IMPORTANCE OF LOVING YOURSELF

In this post today I intend to share some views on why it is important for each one of us to learn to love ourselves unconditionally.... When I penned my thoughts on this topic earlier many questioned me whether this love for oneself wouldn't be considered narcisstic ?....My simple answer is NO... Self love is intended to teach you to love yourself, deeply, just the way you are.... Remember, no one is perfect in this world and irrespective of our flaws, we must love ourselves...The question that comes up often is - Why is it so difficult to love ourselves?....  Many people have asked me similar questions, like, even though we understand the importance of self love, why is it so hard to implement it? How do I implement it...and so on.....Like you, I too found it difficult to put self love into practice, even though the biggest lesson I learned from the tragedies of life is the importance of loving oneself unconditionally. In fact, learning to love and accept myself unconditionally is what healed me and brought me back from the brink of what I thought was an inconceivable event in life...  I often harp on this aspect - Love yourself so intensely and without any questions, as if your entire life depends on it, because it really does....!!!!!... It’s one thing to know the importance of loving oneself in theory, but it's quite another thing to effectively put self-love into practice —and the reason I am highlighting this is because most of us come from cultures and societies that do not promote, or even support, self-love, and we often feel judged if we love ourselves, value ourselves, or put ourselves first..... It almost feels as though we live in an upside-down world where we are taught the opposite of what would actually help us in life. I believe that this is the main reason why so many of us are struggling through life—we are conditioned to believe that loving our self is selfish—which is the complete opposite of what would really help us! And when we inadvertently stumble upon the truth of how to live our lives joyfully—which is, to love ourselves unconditionally—we are judged for practicing it!.... In order to dispel the belief that it’s selfish to love ourselves, let’s just look at its opposite: what does it look like if we don’t love or value ourselves? We feel unworthy, undeserving, and unlovable, and the person we become is one who is needy for love from others...Is being needy an attractive trait... ABSOLUTELY NOT...Simply try it and see people running away from you... Can we ever have someone who will love us unconditionally, without conditions, more so if you are needy... I am yet to come across someone like that, but if you have, my blessings that your love remain eternal... Practically, however, everything in life is transitionary and there may come a day when you may be heart broken - with a void that we believe needs to be filled by others because we believe that it’s selfish to fill it ourselves....This is the person I used to be. I was needy—and a people pleaser—because I needed the validation of others in order to feel worthy. I used to give and give of myself, without any thought of fulfilling my own needs, until I became so physically drained...Please remember neediness is actually very unattractive...The cancer of thoughts that I experienced when I lost a person I thought would be for ever, gave me “permission” to validate myself and take care of myself. It gave me permission to say “no” to others, and put myself first. It was only when I was in the coma of an emotional disaster, at the brink of screwing my life for the love of another person did I realize that I don’t need anyone's permission to love myself and take care of myself! It was at that point that I realized that I am worthy and deserving, and amazing and magnificent just because I exist. This is the realization that saved me and transformed me into the person I am today....I then made a commitment to myself that I would never forsake myself, or let myself down ever again. I would always be my own best friend.....I’ve also noticed that when we love ourselves, we grow stronger and more confident... We don’t need the approval of others in order to be who we are. Instead, we are able to bring our fully-realized, joyful self out into the world—someone who others want to be around with - instead of a self that is needy, with a hole that needs to be filled from the outside.....One of the reasons I share my story and what I learned from my experience is because I don’t want others to have to go through what I did, to realize that much of what we are conditioned to believe is the opposite of what truly serves us....But whichever way, I believe that when you begin to love yourself you will experience your own UNIQUE AMAZING SELF filled with true love and positive energy, that you will realize how special you are.... It is this positive energy which I request you to spread into the world around you, to make this beautiful Universe a far better to live in....

