FROM THE NEWSPAPER,(hitavada)

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Attracting abundance in life

Flashback is a common device in movies to recall snatches of experience from the past. We are also familiar with slow-motion-replay during television broadcasts of sports events like tennis and cricket. Similarly, our minds record our daily experiences in great detail and it is fairly easy to replay the action. When we watch this replay, there is a sense of detachment. As Soren Kierkegaard said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

There is lot of learning in detached observation. This action replay is not to be confused with fault-finding and judging people and situations. Such replay increases our awareness which is essential to rediscover ourselves. Schiller wrote, “If you wish to understand others, look into your own heart and understand yourself first.” Olive Schreiner wrote, “When I lie worn out, other men will stand young and fresh. By the steps I have cut, they will climb. By the stairs, I have built, they will mount. They will never know the name of the man who made them. At the clumsy attempt, they might laugh. When the stories roll they might curse me. But they will continue to mount and they continue to climb. What does it matter if the maker remains anonymous?” There is so much to do in this world and the time is short. Some people are caught up in doing harm to themselves. They have little understanding of why they do it to themselves; why they are unfair to themselves. Analysis can only help them to breakout of the self-destructive spiral. Analysis can get around roadblocks that stand in the way of growth. Many of us try very hard to keep the roadblocks stay put in our paths planted by others. Bertrand Russel said, “Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves.” There is a term called ‘personal mastery’ for personal growth and learning. People with high levels of mastery are continually expanding their ability to create results in life which they truly seek. Mastery means higher levels of commitment and ownership of responsibility. One way to learn and grow is to create time to be supportive to other people. When people make mistakes and pull themselves down with negative self-talk, look around for things you can say which can reinforce their positive self-esteem. Someone once asked me, “What and how would you like to be remembered by others?” After a pause I said, “I don’t want to be remembered at all. All of us being passengers let us steer the boat, keep it afloat and reach a new destination which should unfold new wonders and mysteries.” People with brilliant brains also fail in life sometimes, purely due to wrong attitudes. Those with right attitudes find life good and interesting and the world a wonderful place to live on. Therefore, in order to be happy and successful, it is very important to have a positive attitude, because you have the ability to dream about something you want to be and become a real winner. Giving a meaning to our lives makes life worth living. Millionaires work the hardest whereas they need not work at all. But, the passion of hard work is more important to them than money. For them, work is enjoyment and relaxation. All those who love their jobs are never tired of work. Liking the work is like vitamin, tonic to keep the system healthy and active. Experts say that there are four ‘Ps’ for success and they are passion, potential to perform, a sense of purpose and perseverance. Our entire attitude, worldview and vision are based on how much respect we have for ourselves. If we believe in infinite possibilities, if we are optimistic, if we stand firm on our potential, we can race ahead on the smooth path like the highway and reach the destination faster. But if we follow the jungle path and get lost in the woods, it is our own fault. Gautam Buddha said, “Those who have failed to work towards the truth have missed the purpose of living. The purpose of living is to leave a trail for others to follow by the good examples. You have set and actions you have performed.” The mania for winning is absurd. Winning is not everything or the only thing; it is only a thing. True man of knowledge pursues victory but when the game is over, he does not look back. A victory or defeat is not worth remembering. It cannot be relieved; so choose another experience to exeriment with. When I retired from IPS, my friend told me, “Eliminate retirement out of your vocabulary. Make the current years worthwhile. Your worth comes from within. Throw away your watch and calendar and don’t pressurise yourself to be perfect.”