THE WRITER HAS A KEEN INTEREST IN THE STUDY AND APPLICATION OF SPIRITUALITY AND PHILOSOPHIES FOR SOLVING THE REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS OF THE MODERN WORLD...
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All great things in life begin with a belief, a dream or vision and a never-say-die spirit. Youth is an age when one fervently believes one can change the world order and usher in a new way of doing things. It is a phase in life when one's head is full of dreams, of the peaks one wants to conquer, the goals and targets one is chasing and the unconventional choices one would like to make. Which is as it should be, for all things worthwhile begin that way. Remember Martin Luther King and his famous words? "I have a dream." And as Napoleon Hill, inspirational thinker, author of books on success, positive thinking and such subjects and who drew inspiration from his son who was born without ears but grew up to lead a normal life, said, "What the mind can conceive and believe it can truly achieve."
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Focused, single-minded determination and the grit to keep at it even when the chips are down is what ultimately translates to the actualisation of a dream. As our spiritual masters point out, karmic patterns can be changed by hanging in there and persisting, unfazed by temporary hurdles. God helps those who help themselves.
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The way to negate bad karma is simple - do good karma. In addition, an unshakeable belief in one's ideas, even if everyone around is sceptical or ready to write you off, is also vital. Patience is yet another virtue work cultivating. Just like Rome was not built in a day, anything worthwhile cannot be accomplished overnight. Two important and useful tools in the realisation of one's beliefs are creative visualisation and affirmation.
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As Shakthi Gawain, spiritual author says, "Creative visualisation is really nothing but using your natural imagination - the basic creative energy in the universe - to create what you want in your life. The problem is that we use it more to anticipate problems, imagine difficulties and roadblocks."
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Let's say you are not happy in your current job. Visualise yourself in a new (read ideal) job. Picture yourself at work doing what you love and excelling at it. Add all the little details, what kind of office it is; the people you are meeting with, etc. Do it vividly in your head. If your desire and intention to make a change are clear, the chances are high that it will happen pretty soon. For creative visualisation to work effectively it is important to relax completely.
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Explaining how this happens shakti Gawain says, "When your body and mind are deeply relaxed your brain wave pattern changes and becomes slower. This deeper slower level is called the alpha level while your usual busy waking consciousness is called the beta level. Alpha level is a very healthy state of consciousness because of its relaxing effect on the mind and body." The bottom line is when you want to create real changes in life, using creative visualisation at the alpha level is more effective than operating at the beta level - thinking, worrying, planning and trying to get people around to do what you want.
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While creative visualisation is more graphic and involves mental imagery, an affirmation on the other hand is a positive statement that something is already so. It is stating something that you want as if it has already happened. Like, "Iam attracting all the right people into my life". "I now have a wonderful new job".
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Let go of any doubts or disbelief when you use affirmations. For as Sri Paramahansa Yogananda tells us, "Every negative thought or worry or fearful thought cuts subtle grooves in the brain cells and attracts just what we don't want. Repeat your affirmations first loudly, then softly and more slowly until your voice becomes a whisper, then only mentally."
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As you go deeper past your subconscious, you begin to experience a sense of peace and your affirmation goes deeper into the super conscious realm and subsequently influences your conscious desire and leads to the actualisation of your dreams.
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Refrain from running through the affirmations mechanically but state them with determination, devotion and clarity of purpose. The best time for affirmations is in the morning immediately after waking or just before bedtime. Affirmations should be used in alignment with our highest goals and purposes and for the highest good of all things. While a strong sense of self and "I" are big confidence boosters, one must realise that for affirmations to translate into reality, a strong anchorage in the higher self is an absolute must. While psychology plays a part ultimately, it's really about the power of consciousness over the body and mind.
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"IT MAY SOUND PHILOSOPHICAL BUT WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE, IT CAN TRULY ACHIEVE..."
