How I start my day: Start a New Life Every Morning

OGYEN TRINLEY DORJE, His Holiness The 17th Karmapa 

We sometimes wake up fresh in the morning yet still go through the day half asleep.Our busy 21st century lives overwhelm us with a relentless stream of immediate tasks.We lose sight of how precious it is just to have a human life.This is an awareness that we need to feel in our hearts.I would like to share with you a practice that I call living your whole life in a single day. You can do this by starting with this thought in the morning: I am starting a whole new life.It begins right now.Initially,leave yourself a note at your bedside to remind you,and then slowly cultivate the habit of waking up with this thought.Your body is fresh from the nights rest;when you wake up with this awareness,so does your mind.Ask yourself what kind of person you want to be in the life that you will live today.Throughout the day,remind yourself that your life is happening right now.In the afternoon,check to see how your life is going and readjust as needed.A whole lifetime of possibilities stretches out before you every moment.This is the basic truth of interdependence.Conditions are constantly shifting,and what seemed impossible earlier can suddenly become possible.Every moment counts.Every action counts.A single kind act can have a positive impact on the future of many others you share the earth with.You can change the course of the future in any moment.Do so consciously,and the whole world will benefit.

As told to Nona Walia
Source: Times Life July 7, 2013

Are you living the good life?

NONA WALIA

Everyone is in pursuit of a good life. But what exactly constitutes a good life? Luxury trimmings, big money, snazzy cubicles, fancy duplexes, BMWs, designer clothes, desirable BMI et al does make one happy for a while; but are they assurances of a happy and fulfilling life in the long run? Psychology Today reports that people who enjoy close ties with friends and family are happier and have fewer health problems than those who don't. These people are more resilient to the stress of our times and with hurdles in their in a far better way. In short, la dolce vita isn't just about material possessions. A recent research at Washington University,St Louis, also indicates the same. Based on years of research, the experts came to the same conclusion: Happiness isn't about money or success. What is it all about then? 

For Ria Chakraborty, housewife, happiness is all about Kolkata monsoons. "People complain about the traffic and the clogged drains but pouring rain is just beautiful to watch. It lifts my mood," she says. Ajit Sharma, a Pune-based software engineer, who stays at a boy's hostel, says, "Everyone is on their own. But when I come back from work, and my friend makes me a cup of tea and sits down to chat with me... that makes me happy. He is busy too but he finds the time to ask. It's heartening, makes me feel good at the end of the day even if it has been shitty." Suchana Sarkar, a Delhi-based marketing professional, says, "Talking till I get breathless makes me happy. As soon as I come back, I have to share my day's stories with my friend or my roommate. I feel a void if I don't get to do that." 

You may think these are momentary pleasures, but it's these small things that make people most happy. Life guru Robin Sharma says, "Ultimately, life goes by in a blink. Material possessions aren't the only route to happiness. Life is a skill. And like any other skill, once you know the ground rules and make time to practise, you can get better. One has to engage in life and live it fully. When you near the end, you shouldn't be left with regret of a life half-lived." 

The next logical question would be: how does one understand whether he or she is leading a good life? In his website, another guru of good living, Jamison Fox, asks a few fundamental questions to make people conscious of the kind of lives they are living. Would you like to be happier, healthier, wealthier, or make the world a better place, he asks. "Impressing others, advancing your career will not give you a very satisfied life. Living a good life is about being happy with what you have, and pursuing your dreams at the same time," says Fox. 

Naysayers may still disagree. They may say that money solves most problems in life. It definitely gives you comfort. That's unchallenged, but the problem is that the pursuit of money is often confused with the pursuit of happiness and vice-versa. 

A team of researchers led by Jordi Quoidbach, from the department of psychology at Harvard University, reported in Psychological Science magazine that wealth does grant us opportunities to purchase many things, but it simultaneously impairs our ability to enjoy them. 

BK Shivani, a Rajyoga meditation teacher, asks, "Why do you go to work? To get the money to pay the bills, buy the food and clothes etc.? That's fine. But why do you want more money than you need? To buy the bigger car because you think these things will make you happy. But are you?" 

Life coach Rohini Singh, also the author of The Only Way Out is Within, says, "Money is a medium, an energy. There are people who have an abundance of it but they still feel empty. They often find themselves wo n d e r i n g what's missing. The answer is happiness. Everyone needs to add to the external factors of well-being. People need to have a sense of purpose, spiritual practice, stillness, time to just be. To live life in gratitude, not giving energy to critics or negativity, going outside the comfort zone to help others gives you the kind of happiness you never hoped to achieve." 

