Improving Sales - Learning To Fly

The moment when nothing seems to go our way, and no matter what we do, we can't seem to make the numbers budge. We want to improve sales, but it's just not happening. The truth is, we've  all been there, and sometimes it can feel like eternity before we get out of it. It is only during this time, we should keep our hope and faith intact.

Since I am talking here about keeping our hope and faith with us, it is almost like, learning to fly, let us not forget the king of the air- Eagle, and if we have to learn to fly let us take the lessons from the eagle only. As we learn to trust God we are called to live beyond the obvious, beyond our human perspective and limitations. How this compares with the flight of the eagle we will discover soon. First lets try to learn a little more about the eagle. An eagle can grow to be over three feet tall and have a wingspan of 6-7 feet. It builds its nest high in the mountain. The nest is a sizable construction which can weigh over 1000 pounds. It would be big enough for a human being to lay in it.

Before the female eagle lays its eggs the eagle couple makes sure that the nest is prepared with care, is strong, secure, and has the maximum of comfort, when finally the brood of eaglets hatches the eagle parents are ready to provide everything needed for their little offspring. They watch day and night and feed them with timely precision. The routine for the eaglets is rather simple at first: sleep, open the beak to be fed, and sleep again. Life couldn’t be better. After weeks of sleeping and eating in the cozy nest, the eaglet must learn the first lesson, namely to stand on its feet.

Actually they are forced to get up. At one point mother eagle takes out of the nest all the comfort, the plumage and brings little branches and thorns instead. She even shakes the nest and forces those eaglets to stand up. It is very important that the muscles of the eaglet’s feet develop early. The eagle’s claws are very essential for its survival and need to be powerful. The next step in this learning process is an even greater surprise for these little, but growing, bundles of feathers. The eaglets need to learn how to fly.

This process now includes not only discomfort but even harshness and shock therapy. Mama eagle suddenly grabs one of her brood and soars to great heights. There she releases the eaglet on a horrendous free-fall. First paralyzed by fear the little ball of feathers goes down like a stone and would certainly dash against the rocks if father eagle wouldn’t be there flying underneath to provide a save landing on his powerful wings. Then he carries the eaglet back to the nest. Those who have studied closely the life of the eagles say that this exercise is repeated up to sixteen times until the little eagle realizes that it is created to fly and learns to use its own wings. Eaglets have no other option. They must learn how to fly.

What a tremendous spiritual lesson! Similarly God our eternal father uses in our life the discomfort and even the horrors of being thrown out of our nest and security in order to teach us to trust Him and to use our wings.

God is interested that his children learn to believe, to soar on the current of His Spirit. We can remember personally times of crisis in our life when God takes away all our securities and we feel like being on a free-fall and frankly crying in despair. Praise God that, as father eagle He is watchful, when mama eagle lets go of the little eaglet father eagle picks it up before it dashes against the rocks, similarly God comes to our rescue. God is faithful and carries us through out-most difficult times.

It is comforting to know that the shock the eaglets go through when they suddenly find themselves on a free-fall from a couple of thousand of feet is only part of the process for them to grow up.

We seem to have a choice to just stay in the comfort zone of the nest, avoiding growing up, instead of accepting God’s flying lessons. But if we desire to grow spiritually, God answers our prayers and treats us like the eagle. His purpose is not to make us feel good or comfortable, rather to make us grow and know Him better.

This truly means that our difficulties and even trials and tribulations are not necessarily something to fear and shy away from, but rather to accept as opportunities to develop trust? Yes, this is exactly right. Let us consider it pure joy, whenever we face trials of any kinds, because the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The key for someone to be able to have the right attitude and focus in such a situation is his/her trust in God’s wise and loving intention. It is this trust, or faith, that will enable the believer to experience God’s faithfulness and to learn to live by His power in the realm of the supernatural. Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. They would be the one who would know how to fly in the difficult times.

Manifest Positive Thoughts

Many times when we think now we have become very learned and experienced after gaining so much knowledge, we start judging our present with the past experience of ours. Wearing those glasses, whatever we perceive, we think is right and best option for that situation, while we completely ignore the other possibilities which can be generated by some one else in the same situation, who would not judge the situation with our experienced parameters or glasses. We operate in the limited capacity of past experiences, knowledge of what has been. If we really want to feel as though our potential is limitless, which it is, move out of the limited past and get in touch with the Authentic self, which has solutions for any situation at the present moment. One feels less resistance, and more freedom.

