Recently, I attended a session on Power of Positive Thinking where the speaker suggested how the entire world works on the Law of Attraction. Whatever we think of, whatever we really focus on, is what we get. It is actually our own thought process that makes us win or lose things in life. The last few days, after I attended the session, have actually been funny. In my own small way, I have started to notice a difference. Every time, a negative thought crosses my mind, every time there is a fear that I feel, I convert it to a positive thought. I tell myself a story in the most positive words possible and somewhere it gives me immense confidence. Eventually I realize that by constantly forcing myself to think positive, using positive language, I realize that things are changing for good. It may be too early to say it with 100% belief if just your thought process can change everything for good around you, but I surely am seeing some tiny winy changes and I sincerely hope the same continues.
Having shared my thoughts, I would love to hear from you all about your thoughts, your experiences.
Did it ever happen to you that a mere change of thought from negative to positive, a mere change of language, actually changed the end results for you?
Would love to hear your stories….
Author, Motivational Speaker, Leadership Guru, Breakthrough Business & Life Coach,
The Marsh Is Pulling You Down!
Do you ever go through a phase
where you feel “I want to do that but I don’t get time” Or perhaps “I took this
path so that I could reach there but somehow I feel lost now” or maybe sometime
it even says “If only I did not have to slog for so many hours in my current
job, I could fetch time out to pursue things that I really wanted to work for
me or those That I am really good at”
Many of us are into jobs that we
do because we need money, have families to run, are the sole bread runners or
simply doing because we have to. But I know a vast majority from this lot who
have dreams of their own. Someone wants to open a restaurant; someone wishes to
write a book; some wish to have their paintings displayed in the best art
gallery and then there are some who would have been in a rock band. Yet for
most of them this is still a dream that they had been carrying on for so long
but still a dream…
I’ve also met some people who say
“I’m a lot more clear about what I want. I’ll be in IT for a couple of years,
make some money, travel some countries through an onsite assignment making more
money and finally open a small café or restaurant somewhere.”
But when I meet them years after
such a conversation, they are still doing what they were doing. The dream of
that restaurant is there but is still the dream that is a couple of years away.
That difference of number of years between ‘now’ and ‘dream realization’ never
reduces.
And before I risk myself being
tagged a snob who will be bombarded with questions on my own credibility, I will
accept my own flaws as a human. I had my own set of dreams and I kept pushing
them for quite a while and sometime I still do but during one of the urges to achieve
my dreams, I realized my enemy! And I am sure the enemy for most of us is one –
Lack
of Focus!
We have loads of dreams but we
fail to convert them into our goals. Even if some of us take an extra effort
and make our dreams our goals, we lose the battle half way by lack of consistent
effort.
Over years, I realized that for all goals that
I did not achieve in my planned time, I lost motivation on the way. Most long
term goals die their natural death because we do not put in enough effort
consistently- the effort that is required to make that dream a reality! And it
all comes down because somewhere we lose focus.
It is when we lose focus that the
environment starts to play the devil. It is our dedication and focus that will
decide whether environment is more powerful than us or vice versa.
Let me take an example that I
want to be a writer, which is my dream but I also work as a trainer, which in
this case will become my environment. To fulfil my dreams, I start writing some
small pieces but on the way if I lose focus, then I get absorbed into my
environment. I will start to train more and do all work that relates to my
current profession. Once my focus has shifted
from my dream to my environment, I would slowly give in less and less time to
my dream realization. Oh yes! For all those observant epitomes of intelligence,
I know you would say that even when I’m focussing on profession; it is still
all about “focus”. But my dear friends, what I’m talking about here is the
focus for dream realization. So, because my focus has now drifted away from my
dream realization, I end up not achieving the dream in stipulated time frame
and being humans, we end up finding the easiest way to get rid of guilt of not
achieving – The blame game.
