SECRET OF SUCCESS

"Success is not really the byproduct of luck but the result of constant efforts and endurance to tough times"

Talking about success I wish to narrate here a story of a man who went in search of gold. He bought a huge area of land where he predicted the availability of gold. He started digging the land alone for several months. Despite persistent efforts, he could not find any gold. Dejected, he sold his land to another man at a very low price. 

The new owner of the land had some feeling that it was worth giving another try.  So he started the work from where the previous owner left. Within 2 feet, he stuck with gold. 

Success never happens overnight. It requires a constant self belief system, persistent attempts in the right direction, with plenty of confidence and enthusiasm. But if you study successful people, they have all the mentioned qualities, but with one addition. The most vital character of all which brings success is "Endurance" during tough times. They give "a little more" and strive "a little longer". 

If the man, despite of trying hard, if he had tried "a little more" and "a little longer", then he would have got the gold. The reason of not achieving success is people quit in the middle. If people show little endurance in tough times, then success would have been theirs. 

So the secret of success is mainly giving "a little more" and enduring  "a little longer". 

SELF ESTEEM

"Success for every person originates from a precious source - Self Esteem"


"No one will respect you unless you don't respect yourself"

 Discussing on the above two facts, a story comes to Mind which I wish to share here. 

 Once upon a time in India, in a small village, there lived a Philosopher who was well known for his wisdom and oratory skills. He often travelled to various kingdoms, and by his unparalleled lectures, impressed the kings and people, and won huge rewards. He was so famous that he was regularly invited by various kingdoms. He lived alone in a very big house, that portrayed all the golds, diamonds, rubies he had amassed by exhibiting his skills. 

  

 But he had a very strange habit. Once he was inside the house, he would close all the doors and windows and lock himself inside. But once he sets out, he leave the house keeping the doors open. Though there was no theft reported, the neighbors were puzzled by his habit. One day, they all joined together and decide to take up the matter with him and advice him to lock the doors when he was away. 

  

The next morning, when the Philosopher was about to leave for a lecture in the nearby kingdom, all the neighbors gathered before his house and asked him. 

“Why don’t you lock the doors when you go out?”

The Philosopher posed a question back “Why I should lock the doors?”

One of the neighbor replied, “You have good deal of precious things inside your house. You can safeguard them by locking the doors!”

The Philosopher said “So! By locking the doors, we can ensure safety of precious things. Right?”

The crowd replied “Yes! That is what we mean!”

"That is what I have been doing", the Philosopher continued, “As far as I am concerned, the most precious thing is this world is only ‘I’. So whenever I am in home, I lock myself. When I am going out, I don’t feel any necessity to lock as all the things here are not at all precious than me”

More than 90% of the people in this world live with low confidence level and low self esteem. All the people want to be respected, but how can other people respect you if you don't respect yourself. Respect has to be earned and not to be got as an offering. To earn respect, we should contribute to get a place in the hearts of other people. 

  

 By helping others by sharing what you possess, either knowledge, money, physical help, biological favor or whatever form, will increase your self confidence and self esteem and ultimately your own respect to yourself. Then all the things will follow suit. 

CROSSING YOUR OWN FRONTIERS

"Expanding the spectrum of your thoughts is the only way to cross your own frontiers"

To start with I wish to share my own experience. I was having a chat with my businessman friend one evening in a cafeteria in Chennai. We discussed on so many topics and then Mahatma Gandhiji came into our subject. 

 

My friend expressed his opinion "I feel very difficult to agree with people calling him 'Mahatma'. He did everything for his own selfishness. His EGO was hurt when he was asked to get out of the train. He wanted to take revenge for that insult and started all those riots and other things". His face was very bright that he has set a new ball rolling for the discussion.   

On the face of it, it might look that he has got a point. But that gave me an opportunity for defence.

   

"That is why people call him a Mahatma", I replied silently. My friend had a puzzled look. 

  

"If you and I were there in that position, we would have slapped the officer or complained to the higher official or to the maximum, filed a suit in the court against him for the insult. Then things would have been over that moment itself. But Gandhiji portrayed the character of a Mahatma in that age itself. He felt that no other "Black Man" in this world, should face such humiliation and lose self respect. So he started his movement against the British. He did not restrict his thoughts to his own self respect but cared for the self respect of the whole population. That is where he proved to be a Mahatma!"

Most of the people are caring only about themselves, their children and their family. Inside every one, there is a desire to become popular and achieve great things. But, unfortunately, they get entangled in the family web and they spend their whole life thinking about their own comfort. So their desires to be a great personality just lie as desires and die as desires. 

Thinking about self and family is not a sin. But they should not be restricted to family circle alone. The welfare thoughts should spread to reach friends, neighbors, company, community, society,  Nation, world and then to the entire Universe.

