Self Discipline To Accomplishment

Self Discipline is a force which channelizes our inner energy and directs it in the absolute direction; helping us to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.

Self discipline has many advantages:
1. It enables us to cultivate consistency
2. Mind stays focused and it does not side tracks important matters
3. One remains composed even in adverse circumstances
4. Stay determined to complete the task successfully
5. One has full control over his/her activities

Self discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. It is very easy to set our targets and goals, but how shall we accomplish them if we are not in discipline with ourselves. To achieve a particular target there is a definite course of action which needs to be followed and that can only happen if you have self control. As in this picture in order to achieve our Goals, we have to cross the bridge and reach the Goals, but in between the bridge there is a missing link and that red link we carry with us, it is our own self discipline.

E.g. If my target is to close 5 tenants for my shopping mall by the end of this month in 30 days time, I will have to make 50 calls in first 3 days, 5 meetings each day subsequently and then a regular follow up calls and meeting with the clients. Mind will of course give 10 reasons to avoid that first call or meeting or follow up call, as lot of refusal, objection, no’s etc. can come my way, but if I am focused at my end result, with self discipline and control, I shall not be seeing those small difficulties which come in my way. I shall make myself sweat that extra mile to accomplish my targets. Despite the rejection, I shall stretch myself to the next call with same enthusiasm.

Similarly we all know what exactly is to be done for achieving that particular target. Fat guy who need to lose 10 kgs in one month, knows exactly what is to be done each day, each hour. And we all know what it shall take to achieve his target, its only self discipline, commitment to his goal. The bottom line is either you are going to be disciplined or you shall be disappointed. Will power is actually like a muscle, the more you exercise it, the more you use and stronger you get it. Start self discipline from smaller habits – like choosing between: watching TV for hours or reading a book. Gossiping with friends or playing a sport with friends!!

Here is the key; you can't change your habits you need to replace your habits. If you have a bad habit of watching too much TV, replace it with reading and listening to motivation tapes. If you have a bad habit of eating, you can replace it with exercise or something more productive. So take a look at your habits and create an action plan to replace those habits with more productive habits. Start practicing this and you are on this path of exponential success. It is like sculpting, a little bit at a time. You'll get there.

Gloriously Conquer

We all deal with challenges everyday in our lives, nothing new. While dealing with these challenges, we get the ultimate experience of life. Accordingly we can feel either a struggle or an enduring voyage towards growth and accomplishment. Every time we face a challenge the spirit has to emerge Glorious. How!!!

Whenever you have to accomplish a challenge, ask yourself how badly you need to get across. What level is your burning desire to achieve it? Here I would like to share a story of a Lion and a Rabbit. Once there was a lion in a jungle very strong and healthy. He came across his prey the rabbit and he started to chase the rabbit in order to hunt him, catch him and satisfy his hunger. But the rabbit was also determined to run fast and very fast and it kept on dodging the lion each time. After all the marathon, when both of them got extremely tired, finally lion gave up, and said to rabbit, “I accept my defeat and you are a winner, but I would like to ask you a question, how did you manage to defeat me, while I am stronger, bigger and an expert in catching my prey?”. Then the rabbit replied, “Sir, you were running for your stomach (hunger), and I was running for my life, it was a question of life and death for me.”

This is the burning desire, a passion of life, that come what so ever may, I have to conquer these circumstances in order to come out as a winner. This is only possible if we are just present in the moment and not at all bothered about the past or unsecured about future, investing all our energy in the present moment, focusing on the challenge head on with just one intention to conquer it gloriously. You will find the strength and courage to deal with it, always remember to view your challenges, as if they were serving a purpose, which they always do.

We have to deal with today’s issues today. Let us not be concerned what will happen tomorrow, because tomorrow will come with its own set of challenges, which you have to deal with tomorrow. So stop mixing past with today, today with tomorrow.

