Inner Fitness

When we talk about inner fitness, it is not about any fitness regime concerned with health, we are concerned with inside calmness and inner stability, I believe that if this aspect of inner fitness is there health automatically follows. We have to make this inner stability, this peace as an integral part of our personality. This is from where the true leadership also begins.

The concept of inner fitness is directly related with spirituality and spirituality plays an important role in enhancing our professional lives. The real bottom line in business is spiritual and personal growth. As the business world becomes more complex and demanding, there is a need for a stronger foundation on which to build a professional life, job, or career. Principles that influence the quality of passionate work; how to absorb them into daily practice? Spiritual/ inner fitness increases energy, reduces absenteeism, improve sleep and mental outlook and overall health.

We live with so many wrong beliefs all of our lives, one of such beliefs I was living with was: "peaceful are those, who are weak, who are powerless. If I am calm and peaceful people will walk over me”. But this is not true it is a wrong belief, rather peace is actually for strong people, inner peace itself gives a lot of power, and rather anger depicts loss of power. In a leadership position one has to know the difference between assertiveness and submissiveness. Assertiveness indicates inner stability and putting your point straight forward, where as submissiveness creates turmoil inside and is represented with anger or fear outside. Fear paralyzes and one can not find the right solution.

There should be times when we should choose to be quiet because there is no benefit in getting angry at that situation. And if there is any task to be done, the request should be clear and straight forward. When we chose to be quiet, we shall be stable inside and can listen to the whole situation in a way finding, and solving the issue rather than messing it up further.

Now there is another wrong belief which most of us live with: “If I am quiet- I lost!” Question is what do I want to win? What is winning and losing? In the game of life we are all together we are not competing. If we have to loose something we have to loose our anger and fear; our jealousy and proud. Our life is our own choice- what we want? Then I win. I win over the illusion that life is not a race or a competition. My journey is my own, on this road of life, I am driving my own vehicle.

How do we as individuals and organizations survive and thrive amid tremendous change and transition? The key to dealing with transitions is having a changeless, principle-centered core. Learn to see change as a challenge, not as a threat. During a challenge we should learn how to develop our internal compass and use it as a source of security, guidance, wisdom and power.

Internal compass or inner fitness can be developed by following simple steps, number one is to let go of suffering, mental noise and anxiety. We miss so much when our minds are cluttered with events of the past and anticipation of the future. The energy we give to things that are not part of the present is wasted and blocks us from seeing and experiencing what is right in front of us.

When we have inner stability we can create the life we want not how others dictate or want our life to be. It is a life free from anxiety, disturbance and irritation. The right thoughts will create the right words, right words will create the right actions, and right actions will create the right harmony in our life. With right thoughts, actions and behavior we are creating a peaceful, content and happy life. Let us take out time to feel the love and support which already exists around us. Listen for the still, small voice within and be open and receptive to the answers we seek. Then the path we travel shall be filled with the fragrant sweet smell of roses.

Our peace and inner stability is checked the moment somebody shouts at us! Or the moment a challenging situation arises? How do we react at that time is the true test of all the lessons learnt, that is the true test on the scale of spirituality where we stand. In the small, small situations we face daily! Normally we shout – to attract attention, but if we show and have acceptance towards others, then why to waste our valuable energy in getting angry?

Step on the path of knowing thy SELF and we will reach greater heights of success, creativity and joy; feeling more spiritually radiant. I have heard that happiness resides within us and have believed it. I must say profound, to experience our true happiness and to find the place within us it radiates from, has nothing to do with people, places, or conditions in the external world.

When we see, and admit, our essential powerlessness to provide for ourselves what we believe can make us happy. This is a necessary stage in our spiritual development: to realize we don't have a clue how to help ourselves become whole. This discovery alone makes it possible for us to learn real patience and inner calmness.

Relationship Engineering

From childhood till death, we are on this theater/ stage of the world busy playing, building and maintaining relationships. Undoubtedly relationships are the most important science on this earth, and if we can master this art, definitely we shall have a life full of progress and happiness. Seeing the intricacies involved, I am giving it the terminology of “Relationship Engineering”.

Relationships give us the biggest platform to learn the lessons of life and about our being here; if one is facing issues with any relationship in life simply means to improve and transform one’s own self, let’s work on our own self and our relationships shall be better.

Relationship is the exchange of energy between two individuals. Now we have to check what kind of energy is exchanged, is it positive or negative? With whatever thought we have in our mind, it shall trigger either positivity or negativity in others. The highest source of positive energy is good wishes for others. Each soul we come in contact, if inside we are wishing good about them, it shall trigger positivity. Here integrity of thoughts is really important, means inside and outside it should be the same. Many times inside we are thinking wrong about the other person, while the words are saying something else. In this case only negative transmission is happening, so do not expect positive results, with these kinds of thoughts internally.