MAGNETISM OF YOUR POSITIVITY

Longish thought for this fantastic Christmas weekend.... Each one of us is a source of beautiful positive energy.... Basic physics teaches us that any source of energy results in a creating a magnetic field aligned around this source of energy.... This basically implies that each one of us has a personal energy field and we affect others by our magnetism. They in return, affect us by their magnetism....  It is vitally important to understand the principles of magnetism, how they can be used for our own and others’ benefit, how to benefit from others’ magnetism, and how to protect ourselves against harmful magnetism in others..... Being in the company of positive minded people is thus as important as being positive yourself and enhancing your own positive energy..Tune in consciously to the vibrations of such positive minded people.... As you draw from others, it is important to give love and appreciation in return. By thus closing the energy circuit, you will help bring about a mutual increase of magnetism.... Please remember that energy transfer is a mutually benefecial process and one must never be greedy to draw on the energy of others like a sponge, which implies do not drain others of their positive energy without sharing your energy with them...Your positive energy levels is enhanced only if you raise your own positive vibrations, through sharing of positive thoughts.....A positive human magnet is a source of positive vibrations and the magnetic field he or she exudes impacts others around positively....When spiritually inclined people get together, especially for meditation, they increase the magnetism of everyone involved, through the law of invisible vibratory exchange....Beware, however, of using your  spiritual and resultant positive magnetic power for ego-gratification… Yes, the positive magnetic power you wield can affect your own objective reality, if you are not grounded..... You can magnify your own magnetic power, by concentrating at the point between the eyebrows and rotating the will powerfully around the thought of your positive self... You can learn to send powerful thoughts from your own spiritual center to that center in others whom you want to impact.... But please use this energy and magnetic power to help others improve and never ever to hurt anyone... The action must be for their benefit and welfare, and must proceed from higher consciousness....Beware of awakening the delusion of using your own magnetic power to hurt others as it has an adverse boomerang effect and will impact you negatively....Whenever, you face times when you feel your energy is negative, consciously focus on emanating peaceful vibrations outward from your heart center to your environment. For human energy has two modes of expression; one of them is giving, the other, receiving or absorbing. If you can consciously enter the giving mode, you will find yourself much less affected by outside influences, whether good or bad....Mentally chant, according to the sincere call of your heart: for example, “I am light. I am love. I am a fountain of unending peace!”....Send the heart’s energy upward to the point between the eyebrows. Feel yourself surrounded and embraced by the soothing divine light....Mentally create an aura of an upward-moving light around your body...Good company, is extremely important on the spiritual path. Seek out the company of others with a positive enlightened mind.... Mix with them lovingly. If you know someone whose spiritual magnetism is particularly strong, spend time with that person. If outward good company is not available, keep good company mentally with yourself or read something positive and enriching....One of the best ways of surrounding yourself with good vibrations is simply to listen to uplifting music....Be conscious, above all, of your own developing positive aura and magnetism. Feel it surrounding you as you walk, flowing through you as you converse with others. Expand it to the people in your vicinity; including them in your aura and positive magnetic field....The more you act as a channel of blessing to others, the more you yourself will be blessed. Your magnetism will be enhanced, and your efforts to reach God greatly accelerated... Blessings to you and your family this Christmas.... May your year ahead bring you calm and serenity in all aspects of your life, may good health and positivity be your constant companion and may your presence bring happiness into the world of everyone whom you care about....