Now where do I get the strength and courage to come out of the challenge as a winner? Surprisingly that strength is always available to us, we are the one who ignore it. God with all His wisdom, energy and strength is always there, this unlimited resource is available to each one of us, but we have to ask for it, we have to tune into Him for His strength and wisdom to come across and solving our challenge. He is like a transmitter, always there, we have to tune into His frequency in order to receive from Him. And He knows exactly what we should receive exactly to take care of that particular situation .

It is not that we don’t pray. We normally do, and more often when we are in trouble, but we ask the situation to change, other people to change, we ask for the material things to come across. But God does not have that; He has power, peace, purity and love. He can only give us what He has. So ask for a drop of His power and you shall have the strength to solve your issues.

Always have faith in yourself. People might call you anything, but you don’t become that with each word of theirs. What you think about yourself is what you are. Check your own thoughts. Your own thoughts sabotage your success more than anyone or anything else. There is nothing more to conquer but yourself first of all. Then all the setbacks in life will seem like opportunities in disguise……..because they actually are…………

Hum Koi tinka nahin, jisse hawaain udaa le gayin;
Hum koi katra nahin, jisse andhiyaan baha le gayin;
Hum to wo chattaan hein, jisse aao, aur aakar takrao;
Aur khudh hi thak kar laut jao.

Translation: “I am not a small straw, which the winds can blow anywhere, I am not a small drop, which storms can carry anywhere, I am like a solid rock, with which you should come and conflict head on, and leave back tired yourself.” That’s the kind of rock solid self esteem, self faith we should have in ourselves, to combat whatever comes our way.

As such if the clouds come in front of the Sun, the existence of Sun cannot be challenged. It is still there shinning to its own glory, but people cannot temporarily see its complete sunshine, its complete glory, similarly the clouds of your challenges shall also pass through and you shall again shine as you got to. In order to gloriously conquer, we have to conquer our own mind first:

“ man ke haare haar he, man jeete jag jeet” - If you lose in your heart you actually lose, you win over your own heart and you have won over the world. As a small child I remember hearing these words from my Mom, a lady who is an epitome of strength and perseverance.

Let us first gloriously conquer our own mind with the help of God, the greatest resource available, tune into Him and you shall receive. With His help let us gloriously conquer these minuscule challenges, which are there for a purpose.

Take Control Of Your Life

We always have a choice in life, what we want to choose. Once we choose that and move in that direction, new situations and circumstances follow. Along with the choice comes few roses and few thorns. We accept roses with welcoming hands but resist the thorns in all possible ways. We don’t accept the thorns and don’t take any responsibility for them, although these are also the outcome and byproduct of our own choice.

When we don’t accept the unwanted we start the blame game. Now this is played both externally with people around and involved. And internally in our inner dialogue, now we say, "I have to accept this as it is, I don’t have any choice."

And the moment we use this kind of conversation we lose control over the situation, we feel like a victim and we allow someone else to take charge of the situation.

But let’s be clear what being in control means, it is not related to power or authority. Close your eyes for a minute and think, what does being in control means to you. To me it means being my own navigator of my own ship, knowing exactly which direction it is going and on the way I am happy, content and enjoying the ride.

We are the creator of our journey, the writer of our story. The creator of your own thoughts, emotions, feelings and imagination. If you are the creator, you can any time regulate or moderate your situation, by taking charge of wanted and removing the unwanted. For healthy thoughts to nurture, unhealthy ones have to be removed. Ask a farmer and he knows the damage unwanted weeds can do to his agricultural yield. Similarly we should know the damage our self created unhealthy thoughts, can do to our situations and circumstances of life.

So next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, don’t ask the situation to change, ask for the strength to face the situation and rise above the situation.
There are times when we say, "someone has hurt me, I am very disturbed."

But the fact of the matter is we are choosing that someone to hurt myself. If you want to remain in control and in charge than choose the right things. With every one problem, you shall always have two choices, number one you can cry over it, number two you can laugh over it – choose to laugh over it and you can solve it better. As such we all know the great problems of yesterday are hardly of any relevance today.