The truth is that every one has a 'Mahatma' within him. One has to break the fence limiting the thoughts and think beyond. This is the only way to cross your own frontiers and unleash the 'Mahatma' within.

PERCEPTION

"People think that they are always right but reality is much of the times different than what people perceive"

Perception is another activity of the Mind which acts between the reality and Mind registry. Talking about Perception, I read a story long time before, which I would like to share here.

In a train leaving Mumbai, there sat two middle aged women, who were chatting among themselves in a loud tone. They chatted on various topics like family, home, neighbors and so on. In Dadar station, an old man with his son boarded the train and sat in the place right in front of the two ladies. The son of the old man was around 35 years of age.

 When the train started from the station, the son shouted in a thrilling voice "Papa, look at the sky. It is blue in color!"

The old man replied silently "Yes! Munna! It is blue in color!"

 Spontaneously the son shouted "Papa, so many houses!"

 The old man said "Yes! son!"

 The son's voice disturbed the chatting ladies. They felt irritated by the son's behavior!

 The son again shouted "Papa, the birds are flying!". The old man was very calm but his face portrayed the happiness for his son's excitements. But the ladies started becoming restless as they could not tolerate that nuisance.

 The son continued "Papa! see so many trees!", that became too much for the ladies.

They expresses their anger to the old man "See, at this age your son is behaving like a child. Why don't you take him to a hospital for checkup? "

"We are just coming from the hospital" patiently replied the old man, with unchanged smile in his face. "My son had a surgery and this is the first day he is seeing the outside world. He was blind from birth!"

Perceptions always is based on what is programmed in  your Mind all these years. But reality is beyond what you think. Perception is a good tool which can be used only when required. But, to experience the reality as it is, regular mental workouts are required to clear all unwanted cobweb memories. Wish everyone develop a perception-free vision.

EXPECTATIONS

"More than 90% of our problems are caused by EXPECTATIONS"

Life always rolls on expectations. Creating expectation is an attribute of Mind. Nothing wrong in wishing a thing to happen. Expectation is a phenomenon that develops beyond wishing.   

Let us say, you urgently need some money. You decide to ask your close ally this favor. When this idea of asking your friend flashed in your Mind, the very moment, an expectation develops. This expectation grows so rapidly that you become so sure that your friend would give you what you needed. Remember, you have not told your friend about your need, neither your friend had not known anything about this. But your Mind creates a cinemascope of surety from your friend. 

The next morning, you go and ask for your friend's help, but he is not in a position to give you. He has some other commitments. What happens?

You feel deeply disappointed. Your friend may be having genuine reason for not giving you, but you become angry with your friend. You feel anguished that your friend has betrayed you.You express your anger followed by exchange of harshness and friendship goes to grave. 

This typical situation has happened in many people's lives I know. If you deeply analyze what happens behind the screen, you can understand that your own Mind is the betrayer and not your friend. Your Mind created an expectation and fooled you to believe that. You followed your Mind and paid the penalty of friendship. Your friend is no way connected with this. He just was not in a position to give and that was the fact. But the Mind did not allow you to digest the fact. Okay, the friendship was over. But did your Mind leave you to be peaceful. It acts like a Video disc player and portrays the scenes of exchange of words between you and your friend, drowning you in more miserable moments. Alas! What a culprit is the Mind!

Behind all wars, there is EXPECTATION, if you carefully analyze. Behind all broken relationships, there is EXPECTATION, without doubt. Behind all sorrows and sufferings, there is EXPECTATION in one form or the other. Behind all suicides, there is EXPECTATION. So what is the solution? Can't we lead a happy life? Can't we be free from sufferings?         

Bhagvat Gita and all religious books have clearly stated that "Everyone should try to be free from expectations to avoid suffering". Is this possible in today's life? How far we can, in the present scenario of life? 

Please always realize this:   


1. You have come to earth to do your duty
2. Happiness and sorrow are two sides of a coin. If you wish to get the coin, you will have both.
3. Your deeds are like the coin, you get both out of that.
4. If you donate the coin to a temple, you are free from both.
5. Likewise, if you mentally surrender all your deeds to the omnipresent power, you are free.
6. For a meaningful life, you should go beyond happiness and sorrow.
7. So, accept everything good or bad, expect nothing. You will surely get what is destined to you.
8. The value for your work is more in the country of GOD, than what you expect in YOUR MATERIAL WORLD. So stop expecting, you ll get more rewards sooner or later.


So, the only way to attain REAL FREEDOM is to understand how your Mind works.  

SOURCE OF SUFFERING

" The SOURCE OF SUFFERING for all dwells within ONESELF"

No doubt this is the supreme ancient discovery. This is being told right from the Vedic era. Lord Buddha had insisted this in all his teachings. Lord Jesus had reiterated this fact. So many Gurus, Rishis, Philosophers have been repeating the same thing.   