COPING WITH NEGATIVITY

I am sure you will agree with me that we all experience periods where negativity whether from within, from the environment or from people we get along with, tends to swamp us... The first thing to remember is that dwelling on any form of negativity only contributes to its power....These are frequent comments you come across...I like her a lot, but it’s extremely draining to talk to her when she gets into her rant - cribbing about everything that’s difficult, miserable, or unfair.... Isn't this a valid complaint we have about negative people... Would you ever want someone to call you negative or brand you as such a person...I tell myself that I call this person because I care, but sometimes I wonder if I have ulterior motives – to pump up my ego simply offering good advice or even to feel better about my own reality.... I’m no saint, and if there’s one thing I know well, it’s that we only do things repeatedly if we believe there’s something in it for us. Even if that something is just to feel needed....I thought long and hard about this perspective and these are my personal views.... I believe everyone is conditioned differently and we all gain through our own experiences... I do believe everyone deserves compassion, without trying to judge whether he or she is right or wrong....  But some people, unfortunately, appear to have one thing in common : abundance of negative energy that ends up affecting everyone around them.....So I started thinking about how we interact with negative or difficult people.... People who seem chronically critical, putting you down irrespective of what you do, belligerent, indignant, angry, or just plain rude..... When someone repeatedly drains everyone around them, how do you maintain a sense of compassion without getting sucked into their doom? And how do you act in a way that doesn’t reinforce their negativity–and maybe even helps them? Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1. Resist the urge to judge or assume.... It’s hard to offer someone compassion when you assume you have them tagged as a specific negative stereotype - like he’s a jerk. She’s a malcontent. He’s an–insert other choice noun. Even if it seems unlikely someone will wake up one day and act differently, we have to remember it is possible.... When you think negative thoughts, it comes out in your body language. Someone prone to negativity may feel all too tempted to mirror that. Try coming at them with the positive mindset you wish they had. Expect the best in them. You never know when you might be pleasantly surprised.

2. Dig deeper, but stay out of the hole.... It’s always easier to offer someone compassion if you try to understand where they’re coming from. But that can’t completely justify bad behavior. If you show negative people you support their choice to behave badly, you give them no real incentive to make a change (which they may actually want deep down)..... It may help to repeat this in your head when you deal with them: “I understand your pain. But I’m most helpful if I don’t feed into it.” This might help you approach them with both kindness and firmness so they don’t bring you down with them.

3.Maintain a positive boundary.... Some people might tell you to visualize a bright white light around you to maintain a positive space when other people enter it with negativity. This doesn’t actually work for me because I respond better to ideas in words than visualizations. So I tell myself this, “I can only control the positive space I create around myself.”.... Then when I interact with this person, I try to do two things, in this order of importance... Protect the positive space around me. When their negativity is too strong to protect it, I need to walk away... Help them feel more positive, not act more positive–which is more likely to create the desired result.

4. Disarm their negativity, even if just for now.... This goes back to the ideas I mentioned above. I know my depressed friend will rant about life’s injustices as long as I let her. Part of me feels tempted to play amateur psychiatrist–get her talking, and then try to help her reframe situations into a more positive light.... Then I remind myself that I can’t change her whole way of being in one phone call. She has to want that. I also can’t listen for hours on end, as I’ve done in the past. But I can listen compassionately for a short while and then help her focus on something positive right now, in this moment. I can ask about her upcoming birthday. I can remind her it’s a beautiful day for a walk.... Don’t try to solve or fix the problems of others... Just aim to help them now.

5. Temper your emotional response.... Negative people often gravitate toward others who react strongly–people who easily offer compassion or get outraged or offended. I suspect this gives them a little light in the darkness of their inner world–a sense that they’re not floating alone in their own anger or sadness.... People remember and learn from what you do more than what you say. If you feed into the situation with emotions, you’ll teach them they can depend on you for a reaction. It’s tough not to react because we’re human, but it’s worth practicing.... Once you’ve offered a compassionate ear for as long as you can, respond as calmly as possible with a simple line of fact. If you’re dealing with a rude or angry person, you may want to change the subject to something unrelated: “Dancing with the Stars is on tonight. Planning to join me in dancing”

6. Question what you’re getting out of it..... Like I mentioned above, we often get something out of relationships with negative people. Get real honest with yourself : have you fallen into a caretaker role because it makes you feel needed? Have you maintained the relationship so you can gossip about this person in a holier-than-thou way with others? Do you have some sort of stake in keeping the things the way they are?.... Questioning yourself helps you change the way you respond–which is really all you can control. You can’t make someone think, feel, or act differently. You can be as kind as possible or as combative as possible, and still not change reality for someone else. All you can control is what you think and do–and then do your best to help them without hurting yourself.