It will be extremely easy for me
to say and convince my own self that “I do not get time to work on my dreams;
My profession demands so much that I can hardly focus on my dreams; If only I
could put in lesser hours at work, I would get some time to do what I really want
to do”
The environment wins the round 1
but even then your dreams do not die. All your mind does is just give it a back
seat. Then a couple of weeks or months later, the dream will come to the
forefront, you will do some small thing about it but again the focus is lost
and the cycle continues. Over a period of time, this process leads to frustration
and uneasiness. The uneasiness of ‘not being able to do what you want to do’
converts to the frustration of ‘being made to do what you don’t want to do’ and
most of us start hating our jobs.
But again in this case, who do we
blame? – our environment – our jobs, our organizations, our managers. I call
this environment as “The Marsh”.
Not once do we realize or even if
we do realize we just don’t want to accept that why we are being pulled inside
the marsh is not purely because the marsh is stronger but because we were weak,
because we lost focus on the way.
The marsh always tends to become stronger
than you and it will always try to pull you down into it soaking you completely.
It is in your hands whether you want to be drowned and dead or you want to take
charge and pull yourself out.
So if you have a dream and you
want it to be a reality, Take Charge, Be Focussed.
Remember, for every passing
minute where you are being de focussed, The
Marsh Is Pulling You Down!
No limits, endless possibilities!!!!
"the sky can't limit you,
and boundaries can't stop you....
the four walls can't keep your imagination shut,
and limitations can't always hold your back.....
it's time to open the arms and unlock the possiblities,
and allow the doors of miracles to open...
it's your time to widen the horizon,
and see the whole world opening up in front of you....."
and boundaries can't stop you....
the four walls can't keep your imagination shut,
and limitations can't always hold your back.....
it's time to open the arms and unlock the possiblities,
and allow the doors of miracles to open...
it's your time to widen the horizon,
and see the whole world opening up in front of you....."
What are you worth?
He asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this", and he proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill.
He then asked, "Who still wants it?"
Still the hands were up in the air.
"Well", he replied, "What if I do this?" and he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the
floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.
"Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
"How come you still want it?" he asked.
"It's still worth $20", came the answer.
"Then, my friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson", said the speaker, "No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It's still worth $20."
"Many times in our lives" he continued, "We are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless."
"But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you."
"The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by who we are."
You are special - don't ever forget it!
What's More Important is - How we make people Feel
I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets..
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the cab.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated…'
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'
'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said
'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.
'Thank you.'
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life..
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets..
There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the cab.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated…'
'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'
'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.
'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.
I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.
'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.
'Nothing,' I said
'You have to make a living,' she answered.
'There are other passengers,' I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.
'Thank you.'
I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life..
We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.
We Are Unique!!!
Think what a remarkable, unduplicatable, and miraculous thing it is to be you! Of all the people who have come and gone on the earth, since the beginning of time, not ONE of them is like YOU!
No one who has ever lived or is to come has had your combination of abilities, talents, appearance, friends, acquaintances, burdens, sorrows and opportunities.
NNo one’s hair grows exactly the way yours does. No one’s finger prints are like yours. No one has the same combination of secret inside jokes and family expressions that you know.
The few people who laugh at all the same things you do, don’t sneeze the way you do. No one prays about exactly the same concerns as you do. No one is loved by the same combination of people that love you – NO ONE!
No one before, no one to come. "YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE!"
Enjoy that uniqueness. You do not have to pretend in order to seem more like someone else. You weren’t meant to be like someone else. You do not have to lie to conceal the parts of you that are not like what you see in anyone else.
You were meant to be different. Nowhere ever in all of history will the same things be going on in anyone’s mind, soul and spirit as are going on in yours right now.
If you did not exist, there would be a hole in creation, a gap in history, something missing from the plan for humankind.
Treasure your uniqueness. It is a gift given only to you. Enjoy it and share it!
No one can reach out to others in the same way that you can. No one can speak your words. No one can convey your meanings. No one can comfort with your kind of comfort. No one can bring your kind of understanding to another person.
No one can reach out to others in the same way that you can. No one can speak your words. No one can convey your meanings. No one can comfort with your kind of comfort. No one can bring your kind of understanding to another person.
YOU ARE UNIQUE!
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