Think Good to Feel Great

According to an experiment conducted by Prof. Richard Wiseman (Psychologist from Hertfodshire University), the best way to feel hapier is to think of something good that happened to you the day before.
AN ACT OF KINDNESS led to 9% boost to happines.
BEING GRATEFUL TO AN ASPECT OF LIFE led to an 8% rise.
A SMILE made people 6% happier.

The Conclusion is Be Kind, Be Grateful and Smile more and you will be Happier.

This too will Pass

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them,

" Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstances, in every place and in every time. Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me. Tell me is there any mantra?"

All wise men got puzzled by King's question. One answer for all question? Something that works everywhere, in every situation? In every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory? They thought and thought. After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appeal to all of them. They went to king and gave him something written on paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he'll have to see it. The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

After a few days, the neighbors attack the Kingdom. It was a collective surprise attack of King's enemies. King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle. King had to fled on his horse. The enemies were following him. His horse took him far away in Jungle. He could hear many troops of horses were following him and the noise was coming closer and closer. Suddenly the King found himself standing in the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere. Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep. If he jumped into it, he would be finished…and he could not return because it was a small road…From back the sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way.
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Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and he remembered the message hidden in the ring. He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great.

The message was - " This too will pass."

The King read it . Again read it. Suddenly something strike in his mind- Yes ! it too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone. I am here trying to escape from enemies. However when those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. A calm come on his face. He kept standing there. The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forget about those following him. After a few minute he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path.

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regain his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood. Flowers were being thrown on King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me.: With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again: "This too will pass"

He became silent. His face went through a total change -from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness.

If this too is going to pass, it is not yours.
The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours.
You are just a watcher. Everything passes by

We are witness of all this. We are the perceiver. Life come and go. Happiness come and go. Sorrow come and go.

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life. This too will pass. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent ? They all come and pass away. Life just passes away.

There were friends in past. They all have gone.
There are friends today. They too will go.
There will be new friends tomorrow. They too will go.

There were enemies in past. They have gone.
There may be enemy in present. They too will go.
There will be new enemies tomorrow and......they too will go.

There is nothing permanent in this world. Every thing changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks , all defeats and all sorrows. All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever. Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away. Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged. What is that unchangeable ? It is nothing but your true self.

You are just a witness of change. Experience it, understand it.

Everyday for 10-15 minutes sit in silence. Just think over the sentence, " This too will pass." Pondering over your own life will make you realize the true meaning of this sentence. Everything passes yet your real identity remains the same. That real you is your true self. To know that self is true meditation.

Lesson from a Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon,
everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
MORAL :
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less

Parenting Tips and Exercises - Sulakshana Sirur

• Spend at least an hour of quality time with your child. This will help in Open Communication between parents and children.

• Find an outlet to Channelize their energy either through sports, dance, music, play, learning a new skill. Children are a bundle of energy n if they don’t have the right outlet to channelize it. The energy transforms itself into destructive -aggressive behaviour

• Encourage and praise the child for every small accomplishment. This improves their self-esteem and motivates them to do better.

• Always talk well of the child in his/her presence. If at all u need to discuss his/her negatives with a 3rd person, do it in his/or her absence. For e.g., if a child happens to hear that he/she is a spoilt brat. The tendency is to internalize the quality and to live up to the expectations of the parents of being a ‘Spoilt Brat’.

• Treat your child as a young adult capable of logical-rational thinking. Have adult discussions with the child about what he/she appreciate in the parent and what he does not appreciate. Then commit to correct it. You then go ahead n share your opinion about what you appreciate and don’t appreciate about your child’s behaviour. And then ask them for a commitment to change.

• Setting RULES: Make a list of 3- 5 of the child’s behaviour not approved by you.
E.g. (i) Back-answering, (ii) misbehaving in front of others, (iii) misbehaving with people who provide service to you like the house-maid, watchman, school peons etc. (iv) not doing their daily tasks like brushing, bathing or changing after coming from school without being told to do so (v) Behavior that cause harm to people, things n other living being like plants n animals.