7. Remember the numbers.... Research shows that people with negative attitudes have significantly higher rates of stress and disease. Someone’s mental state plays a huge role in their physical health. If someone’s making life difficult for people around them, you can be sure they’re doing worse for themselves.... What a sad reality, that someone has so much pain inside them they have to act out just to feel some sense of relief–even if that relief comes from getting a rise out of people. When you remember how much a difficult person is suffering, it’s easier to stay focused on minimizing negativity, as opposed to defending yourself.

8. Don’t take it personally, but know that sometimes it is personal.... Conventional wisdom suggests that you should never take things personally when you deal with a negative person. I think it’s a little more complicated than that. You can’t write off everything someone says about you just because the person is insensitive or tactless. Even an abrasive person may have a valid point. Try to weigh their comments with a willingness to learn..... Accept that you don’t deserve the excessive emotions in someone’s tone, but weigh their ideas with a willingness to learn. Some of the most useful lessons I’ve learned came from people I wished weren’t right.

9. Act instead of just reacting.... Often, we wait until someone gets angry or depressed before we try to buoy their spirits. If you know someone who seems to deal with difficult thoughts or feelings often (as demonstrated in their behavior), don’t wait for a situation to help them create positive feelings.... Give them a compliment for something they did well. Remind them of a moment when they were happy–as in “Remember when you scored that century during the company picnic? That was awesome!” You’re more apt to want to boost them up when they haven’t brought you down. This may help mitigate that later and also give them a little relief from their pain.

10. Maintain the right relationship based on reality as it is....  With my friend, I’m always wishing she could be more positive. I consistently put myself in situations where I feel bad because I want to help, because I want her to be happy. I’ve recently realized the best I can do is accept her as she is, let her know I believe in her ability to be happy, and then give her space to make the choice.... That means gently bringing our conversation to a close after I’ve made an effort to help. Or cutting short a night out if I’ve done all I can and it’s draining me. Hopefully she’ll want to change some day. Until then, all I can do is love her, while loving myself enough to take care of my needs. That often means putting them first.

I’ve simply learned that you can’t always save the world, but you can make the world a better place by working on yourself–by becoming self-aware, tapping into your compassion, and protecting your positive space. You may even help negative people by fostering a sense of peace within yourself that their negativity can’t pierce...

Enjoy your positivity filled life with compassion for those not as fortunate as you....

THE POSSIBILITY OF TODAY...THINGS WILL BE GREAT... TRUST YOUR OWN CAPABILITIES

1. Realize that you have to choose to manage your own emotions.... When your mind is running slow like a hard disk overwhelmed by too much software.... when your mind is similarly slowed down with fear, regret, anger, or sadness, allow the emotions to rise to the surface, but then continually remind yourself to dig down into that place deep inside of you, that just knows everything will be okay. Continue to remind yourself over and over again that like so many times before, things will work out this time as well.

2. Let other people help you.... Do not be afraid to lean on other people. The ones that reach out to you really want to help you. You would do the exact same thing and help them in anyway you could if the tables were turned. This time it is their turn. Let them help and support you.

3. Remember things don’t just happen “to you”, they also happen “for you”. ....It may be hard to see, but every situation provides us an opportunity to learn and get stronger. One great thing to always remind yourself of is that “things don’t just happen to us, they also happen for us”. In one way or another you are getting stronger and growing and that’s really important.

4. Give yourself some “me” time every single day. Take some time for yourself. Don’t feel like you have to stay upset or feel sad. Choose to do those things that allow you to feel good.

