Personality Development

WILL POWER

2017-09-23T15:27:00.002+05:30

WINNING BY WILL POWER

A leader requires a strong will power. Strong will power enables the leader to develop good habits essential for successful leadership. Initially, a leader has to consciously condition his mind and thought process to look at things in a positive manner with optimism, by the exercise of his will power. He must look at the brighter side of the problems.

We are all familiar with the saying that “where there is a will, there is a way”. An individual with an iron will, will have indomitable determination. He will have the stamina to stick to his decision and task, no matter what odds are there. Nothing will deter the strong-willed individual from his or her chosen mission. Strong will power will invest the leader with strong resoluteness, firmness and decisiveness. There will be no wavering, no vacillation, no ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ and no hankering. Will power enables the leader to assert himself, to take the plunge to accept challenges, to be bold and enterprising. It alone can enable you to persist and hold on, when everything appears lost.

One needs a good deal of will power to persist with a difficult task under trying condition. There may be occasion where you may get into a tight corner and everything goes against you. The time may come when it might appear you could not hold on even a minute longer. You should never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn in your favour. You need all the will power you can muster to resist temptation to yield, to quit, to throw up the sponge at this critical stage, when the last stage is to be taken, when the final effort is to be made. It is the last step in the race that counts. Many a prize has been lost just when these were ready to be plucked, since the individual lacked the will power to take this all-important final step. In the ultimate analysis, will power is required to overcome one’s temptation not to do the tough, difficult and strenuous things.

One has natural inertia and a love for pleasure. You need the will power to overcome this inertia and develop the ability to make sacrifices, in order to gain your coveted goal. Let us take a common example. All of us interested in developing our physique and maintaining sound health. This calls for regular physical exercise. May be you have to get up an hour early in the morning for this purpose. But both getting up early and taking physical exercises might prove most irksome, especially when the initial enthusiasm wears off. Missing an hour’s pleasant sleep is certainly some sacrifice. Doing the physical exercises is definitely irksome and unpleasant. Yet both have to be accomplished if you are to gain your good physique and sound health. You have to exercise your will power, therefore, to persist with your physical exercise.

We need the will power to carry on, to fight against temptations, to do things in the right manner instead of choosing an easy way or a line of least resistance. To drift in the wind, to float downstream with the current, you don’t have to make any willful effort. But to be in the lead, make the rest follow your path, to march ahead as a path finder, to do the unusual, to accomplish great things, to rise against the wind, to swim or raw upstream against the current, you need will power. But to be the certain of your senses, to maintain control and discipline, to be the master of our fate, you cannot do without the will power. In brief, will power is victory, will power is leadership and will power is success.

The unique feature of will power is that the more you exercise it, the more you develop it. It multiplies in a geometrical progression in an individual at each time or occasion he or she exercises it. Therefore the only way one acquire a strong will power is to begin by exercising it at each possible opportunity. The exercise of will power will then become a matter of habit. You would have acquired both self-control and self-confidence. In fact these two important attributes of leadership viz., self-control and self-confidence, are only the extension of one’s will power. Discipline is the result of will power since discipline is essentially the self-control. Determination is nothing but will power expressed by different names.

Every human being is born with a certain measure of will power. Some exercise it where as some fail to exercise it and allow it to remain dormant and weak. A leader who is keen to acquire a strong will power must begin by exercising his will whenever opportunities present themselves. Initially, you need will power to stick to your programme. Therefore, you can start with your daily schedule. If you have planned to get up at five in the morning, make sure that you do so every day. This conscious effort to get up at a particular time in the morning and the necessity to exercise will power would be necessary only till you develop the habit. Once a habit is formed, it cannot be broken unless will power is applied in a concentrated measure. That is why it is necessary that we develop it right from the beginning. After getting up, you concentrate on your physical exercise. Once again apply will power in the beginning and see that you take the exercise regularly. If you happen to miss it, start all over again. Never yield to the temptation to abandon or give up your physical exercises.

If you have planned to study or read during certain hours of the day, make sure you complete the study or reading. Slowly and steadily tackle more and more difficult and unpalatable tasks. For those who wish to reduce weight, it might be difficult to control their eating habit. But exercise of will power will do the trick. Use your will power and see that you keep your temper. Let your will power come into play to force you to listen more, to give sincere appreciation, to look things from the other person point of view instead of yourself monopolizing the conversation and talking about yourself and your own interest or problems. Force yourself to listen instead of talking by the sheer might of your will power. Similarly do the reverse during a group discussion, debate or when facing an audience. Just force yourself to talk, to participate to deliver a lecture. Use your will power to stop yourself whenever you are tempted to criticize, to find fault, to talk ill of others or to blame others. With the help of your will power be positive and eschew negative qualities.

The will power of an individual can also be strengthened considerably, especially when directed towards overcoming entrenched bad habits like smoking, drinking, gambling and the like. One motivating factor could be to contemplate on the advantages of persisting with it. If you give up smoking, for example, there are at least two distinct advantages. One is saving money which could be utilized for more useful items. The second thing is to discourage your children, younger brother or sister from taking to this bad and harmful habit. We all are interested in enjoying a happy, healthy and full term of life. Secondly, smoking also causes a certain amount of inconvenience. The other factors which go to strengthen one’s enthusiasm, optimism, faith, interest, keenness, urge, sense of responsibility and strong desire to become a successful and effective leader.

One can also find inspiration to develop one’s will power by reading the life stories of great men and women. Biographies and autobiographies as well as various personal improvement websites could help one to develop and strengthen his or her will power.

It is also true that for anything and everything, there will be a way provided there is the will. For the cynic who raises the doubt as to what would happen if there is no way, your answer should be that you will blaze a trail and make a new way if one does not exists already. This is the approach of a confident and success-oriented leader. Assert with absolute confidence that you will find a way to make it. Go ahead with courage and determination. You are certain to get success.

INITIATIVE AND LEADERSHIP

2016-10-20T17:39:00.000+05:30

INITIATIVE AND LEADERSHIP

Self condition is the precondition for effective leadership and initiation. Initiative and leadership are associated, because leadership is essential for attainment of success and Initiative is the very foundation upon which this necessary quality of leadership is built.

What is the initiative ?

It is that exceedingly rare quality that prompts and impels – a person to do that which ought to be done “without being told to do it”. Elbert Hubbard expressed himself on the subject of Initiative in this words:

The world bestow its big prizes , both in money and honour for one thing and that is initiative.

What is initiative ? ”It is doing the right things without being told to do it”.

Yes, one of the peculiarities of leadership is the fact that it is never found in those who have not acquired the habit of taking the initiative. Leadership is something that you must invite yourself into; it will never thrust itself upon you.

If you will carefully analyze all leaders whom you know, you will see that they not only exercised Initiative, but they went about their work with a definite purpose in mind with full confidence.

A great philosopher once said : “Initiative is the passkey that opens the door to opportunity.”

All people may be placed in one or other of two general classes. One is known as leadersand the other as followers. Not often do the “followers” achieve noteworthy success, and never succeeded until they break away from the ranks of the “follower” and become “leaders”.

There is a mistaken notion being broadcast in the world among a certain class of people, to the effect that people are paid for what they know. This is only partly true, and like all other half-truths, it does more damage than an out-and-out falsehood.

The truth is that people are paid not only for what they know, but more particularly for what they do with what they know, or what they get others to do.

Without initiative no one will achieve success, no matter what he or she may consider success, because he or she will do nothing out of the ordinary, only the mediocre work required in order to have a place to sleep, something to eat, and clothes to wear. These three necessities may be had with the aid of initiative and leadership, but the moment people make up their minds to acquire more than the bare necessities of life, they must either cultivate the habit of initiative and leadership or else find themselves hedged in behind a stone wall.

The first step essential in the development of initiative and leadership is that of forming the habit of prompt and firm decision. All successful people have a certain amount of decision-making power. Those who waver between two or more half baked and more or less vague notions of what they want to, do generally end up doing nothing.

There had been ‘talk’ about building the Panama canal for many generations, but the actual work of building the canal never got much beyond the talk stage until the late Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States. With the firmness of decision, that was the very warp and woof of his achievements and the real basis of his reputation as a leader, Roosevelt took the initiative. He had a bill framed for Congress to pass, providing the money. He went to work with spirit of self-confidence, plus a definite chief aim and definite plan for its attainment, and lo! The much-talked Panama Canal became a splendid reality.

It is not enough to have a definite chief aim and a definite plan for its achievement, even though the plan may be perfectly practical and you may have all the necessary ability to carry it through successfully. You must have more than these. You must actually take the initiative and put the wheels of your plan into motion and keep them turning until your goal has been reached.

Study those whom you know to be failures (you will find them all around you) and observe that, without a single exception they lack firmness of decision, even in matters of the smallest importance. Such people usually “talk” a great deal, but they are very short on performance. “Deeds, not words” should be the motto of those who intend to succeed in life, no matter what may be his or her calling, or what has been selected as a definite chief aim.

Lack of Decision has often resulted in insanity. Nothing is a very bad or dreadful, once one has reached a decision to face the consequences. This truth was demonstrated quite effectively by a man who was condemned to death. When asked how it felt to know that he was to die in another half hour he replied,” Well, it does not bother me in the least. I made up my mind that I had to go sometime, and it might as well be now as a few years later, because my life has been a constant source of trouble anyway. Just think, it will soon all be over.” The man was actually relieved to know that the responsibilities of life to which he had been subjected, and which had brought him to such an ignoble ending, were about to cease.

Prominent and successful leaders are always people who reach decisions quickly, yet it is not to be assumed that quick decisions are always advisable. There are circumstances calling for deliberation, the study of facts connected with the intended decision, etc. however, after all available facts have been gathered and organized, there is no excuse for delaying decision, and the person who practices the habit of such delay cannot become an effective leader until that short-coming is mastered.

Julius Caesar had long wanted to conquer the armies of another country, but he faltered because he was not sure of the loyalty of his own armies. Finally, he decided upon a plan that would insure this loyalty. Loading his soldiers onto boats, he set sail for the shores of his enemy, unloaded the soldiers and implements of war, and then gave the order for all the boats to be burned. Turning to his generals, he said “Now it is win or perish! We have no choice! Pass the word to your men and let them know that it is the lives of our enemies or our own.” They went into battle and won. Julius Caesar won because he saw to it that all his soldiers had reached a decision to win!

When asked by one of his sailors what he would do if they saw no signs of land by the following day, Columbus replied, “If we see no land tomorrow, we will sail on and on.” He, too, had a definite chief aim, a definite plan for its attainment, and he had reached a decision not to turn back.

It is known fact that many cannot do their best until they are actually fighting with their backs to the wall, under the stress of most urgent necessity. Impending danger will enable ordinary human to develop superhuman courage and strength of both body and mind, far out of proportion to that normally used.

Napoleon, caught by surprise when he discovered that there was a deep camouflaged ditch just ahead of the line of march of his armies, gave the order for his cavalry to charge. He waited until the dead bodies of men and horses filled the ditch, then marched his soldiers across and whipped the enemy. That required a serious decision. One minute of faltering and hesitation and he would have been flanked by the enemy and captured. He did the unexpected, the “impossible” and got away with it.

In the field of selling, nearly all sales people are met with the stereotyped alibi from perspective buyers, “I will think it over and let you know later,” which really means that “I do not wish to buy, but I lack the courage to reach a definite decision and frankly say so.” Being a leader, and understanding the value of initiative, the real sales leader does not take such alibis for an answer. That salesperson begins, immediately, to assist the prospective purchaser in the process of “thinking it over” and in short, see the job is completed and the sales has been made.

Personality Development

2016-10-18T01:35:00.000+05:30

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

Personality is the sum total of ways in which an individual reacts and interacts with others. Or Personality is generally defined as the deeply ingrained and relatively enduring patterns of thought, feeling and behavior. In fact, when one refers to personality, it generally implies to all what is unique about an individual, the characteristics that makes one stand out in a crowd.

Personalities is the sum total of individual’s Psychological traits, characteristics, motives, habits, attitudes, beliefs and outlooks.

Personality determinants :

Heredity : Heredity refers to those factors that were determined at conception. Physical structure, facial attractiveness, gender, temperament, muscle composition and reflexes, energy level, and biological rhythms are characteristics that are generally considered to be either completely or substantially influenced by who your parents were, that is by their biological, physiological and inherent psychological make up.

Environment : The environmental factors that exert pressures on our personality formation are the culture in which we are raised, our early conditioning, the norms among our family, friends and social groups, and other influences that we experience. The environment to which we are exposed plays a substantial role in shaping our personalities.

Situation : A third factor, the situation, influences the effects of heredity and environment on personality. An individual’s personality although generally stable and consistent, does change in different situations. The varying demand of different situation calls forth different aspects of one’s personality. We should not therefore look upon personality patterns in isolation.

DEVELOPING POSITIVE PERSONALITY

1. Subconscious Programming :

Most of us sometimes get programmed / conditioned by a wrong messages that “ donot do that”, “don’t take the risk”, “you can not do that” you are not good in …and so on…..

You can imagine the bad effect such message can have on any person.

Fig- I : Subconscious Mind Programming Our Conscious Mind is like a watch man. And the Subconscious Mind is a store of all the previously programmed or conditioned information / knowledge/ believes. Now programming personality means putting positive believes/ information into the store with out the knowledge of the watchman (conscious mind).

Suppose you tell yourself that “you are good at Public Speaking”. And the store has stored based on peoples comments and experience that “you are poor in communication” “you can not speak well in public”, “you don’t have an impressive body language” …..

The watch man sees your sentence and compares it with the knowledge in its store and says “this information is wrong”. The watchman throws the new information away. He does not allow the new positive information into the store. This is the fundamental difficulty in changing personality & behavior of a person.

Now the question is how and when we could programme our mind for positive personality trait with out the obstruction of watchman…

The answer is we can programme our mind for positive personality traits during the Twilight period just before sleeping and just before waking up. This is the time when the conscious mind is active enough to generate the positive traits for entering into store but inactive to judge/compare and will not obstruct to the positive traits to enter into the subconscious store house.

2. Reinforced Programming / Conscious Programming :

Autosuggestion and Repetition of the positive traits despite negative response from comparison with the store house also gives success in programming for personality traits.

Auto-suggestion is a statement made in the present tense, of the kind of person you want to be. Auto-suggestion are like a commercial about “Super You”, or “Future Super You” for yourself what you want to be or achieve. They influence both your conscious and subconscious mind in the long run shaping your personality and attitude.

Auto-suggestions are the conscious way to programme the subconscious mind for positive traits. It is the effective method of voluntary development of positive traits and attitudes.

Auto-suggestion should be mixed with emotions. All such reinforced / conscious programming which have been emotionalized (giving feeling) and mixed with applied faith, begin immediately to translate themselves into physical or real equivalent.

Auto-suggestive thoughts which are mixed with any of the feeling of emotions constitute a “psycho-magnetic” force which attracts other similar or related thoughts.

Our subconscious mind resembling a fertile garden spot, in which weeds will grow in abundance if you the seeds of more desirable crops are not sown therein. Auto-suggestion is the agency of control through which an individual can voluntarily feed his subconscious mind on thoughts of creative/ positive nature or by neglect permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into the rich garden of mind. So Caution should be taken while programming your mind for positive traits only.

3. Defensive Approach :

One of this type of approach is protest or deny the negative traits at it’s very beginning of the entering in the subconscious store. And the second is to consciously avoid this type of environment or situation. In real life situation it is very difficult because it may lead to confrontation and argument or Inaction.