New age guru Deepak Chopra believes becoming more conscious makes people more successful in every sphere of life. "People tend to approach life on a day-today basis, doing three things: Following a set routine; coping with challenges as and when they come up; and fulfilling shortterm desires. By and large, it's routine that dominates. Even the thoughts we have today are generally the same thoughts we had yesterday. The hidden potential in all of us that doesn't get expressed lacks in only one place: your awareness. As you open your awareness, life opens its innumerable possibilities," he says. 

London-based industrialist Bina Goenka believes a good life is about creating one's own parameters of happiness. "You have to understand what drives you as an individual, what inspires the people you work with and how to grow as a unit. Focus on what you love, the restwill take care of itself." 

In his book, Ten Golden Rules on Living the Good Life, Michael Soupios writes, "Worry only about the things that are in your control. Keep your life simple. Seek calming pleasures. Avoid excess and live life in harmony and balance." 

Author, entrepreneur and lifestyle innovator Jonathan Fields, produces a TV show called The Good Life Project that draws inspiration from the real life experiences of acclaimed entrepreneurs, artistes, authors and thought leaders. Says Fields, "A few years ago, I would have said, 'I need to get a good life'. Now, I've come to believe that once your basic needs are covered, life welllived is more about mindset than circumstances. Happiness is not a place you arrive at, it's a lens you bring to the place you are standing right now."

Times of India, Jan 6, 2013

Covey's success mantra

P P Wangchuck

Stephen R Covey, who passed away recently, and who can be called the guru of good habit lessons, has left behind powerful lessons in personal management and change.
 

Those who have read his book, 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', will agree that the entire exercise behind it is to make one point clear: that we need to restore character ethic in our society.

For that, Covey's stress is on self-renewal, and he enables one to "square inner thought and outer behaviour, resulting in personal as well as public integrity."

Self-renewal is surely the most important aspect of keeping yourself growing and relevant. Anything that remains unchanged turns into deadwood.

That is why Covey calls self-renewal the best investment, and it has four dimensions: Physical, mental, social and spiritual. Physical renewal is what most of us do and it requires nutrition, exercise and stress management. The next goes to a higher level--- mental development, requiring one to read, visualise, plan and write. Social and emotional up-gradation involves service, empathy and love towards all.

The last but the most important one is practicing spirituality. It involves meditation, commitment and self-less service.

These are not mere leadership traits but a way to grow and be meaningful in life. Life, after all, is nothing if it is not productive and useful. As George Bernard Shaw said, the greatest joy comes from the feeling that you are being used efficiently and productively. "Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch that I have got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

American spiritual leader N Eldon Tanner too has similar sentiments, "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth." Great words indeed for all of us to keep in mind and be useful, always.

In the words of Covey, one can be useful only if one can "learn, commit and do"; and again, "learn, commit and do…"

Courtesy: HT

Welcome Prosperity in Your Life

"Learn to get what you really want
and love the things you already have"

You can not create prosperity by thinking or talking about your lack of money.  Focussing on what you lack, simply attracts more lack. Remember it is one of the principle Laws of Attraction that what we focus on grows. If we focus on what we lack, we simply attract more of the same. However, if we focus our thoughts and attention on the positive, like being grateful for the things we already have, then we will attract more of what we want. In fact gratitude is one of the keys to achieving real prosperity.

What is Prosperity

Prosperity means different things to different people, for some it is monetary and material things, for others it is spiritual and emotional issues. True prosperity comes from achieving balance at all levels, spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. I believe true prosperity is having your innermost needs and desires met at all levels  and being able to fully enjoy them. Prosperity is something you experience in your mind and thoughts, it is not an external state and it is therefore quite possible to experience prosperity at any level of income.

Prosperity is an internal experience, not an external state

Instead of thinking about the money, just close your eyes for a moment and think of the things you most want in your life, on all levels, write them down if you want. For you, true prosperity would be to have all those things and to be able to fully enjoy them.  We need to discover, at our deepest and most honest level,what we want for ourselves.

Our relationship with Money

We often start out trying to get money to achieve a desired goal, but as time goes by the money becomes the goal and the dream is left forgotten.

"when money becomes the goal, the dream is left forgotten"

Not everyone is destined or even well suited to having vast amounts of money, but I do believe everyone deserves to, and can be prosperous. Money empowers us to obtain and do things in our physical world, but if some of your inner most needs and desires are things that money can't buy, then no amount of money is going to make you feel prosperous. In fact large amounts of money often brings unexpected problems, making life more complicated, increasing your financial responsibilities and demanding a higher level of financial management, that you might not want. Did you know that after two years, most lottery winners have lost  nearly all the money they received, with nothing to show for it and are often worse off financially? The problem with any windfall like this is that it rarely solves any problems. If you have not resolved the negative internal beliefs you hold about money or yourself, then often when you receive such a windfall, subconsciously you simply don't believe you deserve it. And with such a negative belief. the subconscious gets busy correcting the situation until you have the amount of money you believe you deserve.