MY EXPERIENCES IN CREATING HAPPINESS

Happiness is something already existent within you... Remember this - NO OTHER PERSON, THING OR ACHIEVEMENT CAN EVER GIVE YOU HAPPINESS, IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY FROM WITHIN... Happiness is an INSIDE JOB... INSIDE OF YOU... It is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present...I accept that I’ve spent the better part of my life chasing after happiness. It always seemed like happiness stayed just a wee bit out of my grasp—somewhere in the future I consoled myself... When we are very young we are intrinsically happy... Go look at a child play... He or she laughs / talks to himself and is generally happy... The problem starts when we link our happiness state with something or someone... If you begin to believe that you would be happy if you got good marks, admission into a great college, the love of a beautiful person or a great job,  that actually would be the last time you would be genuinely happy...  On and on these expectations will grow....Every time you reach a goal you aspired for it would seem like the next goal was where true happiness will engulf you..Sadly, this sort of linking achievements with your happiness quotient will affect your personal life as well. I thought, “When I find a great girl, I’ll be truly happy. Wait, to be truly happy, we need to first find an appropriate girl to get married...After getting married while we may feel that married life is great but we still need to have kids to find real joy....Thereafter, we link it to our baby needing to grow up a little so we can really enjoy being with her…” And so on... Never ending !!!! For years, I chased after happiness on this path, not realizing what a futile chase it was...And then, abruptly some catastrophic event jolts you out of your dreams....The futility of chasing after happiness must be realised... I do believe that goals and dreams are important and we should strive to achieve them... But see them more as mile markers in life’s journey, not having much to do with happiness, for you should ALWAYS BE HAPPY... Happiness, it turns out, is something already within us.... We just need to clear up our own clutter to find it...I have tried to write down what I learned on this amazing journey of slowly letting go of some of that clutter in my life...  It’s still a work-in-progress, but I hope my experiences will help to make your journey easier....

1. Remember YOU ARE ALWAYS HAPPY... If you go through phases where you feel unloved or unhappy, please create YOUR OWN HAPPINESS TIME... This is the time when you will ONLY do those things that makes you deliriously happy from within.... Could be anything from reading,  blogging, writing,  painting,  bird watching (yes two legged birds including)..... The only thing that matters is that this time nourishes you..

2. Control your thinking and your own attitude... Remember that the only thing we can truly control is our own attitude and reactions. Once we accept that, we can find happiness right where we are, irrespective of how things turn out, the transformation for me began...

3. Avoid becoming a clone of another person or pleasing everyone... Every time we pretend to be someone, it takes away from us our true selves, and from our place of happiness. It was hard at first to stop trying to please others. Eventually I realized how liberating it was to dare to be myself!

4. Let go of the sense of entitlement.... I often found myself asking “Why me?" when things didn't happen as planned... Did you ever ask this question when things went as you wanted it to ?... It was hard to replace that with “Why not?” After all, everyone gets their share of joys and sorrows; why should I somehow be above it and deserve only the joys?

5.  Been hurt by someome you trusted.... All this does happens in real life, doesn't it... Unless we walk in the shoes of the other, we really don’t know the reason for their behavior. Carrying resentment or anger against others is akin to drinking acid and hoping that the acid will burn the insides of the other person... It will only hurt YOU and delays any repair. I cannot tell you how amazing it’s been to let go of some of the resentment I didn’t even know I’d been carrying for years!

6. Are you guilty of doing something wrong or hurting someone ... On the flip side, if we are the ones who made a mistake, it is time to forgive ourselves and make amends. “I’m sorry. How can I fix it?” can go a long way in starting the healing process.

7. Let go of pride.... Neither apology nor forgiveness is possible without letting go of one's ego or pride. Nor is there room for authentic connection where pride resides. Let it go.

8. If I had simply saved a few rupees in my piggy bank  for every opportunity I squandered in my quest for perfection, I’d actually be a rich man ! Realize that no one can be perfect all the time. That’s what makes us humans. We are quirky. We have flaws. We are beautiful just the way we are.

9. Let go of negativity.... In any given situation we have a choice — look at what’s good and be grateful, or look at what’s wrong and complain. Deliberately adopting the attitude of gratitude literally changed the course of my life.

10. Let go of draining, unhealthy relationships.... We are the average of the people we hang out with, and if they are frequently negative, it becomes hard for us to maintain an attitude of gratitude. It’s been a tough call to distance myself from people in my life who were bringing me down, with their negative energy, but it was necessary to move on.

