The Mind
The mind is like a parachute — it works best when it is open. How quickly we make assumptions, jump to conclusions and close our minds. How easily we form and hold fast to our opinions and then close our minds. How fast do we make a judgment, slap on a label, and then close our minds? A closed mind never knows the delight of playing with possibilities, being enlightened by others’ points of view, or enjoying the diversity of human life. An open and understanding mind never assumes, doesn’t jump to conclusions, and won’t hold fast to any opinion. Perhaps it is no wonder a closed mind is not a very relaxed mind.
Become Our Own Loving Teacher & Coach
Self-respect is often mistaken for arrogance when it is the opposite. When we can recognize all our good qualities as well as our faults with neutrality, we can start to appreciate ourselves as we would a dear friend and experience the comfortable inner glow of respect. To embrace the journey towards our full potential, we need to become our own loving teachers and coach. Spurring ourselves on to become better human beings, we develop true regard for ourselves, and our life will become sacred.
Taking Charge of Your Responses in Close Relationships
When looking at the other in relationships with your loved ones, sometimes positive emotions are generated and sometimes negative. On the one hand, joy, love, and happiness are generated by being with them; but then attachment, dependency, and expectations are generated. In such situations, you are more focused on others and are always looking at the other person’s behavior; you stop seeing yourself and being aware of your reactions and taking responsibility for the responses that you create. You get frustrated when the other person does not meet your expectations. As you depend on them, if they don’t act as you would like, if they don’t reach home or call you when you want, all this frustrates you. You radiate this energy to the other: “they are not doing what they should be doing,” and so you feel frustrated and discontented.
All the while that you hold the other one responsible for your frustration, you are not in charge of your own reactions because you have given the power to the other to dominate your emotional world. It is there that you lose your freedom. You lose your freedom because you give to the other, in the name of love, power over your own moods. You allow the other’s energy to enter your inner world and cause inside you frustration, bad moods, irritation, sorrow, and a mental and emotional dependence where you are constantly thinking about where they are, what they have to do, what they have to say, where they have to go, and all this consumes a lot of your mental energy. Wanting to control the other and the frustration that it brings with it uses up a lot of emotional energy.
Message for the day
The power to merge brings success in relationships.
What it tells you: The specialty of the ocean is to merge. The most beautiful pearl is made of dirt that is thrown into the ocean. So also, the power to merge actually allows one to look at the positivity in spite of the obvious negativity that is expressed by the other person. So the relationship with the other person is only with their positivity.
What you should experience: When I am able to merge the negativity of others and look at the positive aspect in them instead, I can automatically experience being light and positive within. Also, I find others relate to me with their positivity. I am able to be successful in my relationship with others, however difficult the personality traits of the other person may be.