Learning to change your perceptions

The way you behave, the way you decide and the way you act are largely based on your perceptions on the subject. Again your perceptions are based on your educational background, your assumptions, mental conditioning etc. These may be part of your conscious or subconscious mind and influence your decision making. To see an example, see your food habits, which are, what your country or community has given you. When you visit another country, you simply get uneasy with the food there whereas people in that country enjoy it. Is it not a matter of perceptions? If you can change your perceptions, the food there would no more appear strange and you would relish it. Similarly, in the matter of investments of one’s money, one goes for safety of the banks, the other for the stock market and yet another risk gambling. One believes in insurance but the other not. The point is, while learning to be joyful and happy, try to perceive your perceptions of situations or things and learn to change your assumptions, conditioning with happier ones.

Learn to thank for Everything

Remember the prayer, the children pray daily, in some schools:

Thank you God for the world so sweet!
Thank you God for food we eat!
Thank you God for birds that sing!
Thank you God for everything!

The prayer has tremendous potentiality of keeping anybody joyful at any time. You may try it. Say, you are depressed. Just look around. Watch the people, the trees, the flowers, the vehicles, the breeze, the sky and the like. Think of what you have had on the day- the tea, the breakfast, the newspaper, the children, the family members and all that. These are all daily little routines. Just start looking at it differently! Just see how beautiful it is to born human and have all beautiful things in life around. Thank God for everything. Thank for the good things you had. Thank more for what you think was not good. Without the latter, the former have no meaning. For everything, small or big, life has given you, be grateful to the almighty through who you get it. Just the same way, for anything you get from others, thank them. It makes others joyful and that joy comes back to you! Even, go further and thank God in advance. Early morning, just as you wake up, thank God for the ensuing day. This will act as a positive affirmation and align your inner configuration that will keep you happy the whole day. Cheers!

Practice Silence to be Joyful

Practice of regular silence will make you joyful. Life is full of worries, tensions, diseases, and many other problems. You cannot stop them. In order to get solace in the midst of such painful forces, you visit holy places. In the same manner, sit down, sometime during the day, preferably before sleep, and observe silence and peace in the inner altar of your mind. Initially, all the negative thoughts and the happenings around you may chase you but gradually, when your silence becomes deeper, it will give your tremendous joy.

Seek Happiness in Everything

Everybody wants to be happy and joyful. Seeking joy is the inborn human nature. Man tries to acquire wealth, health, power and fame with the hope that these will give him happiness. We run after material possessions or pleasure of sensation like eating, smelling, listening beholding or touching. There are people who enjoy doing good to others and also others who get happy by antisocial activities. You get tired of what have and something else. So how do you have a joyful life? Happiness bring a state of mind, you have to cultivate happiness. Train you mind to find happiness in all things and small things of life and nature, the greenness of leave, the colour and beauty of flowers, the morning breeze, the hot sun, the night sky, eating cooking and what not. Do good to others, it will give you more happiness.

How to deal with difficult neighbours

Whether you are living in the remotest country side or in the most advanced cosmopolitan city, you will find a neighbour who is difficult to manage. You cannot simply run away from him. Whenever you go, you may find one. You have to stay with one. Then how do you manage him and the confrontations, the headaches he gives you. You might try to sort out the problems through personal efforts, through the other neighbours, the authorities and the like. But if there is no result and he continues to be malignant, you have to learn to live with him. Try to understand him, see things from his point of view and if, a solution can be found in his line of thinking without much loss or damage to you, consider going by it. Accept him as a incurable disease and live with him. Also ignore him and evade him to the extent possible.

How to deal with Fatigue

For a happy and joyful living, you should keep yourself physically fit. But sometime, physical fitness is not enough to keep you mentally fit and energetic. In spite of good health, you may feel tired and worn out. This may be due to poor mental conditions and it does not allow you to put your best output. There may be various reasons for such a state. To keep energetic, you have to take certain measures. First is that you exercise daily. But don’t overdo it. Yogic exercises including pranayam (yogic breathing exercises) are very good. But you will have to learn these from an authorised teacher. You should also ensure adequate sleep. Sleep rejuvenates both body and mind. You should also take proper balanced diet. Additionally, fruit and fruit juices are recommended. Also preserve your energy by not indulging in wasteful activities, worries, emotions and bad habits. Daily morning walk in fresh air is very helpful. Regular fasting for a day is also helpful.