Living in the Now allows us to believe in the limitless possibilities of our achievements. When we let the fear, disappointment, or negative experiences we've had in the past live in our conscious minds, we resist the abundance that we can access at any time. We have two choices when we experience disappointment: we can choose to adopt a state of struggle and victim hood, or we can release the negative emotions related to the experience and create a different future with our intentions and our focus.

It has been said that our greatest victory comes not in ever falling, but in rising each time we fall. If we don't consciously choose to release our past experiences then we end up manifesting similar experiences over and over.

We are all beings of energy, and the Universe is made up of energy packets, we are connected and our thoughts and actions create a ripple effect. It all contributes to the collective consciousness. Discover exactly HOW to create a human experience that truly reflects the divinely abundant nature of our Soul! Maybe we need to do some minor tuning to find the right frequency. The energy we send into the Universe finds a similar channel and plugs into it, like a radio receiver. To find the right channel or frequency, we have to put off vibrations that match the vibrations of our true desires.

One way to get rid of the static and find the channel we want is thinking and feeling high energy emotions like gratitude, abundance, joy. The high energy vibrations automatically plug into a frequency of the same energy level, and we begin to manifest, create, and enjoy the high energy experiences we are now able to receive.

Our past rich experience should be used to make progress in life, leading happier and more prosperous life, and in case it creates doubts or comes in the way of our happiness and progress, then we really need to stop and check. This is a very deep spiritual question related to how we interpret our experiences and how we take life's challenges and transform them into blessings. I believe this is the true meaning of alchemy; instead of turning lead into gold, however, we're turning so-called negatives into positives.

Thinking positively is simply a matter of looking for blessings and finding them, even when they're in disguise. If we pretend to be a "positive person" whether we feel positive or not, eventually, we will become a positive person. The more we can express gratitude for life, God and the people we meet, the more gratitude will become a part of our nature, and gratitude is the emotion of the highest vibration. It is synonymous with "pure, positive energy."

In every recession or depression or messed up state of affairs, while the majority is struggling and floundering, there are some who prosper. These are the positively focused individuals who are always on a hunt for blessings in disguise. It applies not only to business and economics, but to every aspect of our lives: where there is a problem, there is an opportunity. Instead of being a "problem-solver" (which is exhausting), study those people, and become an opportunity finder/creator.

Thought is the most powerful influence in our life. Life is thought, and as a man thinks, so he becomes." When we watch our thoughts closely we can see that we are making things happen. Choose happiness and love and we cannot go wrong! It is very simple, whenever encountered with a negative thought, instead of trying to fight it, simply "turn on the light," and it will vanish. Shadows can't exist in the presence of light. It means show it the truth, peace and happiness, replace the lines with more positive words.

Our attitude will not change overnight. We will have to learn to read a lot about positive thinking type books and be persistent to change how we think. Remember the ways we think did not just happen; we were conditioned to this way of thinking. We were not born with a bad attitude and self defeating thoughts.

Manifesting is the development of our souls and into a divine being which we were all born to be able to do. It is our birthright. When we were children we would daydream about whatever we wanted in our lives. As time went on we were told by our parents or society that we can not do this or that and we began to believe this and it is now a reality. We need to learn and teach ourselves how to manifest our lives all over again just like a child would daydream. This is done through positive thinking, faith and a great attitude about our life.

Like every day is fresh day, we should create fresh thoughts for these new situations, thoughts from the past are stale, they cannot bring new, fresh and better results, see good in every situation and create a better future by manifesting the right positive thoughts in the present. Combining inspired action with right thoughts allows us to make miracles happen. Happy Manifesting!

Bhutan - Real Estate n Nature

A visit to Bhutan feels like a visit to the abode of Gods; the majesty and grandeur of the natural surroundings eludes one to a special environment where communion with the divine is possible through contemplation, connection and meditation. One gets irresistibly drawn towards these remote and rugged Himalayan Mountains in a personal search for wisdom, inspiration, solitude and happiness.