What are your beliefs about money? How did your parents feel about it and what did they teach you? It is worth taking a moment to really think about this, write things down if you want to. It is a fact that many of our negative beliefs come from our childhoods and if you received messages like, "Money is really hard to come by" or  "blood, sweat and tears is the only way to get rich", these are very negative thoughts. They are effectively negative affirmations that you will continue to achieve, until you identify them, let them go and replace them with a positive affirmation.

If you are experiencing financial or debt problems please finish this page and then visit this site for advice on managing money, getting out of debt and getting the right mortgage.

Attracting unlimited Abundance

Our world is infinitely abundant and we all deserve our share of that abundance, all we have to do is be prepared to accept it. However the reality is that at a subconscious level many of us simply do not believe that we deserve the prosperity that we seek. This often manifests from other underlying issues such as low self-esteem, fearfulness, guilt or any number of other negative beliefs. In order to achieve true prosperity, it is necessary to identify and release these underlying negative beliefs. Remember our external reality mirrors our internal beliefs, how we think the world is for us becomes our reality. By changing your inner thinking you can change your external reality.

changing your inner thinking, can change
your external reality

Prosperity Action List

Here are some key actions you can do to bring unlimited abundance into your life..

Identify what your core needs and desires are

This is where you must really take the time to get to know your authentic self. Use "quiet time" and meditation to help you clarify what is really important to you and why. Knowing what you seek, is half the way to actually achieving it.

Identify any blocks to your deservability

As you say your affirmations, or when you think around money, it is likely that you may experience negative reactions. If you say something positive, but inside your thinking NOT! then you know that there is an issue there that must have further attention. Once you have identified a block, spend time re-examining your beliefs and experiences around it, try to identify trigger events or influences. Ask yourself if these beliefs are really true for you, now. When you are ready just release those negative thoughts.

Sometimes, if you have identified a serious block, that has a strong emotional impact on you, or is based on some trauma in the past, it is best to seek a therapist or councillor to help you through your issue, so that you can let it go and move on to your prosperity.

Identify your true beliefs about money

Such beliefs usually but not always come from childhood. What are your beliefs about money? Also, think about the things your parents taught you about money when you were growing up. What feelings about money did you experience. Write everything down. Then examine if these beliefs are actually true for you now. If they are negative, you must re-examine the belief and release it, replacing it with a positive, prosperous thought.

Affirmations for your prosperity

Here is a great one by Louise Hay to get you started. Once a day, stand with your arms wide open and say with joy...

"I am open and receptive to all the good and abundance in the Universe, Thank you, Life."

Remember, everything you say and think is an affirmation. Be aware of your words and your thoughts, keep them positive. Acknowledge and release any negative thoughts that come up.

Become truly honest

What ever you take from life, life will take from you. You must avoid any form of dis-honesty. This can actually be really hard, because I don't just mean the obvious things, but also little things, like not being honest with your change if the sales assistant has made a mistake, or borrowing little items from the office. Or maybe you stealing time or relationships or respect from others. All these things count, its like saying to yourself... I don't deserve the good  in life, so I'll sneak around and take it.

Gratitude

Thinking negatively about the things you want is what is called "poverty thinking". To achieve your prosperity you must release this thinking. Instead, start "Prosperity Thinking". Look around in your life, everywhere you will find both big and little things to be grateful for, people you know, little events that put a smile on your face, your children, money you receive.... our lives are full of abundance already, but often we choose to ignore it. You will never attract more abundance into your life if you disregard what you already have. So every day set just a small amount of time aside to think about and be grateful for all the good things you already have in your life, by cherishing and focussing on the good things you have, you will attract even more into your life. It is simple but true.

Start Now!

You only have power now. Choose to start implementing your Prosperity Action List Now! Change can be difficult... even frightening to some. So we have put together some free resources that you can use to get you started as well as some low cost products to support and assist in your process of change.

Affirmations for Prosperity

Learn more about the positive power of affirmations and other supporting techniques in our affirmations page. But to help you get started here are a couple more positive affirmations designed to help with prosperity, especially for you.

"I am honest and open with myself and others"

"I love life and accept my abundance unconditionally"

Check out this video link on You Tube: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHyebss0zvw&feature=player_embedded 

Courtesy: http://www.vitalaffirmations.com