, what is the mirror that helps you to see if there is anything wrong with your inner face or self or to realize what is happening to you and what you have to do to maintain your inner fairness or beauty? There are three types of mirrors, which one can use to see or check the internal self: The first mirror is the mirror of spiritual knowledge – Spiritual knowledge is the knowledge related to spiritual self-development i.e. of the soul and also of the Supreme Soul. Each day, in the morning, you can look into this mirror for 5 minutes at least. Looking into this mirror means listening to or reading a piece of spiritual knowledge for at least 5 minutes that connects you to your inner essence, increases your emotional and spiritual intelligence as well as reminds you of your true purpose. You will see yourself very clearly in this mirror as this mirror will show you: * the knowledge of the original and ideal virtues of the soul like peace, love, bliss, purity, power, joy etc.; * how these virtues can be imbibed in the self to benefit the self and others; * the knowledge of the different types of weaknesses that can arise in the soul like anger, greed, ego, hatred, fear, attachment, jealousy, sorrow, etc., the roots of all which lie in mis-identification with the physical self and forgetting the spiritual self and how these weaknesses can harm the self and others; * the knowledge of overcoming these weaknesses. All of these things which you see in the mirror will help you to check where you stand in comparison to the right code of conduct for thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, words and actions, where you are going wrong and how you can make the required corrections in the same. On looking into this mirror you will be reminded of the Law of Karma (the Law of Action and Reaction), which will motivate you to make these corrections. (To be continued tomorrow ….) Message for the day To check regularly means to bring about a change. Expression: When there is any negative action performed, there is an immediate feeling of guilt and a desire not to perform it again. But the checking also needs to be at a level where it never repeats again. Maintaining a chart of one's own weakness means checking regularly. Such checking brings about a permanent change. Experience: When I am able to maintain a chart where I could monitor my own progress, I am able to remain committed to my transformation. Adverse situations or people will never deter me, but I am able to bring about the desired change. I am able to continue the process of transformation even when what I seek to change is not harmful in the present phase of my life. Thus regular checking will prevent carelessness from creeping in.