Bhutan tucked in the Eastern Himalayas, has preserved and still richly intact, its traditional lifestyle. Rather the modern secular life is being influenced and permeated with the traditional cultural life style.

Gross National Happiness (GNH)has been the overarching development philosophy of Bhutan as the concept has guided the country’s development policies and programmes. GNH suggests that happiness is the ultimate objective of development. It recognizes that there are many dimensions to development other than those associated with Gross National Product (GNP), and that development needs to be understood as a process that seeks to maximize happiness rather than purely economic growth.

The country believes that for a holistic development of the individual and society, it is essential that development achieve a sustainable balance between the economic, social, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs of the people. This has led to the declared objective of viewing development as a continuous process towards achieving a balance between the material and intangible needs of individuals and society.

The concept reminds the country that the means must always be considered in terms of the end and, therefore, every step in material development and change must be measured and evaluated to ensure that it will lead to happiness, not just more development.

The four major areas as the main pillars of GNH:
1. Economic growth and development.
2. Preservation and promotion of cultural heritage.
3. Preservation and sustainable use of the environment.
4. And Good governance

Guided by the ideas of Gross National Happiness (GNH), Bhutan has been making steady progress in every sector toward the goal of modernization. Hydroelectric power, economically the most signification sector for Bhutan’s goal of self-sustaining development, has grown impressively. The education, social services and health sector have made great strides forward and continue to be the most important social components of the country’s development programme. The government‘s fiscal situation has been improving steadily. Progress has been made in the development of human resource and the legal infrastructure.

Bhutan the land of thunder dragon, nestled between India and Tibet, the exquisite mountain kingdom has been isolated and protected for centuries by mighty Himalayan peaks, with daily life rituals remaining sacred and the landscape is relatively undeveloped.

Tradition and Buddhism infuse every facet of life, from jingling brass bells of prayer wheels to ornate monasteries perched high above terraced rice paddies. Change is coming to Bhutan, but the country isn’t blindly adopting modern western culture. After all, Bhutan still defines prosperity by Gross National Happiness, measuring well being rather than consumption. This trip to Bhutan, provided a unique opportunity to see how the Bhutanese balance development and tradition, and it was enhanced by experienced local guides who proudly share their country’s culture with us. One finds something akin to Bhutan's wonders in the beauty of remote monasteries and in interactions with Bhutanese people.

Christmas - A Possibility

It's the same time of year again; December has come and with it has brought all the joys of Christmas. The Christmas celebration is associated with different traditions but what is the real meaning of Christmas? I have tried to explore it a bit.

It is a symbol of the togetherness and also for expressing good will to others. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. It can be a time of healing and renewed strength. It is a time to express gratitude, are we generous with the gifts that have been given to us, seeing ourselves as their stewards and not their owners? Not only cleaning and lighting the corners of our house but also cleaning and lighting deep, dark corners of our hearts. To wake up and realize the gifts of love we have received, waking up to the subconscious and spiritual depths of ourselves.

Christ and his presence among us—as one of us—give us reason to live in hope: that light will shatter the darkness, that we can be liberated from our fears and prejudices, that we are never alone or abandoned.

This Christmas let us clean out our system and follow few new realms of possibility:

• Tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences.
• Ability to enjoy each moment.
• Loss of interest in judging other people.
• Loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
• Loss of interest in conflict.
• Loss of the ability to worry.
• Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
• Frequent attacks of smiling.
• An increased susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Sharing some of the beautiful pictures of Christmas, and wishing you all a Blessed Christmas.

Birthday Celebrations

After celebrating my birthday this month it led me to think about birthdays in general. Why do we celebrate our birthdays?

Birthdays are days of joy and happiness everywhere. Nowadays they are becoming more and more occasions for merely outer celebrations and parties, which often externalize and lower the consciousness. On the other hand they can play an important role in one's inner growth.

A birthday is a time to celebrate birth itself, the joy of life. It is also an occasion to rethink about life: How great is the disparity between what I have accomplished and what I can accomplish? Am I spending my time properly or am I involved in things that distract me from my higher calling? How can I strengthen the thread that connects my outer life and my inner life? To recall our birth is to recall a new beginning. No matter how things went yesterday, or last year, we always have the capacity to try again. Our birthday is a refresher, a chance for regeneration--not just materially, but spiritually.