Another problem in this is that most of us have some negative traits previously in our store house due to our past experience and conditioning.

4. Imaginary Anchoring or Invisible Counseling Committee :

While watching a picture we anchor the Hero, placing ourselves in place of hero. Similarly we can anchor Great men in imagination and let them shape our personality.

Another is the Invisible Counseling Committee comprising of great personalities of your choice. We can counsel from these great minds at times or situation. What decision or action he would have been taken in my situation..

Winston Churchill the war time British Prime Minister was following this principle. He had his Imaginary Counseling Committee by the side of his Chamber. Many great decisions he used to take by following these principles.

I follow the habit of reshaping my Character by trying to imitate some great personalities whose lives and life works have been most impressive to me. These personalities are Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte, Albert Einstein, Shiva Khera, Napoleon Hills & Bill Gates. I held an imaginary council meeting with this group whom I called my “Invisible Counselor”. In these imaginary council meeting I called on my cabinet members for the knowledge I wished each to contribute addressing myself to each members in audible words as follows :

Mahatma Gandhi, I desire to acquire from you the ideology of truth and Non-violence and devotion towards practicing these in every odd hours and to acquire the magnet leadership to attract millions to join in the peaceful struggle for freedom and Humanity.

Mother Teresa, I desire to acquire from you the ability to provide relentless humanitarian services to the most unprivileged, poor diseased and intense spirit to serve the mankind despite all odds.

Mr. Abraham Lincoln, I desire to build into my own character the keen sense of justice, the untiring spirit of patience, the sense of humor, the human understanding, and the tolerance which were your distinguishing characteristics.

Napoleon Bonaparte, I desire to acquire from you, by emulation, the marvelous ability you possessed to inspire men and arouse them to greater and more determined spirit of action. Also to acquire the spirit of enduring faith, which enabled you to turn defeat into victory, and to surmount staggering obstacles.

Albert Einstein, I wish to acquire from you the Scientific Bent, ever inquisitive mind, the spirit to innovate and contribute to Humanity.

Napoleon Hills, I want to acquire from you the ability to nurture the human resources and to Give the society the magic formulae of success of wealth and fortune and helping people realize their true potential.

Mr. Shiva Khera, I want to acquire from you the skill and understanding to motivate the people towards positive ends and to offer the world the blue print for positive and successful life.

Bill Gates, I wish to acquire from you the Brilliant Intelligence, Innovation, Intense drive to succeed, persistence, personal intensity and conscientiousness dimensions

5. Physical Action / Body Language Approach :

In general it is the positive practice or experiencing desired traits whether the desired perfection achieved or not.

It is generally said that our personality traits control our body language. But it is a fact that the reverse is also true. This means we can change our negative traits towards positive traits by consciously practicing the body language for positive traits.

6. Domino-effect. Direct exposure to good personalities or environment :

Here the direct environment is the driving force in shaping the personalities. When one constantly remains in direct contact with great personalities will enriches his own to be the one. Similarly the organization culture and structure also many times influences ones personality. Sometimes it is the guiding principle for job satisfaction / recruitment.

Caution should be taken while programming your mind for positive traits only. Because these processes give results for negative traits also. Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler both successfully applied these principles but one positively and other negatively.

SIXTEEN PRIMARY PERSONALITY TRAITS :

Reserved vs Outgoing
Less intelligent vs More intelligent
Affected by feeling vs Emotionally stable
Submissive vs Dominant
Serious vs Happy to Lucky
Expedient vs Conscientious
Timid vs Venturesome
Tough-minded vs Sensitive
Trusting vs Suspicious
Practical vs Imaginative
Forthright vs Shrewd
Self-assured vs Apprehansive
Conservative vs Experimenting
Group dependant vs Self-sufficient
Uncontrolled vs Controlled
Relaxed vs Tense

Some of the behavioral and attitude traits as identified by Shiv Khera for positive personality building……

TRAITS FOR BUILDING POSITIVE PERSONALITY :

1. Accept Responsibility :

The price of grateness is the responsibility – Winston Churchill

“Responsibility gravitates to the person who can shoulder them.”

-- Elbert Hubbard

Society is not destroyed by the activities of the rascals, but by the inactivity of good people.

2. Show consideration :

Show consideration, courtesy, politeness and caring.

3. Think Win-Win : Win-Win philosophy is the ultimate way to success in the collaborative and networked world. One who master that art can achieve greatly.

4. Choose your words carefully:
The principle is your speaking must be better than silent, rather be silent.
Words spoken out of bitterness can cause irreparable damage. The way the parents speak to their children in many instances shapes their children’s destiny.

5. Never Criticize, Complain and Condemn: Constructive criticism is a terminology used to conceal one's own cynicism. Afterall the limit of constructiveness of constructive criticism vary from person to person. we sometime misjudge this limit and many times cross the limit which is detrimental.

6. Smile and Be Kind :

Smile is the shortest distance between two people.

7. Put Positive interpretation on other people’s behavior:

We see the world not as it is, but as we are.

So when we are interpreting other peoples behavior negatively we just reflecting our own mentality to this situation. In contrast when interpret positively, chances that other people may realize its negativity and change or amend this.

8. Be a Good Listener :

Effective communication is 50% listening, 25% speaking, 15% reading and 10% writing. So when we listen carefully then 50% communication is done.

9. Be Enthusiastic :

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm

--- Ralph Waldo Emersion

10. Give honest and Sincere Appreciation :

The desire to feel important is one of the gratest craving in most of the human beings and it can be a great motivator. Honest and sincere appreciation makes one feel important and promote these positive qualities in him. In contrast giving false and insincere appreciation is flattery or sycophancy which in the long run is harmful to the receipient.

11. When you make a mistake, accept it and make it easy to amend:

Mistakes are to be learned from. So accept it immediately and make change or amend easy.

12. Discuss but don’t argue:

Arguing is like fighting a losing battle. Even if one wins in the argument, the cost may be more than the worth of victory.
An Ignominious victory is a defeat itself.

13. Don’t Gossip:

Gossip may lead to slander and defamation of character. People who listen to gossip are as guilty as those who do the gossiping.

14. Turn your promises into commitment:

Commitment leads to enduring relationship through thick and thin. It shows in a person's personality and relationship.

15. Be grateful but do not expect gratitude:

16. Be dependable and practice loyalty:

An ounce of loyalty is worth more than a pound of cleverness.
Ability without dependability is of no worth.

17. Avoid bearing grudges:

Life is too small to bear grudges.

John Kennedy once said “forgive the other person but don’t forget their name.” Means “if one cheated me once it is his fault, but if cheats me twice then it is my fault.”

18. Practice honesty, Integrity and Sincerity:
Lies may have speed, but the truth has endurance.
Honesty, Integrity and Sincerity have more enduring effect than the opposite.

19. Practice Humility:
Don’t be cheated regularly to forgive.

Confidence without humility is arrogance. Sincere Humility is the foundation of all virtues. It is a sign of greatness.

20. Be understanding and Caring :

The best way to be understood is to be understanding. And the basis of real communication is also understanding.

21. Practice courtesy on daily basis :

22. Develop a sense of humor:

Have a sense of humor and you will possess the ability to laugh at yourself. A sense of humor makes a person likeable and attractive. Some people are humor-impaired.

23. Don’t be sarcastic and put others down :

24. To have a friend be a Friend :

Mutual trust and confidence are the foundation stones of all friendship.

25. Show Empathy :

Empathy alone is a very important characteristic of positive personality. People with empathy ask themselves this question, “how would I feel if someone treated me that way?”

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By : Abhishek Kumar Sadhu

MIND PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUES

2016-10-14T11:15:00.001+05:30

MIND PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUES

Mind programming is necessary for success in life. Mind programming means programming our mind for positivity, success, health and happiness. It eliminates the negativity within our subconscious mind and impresses upon positivity which is the most important for achieving success and happiness. Five important mind programming techniques are :

A. PERSONAL PRAYER

PRAYER is the formulation of an idea concerning something positive we wish to accomplish. Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire. Your desire is your prayer. It comes out of your deepest needs, and it reveals the things you want in life.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness ; for they shall be filled.

That is the real nature of prayer, the effective expression of life’s hunger and thirst for peace, harmony, health, joy, and all the other blessings of life.

Prayer is a force as real as terrestrial gravity. As a physician I have seen men, after all other therapy has failed, lifted out of disease and melancholy by the serene effort of prayer. It is the only power in the world that seems to overcome the so called “Laws of Nature”; the occasions on which prayer has dramatically done this have been termed as “miracle”. But a constant quieter miracle takes place hourly in the hearts of men and women who have discovered that prayer supplies them with a steady flow of sustaining power in their daily lives.

The Science and Art of True Prayer

The term “science” means a body of knowledge that is coordinated, arranged, and systematized. Prayer is the body of knowledge which deals with the fundamental principles of life. It describes techniques and processes that can be demonstrated in your life and in the life of any human being who applies them faithfully. The art is your technique or process and science behind it is the definite response of creative mind to your mental picture or thought.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

It clearly means that you shall receive that for which you ask. It shall be opened to you when you knock, and you shall find that for which you are searching. This celebrated verse implies the definiteness of mental and spiritual laws. There is always a direct response from the infinite intelligence of your subconscious mind to your conscious thinking.

Your prayer must be backed by faith. You must believe if you are to receive. Your mind moves from thought to the thing. Unless there is first an image in the mind, it cannot move, for there would be nothing for it to move toward. Your prayer which is your mental act, must be accepted as an image in your mind before the power from your subconscious will play upon it and make it productive.

This contemplation should be accompanied by a feeling of joy and restfulness in foreseeing the certain accomplishment of your desire. The sound basis for the art and science of true prayer is your knowledge and complete confidence that the movement of your conscious mind will gain a definite response from your subconscious mind, which has boundless wisdom and infinite power. By following this procedure, your prayer will definitely be answered.

B. THE VISUALISATION TECHNIQUE

The easiest and most obvious way to formulate an idea is to visualize it, to see it in your mind’s eye as vividly as if it were alive. You can see with the naked eye only what already exist in the external world. Similarly that which you can visualize in your mind’s eye, already exists in the invisible realm of your mind. Any picture you have in your mind is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

What you form in your imagination is as real as any part of your body. The idea and thoughts are real and will one day appear in your objective world if you are faithful to your mental image.

This process of thinking forms impressions in your mind. These impressions in turn become manifested as facts and experiences in your life. I always use visualization technique before I speak to an audience. I quiet the wheels of my mind so that I present to the subconscious mind my images of thought. Then I picture the entire auditorium. Its seats are filled with men and women who are all illumined and inspired by the infinite potential present within each one. I see them as successful, radiant and happy.

C. THE AFFIRMATION METHOD

‘To affirm’ is to state that it is so (your positive desire). As you maintain this attitude of mind as true, regardless of all evidence to the contrary, you will receive an answer to your affirmation. Repeating an affirmation, knowing what you are saying and why you are saying it, leads the mind to that state of consciousness where it accepts that which you state as true (positive desire). Keep on affirming the positive desire of life until you get the subconscious reaction that satisfies.

The effectiveness of an affirmation is determined largely by your understanding the truth and meaning that underlie the affirmative statement. The power of your affirmation lies in the intelligent application of definite and specific positives.

D. SUBCONSCIOUS PROGRAMMING
(SLEEPING TECHNIQUE)

When you enter into a sleepy, drowsy state, effort is reduced to a minimum. The conscious mind is submerged to a great extent when in a sleepy state. The reason for this is that the highest degree of our cropping of the subconscious mind occurs just prior to sleep and just after we awaken. The subconscious mind is most receptive at this sate. So programming mind at this state is called Subconscious Programming. In this state the negative thoughts, which tend to neutralize your desire and so prevent the acceptance by subconscious mind, are no longer present.

Suppose you want to get rid of destructive habit. Assume a comfortable posture, relax your body, and be still. Get into a sleepy state, and in that sleepy state, say quietly, over as a lullaby, “I am completely free from this habit; harmony and peace of mind reign supreme.” Repeat these words slowly, quietly, and lovingly for five to ten minutes night and morning. Each time you repeat the words, the emotional value become greater. When the urge comes to repeat the negative habit, repeat this formula out loud to yourself. By this means you induce the subconscious to accept the idea and you get rid of bad habit.

E. MENTAL-MOVIE METHOD

As the old saying proclaims, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. The fact must be stressed that the subconscious mind will bring to pass any picture held in the mind and backed by faith.

Act as though I am and I will be.

This technique includes making a success movie in your mind and visualize the movie when you are alone and relaxed. Imagine yourself you have achieved whatever you wish to achieve in your life. You are now happy, proud and all your friends and relatives are happy. You feel yourself as strong, confident, energetic and successful. Make a small movie like this and play it repeatedly in your mind.

A time will come when our inner mind accept it as real and arrange all these necessary to make you achieve your goal.

POWER OF SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

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POWER OF SUBCONSCIOUS MIND

The Treasure House within You

You have infinite riches within your reach. To gain them, all you have to do is open your mental eyes and behold the treasure house of infinity within you. There is a storehouse within you from which you can extract everything you need to live life gloriously, joyously and abundantly.

Master secret of the Ages :

Suppose a question arises that what is the master secret of Ages –

The answer is extraordinarily simple. The secret is the marvelous miracle working power found in your subconscious mind.

The marvelous Power of your subconscious mind, you can bring into your life more power, more wealth, more health, more happiness and joy.

Within your subconscious depths lie infinite wisdom, infinite power, an infinite supply of all that is necessary. It is waiting there for you to give it development and expression. If you begin now to recognize these potentialities of your deeper mind, they will take form in the world outside.

Provided that you are open-minded and receptive, the infinite intelligence within your subconscious mind can reveal to you everything you need to know at every moment of time and point of space. You can receive new thoughts and ideas, bring forth new inventions, make new discoveries, create new work of art. The infinite intelligence in your subconscious can give you access to wonderful new kinds of knowledge. Let it reveal itself to you and it will open the way to perfect expression and true place in your life.

Through the wisdom of your subconscious mind you can attract the ideal companions as well as right business associate or partner. It can show you how to get all the money you need and give you the financial freedom to be, to do and to go as your heart desires.

It is your right to discover this inner world of thought, feeling and power of light, love and beauty. Though invisible, its forces are mighty. Within your subconscious mind, you will find the solution for every problem and the cause for every effect. Once you learn to draw out these hidden powers, you come into actual possession of the power and wisdom necessary to move forward in abundance, security, joy and dominion.

Your subconscious mind is principle. It works according to the law of Belief. You must know what belief is, why it works, and how it works.

Bible says in simple, clear and beautiful way :

“whatsoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall belief that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith.

The law of your mind is the law of belief. This means to believe in the way your mind works, to believe itself. The belief of your mind is the thought of your mind, just that and nothing else.

All your experiences, events, conditions and acts are produced by your subconscious mind in reaction to your thoughts. Remember it is not the things believed in, but the belief in your own mind that brings about the result. Stop accepting the false beliefs, opinions, superstitions and fears that plague our human kind. Begin to believe in the eternal varieties and truths of life that never change……. At that point you will move onward, upward and Godward.

Your prayer is answered according to the universal law of action and reaction. Thought is incipient action. The reaction is the response from your subconscious mind that corresponds to the nature of your thought. Fill your mind with the concepts of harmony, health, peace and goodwill, and wonder will happen in your life.