• Chart system: The child gets a star or smiling face on his behavioural chart for abiding by all the rules. If he happens to break any rule, he is reminded about the rule he is breaking and given a choice of either continuing it n losing his star or getting a sad face or stopping it n receiving his star.
1 star / 1 smiling face = 1 dhm.
No star/ sad face = no dhm

• Positive reinforcement.: Reward the child for every good behaviour.In the above case he gets a star or smiling face for his good behaviour which he accumulates as money. The child is allowed to buy things out of the money e.g. toys, stationary, chocolates, or even gifts for others. This will teach the child to value money and use it wisely. It also send them the message that rewards can be Earned by good behavior

• Its important for parents to pass on virtues to the children. But as parents we need to remember this important VICE
V – ‘VIEW’ the world from the child’s eyes while dealing with him/her.
I- ‘INFLUENCE” i.e. parents and children Influence each other. Just as you try to influence him/her into being a good son/daughter. Similarly your children too influence you into being good parents.
C- ‘CONTRL’ i.e. don’t let your child control you. Nor do you need to control your child. All you need is to control his/her behaviour so as to get acceptable response and shape them into being better individuals.
E-‘EARN’ i.e. don’t deprive the child of happiness. Instead teach them to be responsible and Earn their happiness.

To bring up a child the right way, travel the way yourself.

Learn love lessons from nature

To feel love and compassion for all, observe nature with totality of mind without letting it get affected by any previously constructed image, opinion or past knowledge. Look around to observe things as if you are seeing them for the very first time. Become one with the object of observation.

The sun provides light and warmth irrespective of who benefits from it. It shines on all. The clouds, rivers, mountains and jungles follow the same example of universal love. Trees provide shade, fruits and flowers for healthy environment and food for hungry with the same unattached benevolence for all. They do not demand any favour in return. The earth matures the seeds into healthy plants irrespective of who planted the seeds or who will benefit from them. This truly is like mother's love which is equal and forgiving for all children even when some are the cause of hurt to her.

If one learns from nature, the world will be a much better place as the destructive tendencies like jealousy, envy, hatred and selfishness will be eliminated. A new era of mutual love and trust will dawn on earth. All differences of caste, colour, race, gender and age will melt away. Most of the modern age problems have arisen because we have stopped learning from nature and caring for it.

Imagine the blissful feeling one gets when listening to the chirping of birds at dawn, observing the river flowing its course, looking at the snow-clad peaks of mountains, taking a stroll in a forest with majestically standing tall trees and looking at the moon on a full-moon night or a star-studded sky on amavasya night. The divine feelings generated by such experiences compel one to ponder over the meaning of life, our place in the universe, and create an urge to become one with the Divine to experience eternal bliss. Live with nature, love nature, protect nature, learn from nature and you will soon rise above all parochial tendencies and become a votary of universal love.

Since long, we have been drawing spiritual inspiration from nature. According to Buddhist guru Daisaku Ikeda, who is also a keen photographer, response to nature's beauty is not merely aesthetic but reflects an ability to discern a deeper meaning and interconnectedness in things. With its universal language, the photographer of nature's beauty serves as a bridge connecting the hearts of people everywhere.

Osho in his discourse on 'Intuition' quotes the haiku of Basho the Zen mystic and master:

"When I look carefully I see nazunia blooming by the hedge!"

Osho says that the deep meaning of it cannot be understood intellectually but only intuitively. The idea Osho wants to convey is that one can draw deep spiritual inspiration even from simple things like looking at an ordinary flower and pondering over its beauty, its divine message, the mystery of creation.

The main cause of discontent of mind, heart and spirit is to spend too much time indoors and being away from the nurturing restorative powers of nature. So, try to get back to nature in some way. Give yourself some time in the woods, mountains, open meadows or walking barefoot on the beach. Drink in the beauty of nature as much as you can. Even if you live in the city, go and walk on the grass in a park. You will feel more complete, rejuvenated and blissful.