11.  Somewhere along the way, many of us may think into the notion that the busier we are and the more we achieve, the happier we will be. After crossing the half century mark, I’ve come to realize that busyness does not equal happiness.

12. Let go of the attachment to property, achievements and money... This may sound impractical... All these especially money is definitely good to have, but once our basic needs and savings goals are met, it’s time to evaluate the tradeoff of earning more and more.... Letting go of the need for more properties, material requirements and money just for the sake of it has been a very hard but fulfilling experience for me.

13. Let go of the fear of failure.... Everybody who tries anything worthwhile fails at some point or the other. Failure does not mean we are broken. It simply means we are courageous to dare! Easier said than done, but I’m trying.

14. Let go of the fear of abandonment.... Fundamentally, as human beings we all crave for connection. But when fear of abandonment starts to rule our lives we make very irrational choices. I try to trust that what is meant to be will happen. And no matter how things turn out, we’ll come out of it okay.... Stop comparisons and you will be fine...

15. Let go of expectations.... In the end, the core of all my issues was that I expected things to be a certain way. I expected what a good spouse or a friend ought to act like. I expected my daughter to behave a certain way. I expected how situations should turn out. Heck, I even had fixed expectations of what happiness was! Letting go of expectations has helped everything else start to fall in place... Now let go of deadlines of yesterday and tomorrow.... how can we find true happiness if we are saddled down by the baggage of the past or fear of the future? Once I learned to let go of some of the above, I started to focus deliberately on today and now. Suddenly, music and beauty emerged from what was previously mundane. Is there a better way to find true happiness?... Letting go of something that is ingrained in our minds for years is real tough and hard. In my experience, even when I do manage to let go of something some of the time, at other times, it comes right back. In the end, it’s the journey that matters, right?... REMEMBER NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE... So, what will you let go of today?

STOP WAITING FOR THE PERFECT CIRCUMSTANCES

What are you waiting for? You are never going to get ideal circumstances. There will always be a reason for further delay. Time is the only resource that you cannot make more of. It slips away before you realize and eventually runs out. The longer you take to get started, the longer it is going to take you to produce the results you desire. John F. Kennedy once said, “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” I totally agree with him on this. Yes, taking action on certain issues may be scary. It can be downright terrifying, but it is a lot less scarier than realizing that you’ve run out of time and the opportunity to get what you want is gone. You might be comfortable waiting, but further delay will likely cost you the whole enchilada. Why not just go for it and see what happens... Pushing the Go Button... What is holding you back? Is it fear of failure? Are you afraid that if you slip out of your nice, warm spot on the couch that you may never be able to get back to it? So what !?!...The place where you are right now is overrated anyway. If it is so great, then why are you thinking about something else? Ha! I got you there didn’t I? Trust me. If you stay stuck in your rut, pretty soon you are going to look back and regret being such a wimp. That’s right, I called you a wimp. What gives me the right to confront you in such a direct manner and call you by such a name? Well, I can call you a wimp because I’ve been one myself many, many times. It takes one to know one isn't it !!!. Because I’ve been there, done perhaps the same stupid mistakes, I want to help you anyway that I can to avoid the regrets I’ve experienced. I want to help you to feel the satisfaction and sense of victory that comes from taking confident action toward your goal. I want to help you to stop waiting for the perfect circumstances because those conditions simply don’t exist. This world is far from perfect. Therefore, the perfect time to act is now... So stop any more waiting around and push the go button. Don’t delay another second. There will never be a better time than the present to start demanding from life what you want out of it... The Fallacy of Waiting....A fallacy is a mistaken belief, a failure in reasoning. If you are waiting for exactly the right time to move forward, then you are waiting for an illusion. You simply cannot time everything perfectly. Even if you think things are perfect, there are usually hidden obstacles that you didn’t anticipate. Therefore, it is better to just move forward without further delay. Let me explain further. The reality is that waiting is the biggest problem you face. It is the chasm that stands between you and your desire. Waiting is far riskier than taking action. I’ve lost why, way, way more opportunities due to waiting than I have because my timing wasn’t perfect. You see when an opportunity is gone. It is gone. That’s it. End of story. You simply cannot go back. Rarely and I mean very rarely does an opportunity knock twice. So, if what you want is at the door, you would be better off by answering it. You’d better swing that puppy wide open and see what’s there before it is too late. Once the chance slips by, it will most likely be gone forever (meaning it won’t come back again)... I hope those who read this post get the point that I am making.. On the other hand, let’s assume you act, but your timing isn’t absolutely perfect. In my experience, this just uncovers what were previously unforeseen obstacles. This is to your advantage because once they are out in the open, you can start to deal with them. Plus, now everyone knows your intentions and that usually works to your favor as well. By acting, you start the ball in motion. You put yourself in the position of power. You begin to make things happen. This is far superior to waiting. People will respect that you took the initiative and were assertive enough to step out of the proverbial comfort zone and take a risk. Just for the record, let me state the obvious here. Taking action greatly increases your chance of success over just waiting and watching yet another opportunity slip away. If you act and your chance of success is 50/50, that’s a lot better than continuing to do nothing where your chances are basically nil. Please don’t continue to believe in the fallacy of waiting. It is definitely the most costly path to pursue. I beg you not to let another opportunity slip by . Regret hurts a lot more than failure and for a lot longer. Push the go button now and get more out of your life....