Imagine your subconscious mind as a bed of rich soil that will help all kind of seeds to sprout and flourish, whether good or bed. If you sow thrones you get throne. If you sow grapes you will get grapes.

So begin now to sow thought of peace, happiness, right, right action, goodwill and prosperity. Think quietly and with conviction on these qualities. Accept them fully in your conscious reasoning mind.

When your mind thinks correctly, when the thoughts deposited in your subconscious mind are constructive, harmonious and peaceful, the magic working power of your subconscious mind will respond. It will bring about harmonious conditions and agreeable surroundings and the best of everything. Once you begin to control your thought process, you can apply the powers of your subconscious to any problem or difficulty. And you will actually be consciously cooperating with the infinite power and omnipotent law that governs all things.

We all live in an unfathomable sea of infinite riches. Your sub-conscious is very sensitive to your conscious thoughts. Those conscious thoughts form the matrix through which the infinite intelligence, wisdom, vital forces and energies of your subconscious flow. Shape that matrix in a more positive direction and you redirect those infinite energies to your greater benefit.

Most of the great scientists, artists, poets, singers, writers and inventors have had a deep understanding of the working of the conscious and subconscious mind. It was this that gave them the power to accomplish their goals.

So be sure that you think on this :

Whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report,

if there be any virtue and if there be any positive,

THINK ON THESE THINGS.

DREAMS AND VISIONS

2014-10-08T06:16:00.000+05:30

DREAMS AND VISIONS

The dreamers are the saviours of the world. As the visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as they Realities which it shall one day see and know.

Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage, these are the makers of the after-world, the architects of heaven. The world is beautiful because they have lived; without them, laboring humanity would perish.

He who cherished a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Columbus cherished a vision of another world, and he discovered it; Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it; Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace and he entered into it.

Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all, heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.

To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. Shall man’s basest desires receive the fullest measure of gratification, and his purest aspirations starve for lack of sustenance ? Such is not the Law: such a condition of things can never obtain : “ask and receive.”

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.

The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of the realities.

Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not long remain so if you but perceive an Ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without. Here is a youth hard pressed by poverty and labour; confined long hours in an unhealthy workshop; unschooled, and lacking all the art of refinement. But he dreams of better things; he thinks of intelligence, of refinement, of grace and beauty. He conceives of, mentally builds up, an ideal condition of life; vision of a wider liberty and a larger scope possession of him; unrest urges him to action, and he utilizes all his spare time and means, small though they are, to the development of his latent powers and resources. Very soon so altered has his mind become that the workshop can no longer hold him. It has become so out of harmony with his mentality that it falls out of his life as a garment is cast aside, and, with the growth of opportunities, which fit the scope of his expanding powers, he passes out of it forever. Years later we see this youth as a full grown man. We find him a master of certain forces of the mind, which he wields with worldwide influence and almost unequalled power. In his hands he holds the cords of gigantic responsibilities; he speaks, and lo, lives changed; men and women hang upon his words and remould their characters, and, sunlike, he becomes the fixed and luminous center round which innumerable destinies revolve. He has realized the vision of his youth. He has become one with his ideal.

And you, too, youthful reader, will realize the Vision (not the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for you will always gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most love. Into your hands will be placed exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration : in the beautiful words of Stanton Kirkham Davis, “you may be keeping accounts, and presently you shall walk out of the door that for so long has seemed to you the barrier of your ideals, and shall find yourself before an audience- the pen still behind your ear, the ink stains on your fingers and then and there shall pour out the torrent of your inspiration. You may be driving sheep, and you shall wander to the city-bucolic and open-mouthed; shall wander under the intrepid guidance of the spirit into the studio of the master, and after a time he shall say, ‘I have nothing more to teach you.’And now you have become the master, who did so recently dream of great things while driving sheep. You shall lay down the saw and the plane to take upon yourself the regeneration of the world.”

The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, ”how lucky he is!” observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, “how highly favoured he is!” And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, they remark, “how chance aids him at every turn!” they so not see the trails and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable and realize the Vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it “luck”. They do not see the long and arduous journey, but only behold the pleasant goal, an call it “good fortune” do not understand the process, but only perceive the result and call it chance.

In all human affairs, there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. Gifts, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.

The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart—this will build your life by, this you will become.

By :James Allen, British Philosopher

JAMES ALLEN’S PHILOSOPHY

2014-10-04T18:04:00.000+05:30

JAMES ALLEN’S PHILOSOPHY

A man has to learn that he cannot command things, but that he can command himself; that he can not coerce the wills of others, but that he can mold and master his won will: and things serve him who serves Truth; people seek guidance of him who is master of himself.

A man is literally what he thinks.

A man is not rightly conditioned until he is happy, healthy, and prosperous being; and happiness, health, and prosperity are the result of a harmonious adjustment of the inner with outer of the man with his surroundings.

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.

Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it.

All that you accomplish or fail to accomplish with your life is the direct result of your thoughts.

As in the rankest soil the most beautiful flowers are grown, so in the dark soil of poverty the choicest flowers of humanity have developed and bloomed.

Circumstances do not make the man, they just reveal him.

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.

For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why ? Why not ? Why not me ? Why not now ?

Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit.

Happiness is mental harmony; unhappiness is mental inharmony.

Harmony is one phase of the law whose spiritual expression is love.

He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.

If your real desire is to be good, there is no need to wait for the money before you do it; you can do it now, this very moment, and just where you are.

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. It is a process of diverting one’s scattered forces into one powerful channel.

Let there be nothing within thee that is not very beautiful and very gentle, and there will be nothing without thee that is not beautiful and softened by the spell of thy presence.

Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.

No temptation can gravitate to a man unless there is that is his heart which is capable of responding to it.

Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, will alter towards him.

The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.

The law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit an you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

The man who cannot endure to have his errors and shortcomings brought to the surface and made known, but tries to hide them, is unfit to walk the highway of truth.

The man who sows wrong thoughts and deeds and prays that God will bless him is in the position of a farmer who, having sown tares, asks God to bring forth for him a harvest of wheat.

The more intense the nature of a man, the more readily will he find meditation, and the more successfully will he practice it.

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.

They who have conquered doubt and fear have conquered failure.

To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.

By : James Allen; He was a philosophical writer of British nationality known for his inspirational books and poetry. His best known work, As a Man Thinketh, was mass produced since its publication in 1903 and has provided a key source of ideas to countless best-selling motivational and self-help authors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

POWER OF THOUGHTS

2014-09-16T09:59:00.000+05:30

POWER OF THOUGHTS

The divinity that shapes our ends is in ourselves .... All that a man achieves or fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.

....James Lane Allen

Let a man strive to purify his thoughts. What a man thinketh, that is he; this is the eternal mystery. Dwelling within his Self with thoughts serene, he will obtain imperishable happiness. Man becomes that of which he thinks.

...... Upanishads

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

.... William Shakespeare

All that a man does outwardly is but the expression and completion of his inward thought. To work effectively, he must think clearly; to act nobly, he must think nobly.

..... William E. Channing

Thoughts Are Living Things

Thoughts are living things. A thought is as much solid as a piece of stone. We may cease to be, but our thoughts can never die.

Every change in thought is accompanied by vibration of its matter (mental). Thought as force needs a special kind of subtle matter in its working.

The stronger the thoughts, the earlier the fructification. Thought is focussed and given a particular direction and, in the degree that thought is thus focussed and given direction, it is effective in the work it is sent out to accomplish.

Conservation of Thought-energy

In physics you have the term ‘power of orientation’. Though the mass of energy is there, the current will not flow. It must be connected to the magnet and then the electric current will flow through the power of orientation.

Even so, the mental energy which is dissipated and misdirected in various worthless unproductive thoughts should be well directed in proper positive and creative channels.

Do not store in your brain useless information. Learn to unmind the mind. Unlearn whatever has been of no use to you. Then only can you fill your mind with positive or creative thoughts. You will gain new mental strength as the dissipated mental rays are collected now.

Thought—Its Power, Workings and Uses

Thought is a vital, living dynamic power—the most vital, subtle and irresistible force existing in the universe.

Through the instrumentality of thought you acquire creative power. Thought passes from one man to another. It influences people; a man of powerful thought can influence readily people of weak thoughts.

Friend and enemy, virtue and vice are in the mind only. Every man creates a world of good and evil, pleasure and pain, out of his own imagination only. Good and evil, pleasure and pain do not proceed from objects. These belong to the attitude of your mind. There is nothing good nor pleasant in this world. Your imagination makes it so.

World—A Projection of Thought

Careful reflection will show that the entire universe is in reality the projection of the human mind—‘Manomatram Jagat’. Purification and control of the mind is the central aim of all Yogas. Mind in itself is but a record of impressions that keep expressing ceaselessly as impulses and thoughts. The mind is what it does. Thought impels you to action; activity creates fresh impressions in the mind-stuff.

Yoga strikes at the very root of this vicious circle by a method of effectively inhibiting the functions of the mind. Yoga checks, controls and stops the root function of the mind, i.e., thought. When thought is transcended, intuition functions and Self-knowledge supervenes.

Thought has the potency of creating or undoing the world in the twinkling of an eye. Mind creates the world according to its own Sankalpa or thought. It is the mind that creates this universe, (Manomatram Jagat; Manahkalpitam Jagat). Through the play of the mind, a Kalpa is reckoned by it as a moment and vice versa. Like a dream generating another dream in it the mind having no visible form generates existent visible.

Thought-control by Napoleon’s Method : Napoleon controlled his thoughts in this manner: “When I want to think of things more pleasant, I close the cupboards of my mind revealing the more unpleasant things of life, and open up the cupboards containing the more pleasant thoughts. If I want to sleep, I close up all the cupboards of mind!”

AS A MAN THINKETH

James Lane Allen had long been impressed by the ancient philosophy that a men becomes what he thinks, that a man’s character is the outward expression of his inward thoughts. He had traced it back to the Upanishads, sacred literature of the Hindus : “Man becomes that of which he thinks.” He had found it eloquently expressed in the writing of Buddha : “The mind is everything; what you think you become” .... and in the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius : your life is what your thoughts make it.” He had found the same basic idea in the writings of Confucius, Mohammed, Aristotle, Socrates, scores of others. And he knew it, of course, in its most familiar form- as millions did-from the Bible : “ As he thinketh in his heart, so is he”.

All the great teachers of every age had declared this simple truth : that a man’s life and character are the result of his own inmost thoughts and ideals. It was a philosophy as old as civilisation, but ever fresh and new. Surely he had proved the truth of it in his own life, James Allen reflected. He had been very poor in his youth, had known none of the advantages so many young men count essential. He had started out with nothing to build on except what was within himself. But he had known what he wanted to do and be; he had kept his dream, his ideal, everlastingly before him; he had tried to live the life he imagined- and in the end his dream had become a reality.

As a man thinketh, so is he.

It was a simple, obvious truth, he wondered how anyone could fail to see it. People were forever complaining about things outside themselves, blaming their condition and circumstances on everything but their own thoughts and ideas. Didn’t they realise that they made their own ‘good fortune’ that their lives were the result of their own thinking? Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit- and man is his own gardener.

He became intrigued with this symbolic idea of the mind as a garden, each man cultivating the soil and seed of his own life. It was the same ancient philosophy, of course, but in new dress.

Following are the paragraphs that are most frequently quoted from his book As a Man Thinketh. They reflect the heart of the book, and essence of James Allen’s philosophy.

“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of his thoughts.

As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them... Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry....

A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein and will continue to produce their kind.

Just as the gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and fruits of right, useful and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thought, and understands, with ever-increasing accuracy, how the thought forces operate in the shaping of his character and destiny...

Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realises that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.....

Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.

A man will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people alter towards him... Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life.

Men do not attract that which they want, but which they are... The divinity that shapes our ends is in ourselves. It is our very self .... All that a man achieves or fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thought..... A man can only rise, conquer, and achieve by lifting up his thoughts. He remains weak and abject and miserable by refusing to lift up his thoughts ....

A man should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it. He should make this purpose the centralising point of his thoughts .... He should steadily focus his thought forces upon the object which he has set before him. He should make this purpose his supreme duty, and should devote himself to its attainment, not allowing his thoughts to wander away into ephemeral fancies, longing and imaginings. This is the royal road to self-control and true concentration of thought. Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose (as he necessarily must until weakness is overcome), the strength of character gained will form a new starting point for future power and triumph.

Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.....

The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, “how lucky he is” Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, “How highly favoured he is!” and noting the saintly character and wide influence of another they remark, “How chance aids him at every turn!” they do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable and realise the vision of their heart. They do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it “luck”; do not see the long and arduous journey, but only behold the pleasant goal, and call it “good fortune”; do not understand the process, but only perceive the results and call it “chance”

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. ‘Gifts,’ powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realised.

The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart – this you will build your life by. This you will become.”

Concentration

2014-07-01T09:57:00.000+05:30

CONCENTRATION

The jack-of-all-trades seldom accomplishes much at any trade. Life is so complex, and there are so many ways of dissipating energy unprofitably, that the habit of concentrated effort must be formed and adhered to, by all who would succeed.

Power is based upon organized effort or energy. Energy cannot be organized without the habit of concentration of all the faculties on one thing at a time. An ordinary magnifying glass may be used to so focus the rays of the sun that they will burn a hole in a board in a few minutes. Those same rays will not even heat the board until they are concentrated on one spot.

The human mind is something like a magnifying glass, because it is the medium through which all the faculties of the brain may be brought together and made to function, in coordinated formation, just as the rays of the sun may be focused on one spot with the aid of that glass.

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It is worth considering that all the outstandingly successful people in all walks of life concentrated the major portion of their thoughts and efforts upon some one definite purpose, objective, or chief aim.

Witness the impressive list of men who created and lead American earlier history, whose success was due to their having acquired and practiced the habit of concentration :

Woolworth concentrated upon the single idea of five-and-ten cent stores and become one of the nation’s creative geniuses in the retail field.

Henry Ford concentrated all his energies upon the single aim of creating a cheap but practical automobile, and that idea made him one of the most powerful and richest men in history.

Marshall Fieldconcentrated his efforts upon building “The World’s Greatest Store” and was rewarded by tens of millions of dollars, an unthinkable amount at that time.

Van Heusen concentrated years of his efforts on the production of soft collar, at a time when men thought they would be free of the stiff collar, and the idea made him wealthy in a comparatively short time, and with a name forever synonymous with the chosen product of his concentration.

Wrigley concentrated his efforts upon the production and sale of a humble five-cent package of chewing gum and was rewarded by millions of dollars and a memorable place in history for his perseverance.

Edison concentrated his mind upon the production of “talking machine”, the electric light, the motion picture, and stores of other useful inventions, until they all become realities and assured him a place at the top of the pantheon.

Bessemer concentrated his thoughts upon a better way to produce steel and Bessemer process is evidence that his efforts were history-making.

George Eastmanconcentrated his energy upon radically improving the business of photographs, and this one idea made him multimillionaire.

Andrew Carnegie, the child of immigrants, envisioned a great steel industry, concentrated his mind upon that purpose and made tens of millions of dollars.

James J. Hill,while still working as a telegrapher at forty dollars a month, concentrated his thought upon the dream of a great transcontinental railway system and kept on thinking about it, (and act on his thought as well) until it became a splendid reality and made him one of the wealthy men of his time.