The spiritual eyesight improves as the physical eyesight declines. – Plato. Although today parents and schools are ensuring to include spiritual education as a part of early education to small kids. 

Every birthday is a milestone in an individual's life. It not only signifies a year of our life that has gone by, but also celebrates maturity, growth and all the achievements in the past year.

One should thank God for gifting us with the precious “human life”.
Today is the day, for whatever we are here only because of this day and that‘s today (Birthday).
Today is the day when we began our journey of life, let's pray God to give us decades of such fabulous days of today.

Today is the day of celebration, day of joy, day of desiring to make life better and better to value the precious gift given by God.

What is the meaning of one's birthday, apart from its commemorative character? How can one take advantage of this occasion? "Because of the rhythm of the universal forces, a person is supposed to have a special receptivity on his/her birthday each year. He can therefore take advantage of this receptivity by making good resolutions and fresh progress on the path of his integral development."

Let this day of our birth be an occasion to give our self a little more, a little better to the Divine. Let our consecration be more total, our devotion more ardent, and our aspiration more intense. Open our self to the New Light and walk with a joyful step on the path to self realization.

What is the deeper true significance of Birthdays? Let us try and throw an entirely new light on this subject. I hope this will help us in spending the Birthdays, in the right way and taking advantage of the occasions for making a special progress.



"It is truly a special day in one's life. It is one of those days in the year when the Supreme descends into us - or when we are face to face with the Eternal - one of those days when our soul comes in contact with the Eternal and, if we remain a little conscious, we can feel His Presence within us.

If we make a little effort on this day, we accomplish the work of many lives as in a lightning flash. It is indeed a very very special day, for it is the day of decision, the day one can unite with the Supreme Consciousness.

For the Lord lifts us on this day to the highest region possible so that our soul, which is a portion of that Eternal Flame, may be united and identified with its Origin.

This day is truly an opportunity in life…It is one of those days when the Lord Himself opens the doors wide for us. It is as though He were inviting us to rekindle more powerfully the flame of aspiration. It is one of those days which He gives us. And this - this is a real chance in life - the day of the Grace."

On our Birthdays, we feel very happy to receive gifts. But there is one major gift that we receive every year that most people forget about. And that is the gift of life. God has given each of us the gift of life! It is very easy to forget that. We become so involved with our trials and tribulations that we forget who we are and why we are here. Our birthdays are a celebration of the gift of life, given to us by the Universal Spirit. It is a time to reflect on who we are, what we have been given and what we plan to achieve. It is a time to be grateful to God for our very existence. Thank you, God!

Happy Birthday!

We must add one more positive quality to ourselves. That will give us greater happiness than any other celebration. Let us decide to add one good quality to us on our birthday and let us celebrate it.

Navratri - A significance

The whole of India is immersed in the devotional fervor of Durga Puja. What better way to begin this series than by dwelling on the spiritual significance of the Navaratri celebrations?

The demon Mahishasura represents symbolically, the vast dense mass of darkness and ignorance, puffed up with egoism and arrogance. Similarly, the other demonic forces present in the human mind are symbols of passion, anger, self-conceit and self-deprecation, impediments to spiritual growth. There is a continuous long drawn and fierce struggle that goes on within every soul between these hostile forces and the divine powers, and then there is ultimate victory of Knowledge over Ignorance.

The Navaratri is not observed merely to celebrate the destruction of mythical demons like Mahisasura by different manifestations of the Devi such as Maha Kali/ Durga, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati. Though the Goddess is one, She is represented and worshipped in three different aspects. When it is understood in the above perspective, it stands out as a practical manual describing the various obstacles an aspirant faces in our quest for Supreme Knowledge and how these obstacles can be overcome by invoking the help of the spiritual shakti/energy latent in us. Therefore, the Navaratri celebrations are of great spiritual value, not just an occasion for social gatherings.

Navratri symbolically represents the victory of good over evil – Goddess Durga slaying Demon Mahishasura and Lord Rama killing Ravana. This same struggle is constantly taking place in human hearts. Like Mahishasura, the human mind armed with ego, anger, greed, lust and envy negate the supreme force. The nine-day Navratri fast slowly annihilates the Mahishasura in us and help us to realize us that we are part of Brahman – the supreme spirit present in all animate and inanimate.