INNER TRANSFORMATION

A longish thought for this morning.. Your Inner Transformation : Recharge yourself simply by the power of your own thoughts.... There is a myth that normal human beings use only 10-20% of the processing power of our mind /brain and the remaining is available for enrichment of our lives...While doing a little reading I came across this message - Do not conform yourself to this age, but be transformed by your mind...One would think the statement above is advice by some modern day proponent of personal development....The fact is that this statement is about two thousand years old and comes from the Bible...
To renew your mind means to restore, regenerate, and change the way you think. In fact, the Spanish version of "Renewal of your mind," is translated to read "Change the way you think."... If you think in a negative manner then change the way you think to be more positive instead...If you are pessimistic, then become more optimistic...If you think of doom, then start thinking more of things that make YOU feel more hopeful, happy and healthy YOUR PERSONAL HABIT.... If all your thoughts are filled with problems, then start thinking of solutions...If all you depend on is what you perceive with your physical senses, then begin to depend on your mental (spiritual) senses...Your spiritual senses have no boundaries of time, space or dimension...This means that you can become aware of an endless amount of information that can be applied to solving problems of all kinds, making your life better and better through time..Learning to use your mind in a new and changed way, a way that depends on the mental senses truly allows you to discern between right and wrong, good and bad, problem or solution, good choices and bad choices....This focused positive perspective to life allows you to live the life of your design, a life that you desire, and one that is your birthright to have...I purposely left out the role of God in this explanation...For most people who believe in God, God represents perfection in power, wisdom and goodness and is one with the Universe from where all things come....God (Universe) responds to OUR thoughts, all thoughts, both positive and negative, and so, it is of great importance that the thoughts you have focus on are only thoughts of what you actually want and only that...This discussion is not unique to just one religious doctrine but to all doctrines that aim to guide those who have ears and want to listen and eyes that want to see towards positive, loving transformation...Your personal transformation does have global effects...As we go, so goes the world, for the world is US. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately begins from our personal transformation...
Buddhism teachings mention that if our thoughts and actions lead to a lessening of negative emotions, then it can safely be adopted and practiced, no matter who originally propounded it.. For in creating greater peace, compassion, and happiness around ourselves, we are making the world a better place... We certainly live in an era of great turmoil. If the teachings that are out there, wherever they come from, help in solving problems, resulting in health, happiness, peace, a greater love for one another and overall success, then you can count on them as true and real..They are worth incorporating in our lives....Maybe it's time to transform our mind with this positive ethos of always focusing on the good; our heart and soul will be follow right there with you.