Cyrus H. K. Curtisconcentrated his effort upon one idea of producing the best and most popular magazine on earth, and the splendid Saturday Evening Post was but one of the results. He not only created a great magazine, but his concentration of thought brought him millions as well.

Orville Wrightconcentrated upon one goal : mastering the air with a heavier-than-air-machine, and accomplished it against all odds, with life-changing results.

Marconi concentrated his mind upon one thought : sending wireless messages and countless lives were improved.

Truly, whatever one can imagine, one can create, providing the mind concentrates upon it with determination, not to stop short of victory.

Great and powerful is the human mind when functioning through the aid of concentrated thought.

Woodrow Wilsondetermined to become President of the United States, twenty-five years before he actually occupied the president’s chain in the White House, but he kept his mind concentrated upon this purpose and eventually achieved it.

Ingersoll concentrated on the production of a good, practical watch that could be sold for one dollar. His idea, plus his concentrated efforts, made of him a multimillionaire.

E. M. Statlerconcentrated on the building of hotels that rendered home-like service, and made himself one of the leading hoteliers of the world, to say nothing of many millions of dollars in wealth.

Rockefeller concentrated his efforts upon the refining and distribution of oil, and his efforts brought him tens of millions of dollars.

Russell Conwellconcentrated a lifetime of effort on the delivery of famous lecture, Acres of Diamonds, and that one lecture, brought in more than six million dollars at a time when people were being paid in pennies, and rendered the people of his time, a service, the extent of which can never be estimated in mere money.

Lincoln concentrated his mind upon freedom for mankind, and saw his task through, though the end proved unfortunate to him.

Gillette concentrated upon producing a safety razor; the idea made him a multimillionaire and linked his name permanently with all such products.

William RandolphHearst concentrated on newspapers, and became king of his field and lord of his manor.

Helen Keller was born deaf, dumb, and blind, but through concentration, she learned to “hear” and to speak, inspiring the world.

So the story might go on and on in one continuous chain, as evidence, that concentrated effort is profitable. Find out what you wish to do – adopt a definite chief aim – then concentrate all your energies in support of this purpose until it has reached a happy climax.

Observe, in analyzing the next law on co-operation, the close connection between the principles outlined and those associated with the law of concentration. Wherever, a group of people ally themselves in an organized, co-operative spirit for the carrying out of some definite purpose, it will be observed that they are employing the law of concentration and unless they do so their alliance will be without real power.

Raindrops, as they fall through the air, each one for itself, helter-skelter, represent a very great form of energy, but this energy cannot be called real power until those raindrops are collected in a river or dam, and made to pour their energy over a wheel in organized fashion; or, until they are confined in a boiler and converted into stream.

Everywhere, regardless of the form in which it is found, power is developed through concentrated energy.

Whatever you are doing as your daily occupation, then, do it with all your attention, with all your heart and soul, focused on that one definite thing. Success and Happiness will definitely follow.

Imagination

2014-05-11T00:00:00.000+05:30

IMAGINATION

No one ever accomplished anything, never created anything, never built any plan or developed a definite chief aim without the use of imagination! Everything ever created or built, was first, mentally visional through imagination.

Years before it became a reality, the late John Wanamaker saw in his imagination, in practically all of its details, the gigantic business that for so many years bore his name. Despite the fact that he was then, without the capital to create such a business, he managed to get it and lived to see the business he had dreamed of in his mind become a splendid reality.

In the workshop of the imagination, one may take old, well-known ideas of concepts, or parts of ideas, and combine them with still other old ideas or parts of ideas, and out of this combination create that which seems to be new. This process is the major principle of all invention.

One may have a definite chief aim and a plan for achieving it; may possess self-confidence in abundance; may have a highly developed habit of saving, and both initiative and leadership in abundance. But if the element of imagination is missing, these other qualities will be held useless, because where will be no driving force to shape the use of these qualities. In the workshop of the imagination, all plans are created, and without such plans, no achievement is possible except by mere accident.

Witness the manner in which the imagination can be used as both the beginning and the end of successful plans: Clarence Saunders, who created the well-known chain of Piggly Wiggly supermarkets, conceived the idea on which the stores were based, or rather borrowed it, from the cafeteria restaurant system. While working as a grocer’s helper, Mr. Saunders went into a cafeteria for lunch. Standing in line, waiting for his turn at the food counters, the wheels of his imagination began to turn, and he reasoned, to himself, something like this : “people seem to like to stand in line and help themselves. Moreover, I see that more people can be served this way, with fewer sales person. Why would it not be a good idea to introduce this plan in the grocery business, so people could come in, wander around with a basket, pick up what they wanted, and pay on the way out?” Then and there with that bit of elementary ‘imagining’, Mr. Saunders sowed the seed of n idea which later became the Piggy-Wiggly stores system and made him a multimillionaire in the bargain.

“Ideas” are the most profitable products of the human mind, and they are all created in the imagination. The old five-and-ten cent store system that served the nation so well for so many years was the results of imagination. The system was created by F.W. Woolworth, and it happened in this way : Woolworth was working as a salesman in a retail store. The owner of the store complained that he had a considerable amount of old, un-sellable merchandise on hand that was in the way, and was about to throw some of it into the trash box to be consigned to the furnace, when Woolworth’s imagination began to function.

‘I have an idea,” said he, “how to make this merchandise sell. Let’s put it all on a table and place a big sign on the table saying that all articles will be sold at ten cents each.” The idea seemed feasible, so it was tried. It worked satisfactorily, and then further development began, which resulted, finally, in the big chain of Woolworth store that, eventually, appeared throughout the entire country and made the man who used his imagination, a classic American success story and a household name.

Ideas are valuable in any business, and the one who strikes out to cultivate the power of imagination, out of which ideas are born, will sooner or later, find himself headed towards financial success, backed with tremendous power.

Thomas A. Edison invented the incandescent electric light bulb by the use of his imagination, when he assembled two old and well known principles in a combination in which they had never before been associated. A brief description of just how this was accomplished will help you to envision the manner in which the imagination may be made to solve problems, overcome obstacles and lay the foundation for great achievements in any undertaking.

The basic idea behind the light bulb was not new. Edison discovered, as other experimenters had before him, that a light could be created by applying electrical energy to a wire, thus heating the wire to a white heat. The trouble, however, came because of the fact that no one had found a way to control the heat. The wire soon burned out when heated sufficiently to give a clear light. After many years of experimentation, Edison happened to think of the well-known old method of burning charcoal. He saw, instantly, that this principle held the secret to the control of heat that was needed to create a light by applying electrical power to a wire.

Charcoal is made by placing a pile of wood on the ground, setting on fire, and then covering it over with dirt, thereby, cutting off most of the oxygen from the fire. This enables the wood to burn slowly, but it cannot blaze and the stick cannot burn up entirely, because there can be no combustion where there is no oxygen, and but, little combustion where there is, but little oxygen. With this knowledge in mind, Edison went into his laboratory, placed the wire that he had been experimenting with inside a vacuum tube, thus cutting off all oxygen. He then applied the electrical power, and lo! He had a perfect incandescent light bulb. The wire inside the bulb could not burn up because there was no oxygen inside to create combustion sufficient to burn it up.

Thus it happened that one of the most useful of modern inventions was created by combining two principles in a new way. There is nothing absolutely new ! whatever seems to be new is but a combination of ideas or elements of something old. This is literally true in the creation of business plans, invention, the manufacture of metals, and everything else created by mankind.

What is known as a “basic” patent, meaning a patent that embraces really new and, heretofore, undiscovered principles, is rarely offered for record at the Patent Office. Most of the hundreds of thousands of patents applied for and granted every year, involve nothing more than a new arrangement or combination of old and well known principles that have been used many times before in other ways and for other purpose.

When Mr. Saunders created his famous Piggly Wiggly stores system, he did not even combine two ideas; he merely took an old idea that he saw in use and gave it a new setting, or in other words, put to a new use, but this required imagination.

To cultivate the imagination so it will eventually suggest ideas on its own initiative, you should make it your business to keep a record of all the useful, ingenious and practical ideas you see in use in other lines of work, outside of your own occupation, as well as in connection with your own work. Start with an ordinary, pocket size notebook, and catalogue every idea, or concept, or thought that occurs to you that is capable of practical use, and then take these ideas and work them into new plans. By and by, the time will come when the powers of your own imagination will go into the storehouse of your own subconscious mind, where all the knowledge you have gathered is stored, assemble this knowledge into new combinations, and hand over to you the results in the shape of brand new ideas, or what appear to be new ideas.

This procedure is practical because it has been followed successfully by some of the best-known leaders, inventors, and business leaders “Everything you can imagine is real” said Picasso. Let us here define the word imagination as “The workshop of the mind wherein may be assembled, in new and varying combinations, all ideas, thoughts, plans, facts, principles, and theories known to man.” A single combination of ideas, which may be merely parts of old and well-known ideas, may be worth anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars. Imagination is the one faculty on which there is no set price or value. It is the most important of the faculties of the mind, for it is here that all of man’s motives are given the impulse necessary to turn them into action.

The dreamer who does nothing more than dream uses imagination, yes. But dreamer fall short of utilizing this great faculty efficiently because the impulse to put thoughts into action is missing. Here is where intuition enters and goes to work providing he or she is familiar with the Laws of Success and understands that ideas, by themselves, are worthless until put into action.

The dreamer who creates practical ideas must place back of these ideas, three laws necessary prior to this, namely :

1. Importance of a Definite Chief Aim.

2. Possession of Self-Confidence.

3. Taking Initiative and Leadership.

Without the use of these three laws, no one may put thoughts and ideas into action, although the power to dream, imagine, and create may be highly developed.

It is your business to succeed in life! How ? that is something you must answer for yourself, but, in the main, you must proceed somewhat along these lines :

1. Adopt a definite purpose and create a definite plan for its attainment.

2. Take the initiative and begin putting your plan into action.

3. Back your initiative with belief in yourself and in your ability to successfully complete your plan.

No matter who you are, what you are doing, how much your income is or how little money you have, if you have a sound mind and if you are capable of using your imagination, you can gradually make a place for yourself that will command respect and give you all the worldly goods that you need. There is no trick connected with this. The procedure is simple, as you may start with a very simple, as you may start with gradually develop it into something more impressive.

What if your imagination is not sufficiently developed, at this time, to enable you to create some useful invention? You can begin exercising this faculty anyway, by using it to create ways and means of improving the methods of performing your present work, whatever it may be. Your imagination will grow strong in proportion to the extent that you command it and direct it unto use. Look about you and you will find plenty of opportunities to exercise your imagination. Do not wait for someone to pay you for using your imagination. Do not wait for someone to show you what to do, but use vision and let your imagination suggest what to do. Do not wait for someone to show you what to do, but use your vision and let your imagination suggest what to do. Do not wait for someone to pay you for using your imagination! Your real pay will come from the fact that every time you use it constructively in creating new combinations of ideas, it will grow stronger. If you keep up this practice, the time will soon come, when your services will be sought eagerly, at any price within reason.

If a barber of hair stylist works in a works in a unisex salon, for example, it may seem to him or her that there is little opportunity to use imagination. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, anyone holding such a position may give his or her imagination, the finest sort of exercise by making a point of cultivating every customer who enters the salon such a manner that the customer will repeatedly return. Moreover the stylist may go a step further and work out ways and means of bringing in one new customer each day, or even one a week or one a month, and in that manner, every materially, and quickly add to the store’s income. Sooner or later, though this sort of exercise of imagination, backed by self confidence, initiative, plus a definite chief aim, the one who follow this practice will be sure to create some new plan that will draw new hair salon customers from far and near, and will then be on the great Highway to Success.

A complete analysis of occupations shows that the most profitable occupation on earth, taken as a whole, is that of salesmanship. The one whose fertile mind and imagination create a new and useful invention may not have sufficient ability to market that invention, and may therefore, have to dispose off it for mere pittance, as is, in fact, so often the case. But, the one who has the ability to market that invention may (and generally does) make a fortune out of it.

Anyone who can create plans and ideas that will cause the number of patrons of any business to constantly increase and who is able to send all the patrons away satisfied, is well on the way toward success, regardless of the commodity, service, or wares that are sold there.

It is not the purpose of this brief outline of the law of success philosophy to show the people what to do and how to do it, but to list the general rules of procedure applying in all successful undertaking, so anyone can understand them and adopt them enriching their life.

Personality of Success

2014-04-24T19:00:00.000+05:30

PERSONALITY OF SUCCESS

A pleasing personality, the personality of success is a personality that does not antagonize. Personality cannot be defined in one word, or with half a dozen words, for it represents the sum total of all one’s characteristics, good and bad.

Your personality is totally unlike any other personality. It is the sum total of qualities, emotions, characteristics, appearance, etc., that distinguish you from all other people on earth.

Your clothes form an important part of your personality: the way you wear them, the harmony of colours you select, the quality and many other details, all go to indicate much that is intrinsically a part of your personality. Psychologists claim that they can be accurately analyse any person, in many important respects, by turning that person loose in a clothing store that sells a great variety and where the subject has instructions to select the clothes freely.

Your facial expression, forms an important part of your personality. Your voice, its pitch, tone, volume, and the language you use form important part of your personality, because they mark you instantly, once you have spoken, as a person of refinement or the opposite.

The manner in which you shake hands constitutes an important part of your personality. If, when shaking hands, your hands you offer is limp and lifeless as a dead fish, you are displaying a personality that shows no sign of enthusiasm or initiative.

A pleasing personality usually may be found in the person who speaks gently and kindly, selecting refined words that do not offend, in a modest tone of voice; who selects clothing of appropriate style and colors that harmonize. One who is unselfish and not only willing, but desirous of serving others; who is a friend of all humanity, the rich and poor alike, regardless of politics, religion or occupation; Who refrains from speaking unkindly of others, either with or without cause; who manages to converse without being drawn into vulgar conversations or useless arguments on such debatable subject as religion and politics; who sees both the good and bad in people, but makes due allowance for the latter; who seeks neither to reform nor to reprimand others; who smiles frequently and deeply; who loves music and little children; who sympathizes with all who are in trouble an forgives acts of unkindness; who willingly grants others the right to do as they please as long as no one’s rights are interfered with; who earnestly strives to be constructive in every thought and deed encourages others and spurs them on to greater and better achievement in their chosen line of work.

A pleasing personality is something that can be acquired by anyone who has the determination to learn how to negotiate his or her way through life without friction, with the subject of getting along peacefully and quietly with others.

One of the best-known and most successful men in America once said that he would prefer a pleasing personality, as it is defined in this course, to the college degree that was awarded to him, more than fifty years ago, by Harvard University. It was his opinion that a man could accomplish more with a pleasing personality than he could with a college degree, minus the personality.

The development of a Pleasing Personality calls for exercise of self-control, because there will be many incidents and many people to try your patience and destroy your good resolution. The reward is worthy of the effort, however, because one who possesses a Pleasing Personality stands out so boldly, compared to the majority of people, that his or her pleasing qualities become, all the more, pronounced.

It has been said, and perhaps correctly, that “courtesy” represents the most valuable characteristics known to the human race. Courtesy costs nothing, yet it returns dividends that are stupendous if it is practiced as a matter of habit, in a spirit of sincerity.