When a person gradually gains victory over evil tendencies, there is a void or emptiness. If left empty, the new found victory over evil tendencies will be lost soon. Therefore, this void should be filled with spiritual wealth. For this a devotee approaches Goddess Lakshmi, who provides all kinds of wealth. But what is real wealth? Even if we have material wealth but no self-discipline or self-control, nor the values of love, kindness, respect and sincerity, all our material wealth will be lost or destroyed. The real wealth is the inner wealth of spiritual values that we practice in our lives, by which our minds become purified. Only when we have these noble values will we be able to preserve our material wealth and make good use of it. Otherwise money itself becomes a problem.

Goddess Lakshmi should not be merely understood as goddess of wealth or gold or money. She represents– prosperity, peace, purity and serenity. For knowledge to dawn within us, we have to prepare our minds. The mind must be pure, concentrated, and single-pointed; this purification of the mind is obtained through the worship of Lakshmi Devi.

Our wealth of virtues is our true Lakshmi. As described in shastras the six forms of wealth (calmness of mind, self-control, self-withdrawal, forbearance, faith and single-point approach) that are to be cultivated to attain wisdom. These virtues are important because our goal is victory over the mind - a victory such that we do not get disturbed by every change that takes place in our lives. This victory comes only when the mind is prepared, and this mental preparation is the symbolism of the Lakshmi Puja.

But still the true knowledge is elusive - an individual has not attained true knowledge. This is because we feel Goddess Durga and Goddess Lakshmi is outside and not within. Goddess Durga and Goddess Lakshmi remain supernatural forces. This is ignorance. The supreme wisdom is still lacking. Goddess Saraswati is worshiped to gain this supreme wisdom. Victory over the mind can be gained only through knowledge, through understanding; and it is Goddess Saraswati who represents this highest knowledge of the Self.

The following tenth day is called Vijayadasami. Vijaya means "victory", the victory over our own minds that can come only when we have worshiped these three: Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Finally, on the tenth day the supreme wisdom dawns in a devotee. He/She realizes that Goddess Durga,Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Saraswathi are nothing but the supreme power manifested in different ways. Then the person moves a step ahead, and realizes the ultimate truth that he/she is nothing but part of Brahman and that life is a continuity.

Scientific and spiritual truths of Navaratri:
Both the Vasantik and Sharadiya Navaratris fall in the twilight period between two natural seasons. The scientific reason for this is that during the twilight period, when one season ends and the next one begins, the position of the planets and atmosphere are both very conducive for the spiritual progress of human beings. Due to the change in seasons, the chemical compositions in the human body also change. Therefore, it is most beneficial to do various spiritual observances during this time.

Thus, at Navaratri, Goddess Durga is invoked first to remove impurities from the mind. The Goddess Lakshmi is invoked to cultivate the noble values and qualities. Finally, Goddess Saraswati is invoked for gaining the highest knowledge of the Self. This is the significance of the three sets of three nights, when all these three are gained subjectively, then there is Vijayadasami, the day of true victory!
The theme of the entire Vedas is reflected in the Navaratri festival: Purify the mind and remove all negativity; cultivate positive virtues; gain spiritual knowledge and transcend limitations. This is the real victory - the dance of joy - ritualistically performed at night, to signify our spiritual awakening.

Ganesha Chaturthi- An Insight

One may install idols and worship them. But let us remember the inner significance of all worship. All external activities are necessary only to help us to get into the spirit of non-duality. Love and sacrifice are very important. Where there is pure, unsullied, selfless, sacred and sublime love there is no fear at all. Giving and not getting is the underlying principle of spiritual dedication.

On these festival days, let’s remember that God is one, and all religions uphold the same principle of "One God, who is omnipresent." One should not have contempt for any religion, as each is a pathway to God. Fostering love towards our fellow-beings, receive the noble love of the Divine. This is the goal of life.

Ganapathi should be worshiped for this purpose because he is the master of the senses and only the mastery of the senses can make man turn his mind God-ward. If we want to lead a life of happiness, free from troubles and difficulties, one should pray to Ganapathi, the remover of all obstacles. Vighneshvara (Ganesha) dwells in each one of us as our Buddhi (intelligence) and Vijnaana (wisdom). When we make proper use of our inherent intelligence and wisdom, we shall be successful in life.