Short stories reflecting the truth about life

> The turtles
>
> A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. the turtles,
> being naturally slow about things, took seven years to
> prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left
> home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of
> their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!
>
> For about six months they cleaned the area, unpacked the
> picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they
> discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without
> salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy
> discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the
> salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow
> moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled
> in his shell. He agreed to go on one condition: that no one
> would eat until he returned. The family consented and the
> little turtle left.
>
> Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned.
> Five years....six years... then on the seventh year of his
> absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his
> hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun to
> unwrap a sandwich.
>
> At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from
> behind a tree shouting, "See! I knew you wouldn't
> wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."
> [Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up
> to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others
> are doing that we don't do anything ourselves.]
>
> ********
>
> The Frogs
>
> A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant
> if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner
> was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many
> frog legs! The farmer replied, "There is a pond near my
> house that is full of frogs - millions of them. They all
> croak all night long and they are about to make me
> crazy!" So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an
> agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the
> restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several
> weeks.
>
> The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant
> looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The
> restaurant owner said, "Well... where are all the
> frogs?" The farmer said, "I was mistaken. There
> were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were
> making a lot of noise!"
>
> [ Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of
> you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy
> frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the
> dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about
> things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs
> croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning
> comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what
> all the fuss was about.]
>
> ************
>
> The Pretty Lady
>
> Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were
> travelling together. They came to the bank of a river and
> found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the
> river. There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged
> bridge and couldn't cross the river. The big monk
> offered to carry her across the river on his back. The lady
> accepted. The little monk was shocked by the move of the big
> monk. "How can big brother carry a lady when we are
> supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?" thought
> the little monk. But he kept quiet. The big monk carried the
> lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily.
> When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down
> and they parted ways with her.
>
> All along the way for several miles, the little monk was
> very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up
> all kinds of accusations about big monk in his head. This
> got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. And the
> big monk had no inclination to explain his situation.
> Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk
> could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the
> big monk. "How can you claim yourself a devout monk,
> when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female,
> especially when she is very pretty? All your teachings to me
> make you a big hypocrite The big monk looked surprised and
> said, "I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank
> many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her
> along?"
>
> [This very old Chinese Zen story reflects the thinking of
> many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in
> our life, they irritate us and they make us angry.
> Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause
> us to be bitter or jealous. But like the little monk, we are
> not willing to let them go away.We keep on carrying the
> baggage of the "pretty lady" with us. We let them
> keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, bitter and
> cause us a lot of agony. Why? Simply because we are not
> willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the
> "pretty lady". We should let go of the pretty lady
> immediately after crossing the river, that is after the
> unpleasant event is over.This will immediately remove all
> our agonies.There is no need to be further hurt by the
> unpleasant event after it is over.]

Your life is your creation - Jim Donovan

Thoughts are things. You've probably heard this idea at one time or another. You’ve probably nodded your head in agreement understanding that thoughts are in fact, things. You probably believe this and accept that your thoughts, being things, do in fact have power. Have you really thought about this? Do you apply this to your day-to-day life?
Hopefully you do, because you're every thought and word is contributing to your life experience.
For openers, your thoughts produce your emotions, which, in turn, result in how you feel about a particular event occurring in your life. It has always amazed me how people can walk around feeling a particular way and not understand that it is their own thoughts, or more accurately what they are telling themselves that is producing the feeling in the first place.
This is why two people can look at the exact same event and have opposite feelings about it. You are creating your own reality, moment by moment, with the thoughts you choose to think and what you say, both to yourself and others.
Let’s explore this a little further.
Most people will agree, and science can demonstrate, that everything in our world is a field of energy and therefore has a particular frequency. The chair you're sitting on, your car, your cat, dog, you and everything else including thoughts, have a field of energy or vibration. Recent scientific work has identified particular ranges of frequencies and scientists are able to measure them. I
nterestingly enough, negative energies, like anger and rage, measure very low on the scale, while positive energies like those given off by prayer and meditation reach the highest measurements. At this point you may be wondering what this has to do with your thoughts. Bear with me and I promise to connect the dots.
The second part of this equation is the universal law that states "like attracts like". This has been referred to as the law of attraction, law of similar and other names. What we choose to call it is not terribly important, what is important to understanding the part this plays in our lives.
Let's supposing for a moment you're in a bad mood. You're feeling pretty negative. At that particular moment in time your personal vibration, the energy of your thoughts and words is in the lower frequencies. Let’s call this particular mood, "Frequency X".
Now somewhere off in the distant universe, there is another negative experience. Maybe it’s a flat tire, whose frequency happens to be "X" as well. By virtue the law of attraction, you will begin attracting that or some other undesirable experience to you. There are no accidents. The universe works on a specific set of principals that do not waiver. Like attracts like, whether we believe it or not.
The good news is that the opposite is also true. If, for example, you are feeling great, having invested time sitting and reading your goals and taking care to monitor your thoughts, intentions, and your internal and external dialog, you are now entering a high energy vibration and are in a place to attract other high vibrations, generally things that you want to have, into your life.
I'm not asking you to accept this blindly only that you begin to observe the world around you and see if this holds true for you. I'm sure you've noticed situations when, in a room full of people, one person seems to be the centre of attention. Why do you suppose this is? I'll give you a hint, that' it's probably not her perfume.Similarly, you probably know people who are always having undesirable experiences in their lives.
These are the people who have a lousy time in even the best restaurant. They seem to travel with dark clouds over them and always experience things going wrong in their everyday lives. If you observe and listen to them closely, you will begin to see the connection between what they think and say and what shows up in their lives.