Good Showmanship a Part of Personality

Life may be properly called a great Drama in which good showmanship is the utmost importance. Successful people in all callings are generally good showmen; meaning they practice the habit of catering or playing to the crowd. Let us compare some well-known historical figures from different areas on the subject of their ability as showmen. The following once enjoyed outstanding success in their respective callings, because their genius and invention was heightened by their good showmanship :

Theodore Roosevelt

Henry Ford

Thomas A. Editions

Billy Sunday

Wm. Randolph Hearst

Geo. Bernard Shaw

Following is a list of some well-known men, each famous for great ability but falling short on the score of good showmanship, by comparison with the foregoing list :

Woodrow Wilson

Calvin Coolidge

Herbert Hoover

Abraham Lincoln

The inclusion of Abraham Lincoln’s name here proves that his other sterling qualities took over and placed him at the top of history’s list, despite a natural lack of showmanship.

A good showman is one who understands how to cater to the masses. Success is not a matter of chance or luck. It is the result of careful planning and carful staging and able acting of parts by players in the game.

What is to be done about his defect by the man who is not blessed with a personality which lends itself to able showmanship ? is such personality to be doomed to failure all his life because of Nature’s oversight in not blessing him with such personality ?

Not at all ! Here is where the principle of the Master Mind comes to the rescue. Those who do not have pleasing personalities may surround themselves with men and women who supply this defect. The financier J.P. Morgan had rather a pugnacious attitude towards people that prevented him from being a good showman. However, he is associated with himself others who supplied all that he lacked in this respect.

Henry Ford was not blessed, by Nature, with native ability as a good showman, and his personality is not on hundred percent perfect by a long way, but knowing how to make use of the Master mind principle, he bridged this defect by surrounding himself with men who do have such ability.

What is the most essential characteristics of good showmanship ?

First, the ability to appeal to the imagination of the public and to keep people interested and curious concerning one’s activities.

Second, a keen sense of appreciation of value of the psychological appeal through advertising.

Third, sufficient alertness of mind to enable one to capture and make use of the prejudices, likes, and dislikes of the public at the right psychological moments.

Factors constituting a Pleasing Personality :

1. Good Character :

“Let us start with the first essential, which is character, for no one may have a pleasing personality without the foundation of a sound, positive character.”

You have to go inside-out. You have to start within yourself.

2. Good Speaking Power - Voice, its tone, volume, and quality :

“I do not recall a single outstanding attractive personality that was not made up, in part, of ability to speak with force and conviction. Study the prominent men and women of today, wherever you find them, and observe the significant fact that the more prominent they are the more efficient are they in speaking forcefully.”

“Put feeling and emotion into your words as you speak, and develop a deep, rich tone of voice. If your voice is inclined to be high pitched, tone it down until it is soft and pleasing. You can never express an attractive personality, to best advantage, through a harsh or shrill voice. You must cultivate your voice until it becomes rhythmical and pleasing to the ear.” Napoleon Hill.

3. Honesty ( Intellectual, moral, and economic)

4. Magnetism ( High rate of vibration due to well-defined, healthy sexuality)

5. The manner of shaking hands

6. Poise, Clothing and posture of the body

7. Facial expression

8. Sincerity of purpose

9. Choice of words and their appropriateness

10. Enthusiasm and Cheerfulness

11. Unselfishness

12. Dominating thoughts (because they register in the minds of other people)

13. Positive Attitude

14. Be helpful, Kind and Generous

If you wish to try an interesting and perhaps beneficial experiment, analyze yourself and give yourself a grading on each of these fourteen factors of a Pleasing Personality. An accurate check up on these fourteen points might easily bring to one’s notice, facts which would enable one to eliminate faults that make success impossible.

It will also be an interesting experiment if you form the habit of analyzing those whom you know intimately, measuring them by the thirteen points, here described. Such a habit will, in time, help you to find in other people the causes of success and failure.

Winning Habit of Leaders

2014-04-10T23:10:00.001+05:30

WINNING HABIT OF LEADERS

Guess what Jack Welch, Gordon Brown, Adi Godrej, Mahatma Gandhi have in common ?

They are all early risers. In fact, if you read about the lives of successful people, you will most likely find a common thread: they all wake up early. It’s a habit that has worked wonderfully for them. If there was one single habit that could make a huge impact on your life, it would have to be this.

Wake up Early !

You would probably heard that every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing it must run faster than the fastest lion, or else it will be killed. And every morning, a lion wakes up knowing it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or else it will starve to death. The moral of the story is simple. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you would better be up and running!

If you are serious about achieving something meaningful in your life, take the first stem. Starting tomorrow, wake up on hour earlier than the usual, it will give you an extra 365 productive hours in a year. That is like getting nine extra week at work. You could read book, work on your fitness, or spend time by yourself or with a loved one. What difference would that make to your career, your health, your life ?

The benefits of joining the Early Risers Club are many. And it’s not only about the extra time you create for yourself. The real power is in message it sends out to your mind. By waking up early, you telling yourself that you are serious about achieving your goals an are willing to pay the price. You have both the physical energy and the mental strength to chase your dreams. The discipline and the willpower that help you get up early will also help you achieve a lot else in life.

When the alarm rings each morning, do you find your arm stretching out to hit the snooze button ? You probably justify it by telling yourself ‘Just ten minutes more. . . ’ That is the loser’s mindset, the comfort zone. If you value the comfort of the bed more than the opportunity to get ahead, don’t complain when you get left behind. When the alarm rings, it’s actually opportunity that is knocking at your door. And by not getting up, you are telling it to come later. Opportunity seldom knocks twice.

Do you hear you say that you know it’s a good habit but you just can’t wake up early ? Relax. Here’s a simple 30-day plan to help you get up early, every morning. Set the alarm clock to ring 15 minutes before your regular wake-up hour. If you usually get up at, say 7 a. m., set it for 6.45 am. Fifteen minutes wouldn’t rally make any difference. Keep the alarm clock out of arms reach. So when it rings, you can’t hit the snooze button.

Every ten days, advance the alarm by another 15 minutes, until you get to your target wake-up time. And everyday jump out of bed when alarm rings. In 30 days you will be getting up at 6 am. After a while, you will probably find that you don’t need the alarm clock at all.

Has it ever happened to you that you are so excited about something which is about to happen the next day that you can hardly sleep ? You deem to jump out of bed well before the alarm goes off because of the excitement and the sense of anticipation. That’s what goals can do for you. Leaders are like that. They are always thinking about their goals and they are excited about getting to work on them every morning. They can hardly wait to get started.

Remember, your ability to wake up early is not a function of what time you go to bed or how much sleep your body needs. It depends on your mind. On your commitment to your own success. To achieve something in this lifetime, get up early. Make that a habit for the rest of your life.

Lincoln Leadership Lessons

2014-04-03T23:45:00.000+05:30

Lincoln Leadership Lessons

Every Success Story is also a story of great Failures

This was a man who failed in business at the age of 21,

Was defeated in a legislative race at 22,

Failed again in business at 24,

Overcame a death of his sweet heart at 26,

Had a nervous breakdown at 27,

Lost a congressional race at 34,

Lost a senatorial race at 45,

Failed in an effort to become vice president at 47,

Lost a senatorial race at 49,

And was elected as the president of

United States of America at 52,

This was Abraham Lincoln…

Would you call him a failure ?

He could have quit, But to Lincoln –

Defeat was a detour, and not a dead end.

The next time you find disappointment and failure staring you in the face, think of Lincoln. In fact, think like him. His life and his words of wisdom could be excellent allies as you prepare to embark on your journey to greatness.

1. ‘I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards.’ We all tend to worry about our inadequacies. We are concerned that we are not good enough. The trick is to focus not on how good you are, but on getting better. It is a good idea to ensure that you are moving towards your goal at all times. You may make slow progress but make sure you re making progress at all times.

2. ‘I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come.’ Someone once said that the luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. If you sometimes feel that Lady Luck is not smiling on you, may be it’s because you are not preparing hard enough. The opportunity is there, but you are not quite ready to grab it. Don’t let that happen. Work hard. Your time will come.

3. ‘Whatever you are, be a good one.’ Your dream must not merely focus on becoming something – but on being good at whatever you choose to do. Whether you are a salesman or a software programmer, be a good one! Too often, we spend all our waking hours dreaming of being someone else or doing something else. Whatever you do, do it well.

4. ‘I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.’Learning is never-ending. Stay focused on learning new skills, new tricks. You probably are busy pouring over word lists and learning the meanings of new words as you prepare for an entrance exam. The exam will come and go, but the habit should stay forever. Remain curious about learning new words and expanding your vocabulary. It’s not about the words- it’s about the habit of learning.

There are two other aspects of Lincoln’s persona that marked him out as an outstanding leader. The first was his remarkable ability to put together the best possible team to work with him. People who fought bitterly against him in an election and were defeated, were soon wooed by Lincoln to join his team. No bitterness, no hang-ups and absolutely no animosity. Just a desire to harness the best minds to give himself the best possible chance of success! Across corporate broad rooms around the world, we see two contenders for the top job. When one of them gets it, the other usually leaves the organization. And with him goes all the experience and knowledge that had made him a strong contender in the first place. If only more leaders took a leaf out of Lincoln’s book – and made sure they retained their rivals – to ensure they had the strongest team at their disposal.

Finally, here’s a little story that sums up the great man. One morning, Lincoln was readying himself for another day in the office when a senior official walked into his house. He was surprised to see the President of America polishing his shoes. What, Mr. President, you polish your own shoes? Exclaimed the official.

‘Yes’ said Lincoln, barely looking up. Why, whose shoes do you polish ?

Retain your humility. Don’t let titles and success go to your head. Do those little tasks that remind you that you are just another human being. Don’t fall into the trap of believing you are greater than everyone else merely because you have a fancy degree of big-sounding title. Remember to polish your own shoes!

Other Valuable Lessons from Lincoln

Those who deny freedom to others,

deserve it not for themselves and

under a Just God, cannot long retain it.

As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master,

This expresses my idea of Democracy,

Whatever differs from this,

to the extent of the difference,

is no democracy.

I leave you, hopping that the lamp of liberty

will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt

that all men are created free an equal.

The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep’s throat,

for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as a liberator,

while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty, especially as the sheep was a black one.

Plainly speaking the sheep and the wolf are

not agreed upon the definition of the word liberty;

and precisely the same difference prevails

today among us human creatures.

Don’t be afraid to confront risks.

It is by taking chances that

We learn how to be brave.

As you journey forward, do remember the Lincoln lessons. They will help you. Not just in the tests you face in your career but also in the larger examination called life !

Want to be Good Leader ?

2014-04-01T19:14:00.001+05:30

Want to be Good Leader ?
Just Do It !

Here is a simple question to get you started. There are three monkeys sitting on a tree branch stretching out over a pond. One of the monkeys decides to jump into the pond. How many monkeys are left on the tree ?

Did I hear you say, ‘two’ ?

Wrong. The right answer is three. You see, the monkey only made the decision to jump into the pond. He did not actually jump! What’s true for those monkeys is probably true for all of us. We take decisions and make resolutions. But for some reason, we don’t follow through with action. And intent without action is really quite useless. Getting started – taking that first step – is often the master key to success. As someone once said, you don’t have to be great to get started. But you sure have to get started to become great.

Great leaders have a strong bias for action- a let’s-get moving attitude that pushes the entire team to a heightened sense of activity. Do you find yourself struggling to take action on your plans and intentions ? Well here is a five point programme to help you move from intent to action. From good to great.

1. Make a beginning – right away. Whatever be your goal, take the first step, however small. Until you take the first step, your mind does not believe you. You need to signal to yourself that you mean business. Commit to taking action, immediately. Today. Now.

2. Break up the grand plan into smaller tasks. As the Johnnie Walker advertisement keeps reminding us, a journey of thousand miles begins with a single step. Sometimes the task ahead looks so enormous that we feel overwhelmed and don’t do anything about it. Brea that up into smaller sub-tasks, and suddenly, you will find something that is doable. Remember that old adage, ‘something is better than nothing’. It still rings true.

3. Visualize your success. Think of the pleasure, not the pain. If you want to acquire an MBA at a premier school and plan to devote three hours a day to studying, don’t think about missing the football and cricket game on television, or not being able to go out for that Saturday night bash. Think instead of the job that you could get after your MBA, the rewards that it would bring, the dreams that would get realized.

4. Create a support group. Surround yourself with people who share your objective and are co-passengers on your journey to success. The excitement of being in it together will help you fight the inertia and get you going, egged on by the rest of the gang.

5. Pay up – in advance. For most of us, monetary commitments are a strong impetus for action. The fear of losing money or wasting it can spur you into action. We follow up on our commitments, if only to ensure that our money is well spent. Plan to lose weight ? pay up for that three-month weight loss programme. Don’t wait – make that commitment, financial or otherwise.

Best selling management guru Tom Peters narrates the tale of a man who approached the legendary American financier and banker, J.P. Morgan, with an envelope and said, Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly sell you for 25,000 dollars.’

‘Sir’, J. P. Morgan replied, ‘I do not know what is in the envelope. However, if you show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.’. The man handed over the envelope. J.P. Morgan opened it and pulled out a single piece of paper. He gave it one look- a mere glance- then handed it back to the gentleman. And paid him the agreed-upon sum of 25,000 dollars!

On the sheet of paper , were written two things :

1. Every morning write down a list of the things that need to be done that day.

2. Do them.

J.P. Morgan benefited from this advice, and you can too. Knowing what to do is often easy. We all have our to-do lists, plans and resolutions. Doing it- that’s the tough bit, that is what distinguishes the truly successful from the also-rans. The nike guys are right. Want to be a Winner ? Just do it !

Here’s a guaranteed formula for success:

1. Every morning, write down a list of the things that need to be done that day.

2. Just Do Them.

From : 'The Secret of Leadership' by Prakash Iyer

EDISON’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

2014-03-30T09:22:00.000+05:30

EDISON’S FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

You have probably heard of the Microsoft interview and the question they ask perspective employees there (how would you move to mount Fuji ?). We all have our own stories to tell about weird questions at job interview. But have you heard about how Thomas Alva Edison interviewed people who wanted to work with him ? That’s an interesting story there!

After the initial round of questions, if Edison came across a bright candidate, he would take him out to dinner before making up his mind on whether to hire him. The interview would continue over dinner, and when the food arrived, Edison would take a bite and remark, ‘I think this needs more salt!’ And he would watch the candidate.

If the candidate added salt before tasting the food he would not be hired. However, if the candidate tasted the food first and then decided if salt needed to be added, Edison would hire him. Edison knew that people who easily believed what other people had to say, or made assumptions without first handed knowledge or experience, would not be able to look afresh at problems and find innovative solutions. They would have closed minds, he reckoned. Edison was looking for people with a mind of their own and the conviction to back it.

We all know people whose potential and dreams remained unrealized because they did not have the conviction to back their instincts. They chose a line of study or a career simply because someone else said it was best for them. They did not chase their passion just because someone said it was doomed, it would not work. In many cases, they give up even without trying, assuming they couldn‘t be done. We all have great ideas but not all of us have gone on to work on them and make them come to life. Only to discover later that someone else did exactly what we’d had in mind and found great success.

Do your own things. Make mistakes. Live on the edge. Chase your dreams. Don’t just go by what other people tell you. That may be safe but it’s unlikely to get you the success you deserve.

Go for it, And yes, don’t blindly add the salt.

NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER, NEVER…

It was the 1870s. Somewhere in a workshop in new jersey, Thomas Alva Edison was burning the midnight oil trying to invent the light bulb.