The Ganesha story brings home an original message: that we must all do our own deeds out of inclination in our own world, and for our own reasons. Also, we must firmly hold to our own centre. Reason: it’s only when devotion is observed without any ulterior motive can we purify our mind and receive God’s – Grace.

The portrayal of Lord Ganesha as the blend of human and animal parts symbolizes the ideals of perfection and this form of Ganesha also symbolizes philosophical concepts of profound spiritual significance. A Ganesha idol – an indispensable element of every home – depicts a human being having in one’s persona the entire Cosmos, with all its spiritual energies and authority.

Ganesha’s head symbolizes the Atman [soul] -- the ultimate, or the supreme, reality of human existence. His human body signifies maya, or illusion – the earthly existence of human beings.

Elephant head, small mouth, and large ears: the large head of an elephant symbolizes to think BIG, --understanding, and a discriminating intellect that one must possess to attain perfection in life. The small mouth represents to talk less. The large ears signify that a perfect person is the one who possesses a great capacity to listen to others and assimilate ideas. To hear even minute sounds, hearing the glory of the Lord- is the first step in spiritual dedication for which ears should be sharp. After hearing one has to ruminate over this and put it into practice. The elephant takes the Dhuushana and Bhuushana (praise and blame) equally. When it hears something bad, it moves its body this way and that way and shakes off the unwanted things while it retains goods things quietly.

Elephant eyes: are said to possess natural deceptiveness that allows them to perceive objects to be bigger than what they really are. Thus the elephant eyes symbolize the idea that even if an individual gets "bigger and bigger" in wealth and wisdom, he should perceive others to be bigger than him; that is, surrender one's pride and attain humility. 

The trunk and two tusks with the left tusk broken: the trunk epitomizes Om – the sound emblem of cosmic reality. There is no known human instrument that has an operating range as wide as that of an elephant's trunk. It can uproot a tree and yet lift a needle off the ground. Likewise, the human mind must be strong enough to face the ups and downs of the external world and yet delicate enough to explore the subtle realms of the inner world. The sweets He holds in His trunk indicate that one must discover the everlasting sweetness of the eternal Atman.

The two tusks denote the two aspects of the human personality, wisdom and emotion. The right tusk represents wisdom and the left tusk represents emotion. The broken left tusk conveys the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection.

The four arms and various objects in the four hands: the four arms indicate that the Lord is omnipresent and omnipotent. The left side of the body symbolizes emotion and the right side symbolizes reason. An axe in the upper left hand and a lotus in the upper right hand signify that in order to attain spiritual perfection, one should cut worldly attachments and conquer emotions. This enables one to live in the world without being affected by earthly temptations, just as a lotus remains in water but is not affected by it.

A human body with a big belly: the human body possesses a human heart, which is a symbol of kindness and compassion toward all. Ganesha's body is usually portrayed wearing red and yellow clothes. Yellow symbolizes purity, peace and truthfulness. Red symbolizes the activity in the world. These are the qualities of a perfect person who performs all duties in the world, with purity, peace, and truthfulness. The big belly signifies that a perfect individual must have a large capacity to peacefully digest all good and bad in life.

A mouse sitting near the feet of Ganesha and gazing at the tray of Laddus: a mouse symbolizes the ego/ desire that can nibble all that is good and noble in a person. A mouse sitting near the feet of Ganesha indicates that a perfect person is one who has conquered his (or her) ego/desire. Mouse as the vehicle indicates that one should ride and keep the ego/desire under control and don’t allow it to take you for a ride.

Right foot dangling over the left foot: as stated above, the left side of the body symbolizes emotion and the right side symbolizes reason and knowledge. The right foot dangling over the left foot illustrates that in order to live a successful life one should utilize knowledge and reason to overcome emotions.

Let us celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi realizing the inner meaning of the aspects of Lord Ganesha. Let us do away with the binding worldly attachments by freeing ourselves from the illusion of discrimination and vanquish the ego by surrendering to the Lord who promises protection and attain the sweetness of bliss of spiritual enlightenment.