Whenever you go to the market, you see lot of things, even if you have money to buy you don’t buy everything, you would always choose and bring home only what you like. Similarly in life, during a day, lot of things will happen, you can not bring back everything home. You have to choose, and choose rightly, based on your values and priorities. Making the right choice, brings in more control of your life, opens you up. We are using our mind, heart and spirit more and thus receiving more what life has to offer.

Attitude Of Gratitude

We all would have experienced this at some point or other in our life that being thankful for small things, is a wonderful gesture and brings instant peace, happiness and a feeling of contentment.

But at times we ignore such an important thanksgiving ritual and take it for granted. I am addressing here giving thanks to our parents, our roots, because of whom we are here in this world and whatever we are today is because of the sacrifices, love and affection or even anger and strictness which they gave us in the childhood, when we were weak physically and mentally to face this world on our own. They have gone through the hardships so that we can have a life of ease. They had taken care of us in our times of "helplessness".

We are an extension of our father and mother and owe our life to them because they have given us life; shelter, care, love and support.

Most of us are actually grateful for that every single day, but do not speak it, acknowledge it or share it.
We need to express this gratitude to our parents- it is really important, because if we cannot love our parents who have loved us so much and done so much to us, we are not only depriving them of this love but even ourselves of divine love and energy? Consider what our parents have done for us and while there is yet time repay them as best as we can. Atleast one thanks and one I Love you, is this also too much being asked for!!!!

Too many times we hide the real impact of someone's contribution because we are worried we're going to sound silly or too serious. When we dare to let people know how our lives are changed by their presence, we open the door to greater connection. Not only that, we give people valuable data about what they are doing that's making the world a better place. These kinds of conversations change us, so don't be shy, say how happy, relieved, encouraged, thankful, hopeful or glad you are that they have been simply there, when you wanted them the most. And from there it is like something opens up in the heart. It is like roots begin to grow–and one is grounded.

If your parents are alive take the opportunity to express your love and gratitude. This opportunity is not forever. If they have passed on you can still express your love and gratitude, write it on a piece of paper and share it with someone you love, and they will receive it “spiritually”! If your parents were not good to you, give them a gift of forgiveness and experience the power of giving. Revisit the past and just think about the circumstances they have gone through either as a child or later, perhaps it would justify their behavior towards you. Forgive and forget that for your own good.

Thanks giving is an art of self expression, and if your self expression is not good with your parents, then you will have trouble expressing yourself fully anywhere in life. Where ever we deal with situations in life it is either a male or a female we have to deal with, if we are not good at dealing with our roots, we have not expressed our love to them, our gratitude to them, two important basics, we shall not be able to righteously express ourselves anywhere in life. And if this is an important concern you are facing just go ahead hug your parents and tell them how much you love them, and how grateful you are for them being there. Trust me you shall be surprised at the response you shall get within yourself. Go ahead and experience it.

Power Of Prayer

The power of prayer should not be underestimated.

The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. It is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he shall hear us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - God answers, prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, with divine will, they are heard and become real. God knows exactly what we need this moment and gives us only that and nothing more or nothing less. He is the one who understands us completely and the deepest needs of our life. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully!

‘teri chahi mein prabhu hai mera kalyaan, meri chahi mat karo mein moorakh nadaan’ means Lord you know what is good for me, whatever you think and decide for me is the best for me, don’t give me what I desire, as I am still innocent, without complete knowledge and realization, I don’t know myself what is good and what is bad for me. You know it the best. In Your will is my true happiness.

Prayer is our communion with God, whether it is; a petition made to God, worship, repentance, praise, or thanksgiving. It doesn't have to be a laid-out patent prayer, but words from the heart. God loves all of us, he knows our minds and hearts, so why not talk to him, he is already aware of every situation you are facing. So He is the best counselor and guide to give you solution to that situation.

God knows each thought we have, so why not go to Him and talk to Him as you would, if you were to meet any other friend on the street. Prayers do not have to be long, drawn out affairs, just be precise as He knows your story already.

Go ahead and talk to Him, it is never too late!!
Here are some of the letters written by school kids to God.