He tried numerous experiments – all without success. He just could not get it right. His failures become the talk of the town and story goes that after he had failed thousand times, a journalist interviewed him and asked, ‘Mr. Edison, how does it feel to have failed thousand times ? Why don’t you just give up ?

‘No, no young lady,’ replied Edison. ‘I have just discovered one thousand ways it would not work. I am so much closer now to finding a way that will work !’

Sure enough, in 1879, Edison invented the filament light bulb, an invention that changed the world. By the time he died, the man who had failed thousands times had got 1024 patents to his credit, and founded the iconic General Electric Company. But Edison’s real contribution to mankind went beyond all this. He showed us the power of perseverance, the virtue of learning from failures and the magic of never giving up.

From : 'The Secret of Leadership' by Prakash Iyer

Stop Procrastination

2014-02-27T19:23:00.000+05:30

STOP PROCRASTINATION

The key to happiness, satisfaction, great success and a wonderful feeling of personal power and effectiveness is to develop the habit of doing the important tasks first everyday without procrastination.

Fortunately, this is learnable skill that you can acquire through repetition. And when you develop the habit of starting your most important task before anything else, your success is assured.

Brian Tracy revealed twenty one great ways to stop procrastinating and get more things done faster. Review these rules and principles regularly until they become firmly ingrained in your thinking and action, and your future will be guaranteed.

1. Set the table :Decide exactly what you want. Clarity is essential. Write out your goals and objectives before you begin.

2. Plan every day in advance : Think on paper. Every minute you spend on planning can save five or ten minutes in execution.

3. Apply the 80/20 Rule to everything : Twenty percent of your activities will account for 80 percent of your result. Always concentrate your effort on that 20 percent.

4. Consider the consequences : Your most important task and priorities are those that can have the most serious consequences, positive or negative, on your life or work. Focus on these above all else.

5. Practice Creative Procrastination : Since you can’t do everything, you must learn to deliberately put off those tasks that are of low value so that you have enough time to do the few things that really count.

6. Use the A B C D E Method continually : Before you begin work on the list of tasks, take a few moments to organize them by value and priority so you can be sure of working on your most important activities.

7. Focus on key results areas : Identify and determine those results that you absolutely, positively have to get to do your job well, and work on them all day long.

8. The Law of Three :Identify the three things you do in your work that account for 90 percent of your contribution, and focus on getting them done before anything else. You will then have more time for your family and personal life.

9. Prepare thoroughly before you begin : Have everything you need at hand before you start. Assemble all the papers, information, tools, work materials, and numbers you might require so that you can get started and keep going.

10. Take it one oil barrel at a time : You can accomplish the biggest and most complicated job if you just complete it one step at a time.

11. Upgrade your key skills : The more knowledgeable and skilled you become at you key tasks, the faster you start them and the sooner you get them done.

12. Leverage your special talents : determine exactly what you are very good at doing, or could be very good at and throw your whole heart into those specific things very, very well.

13. Identify your constraints : Determine the bottlenecks or choke points, internal or external, that set the speed at which you achieve your most important goals, and focus on alleviating them.

14. Put the pressure on yourself : Imagine that you have to leave town for a month, and work as if you had to get all your major tasks completed before you left.

15. Maximize your personal power : Identify your periods of highest mental and physical energy each day, and structure your most important and demanding tasks around these times. Get lots of rest so you can perform at your best.

16. Motivate yourself into action : Be you own cheerleader. Look for the good in every situation. Focus on the solution rather than the problem. Always be optimistic and constructive.

17. Get out of the technological time sinks : Use technology to improve the quality of your communications, but do not allow yourself to become a slave to it. Learn to occasionally turn things off and leave them off.

18. Slice and dice the task : Break large, complex tasks down into bite-sized pieces, and then do just one small part of the task to get started.

19. Create large chunks of time : Organize your days around large blocks of time where you can concentrate for extended periods on your most important tasks.

20. Develop a sense of urgency : Make a habit of motivating fast on your key tasks. Become known as a person who does things quickly and well.

21. Single handle every task : Set Clear priorities, start immediately on your most important task, and then work without stopping until the job is 100 percent complete. This is the real key to high performance and maximum personal productivity.

Make a decision to practice these principles every day until they become second nature to you. With these habits of personal management as a permanent part of your personality, your future success will be unlimited.

Churchill's Gospel

2013-12-29T23:26:00.003+05:30

CHURCHILL’S GOSPEL

“It was the nation ….. that had the lion’s heart.

I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.”

“I have nothing to offer but Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat.”

“Courage is the first of the human qualities,

Because it is the qualities which guarantees all others”

“If you have an important point to make,

Don’t try to subtle or clever, use the pile driver,

Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again.

Then hit it a third time.”

“The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings,

The inherent vice of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.”

“The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that,

When nations are strong, they are not always just and

when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.”

“If we open a quarrel between the past and the present,

We shall find we have lost the future.”

“The pessimist see difficulty in every opportunity,

The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”

“Personally I am always ready to learn,

Though I don’t always like being taught.”

“It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead,

The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time.”

“When I look back on all the worries,

I remembered the story of the old man,

Who said on his deathbed that,

He had a lot of trouble in his life,

Most of which never happened.”

“Never, never, never, never give up.”

“Kites rise highest against the wind,

Not with it…”

“I do not resent criticism,

even if for the sake of emphasis,

it parts for the time with reality.”

“Never, never, never, never give in,

In nothing great or small, large or petty.

Never give in except to conviction, honour and good sense.”

“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure

without loosing your enthusiasm.”

“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.”

Sir Winston Churchill : One in all – A Soldier, Writer, Artist, Orator, Statesman and a leader per-excellence.

COURAGE

2013-11-18T00:40:00.000+05:30

COURAGE

Courage is the first of the human qualities because-

It is this quality that guarantees all the others.

…… Sir Winston Churchill

Courage is not having the strength to go on –

It is going on when you don’t have the strength.

…. Napoleon Bonaparte.

It takes as much courage to have tried and failed

as it does to have tried and succeeded.

To dry one’s eyes and laugh at a fall,

And baffled, get up and begin again…

…. Robert Browning

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;

Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

…… Sir Winston Churchill

Courage is not the absence of fear,

But rather a judgment that

something else is more important than fear.

… Ambrose Redmoon

Trails and difficulties are bound to come

in your way to test your strength.

You should stand adamant.

Then alone will your efforts be crowned with sanguine success.

There is a hidden power in Ahimsha which protect its practitioner.

The invisible hand of God gives protection,

There is no fear what can pistol and sword do.

….. Sivananda

Courage is saying what you believe,

undiluted, desiring no approval,

knowing that a deeply thought out ideal

is strong enough to withstand opposition.

And if it is knocked down, then..

Courage knows not to blame..

But to rebuild Stronger.

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities then to hide them,

More strength to relate to people that to dominate them,

More manhood to abide by thought out principles rather than

blind reflex.Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles

….. Alex Karras

SEVEN STEPS FOR ACHIEVING GOALS

2013-11-09T23:54:00.000+05:30

SEVEN STEPS FOR ACHIEVING GOALS

STEP-1 : Decide exactly what you want. Either decide for yourself or sit down with your boss and discuss your goals and objectives until you are crystal clear about is expected of you and in what order of priority. It is amazing how many people are working away, day after day, on low-value tasks because they have not has this critical discussion with their managers.

One of the very worst uses of time is to do

something very well that need not be done at all.

Stephan Covey says, “Before you begin scrambling up the ladder of success, make sure that it is leaning against the right building.”

STEP-2 : Write it down. Think on paper. When you write down a goal, you crystallize it and gave it tangible form. You create something that you can touch and see. On the other hand, a goal or objective that is not in writing is merely a wish or a fantasy. It has no energy behind it. Unwritten goals lead to confusion, vagueness, misdirection, and numerous mistakes.

STEP-3 : Set a deadline on your goal; set sub deadlines if necessary. A goal or decision without a deadline has no urgency. It has no real beginning or end. Without a definite deadline accompanied by the assignment or acceptance of specific responsibilities for completion, you will naturally procrastinate and get very little done.

STEP-4 : Make a list of everything that you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieving your goal. As you think of new activities, add them to your list. Keep building your list until it is complete. A list gives you a visual picture of the larger task or objective. It gives you a track to run on. It dramatically increases the likelihood that you will achieve your goal as you have defined it and on schedule.

STEP-5 : Organize the list into a plan. Organize your list by priority and sequence. Take a few minutes to decide what you need to do first and what you can do later. Decide what has to be done before something else and what needs to be done afterward. Even better, layout your plan visually in the form of series of boxes, circles on a sheet of paper, with lines and arrows showing the relationship of each task to each other task. You will be amazed at how much easier it is to achieve your goal when you break it down into individual tasks.

With a written goal and an organized plan of action, you will be far more productive and efficient than people who are carrying their goals around in their minds.

STEP-6 : Take action on your plan immediately. Do something. Do anything. An average plan vigorously executed is far better than a brilliant plan on which nothing is done. For you to achieve any kind of success, execution is everything.

STEP-7 : Resolve to do something every single day that moves you towards your major goal. Build this activity into your daily schedule. You may decide to read a specific number of pages on a key subject. You may call on a specific number of customers or prospects. You may engage in a specific period of physical exercise. You may learn a certain number of new words in foreign language. Whatever it is, you must never miss a day.

Keep pushing forward. Once you start moving, keep moving. Don’t stop. This decision, this discipline alone can dramatically increase your speed of goal accomplishment and boost your personal productivity.

Power of written goals :

Clear written goals have a wonderful effect on your thinking. They motivate you and galvanize you into action. They stimulate your creativity, release your energy, and help you to overcome procrastination as much as any other factor.

Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement. The bigger goals and clearer they are, the more excited you become about achieving them. The more you think about your goals, the greater become your inner drive and desire to accomplish them.

Think about your goals and review them daily. Every morning when you begin, take action on the most important task you can accomplish to achieve your most important goal at the moment.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

2013-03-03T09:31:00.001+05:30

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability of a person to command respect by building relationships or by the ability to get along with the people or situation.

A simple but vital question has been haunting us for long : “What ticks success in life ? For quite some time now almost everyone believed in the age-old paradigm that one’s intelligence(IQ) is solely responsible for his or her success on the job, and for that matter, in life. However there have been instances that we often came across that only intelligence ie academic excellence doesn’t necessarily contribute to success in career or even social life. There are people who have high IQ but have not done well. On the contrary, people with modest IQ have performed well. Then this possess another question : what factors are at ply leading to such differential performance ? Psychologists and behavioural scientists have tried to answer this question. According to their findings, the difference quite often lies in their abilities what they call “Emotional Intelligence(EQ)”. In a sense this is what Schwartz (1997) views : what actually matters is not how much intellect or mind one had, but how it is used what one had.

Emotional Intelligence : Before we explain the meaningof the word EQ, let us define first the terms emotion and intelligence..

Literary or Dictionary Definition : Emotion is any agitation or disturbance of mind, feeling, passion, any vehement or excited mental state. But emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability of a person to command respect by building relationships or the ability to get along with people or situations.

Some view emotional intelligence as a position and proactive attitude towards all aspects of life.

There are four emotional ingredients as cornerstones for intelligence. These are :

1. Emotional Literacy- Just as literacy enables people to be aware of what is happening around them, emotional literacy helps people become more aware of their as well as other people’s emotions. By managing emotions in others, problem solving becomes easier and better. Emotional literacy also helps build self confidence through emotional honesty, energy, emotional feedback, intuition, responsibility and connection.

2. Emotional Fitness – what role physical fitness plays in doing physical / mental activities with confidence and resilience, so does emotional fitness in the case of feelings. Emotional fitness strengthen one’s resilience and believability for listening and managing conflict.

3. Emotional Domain – Emotional domain means realm of control by emotions. It explores the way to align one’s life and work with his /her unique potential and purpose.

4. Emotional Alchemy – Through emotional alchemy, one extends one’s creative instincts and capability to flow with problems and pressures. It also enables one to compete for the future by building one’s capacity to sense more readily and assess the hidden solutions and untapped potential and possibilities.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN MANAGEMENT

EQ is found to be more useful and more effective in management which involves decision making. This is because EQ enables managers to have skills motivating oneself, managing relationships and being able to get along well with subordinates and teammates.

Research studies have also established that emotional intelligence plays a prominent role in group effectiveness of an individual. It is often opined that one may get a good jobs with high EQ to go up the ladder. EQ helps a manager manage himself/herself and others in a meaningful manner so that the goals of both individual and organisational are achieved.

EQ being an inner element affects human behaviour. Acknowledging this, organisations lay much emphasis on EQ elements in their selection process and EQ forms an integral part of selection criteria more especially being used for the induction of managers and officers in organisations. EQ is found to be useful for individual behaviour more significantly under stressful and trying condition.

Below there are list of some critical areas where EQ may contribute substantially tremendously: Table-I

Table-I : EQ Ingredients and Its Contributions

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND LEADERSHIP

Trait research demonstrated, leaders need basic intelligence and job relevant knowledge. But IQ and technical knowledge are necessary but not sufficient requirement for leadership. It is the possession of the five components of EI- Self Awareness, Self Management, Self-Motivation, Empathy and Social Skill—that allows an individual to become star performer. Specifically when star performers were compared with average ones in senior management positions, nearly 90% of the difference in their effectiveness was attributable to EI factors rather than basic intelligence.

Great leaders demonstrate their EI by exhibiting all five of its key components:

1. Self-awareness : Exhibited by self-confidence, realistic self assessment and self deprecating sense of humour.

2. Self-Management : Exhibited by trustworthyness and integrity, comfort with ambiguity and openness to change.

3. Self-Motivation : Exhibited by a strong drive to achieve optimism, and high organisational commitment.

4. Empathy : Exhibited by expertise in building and retaining talents and cross cultural sensitivity and service to clients and customers.

5. Social Skill : Exhibited by the ability to lead change efforts, persuasiveness, and expertise in building and leading teams.

INTUITION

2013-02-22T23:31:00.000+05:30

INTUITION

The reason I talk to myself is that

I am the only (best) one whose answer I accept.

……By George Charlin

“A rose is a rose is a rose”

So also life is all that you are.

You have been told by religions to renounce everything

that can give you a taste of life…

But my effort is just opposite of all religions,

I don’t want to belong to that category of

life-negative people. I am utterly in love with life.

My approach of life is life affirmative.

You dance, you sing, you love, you meditate.

In different ways try to feel your aliveness.

Whatever you are doing do it so intensely and

so totally that your full life starts functioning,

you make your life full lively.

Intuition is simply listening to the wisdom of our emotions. We all have access to this “deeper knowing”. Yet, for a number of reasons, we distrust or don’t read the message we get from our emotional clients of our brain.

The reason is we believe our rational brain is smarter than our “gut” feelings. People always said “don’t let your heart rule over your mind” we have been taught to have a “stiff up per lip” and not reveal our emotional feeling because it makes us look weak.

Unfortunately, the brain does a poor job of sorting emotions. You can’t learn how to suppress anger or fear without decreasing your ability to experience joy. Suppress one, you suppress them all. Life loses its colour. Golda Meir said “Those who don’t know how to weep with their whole heart, don’t know how to laugh either.”

Suppress one emotion, you hinder the ability to feel altogether, whether the goal is to be a better manager, to be a better parent or to be a happier human, you must be present to what you heart is feeling and saying without editing from your head.

Success and happiness requires you be fully alive and present, aware of your emotions, their source, and their significance. Then you can freely choose the best course of action in the moment, display or release the feeling and go on.