Cutting Edge- Ingredients of Success

We have the power to create a perfect job for ourselves only when we use our choice for how we approach our work. We can make our personal and work life more fun, more creative, imaginative and rewarding, by just a little extra effort. There are ingredients of success that work for each one of us regardless of what business one is in or what kind of person he/she is. There's a certain magic in the ability to command and control the forces of life—to bring wave of dreams into reality, doing work as a form of self-expression, as a medium of joy and self-satisfaction, as an instrument of growth.

This redefinition of work from tedious drudgery into the purpose of life, or at any rate integral to it, is a paradigm shift of impressive proportions. Work is no longer separate from us; it is an important part of us. It is no longer the means to an end; it is an end in itself. Money, financial security, power, fame, and prestige shall cease to be the goal of work, they shall become it’s by products.

One can make life rich, multi-hued and dynamic, where work and self are intimately intertwined. Work derives form that we are, and in turn, it impacts on who we are. Draw strokes on society's palette that is strong, unique, and positive. In realizing perfect work, we are actually realizing ourselves.

Happiness happens when we fit with our life. When we fit so harmoniously that whatever we are doing is our joy. In other words, one should choose to enjoy the work. Being happy comes from the way we think at our very core – and that thinking shapes the work we do. Not the other way around.

Learning starts with knowing our own self. Socrates said “Know thyself” for a good reason. Feeling inadequate is stressful, but knowing we have unique gifts to contribute to the world of work provides immense satisfaction. The more one knows about the strengths, more one creates the work life of enjoyment. Let us identify our strengths so that we can redesign our job as such it becomes more meaningful and fulfilling because it capitalizes on our strengths. One understands his life’s purpose and defines himself as who he is, rather than what he does. Knowing life’s purpose allows creating a passionate work life that feels more like play than work. Expressing true self escalates self- esteem.

One should be honest to admit strengths and weaknesses. Know where to improve and do not waste time neglecting the weak aspects of personality. Instead, work at it so that they will be well-rounded to be able to adapt to different situations. When our life moves toward the direction of our focus, we receive the richest rewards when we support our strengths rather than warring against our weaknesses. When we concentrate on our most valuable talents and contributions, seen and unseen resources help us accomplish our purpose.

The key here is one is always blessed with and has that personal power within to create a meaningful, joyful and fulfilling work environment- you are the creator. You are yourself the miracle, whom you are searching and seeking for last so many years of your life. A fulfilling life doesn’t create a happy individual. A happy individual creates a fulfilling life- the cutting edge to succeed is always with you, just use it and succeed.

Irrespective of what others might have told, our personality is as flexible as that of a newborn baby. With self- awareness and clear intentions, one can reconfigure the brain as many times and in as many ways and shapes the soft clay can be molded. One has the ability and choice as to how does one respond and perceive any situation. One always has the power to mold the attitude and respond in ways that are winning.

One can anytime reprogram the neural network of the brain by carving new pathways of joy and intelligent optimism. When faced with an unpleasant situation, which cannot be altered, embrace the challenge with the curiosity of a small child- “I wonder what I shall learn this time”. Solving situations is exciting because the process would eventually produce personal and professional growth. One has to focus on how to be productive and identify what can be enjoyed in the present moment.

When we have the power to change our self, we have the power to change the world around us. With this knowledge one is free. Notice the mirror effect in action, whatever image and energy we project in it, it comes back to us multifold. When we radiate a calm accepting presence we are immediately rewarded with the kind supportive, external environment.

We are the sole commander of our attitude, emotional state, and how we react to challenges. Employees who are peaceful and fulfilled recognize that most challenges can be resolved by shifting perceptions. It is impossible for any situation to trouble us. Only our opinions of circumstances cause despair, anger and agony.

Inner turmoil is never caused by what exists. It is brought about by the desire for something different, and we resist and do not accept the reality. Pain is created by resistance to what exists. Identifying our preferences yet being detached from a specific outcome produces a profoundly beneficial state of mind, the mind is our private inner sanctuary of freedom and peace. Recognize that unpleasant situations are opportunities for growth. When we change our perceptions then the world rewards with a very different reality.

If we are to enjoy our jobs and reach our highest levels of self- actualization, it is essential that we encounter every situation as a possibility of growth and development.