But suffering has become inevitable phenomenon of every life. Then how to deal with it? Every individual wishes that he should be free from suffering and does so many things to overcome that. I have heard many people say "This is material world and those who lack in money will suffer". But I don't think all the people who possess abundant wealth are free from suffering. In my experience, I have a big list of people who are materially wealthy but survive only on tablets of all colors. If you ask them, "Are you free from suffering?" , the answer is pretty obvious and no bonanza for guessing.

Then what else we do? One thing to be understood clearly. Suffering is just a state of Mind. There is no guarantee that all the people who are very successful in career and amassed huge wealth have a state of Mind that is free from suffering. Mind has many dimensions. They have utilized one dimension and have achieved great material successes. They spend their money on many things and try to get rid of the suffering. But, the right way to get rid of the suffering is to counter the source of suffering and deal with it, which needs an inward journey. 

If a rat lies dead in your home emanating the foul smell, and you try to get rid of the smell by applying a rose flavored refresher, will it be the solution? You need to tap the source of the foul smell, clear the dead rat and you get relief. 

Similarly, the source of suffering is in your Mind. One need to do internal workouts. There is no necessity to fight a great battle with your Mind and suppress the thoughts of suffering, for,  you are not going to win that way. Just change the way you think and everything changes automatically. Make your thoughts always positive and try to find advantage in adversity. Sure, there will be, if you try to find them. Once, thinking positive becomes your habit, it creates a profound positive change in your attitude that will reflect in your character and you becoming a lightening personality. 

A stage will come, when you traverse both positive and negative thoughts and be "That", but for now, let us re-engineer our thought process, develop positive thoughts and overcome our sufferings. 

 

FEAR

"Fear of a problem is much disastrous that the problem itself" 

The Human Mind carries the imprints gained based on various experiences from the childhood, various books read, imprints created by the teachings and advices of parents, teachers, friends, elders  and so on. 

These imprints form major part of the memory and create perceptions. Fear is a kind of perception. Fear creates a virtual situation of you becoming pathetic of a forthcoming problem. Moreover, it makes you believe that what it has created is going to happen. 

We can come across many instances of people committing suicide, people running away, people becoming maniac etc. All are the resultant of the virtual video shown by Fear. 

When you encounter with Fear, say to yourself "The reality will be much better than what it is feared to be". These words will give you enough strength to face the reality and you will be surprised to see that all big problems vanish just like that. 

Fear Not, and prepare yourself to face the reality. God is so kind to all his children.

Aagnya: FAITH AND CONFIDENCE

Aagnya: FAITH AND CONFIDENCE: "'Have CONFIDENCE that : 1. I can handle any tough situation 2. I can handle any stress 3. I will emerge out successfully Then FAITH in y..."

FAITH AND CONFIDENCE

"Have CONFIDENCE that :

 1. I can handle any tough situation

 2. I can handle any stress

 3. I will emerge out successfully 

 Then FAITH in yourself bloom within you"

 All ancient philosophies, religion and modern psychology synchronize in one fact. "You are what you think and you become what you think". 

 Thinking being the aspect of Mind, the thoughts are the resultant of the stature of the Mind. So it is very essential that Mind workout is as important as the body workout. 

 By repeating these words daily you gain the Mental strength to be balanced in tough times, easily workout strategies for the way out and overcome successfully.

   

 Speaking about Faith and Confidence, Confidence gives you energy to ride through tough times and Faith actualizes a life what you wish for. So is very vital that you develop confidence by repeated Mental workouts and gain Faith to achieve all your dreams.

ORIGINALITY

"The moment you release yourself from RIGIDITY, the very moment you return to your ORIGINALITY"


Each and every creation in this world is nothing but the great manifestation of the supreme power. So the inherent nature of all creations is the nature of the omnipresent primordial power. But all the creations are covered with invisible sheaths that hides the true being. These sheaths are collectively termed as "Maya". 


But the Divine presence can be seen everywhere, if you observe the nature... in the morning sun, in the waves of the ocean, in the song of the cuckoo, in the color of the rainbow, in the wings of the butterfly, in the fragrance of the flowers, in the autumn breeze, in the dew drops in the morning grass, in snow-cladded mountains, in the moonlight reflection in placid waters... oh! the list is endless. But everything in this Universe has HIS Signature. What a mother and a father does for creating a child is just a facilitation process but it is the amazing work of the Great invisible Architect to design the child. Is it not surprising to see the little parakeet inherit the colors? We can write volumes and one life is not enough to display the proofs of the existence of the Supreme Guiding Force. 

If one cuts away the sheaths covering, getting freedom from the 'Rigidity' of the external world, then he shall discover his 'Originality' - the Divine Being