And you can then allow the whole world and all its glory to flood into your heart. Because one with your emotion, and you become one with the universe.

Know your emotions, befriend them, Allow your feelings to colour your perception. People will marvel at your “intuition”. You will revel in your joy.

Self Confidence

2012-04-29T08:55:00.002+05:30

SELF CONFIDENCE

If you think you can, you can.

And if you think you can’t, you are right.

Self confidence is the inner faith which provides the greatest mental energy. Persons with self confidence have won a situation much before its practical happening. One must have an inner faith, internal peace and in depth self understanding to develop a state of self confidence.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are

small matters as compared to what lies within us.

The ocean of infinite power is within us”

Remember a self confidence is a state of mind which one can be achieved with little self analysis and effort.

HOW TO BUILD SELF CONFIDENCE :

· Internal analysis-know one’s own strength and weakness

· Auto suggestion

· Positive thinking

· Taking action on small things first and succeed

· Greater involvement and participation by action

· Prepare a bit before on things to be done

· Accept responsibility

· Develop good habits

· Associate with high confidence people

· Perfect grooming, body language and dress code

· Smiling, generous, humble

We must listen to our own inner voice, internal strength, confidence and intuition. Never be driven by the week environment around you. Maintain the self confidence in all the action throughout your life. Success is always at the other end...

First it is ridiculed,
Second, it is violently opposed,
Finally it is accepted and self-evident.

….…..Arthur Schopenhauer

Positive Self Esteem

2008-11-16T00:20:00.023+05:30

POSITIVE SELF-ESTEEM

High self-esteem leads to a happy, gratifying and powerful life. Unless you perceive yourself as worthwhile, you can not have high self esteem. All great world leaders and teachers throughout history have concluded that one must be internally driven in order to be success.

People with high self-esteem grow in conviction, competence and willingness to accept responsibility. They face life with optimism, have better relationships and are more sensitive, motivated, and ambitious. They are open to new opportunities and challenges. They can give and receive criticism and compliments tactfully and with ease.

Self-esteem is a feeling which comes from an awareness of what is good and having done it.

Advantages of high Self-esteem :

Build strong conviction.

Creates willingness to accept responsibility.

Builds optimistic attitude.

Leads to better relationship and fulfilling lives.

Makes a person more sensitive to other’s need and develop a caring attitude.

Makes a person self-motivated and ambitious.

Makes a person open to new opportunities and challenges.

Improve performance and increase risk taking ability.

Helps a person give and receive both criticism and complements tactfully and easily.

They put a mask :

A young executive with poor self-esteem was promoted, but he could not reconcile himself to his new office and position. There was a knock at his door. To show how important and busy he was, he picked up the phone and then asked the visitors to come in. As the man waited for the executive, the executive kept talking on the phone, nodding and saying, "No problem, I can handle that." After few minutes he hung up and asked the visitor what he could do for him. The man replied, "Sir I'm here to connect your phone."

Learning :
Why pretend ? what are we trying to prove?
What do we want to accomplish ?
why do we need to lie ?
why look for feeling of false importance ?
All these come from insecurity and low self esteem.

SOME CHARACTERISTIC OF PEOPLE WITH POSITIVE SELF ESTEEM:

Sl. HIGH SELF ESTEEM vs LOW SELF ESTEEM
1. Talk about ideas / Talk about people
2. Caring attitude / Critical Attitude
3. Humility / Arrogance
4. Respect authority / Rebel against authority
5. Courage of conviction / Go along with
6. Confidence / Confusion
7. Concerned about character / Concerned about reputation
8. Assertive / Aggressive
9. Accept responsibility / Blames the whole world
10 Optimistic / Fatalistic
11. Willing to learn / Know it all
12. Sensitive / Touchy
13. Discuss / Argue
14. Believe in self worth / Believe in net worth
15. Guided / Misguided
16. Discipline / Distorted sense of freedom
17. Internally driven / Externally driven
18. Respect others / Lookdown on others
19. Knows the limit / Everything goes
20. Giver / Taker

STEPS TO BUILD POSITIVE SELF ESTEEM

1. Turn scars into stars :

Read the life history of people who have turned a negative into positive, adversity into advantage, stumbling blocks into stepping stones. They refuse to let disappointment and failure pull them down.

Some of the best music was composed by Beeth Oven -he was deaf.
Some of the best peotry was written by Milton - he was Blind
Greatest world Leader US President Franklin D. Roosevelt- He served from a wheel chair.

2. Learn Intelligent Ignorance :

Education teaches us what we can do and also teaches us what we can not do.

“I am looking for a lot of men with an infinite capacity for not knowing what can not be done.”
……… Henry Ford.

Henry ford and his V8 engine invention :

Henry ford gave this world the V8 engine. He did not have much formal education. In fact, he did not go to school beyond the age of 14. He was intelligent enough to know that V8 engine would be of great value of his company but he didn’t know how to build it. So he asked all his qualified and educated people to build one. According to them V8 engine was impossible to build. But Henry Ford insisted on having his V8 engine. A few months later he asked his people if they had the V8 and they replied “we know what can be done and we also know what can not be done. The V8 is an impossibility.” This went on for many months and still Henry Ford said “ I want my V8.” And shortly thereafter the same people who said it was impossible produced his V8 engine. The educated highly qualified limited themselves within their academic knowledge of what can be done and what can not be done. So we must Learn Intelligent Ignorance.

The bumble bee : we need to learn from nature. According to scientists, the bumble bee’s body is too heavy and wing span too small. Aerodynamically the bumble bee can not fly. But the bumble bee does not know and keeps flying.

When you do not know your limitation, you go out and surprise yourself. In hind sight you wonder if you have any limitations. The only limitation a person has are those that are self imposed. Don’t let education put limitations on you.

3. Do something for others who can’t repay you in cash or kind:

Dr Karl Menninger, a world renowned psychologist was once asked, ‘what is the advice some one if you knew that person was going to have a nervous breakdown?’ the audience expected Dr. Menninger to advice consulting a professional. But he did not. He said, ‘I would advise that person to lock home, go to the other side of town, find someone in need and help that person. By doing that we get gratification and it represents a high self esteem.

4. Learn to give and receive complement : Don’t miss out any opportunity to give sincere compliments. Remember the key word sincerely. When other gives you a compliment, accept it graciously and gracefully with two words ‘Thank you’ that is the sign of humility.

5. Accept responsibility : We need to accept responsibility for our behavior and our actions and insulate ourselves from excuses. Don’t be like the student who failed just because he did not like the teachers or the subject. Who is he hurting the most? We have to accept responsibility and stop blaming others, then and only then will productivity and quality of life improve.

Our privileges can be no greater than our obligations. The protection of our rights can endure no longer than the performance of our responsibility.

6. Practice discipline : Self discipline does not kill joy but builds it. You see people with talents and ability and yet unsuccessful. They are frustrated and the same behavior pattern affects their business, their health and their relationship with others. They are dissatisfied and blame it on luck with out realizing that many problems are caused by lack of discipline.

7. Set goals : Well defined goals give a person a sense of direction, a feeling of accomplishment, when he reaches his goals. More important than the goal is the sense of purpose and vision. It given meaning and fulfillment to life.

In goal setting, we need to be realistic. Unrealistic goals remain unaccomplished, leading to poor self esteem. Where as realistic goals are encouraging and build high self esteem.

8. Associate with people with high moral character : Associate yourself with people of good quality, it esteem your reputation, for it is ‘better to be alone, than to be in bad company.’

Associate with people of high moral character helps build self esteem.

9. Becoming internally driven, not externally :

If some one in the first day says you “ you are the greatest guy” you feel great and the next day when the same person says “ you rascal, you cheat, you crook….etc” you feel terrible.

So who is controlling your life ? Obviously he is. That is you are being externally driven.

So long we blame outside sources, our miseries will continue and we will feel helpless. Unless we accept responsibility for our feelings and behavior, we can’t change. The first step is to ask :

Ø Why did I get upset ?

Ø Why am I angry ?

Ø Why am I depressed ?

Then we start getting the clues to overcome them. Happiness is a result of positive self-esteem. Happiness is internal, happiness is like butterfly you ran after it, it keeps flying away. If you stand still, it comes and sits on your shoulder.

No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

…….Eleanor Roosevelt.

10. Develop a mind set that brings Happiness :

Bitterness is a sign of emotional failure. It paralyzes our capacity to do good. Set your own standards, be honest to yourself. Compete against yourself. Do the following :

Look for positive in every person and in every situation.
Resolve to be happy.
Set your own standards judiciously.
Learn to find pleasure in every little thing.
Remember all times are not the same. Ups and downs are part of life.
Make the best of every situation.
Keep yourself constructively occupied.
Help others less fortunate than yourself.
Learn to get over things, don’t brood.
Forgive yourself and others. Don’t hold guilt or bear grudges.

11. Give yourself positive auto-suggestions :

Develop the habit of giving yourself positive self talk. Autosuggestion alter our belief system by influencing the subconscious mind. Our behavior reflects our believe system. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy-

Examples of autosuggestion :

I have a good memory
I can succeed
I will win
I am good at math
I can create wealth and get rich
I have good analytical ability
I have good imagination capacity
I can handle any situation better.
I am industrious and intelligent.
I am good in my decision
……..
…….

12. Our greatest weakness can become our greatest strength :

Anger is a weakness. How can it be turned into a strength ?

One lady lost her child because of drunk drivers. She got so angry that she organized people ( in intolerance) all over the US to fight drunk driving. By getting MADD ( Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Today she and her association have become a significant force, with thousands of members, and are succeeding in their pursuit to change legislation in congress. That is turning a negative emotion like anger into a strength by doing positive.

13. Have Patience :

A lot of time we here people saying that one exposure to a positive or negative material does not have any impact. That is not true.

In China there is a bamboo tree which is planted, watered and fertilized for the first four years. Nothing happens. There is no visible sign of growth. But sometime during the fifth year, the bamboo tree grows about 90 ft in six weeks. The question is “ did the bamboo tree grow in six weeks or did it take five years to grow. Even though there is no visible sign it was taking root in the ground. When there is no visible sign, if someone had stopped watering and fertilizing it, would this have happened ? certainly not. The bamboo tree would have died.

We learn to have patience and faith and keep doing the right thing. Even though the results may not be visible, something is happening.

14. Take inventory ; Make a list of all your strength and weakness :

Successful people realize their limitation. But build on their strength. Unless we know these how can we build on them ? Focus on what you want to do and be, rather what you do not.

Courtesy: Shiv Khera ‘You Can Win’

By : Abhishek Kumar Sadhu

Ideas rule the world

2008-08-08T02:50:00.016+05:30

IDEAS RULE THE WORLD

A mind that is stretched to a new idea….

Never return to its original dimension.

"Ideas rule world; and, as men’s minds will receive new ideas, laying aside the old and effete, the world will advance: mighty revolutions will spring from them; creeds and even powers will crumble before their onward march crushed by the irresistible force. It will be just as impossible to resist their influx, when the time comes, as to stay the progress of the tide."

An idea is a specific thought or concept that arises in the mind of a person as a result of thinking. It is the divine inspiration of the God. Ideas are the fountain and source of the world’s treasury of wisdom. The ideas of those who lived before us rule our lives today. Ideas have always been vital in arousing public opinion and bringing about a reform-whether it was the freedom struggle or the eradication of a social evil. Theosophical ideas have the ability to change the inner nature of man and have the power to transform beast into human, human into divine man.

The four letter word ‘idea’ has great potential and it has immense powers surrounding it. As thoughts fleet over the filter of logical reasoning, idea would percolate and gradually crystallize into a clear screen of clear vision enabling the man to look through problems and to judge issues judiciously. It is this mind-boggling strength of ideas which facilitates our decision-making. Ideas give confidence to face this competitive world. It is the idea which makes all the difference between floating and sinking of a person’s fortune in this competitive world. Like radar which guides the ship in the vast ocean, idea gives us the direction to proceed and the goal to attain. It is that magical key which unlocks all the closed doors, solves all our queries and enables us to achieve our desired goals. No wonder it is this power of idea that is shaping the dreams of life and guiding the course of human civilization.

Ideas rule the world and thoughts rule your life. Whatever you think, that you become. If you think yourselves weak, weak you will be; if you think yourselves strong, strong you will be. The remedy of weakness is not brooding over weakness, but thinking of strength. It is your idea which moulds your destiny. Believe in the power of idea to change things Banish all self-doubts, resentment, guilt complex and you will find strength, vitality, joy and success come rushing in and literally flooding you with superb achievements. Sooner or later, one who wins is the one who thinks and believes he can. “Great ideas and convictions are the mother of great deeds”.

Success starts with an idea. When nourished with hope and confidence and encouraged by ambition and aspiration, that single idea takes shape as a dream, vision, and goal in stages. You must allow your ideas to grow, no matter how farfetched or nonconformist they may seem in the beginning. You must give wings to you ideas and let them fly high. You must allow your thoughts to take root, no matter how others regard them. Many great ones, whom the world today worships with awe and wonder as gifted visionaries, super geniuses or miracle-makers, were viewed as utopians or mental defunct by several of their contemporaries. While some may describe your ideas an imagination and vision, others may dub them as sheer daydreams and idle fantasies. But the fact remains that ideas, however strange, unorthodox or heretic they might have seemed at the start, have ultimately wrought miracles, brought revolutions and built civilization.

Every idea worth considering. Most ideas are worthy of action. The most tragic waste is the waste of a good idea. I ask you now “Is there some great idea in your life that you have still have not dealt affirmatively ?”

A far more important question is this : How do you treat ideas ?

Treat the ideas like new born babies :

Treat them tenderly,

They can get killed pretty quickly.

Treat them gently,

They can be bruised in infancy.

Treat them respectfully,

They could be most valuable things

that ever came into your life.

Treat them protectively ….

Don’t let them get away.

Treat them nutritionally….

Feed them and feed them well.

Treat them antiseptically….

Don’t let them get infected with the germs of negative thought.

Treat them responsively,

Respond; Act ; Do something with them.

To achieve results even the most brilliant ideas should be translated into action by systematic, sustained and dedicated effort. Without effort, our ideas will gather dust, get rusted and go to waste. The success stories of great men illustrate that they used intelligence and industry in equal measure to gain their coveted goals.

Ideas rule the world and they primarily emanate from poets and philosophers, from mystics and occultists. These great ideas make most suitable foundations. Once their efficacy is experienced in application by an individual he leaves behind the world of chaos and strife and begins to glimpse a world of order, understanding and peace. Right ideas and right philosophy is the dire need of our age.

Strong idea is an outcome of strong faith in oneself and spiritual strength. In the times of trial, when darkness and despair surround you, when failure confronts you, when sorrow prevails, when life appears meaningless-it is that strong idea and conviction which illuminates yours life with a ray of hope. It is this strength of idea which instills an urge to live life in this fullest form and not merely survive. It’s the idea which helps us attain a state of bliss and satisfaction. Ideas bring light and enlightenment which help to dispel darkness, eliminate prejudices and cobwebs of superstition. They also lead sooner or later to the emergence of truth. Ideas in fact, are mightier than armies, that is, why ideologies and convictions have achieved more victories than horseman and chariots. By providing inspiration, ideas work through the arms and vigour of brave men. The man strongly possessed of an idea is the master of all who are uncertain and wavering. Clear, deep living convictions rule the world.