Spirituality At Workplace

We all are facing numerous personal and business challenges today, much because we are unable to find the meaning in our job/ work and life as a whole. Our job/ work play a significant role in our lives and it is important that we find fulfillment in what we do. Work is as much about spirit and soul as it is about salary.

Work spirituality has become a significant aspect of organizational culture in most of the business organizations today. The values of spirituality greatly enhance the sense of accomplishment in an individual, which impacts on the overall productivity and growth of the organizations. Regardless of what type of job one has and how unfulfilling it might be, one should take steps to make his/her job “more lovable.” Let us discover the steps to achieve spirituality at work place.

At the individual level, spirituality at work is a distinct, multidimensional experience characterized by cognitive, spiritual, interpersonal, and mystical dimensions. Spirit at work involves:
Engaging work characterized by a profound feeling of well-being, a belief that one is engaged in meaningful work that has a higher purpose, an awareness of alignment between one's values and beliefs and one's work, and a sense of being authentic;

A spiritual connection characterized by a sense of connection to something larger than self;

A sense of community characterized by a feeling of connectedness to others for a common purpose; and

A mystical or unitized experience characterized by a positive state of energy or vitality, a sense of perfection, transcendence, and experiences of joy and bliss. We yearn for work to be a place in which we both experience and express our deep soul and spirit.

We want to feel supported, we want respect, we want to belong and we want to evolve spiritually. Money has very little to do with any of these factors. Learning to respect and accept others helps unite us together, strengthening that universal energy that keeps us alive. What one calls this universal energy is unimportant. It is there, whether we see it, feel it or believe it. When we are in harmony with it, our lives are smoother and easier. When we fight it, we are only fighting our self.

A house divided cannot stand; a person divided cannot function fully, whether in the workplace or in our personal lives, our attitude about the world defines how our life unfolds. Make a choice today to live the fullest life possible - filled with friends and enjoyable work. The world will be a better place for all of us.

The philosophy of spirituality at the work place encourages the emotions of generous love, care, humanity, creation, inner satisfaction and self fulfillment. It is a fact in today’s dynamic business environment; organizations’ performance, productivity and competence are an exclusive outcome of leadership spirituality.

Leadership spirituality intrinsically motivates and drives an individual’s internal focus towards organizational development by aligning their personal values with the values of organizational vision and mission which creates a psychological affiliation between individual and the organization and increases the level of self fulfillment at work.

Leadership spirituality provides the essence for improving the capabilities of individuals, their productivity and growth by setting up an organizational perspective containing the values of love, care affection, affiliation, wholeness and loyalty which builds an inner connection of the individual with his organization.

Spirituality in the workplace promotes the expression of talent, brilliance and genius — talent in the sense of our Divine gifts; brilliance in terms of our intellect and the intensity of the light we have to shine; and genius not as a scarce commodity, but as something that everyone has. Our true job is to connect with that genius. And moreover, spirituality in the workplace also leads to increased self-fulfillment, contentment and a deep sense of belonging.

The orientation of leadership spirituality in organizational culture empowers an individual morally and ethically by making them bold, confident and competent, which as a result enhances their job involvement and job satisfaction. Spirituality impacts in the strong communication and interpersonal relationship among employees by setting up a culture of individual support, collaboration and intrinsic motivation of employees that subsequently leads to highly productive and satisfied work force.

The work spirituality is also found very significant in reducing the pressure, tension, anxiety and burden of work and makes the job more enjoyable. Spirituality is found extremely beneficial in reducing the feelings of tensions, anxiety as it aids the individual to cope with the burden and pressure of work.

Our work is an extension of ourselves, in ways that are personal and complex. Almost any job has some level of natural enjoyment. In strictly economic terms work that provides us with joy, work that we would do even if we weren’t paid for it, isn’t work at all. But we all need to make a living. The level of toil or natural enjoyment is a large factor in how various jobs are compensated. Many people choose jobs that they enjoy doing, even though they could earn higher wages doing something they found more toilsome.

While working with spirituality, one has to have a sense and satisfaction of being a competent and creative producer. As an employee, our spiritual self is one of the diverse strengths we bring to the table. Simply by approaching projects, goals, and interpersonal relations in the workplace with intention, one can pursue individual fulfillment while also doing our part to gently promote a holistic, healthy and harmonious working environment.