This is my last post for 2006, which has been a most remarkable year, as far as I'm concerned. It was a period in which I found knowledge, overcame barriers from within, got my first job, forged new friendships and above all, experienced love and compassion in a hundred different ways.
So, to mark the end of this year, I decided to write a post that would create a sense of closure (mostly for myself!) and appreciation for all that has happened over the last 365 days. My post takes the form of a list of lessons that I've learnt over this year. Many of you will have been directly involved in the experiences that have led to the thoughts I now express. Perhaps you will even be able to sense where you contributed to my learning :)
- The greatest strength we can find is within ourselves
Nothing can surpass the potency of the human spirit, once it has committed itself to a positive pursuit. This year, I found strength and determination when I needed it the most, in order to overcome indecision, apprehension and certain anxieties. I don't think these three obstacles were very different from what we all routinely experience in the course of life, but I tend to observe that we prolong their duration in our consciousness by waiting for their dismissal to come from something external.
What I found, over the last several months, was that the greatest light and energy source that we can hope to harness come from nothing other than our own souls. It manifests itself in our prayers, in our thoughts and in our actions, when we decide that we will mobilize all our resources for the good of ourselves as well as others. There is nothing that this power cannot accomplish. Hope unlooked for, comes into the lives of the hapless, small miracles happen to adjust the larger scheme of things most pleasantly and the Universe starts making sense.
So, we need to believe that we are worthy of positive change, believe that we deserve good things to happen to us and we must love ourselves. Three little fragments of a sentence, but each carrying the weight of an unshakable mountain once established within the human heart. Do you think you can do it? I know you can... - There is a Big Picture and we're all a part of it
The Universe has a plan, it unfurls as we speak, and we all belong to it. Our lives have a meaning and purpose, each contributing to the way in which the we and our worlds shape themselves. Our thoughts and affirmations have power...they make things happen. They don't say "faith moves mountains" for nothing, you know!
More than once this year, I've seen how the thoughts I've sent out have shaped my present and future (apart from helping me resolve issues of the past). The Universe responds to our thoughts with similar energies and experiences. So the little secret is to think about and visualise what you want from life, as clearly as you possibly can. Think it, see it, feel it and let it fill your being. It doesn't matter if it's something material or something abstract. It will come to you once you need it and believe that you will get it.
[A small tip: It's usually a good idea to ensure that your thoughts for self-development are flavoured with some thoughts for the enhancement of others. Ask for anything you want but make sure that you affirm that it happens in the best interests of all concerned beings. Basically this means specifying the end and not the means (leave those to the Universe!). You see, there are many occasions in life when we want something and think about how we can get it, regardless of who or what that process might damage. So effectively, we're asking for something that goes against the interests of others...and in the process our thoughts and prayers conflict with those of other people. Ultimately it means delayed responses for everyone, and where's the good in that?
Include the best interests of all others in your thoughts and the Universe acts so fast its unbelievable! Just try it sincerely a few times (even if it's just to humour me!)]. - Something good can be churned out of any situation
Recently, a colleague left me speechless with appreciation when he spoke about Swami Vivekananda saying that no misery is undeserved. It suddenly struck me most poignantly that everything happens for a reason (I tend to attribute all those reasons to the Cycle of Karma, which I believe in very strongly)...the best and the worst. We have to be able to rejoice in the former and accept the lessons that are embedded in the latter.
There are lessons to be learnt from even the worst experiences of life...even those which we think we have done nothing to deserve. There are two ways of looking at such situations: The first is the maladaptive way of thinking that we have been wronged and must now make all efforts to escape. The second is the path of conviction in which we believe that misfortune may have befallen us, but we still have the chance to stand our ground and we have the power to eliminate all the effects of that misfortune. It may take months and years, but we can and will do it.
Writing this down is a lot simpler than putting it into practice, but I speak from experience... - Sharing one's heart is never in vain
There are few things comparable to the joy that comes from finding that you have what it takes to reach out emotionally to another person. There is so much suffering out there, in the lives of people we care about and also in the lives of those we may never meet. We might not be able to reach everyone, but we can make a huge difference in the lives of those we can reach.
I'm not talking about material support here...I'm talking about emotional and compassionate help. To be able to help another person give release to their fears, apprehensions, distress and sorrows is a great gift. It is an ability that has to be nurtured with one's own evolution as a being. It comes from being able to make another sense that you care and that you will never use the knowledge that they give you for your own interests. Most importantly, it is an act of unconditional love that goes a long way in forging the most meaningful and affectionate relationships that one can imagine.
Elizabeth Kubler Ross says it best: "I have never met a person whose greatest need was anything other than real, unconditional love. You can find it in a simple act of kindness toward someone who needs help. There is no mistaking love. You feel it in your heart. It is the common fiber of life, the flame that heals our soul, energizes our spirit and supplies passion to our lives. It is our connection to God and to each other."
So, with these little offerings, I share with you some elements of what my mind and heart have learnt over the last year and hope that you find something sustaining in them.
Happy New Year to you all!
God Bless!
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