Today, the people who reach the zenith are no exceptions. It is the only through their day-to-day ideas acquired through knowledge and perseverance which makes them exceptional and only these exceptions claim respect and status in society which is nothing but ‘power’.

It has been seen from time immemorial that a knowledgeable person commands respect. In the Court of Akbar, Birbal acquired a supreme position because of his ides and intelligence. Even Chanakya was an excellent administrator and with his administrative ideas as an astute political. He was instrumental in overthrowing the rule of Nanda Dynasty and installing Chandragupta Maurya as the ruler of the state. Indeed, idea commands power, position and prestige.

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, President and father of India’s Missile Technology, has made India feel so proud and nuclear self-sufficient. This is all because of his ideas. Dr. Hargobind Khorana was credited with deciphering genetic code, and it was a major landmark in the story of Genetics. The ideas in the field of computer has today revolutionized the entire world. It is the idea and knowledge of Microsoft supremo Bill Gates, which has made him the most powerful, respectable and richest person in the world.

Not only in the world of science, the worth and power of ideas cannot be underestimated in any other sphere whether it is stock market or sports. Share markets provide an excellent opportunity for investors to make a quick back, but here only a few investors who have proper ideas and knowledge of the game earn handsome profits whereas other with little knowledge are likely to lose. Even in sports, some sports personalities excel over others. Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza,Viswanathan Anand, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, to name a few, are world renowned players. They have achieved greater heights which their seniors, though having more of the game, could not. This is primarily due to greater interest, determination, intense knowledge and perfect idea of the game. Before a game is actually played in the field, it has to be played in the mind. Only a correct strategy, well organized mind demarcates a winner from a loser. Because of their ideas and expertise, such players are ruling the world of sports.

It was the spiritual ideas of Gautam Buddha which led Ashoka to abjure the path of bloodshed and adopt non-violence or Ahimsa. Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Vivekananda acquired knowledge and ideas through long hours of meditation and due to this people not only from entire India, but from many parts of the world, followed their teachings and worshipped them like God.

Ideas verify rule the world, and also the minds of men; they contribute to continuing changes, shape as well as determine the destiny of human beings and contribute to the growth of civilizations. Every great and grand accomplishment, whether relating to religion, science, medicine, industry of technology, which are written in letters of gold in the history of human advancement, was in the first instance, no more than a mere idea in the mind of a human being, be he a man or women, Reversed religious texts, great classics, magnificent monuments, astonishing scientific discoveries, earthshaking inventions, fantastic technological feats like splitting the atom, heart transplant, humans walking on the Moon, unraveling the secrets of Mars - have all hand only ‘ideas’ at their starting points.

BE POSSIBILITY THINKER… LOOK EVERY IDEA AS PROSPECT.

Possibility thinker looks at every idea to see if it has possibilities. If it does, he takes an option out on the idea. He does not let it slip by.

Ideas are the fruits of our thinking. But they have got to be harnessed and put to work to have value. Very few ideas become successful as they are highly perishable. If you were not on guard, the squirrels (-ve thinking people) will destroy most of these. Ideas require special handling as mentioned above until they are transformed into practical ways of doing things better.

USE THREE WAYS TO HARNESS AND DEVELOP YOUR IDEAS

Write down every ideas come to your mind : Everyday lots of good ideas are born only to die quickly because they aren’t nailed to paper. Memory is a weak slave when itcomes ot preserving and nurturing brand new ideas. Carry a note book or some small card with you all the time, when you get an idea, write it down. People with firtile and creative mind know a good idea may sprout any time, any place. Don’t let ideas escape, else you destroy the fruits of your thinking.
Next- review your Ideas : File these ideas in an active file. The file can be an elaborate cabinet or it can be a desk drawer. A show box will do. But build a file and then examine your store house of ideas regularly. As you go over your ideas some may for very good reason have no value at all. Get rid of these. But so long as the idea has any promise, keep it.
Cultivate and Fertilise your ideas : Now make you ideas grow. Think about it. Tie the ideas to related ideas. Read anything you can find which is in any way is akin to your ideas. Investigate form all angles. Then when the time is ripe put it to work for yourself, your job, your future.

NEVER THROW AN IDEA JUST BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE, GIVE IT A CHANCE......

Never reject a possibility because you see something wrong with it
Never reject a possibility because you would not get the credit :Don’t worry about getting the credit. If you do, you will become ego-involved in the decision making moments of life. Decisions must never be based on ego needs.
Never reject an idea because it is impossible :Almost every great idea is impossible when it is first born. The great idea today are yet impossible. Possibility thinker take great ideas and turn the impossibilities into possibilities. That is the progress. The important issue is whether the idea is good one.Would it help people who are hurting ? would it be a great thing for our country and our world ? If so develop a way to achieve what today is impossible.
Never reject a possibility because your mind is already made up : People who never change their mind either perfect of stubborn. I am not perfect neither you are.
Never reject an idea because it is illegal : You might be able to get the law changed.
Never reject an idea because you don’t have the money, manpower, muscles or months to achieve it : A supersuccessful person has very few resources, except the capacity to take an idea and marshal stronger and smarter people around him to pull it off.
Never reject an idea because it will create conflict : To reject an idea because it may generate conflict is to ‘Surrender leadership to friends or foe.
Never reject an idea because it is not your way of doing things : Learn to accommodate. Prepare to compromise. Plan to adjust. Maintain a balance between the tension of an opportunity that demand exploitation and the limitation of resources available at the moment. Learn to be equilibristic. Readjust your budget. Compromise your taste. Accommodate your life style. It is more important to succeed than it is to snobbishly adhere to your private taste.
Never reject an idea because it might fail : There is risk in everything. One thing world needs more than anything else today is possibility thinking. Success is never certain and failure is never final
You never reject an idea because there is some risks involved : You isolate the risk, insulate it, and eventually eliminate it.
Never reject an idea because it is sure to succeed :- All the fellow spiritual / religious people who say, "I should not try to be successful. I am not trying for top ladder. That is vanity. That is materialistic."

I must say that is not true, to choose poverty instead of prosperity, failure instead of success, low achievement instead of top ladder achievement, simply for the sake of being humble is not super religious. It is dumb.

Only successful people help people who are failing. Only winners will survive to give food to the hungry.

Faith : The Seed of Success

2008-08-06T15:33:00.017+05:30

FAITH : THE SEED OF SUCCESS

I feel no need for any other faith
than my faith in human being.

……..Sadhuji

Never give in ! Never give in ! Never Never Never.
In nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in,
Except to convictions, or honour and good sense.

………. Sir Winston Churchill

Fight the good fight of faith,
Lay hold on eternal life.

………. I. Timothy

First it is ridiculed,
Second, it is violently opposed,
Finally it is accepted and self-evident.

….…..Arthur Schopenhauer.

Brave admiral, say but one good word….
What shall we do when hope is gone ?
The word leapt like a leaping sword…
Sail on ; Sail on ; and on ;

..…..Jouquin miller.

Even the darkest hour has only 60 minutes.

Be faithful in small things, because
It is in them that your strength lies.
………. Mother Teresa

FAITH CAN MOVE A MOUNTAIN

If you have a faith as a mustard seed you will say to this mountain ‘move from here to there’ and it will move and nothing shall be impossible for you.
……….. Lord Jesus

Faith is the head chemist of the mind. When faith is blended with thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case of prayer.

Faith is a state of mind which you may develop at will through the application and use of some principles.

Repetition of affirmation of orders to your subconscious mind is the only known method of voluntary development of the emotion of faith.

......... Napolion Hill

This is the basic principles of Prayer and Autosuggestion. The impulse of thought which is repeatedly pass into the subconscious mind is, finally, accepted and acted upon by subconscious mind, which proceeds to translate that impulse into its physical equivalent, by most proactical procedure available.

In connection with this, consider again the statement all thoughts which have been emotionalised (given feeling) and mixed with faith, begin to translate themselves into their physical equivalent or counterpart.

Not only the thought impulses that mixed with faith, but those have been mixed with other positive emotions (like happiness, love, sex) or any negative emotion, may reachm and influence the subconscious mind.

There are millions of people who believe themselves "doomed" to poverty and failure, because of some strange force over which they believe they have no control. They are the creator of their own misfortune, because of this negative belief, which is picked up by subconscious mind and translated into physical equivalent.

At this point you have to deceive your subconscious mind by reverse or reinforcing with some positive thoughts and faith or believe. To make this 'deceit' more realistic, conduct yourself just as you would if you were already in possession of the material things/ success level which you are demanding, when you call upon your subconscious mind.

The subconsious mind will transmute into its physical equivalent, by the most direct and practical media available, any order which is given to it in a state of belief or faith that the order will be carried out.

It is essential for you to encourage the positive emotions as the dominating forces of your mind, and discourage - and eliminate negative emotions.

A mind dominated by positive emotions, becomes a favourable abode for the state of mind known as faith. A mind so dominated may at will, give the subconscious mind instructions, which it will accept and act upon immediately.

There must be a steady and unfailing practice of positive prayer if you are to succeed. And to pray you need faith. Possibility thinking is just another word for faith. You will be controlled by their positive thoughts or negative thoughts. One of the two emotions will dominate and drive you: either fear or faith. If you are not living by faith, then you will automatically be living by fear. Never surrender the leadership of your life to fear.

No force, no emotion is more paralyzing than fear. It stops a salesperson about to make a call, the young man to go for his goals, a job hunter about to seek an interview. In the whole sordid, sorry spectacle of human fears, none is more destructive and defeating than the fear failure.

If you are living by fear, then see this as a flaw for negative thinking. It will not stand up. It will crack for sure. Walk away from negative thinking. Dare to live by faith.

Faith is indeed the greatest miracle – working power imaginable. Faith never fails a person. We fail when we give up on faith. Faith sets you free from downgrading, negative emotions and replaces them with success-generating emotions.

Faith leads to dreaming. Dreaming leads to desiring. Desiring leads praying. Praying leads to beginning leads to deciding. Deciding leads to waiting. Waiting leads to paying the price. Paying the price leads to managing problems which ultimately leads to expecting success.

SELF-CONFIDENCE FORMULA :

Here is the Self-confidence Formula or Prayer of Autosuggestion ....

I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life; therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action towords its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.
I realise the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward physical action and gradually transform themselves into physical reality; therefore, I will concentrate my thoughts for thirty minutes daily, upon the task of thinking of the person I intend to become, thereby creating in my mind a clear mental picture.
I know through the principle of prayer or autosuggestion, any desire that I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means of attaining the object back of it; therefore, I will devote ten minutes daily demanding of myself the development of self-confidence.
I have clearly written down a description of my definite chief aim in life and will never stop trying, untill I shall have developed sufficient self-confidence for its attainment.
I fully realise the that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects. I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use, and the cooperation of other people. I will induce others to serve me because of my willingness to serve others. i will eleminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude towards others can never bring me success. I will cause others to believe in me, because I believe in them and in myself. I will sign my name to this formula, commit it to memory, and repeat it loudly once a day, with full faith that it will gradually influence my thoughts and actions so that I will become a self-reliant, and successful person.

Five phases to fruit bearing which a seed of faith passes though to get success … Get move your mountain….

1. The Nesting Phase :

When an idea drops into the mind as an egg is deposited in the birds nest. For too many people, faith never gets beyond the nesting phage. Ideas passes through the mind without being taken seriously.

I don’t think potential miracle working power of faith more than alack of self confidence. Faith is indeed most fragile at birth.

Greatness doesn’t depend upon your position in life, but upon your respect of the positive ideas that flow into your imagination.

Every person is creative, but a lot of people donot believe in their creativity. I told the bottom ladder employees that they were smart, they believed it. They came up with a solution because they were not well enough informed to know that their suggestion could not be done.

Most of us tend not to do anything about the incredible, magnificent ideas that come to our minds. Years later, when we read that somebody else has turned an idea into a great success, we may lament to ourselves, “I thought about that once. Why didn’t I do something about it?”.

Common people are brilliant it they believe in their own ideas. Most human beings have the same basic brain capacity. The major difference is the attitude that a person has towards his own ideas.

At an international psychological congress in Paris, France, Dr. H.E. Gruber of Rutgers University reported that research has led to the confidence belief that “ Child prodigies are not born, they are developed”.

The Kingdom of God is within you.
………. Jesus

The me I see is the me I’ll be.
Build a positive self-image to develop mountain – moving faith. Your mind`s image of yourself will release powers of self-actualization.

Positive results follow a positive mental picture. This is the irrecoverable law of faith built by God, into the universe. Draw now a positive picture of yourself, believe in your ideas, and faith will survive phase one.

2. The Testing Phase :

Ideas must be tested by asking questions that rise out of your own value system and knowledge.

Decision making is easy if there is no contradiction in your value system.

A positive idea implies questions like :
Is this really necessary ?
Is this really human need-filling idea ?
Can it be inspiring to other ?

How do you test the ideas that come into your mind ? I test mine by this universal principle : Will my faith, acted upon and firmly embraced cause my life and my activity to be an inspiration to somebody else to achieve more in his life ?

The truth is everybody is an inspiration to some body else.

3. The Investing Phase :

Investing phase is the point at which you make a public commitment. You commit time, money, energy, and – possibly the most valuable product of all – the pride and prestige to the publicly announced project. At this point many people find their faith faltering. If, by an act of will and prayer, you determine that you will make the public commitment, the odds are overwhelming that you can succeed.

So, faith is like a seed. If a seed is not planted, it can`t bear fruit. But a plant also needs to be watered to sprout. Once it is planted and watered, growth will begin to reach full maturity.

4. The Arresting Phase :

You have started, you have made the commitment. You’ve put your name on the line, you have started your run.

Now problem attack you. Troubles block you. Defeat seems certain. You begin to think you have bitten off more than you can chew. You wonder if you have make a terrible mistake with your investment. The arresting phase of faith is God’s way of testing us before the final victory.

So have faith, believe in yourself and pay heed to the words of Edgar A. Guest:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you are trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sing,

When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must – but don’t quit.

He want to make sure : Are you really depending on Him? Will we really be grateful if we make it ? Can He trust with success? Are we going to humble enough to handle the big prize ?

Trust the sun – don’t trust the shadow. Believe in your dreams – don’t believe in your despairing thoughts. Have faith in your faith- and doubt in your doubt. Trust in your hopes- never trust in your hurts. And you will move on eventually, effectively, inspiringly to faith’s final phase the Cresting Phase.

5. The Cresting Phase

Yes, the crowning phase of faith is the cresting phase. The mountain top is scaled.

Success finally is achieved.

A bad habit is broken.

A mission is achieved.

You make your country proud; millions of poor get out of the poverty line, their standard of living increased.

Your country becomes prosperous, crores of job created. People get engaged adding GDP to country…..

The money starts flowing your way…

The bones are healed….

A broken relationship is healed…

The emptiness and loneliness of life is filled with new friends and loved one….

A new technique is invented…

God never fails to let the sun outlive the storm. And those who keep on keeping on ultimately survive successfully and in the process are an incredible inspiration to others to keep bravely fighting their battles too.

Now- Believe and you will achieve

You are as deserving and as capable of achieving success as any other person alive in the world today. God created you to be somebody who could be an inspiration to many people. Open your mind to receive possibility thought. They will come like an egg dropped in a nest. Tenderly receive them and be prepared to trust in them through the testing phase, investing phase, the arresting phase. Never abandon the dream until you have reached the Cresting Phase

By : Abhishek Kumar Sadhu