The other highest source of positive energy is trust in others, when we have trust in the other person; the energy transmitted gives confidence to others, triggers the creativity in them. The third source of positive energy is respect to the other person. Even if you are giving instructions to the other person, it should not be through your power, rather to empower the other individual.

Now the case comes, when the other person commits a mistake; don’t withdraw the respect, rather he/she needs more support at this time, if we withdraw the respect or disempower the other person at this time, we shall never achieve the desired results as well. And always remember respect is for the soul and not for the job!!

We attend lot of seminars, conferences etc, on art of living, anger management etc….etc… come out of them, for few days, our words, behavior is good, then after that we are back to our individual self. Why does this happen? Because we are working on the surface level, for a temporary change, we are trying to replace the leaves of the tree to make it better, it shall not work, we have to work at the seed and the roots level, and roots and seed are the thoughts, unless we change and work at our thoughts level rest all is very superficial.

We got to have love, compassion and respect unconditionally for each soul we come in contact with, irrespective of their shortcomings. As this is not their fault, their own battery is so discharged; they are unable to view the situations and others in the right perspective. Today we all know that every day we have to charge our mobile, laptop, cameras and all such other important gadgets. But unfortunately we don’t know how to charge such an important gadget our own human body? This is only possible if we spend 15 minutes of undisturbed time with our selves generating only positive thoughts. First of all do we have even 15 minutes for our self in peace, undisturbed? Secondly even if we are able to get 15 minutes, do we know how to quiet our mind and generate positive thoughts??

Another issue which I would like to touch upon here is how to work with people with ‘anger aura’, who are like touch me not? First of all look at the them also as someone who’s own energy is depleted, he is also living in fear and insecurity. And to hide those emotions, he is always in that anger aura. To deal with such people can be very difficult, but if your own battery is charged, you can deal with love and compassion towards such souls, healing and forgiving them all the while.

And on the other side a leader should realize the difference between fear and respect. At times a leader thinks that to get respect from otters, he has to maintain his touch me not, anger aura status, but respect should come from love and not from fear. Leader is the one whom everyone should feel like meeting, discussing and sharing, rather than going away, scared away because of fear. If there shall be a good bonding in the leader and his subordinates, then only there shall be good following of the instructions.

Another challenge which we commonly face in the office is gossip/ spreading rumors about each other. Realize that it is out of fear and insecurity, the other soul is behaving like that. If I am also fearful then I need to prove otherwise, let’s have compassion towards them, their own batteries are discharged. No body’s wrong, by nature they are also loving and peaceful, right now their vision is blurred. Fill your mind with positive thoughts about them and see the difference in their behavior. Always remember your thought leads to your destiny, you are your own master. Check your thoughts; are they towards internal progression or regression? Check and do what is right for you.

We have to charge our own battery, so that we can see the soul in the others, qualities of others, have faith in others. When we are at peace, love and power with our own self then only we shall be able to transmit love and peaceful energy to others, empowering them and developing healthy relationships.

Peace Amidst Confusion

In times of crisis, when our challenges/ trials look larger than life itself, every individual has a choice as to what his or her personal reaction will be.

Thoughtful person, shall go for the hidden meaning and learning from the trails, attain a sense of personal peace amidst the confusion of the world around and move on.

Person, with proper sense of time, can bring the difficulties of the day into their proper proportion. No matter how great its magnitude is, no crisis can over whelm the spirit of a person whose inner eye is fixed on the everlasting God, one who has the inner sense of God’s power. The difficulties of the day must be labored upon, with our mind, will and strength. But behind them and beyond them there is God, who is working out His purpose in his own way and to His own glory. Which we may not understand at the given point of time, in relevance to given context, but He is the master painter and He is the one who knows the complete picture, we are viewing it in parts, bits and pieces. At the end of the journey, when all the pieces can be combined, we would love the creation of this master Painter, if we actually let him paint our life.

If you live intimidated by circumstances or people, then you need to come to terms with your lack of peace. God is bigger than any person or situation. Develop a relationship with Him, he is always available for guidance, we got to look up to Him for assistance, we need to hold His hand, giving our finger to Him, so that He can create something wonderful of our life.

‘Peace’ is the ability to wait patiently in spite of panic brought on by uncertainty. But if you cast everything on Him – Everything! And that includes unfulfilled dreams………unpleasant circumstances……. and an uncertain future, you can be peaceful. As that is the origin and end of those emotions, which you carry with yourself, it’s just an additional baggage, which is difficult to carry. It is emotional garbage which is using lot of important space of your hard disc (brain). Once you delete this, there is so much of empty space available where you can create anything new you want.

We may hold any position at work, work with anyone, anywhere or any part of the world. God wants to use us as His own “clerk”, in order to bring peace to someone else’s life. He simply wants us to be available for this work only in whatever we are doing. And that is how ultimately peace comes to one’s own life. Let’s hope and wish that we should be a part of His work for peace and not add ourselves any chaos and confusion to His peaceful world, by any of our actions.