How to get rid off Worries

For a joyous and happy living, you should get rid of worries. Worries are a kind of emotion that makes you anxious or concerned or uneasy about something apprehending trouble and become unhappy. You may have a major or even a minor health problem but you start grieving about it. Every time you worry, your energy drains and there is strain on your body and mind. It wastes your time. Except in sleep, wherever you go, it follows you. To get rid of worries, you should think rationally of your problem and find out first if the cause of the worry is genuine or imaginary. If latter, take help of positive affirmations to strengthen your mind and just refuse to worry. Sharing your situation with your friends may also help. If the problem is genuine, take remedial measures. Getting rid of worry will not only make your life happier but also more successful

Leading a Life of Balance

Whether in West or in the East, life has become very fast and machine like. Most people, young and old, are after material achievements. But will only material prosperity to the individual or the society at large bring in happiness. Had it been so the rich western societies should be moving towards peaceful crimeless environment? But it is not so. On the contrary, the modern materially prosperous cities are more prone to inhumane crimes. Money and prosperity alone are not enough. Hence, everybody, irrespective of his trade, should earmark some time in his busy schedule, to introspect for himself and his society. The modern science and technology has not only increased the efficiency of man for material success but has also improved his inner faculties greatly. We all realise that only material comforts will not make us happy. You may agree that while material prosperity, fame or power or position is necessary for happy comfortable life for the individual and his family, one should undermine inner discipline or spirituality. Hence there should be a balance. The question is if you do it right now, keep aside a time daily, not left alone for holidays, for the inner contemplation and spiritual progress, or wait till something terrible happens compelling you to do it.

Make yourself Likable

To make your life joyous and harmonious, make efforts to be likable. You might have observed that while people spontaneously like someone and try to be with him, avoid another. This is because, some personalities are born with a likable nature but all are not. While one cannot change one’s inborn qualities, one can study and analyse himself and the likable persons as to why one is likable and the other is not and try to improve oneself. The likable person is liked not solely because of his physical appearances or his dressing habits but for the way he conducts himself. While one should not be careless about dress code, one should give more attention to others. Whenever you are alone, it does not matter because who can afford to be absentminded or behave as you like. But whenever you are with others, you should learn to pay attention to others, take sincere interest and listen to what others say and be understanding and considerate. If you are in a gathering, and the other person wants to have your seat, give it. It is more joyful to live for others if it does not cost you dearly. Unselfish action and behaviour will make you more likable and attract true friends who may make your life more joyful.

Love gives us Joy

Nothing gives us more joy than love. It gives us intoxicating happiness and the feeling of joy. Love exists between man and wife, the parent and the children, a friend and a friend, brothers and sisters, a teacher and his student and the like. Love also exists between animals, the male and the female, the mother and the offspring. This love in animals is born out of instinct. In human beings it arouses in the brain and manifested in the heart. It is the greatest expression of human relationship. Sometimes, of course, it may be tainted if arising out of sexual or physical attractions. But the love that binds two friends together without any selfish reasons is supreme form of such love and it gives immense joy. This is the love one should try to manifest for all the brethrens and sisters as we all are the children of the same cosmic father.

Enjoy the Realties of the World

The world is destined to have all the dualities- the pleasures and the pain, health and diseases, happiness and sorrows, birth and death. Both are realities. The living creatures including the human being are subject to these dualities so that they grow and evolve. You are not going to have only the goodies or the things and situations that you cherish. You may compare the world with the world of the internet. The internet is so much useful today, be you a student, housewife, a banker or a scientist. But at the same time, you have these viruses, worms and other content that may cause irritation and hatred. But these are facts and take it as a part of life. If there are viruses, antivirus are to be used just as for disease, medicine is taken. You will also appreciate that due to the threat of such worms and viruses, the internet software also become better. This is the realty. Try to learn to accept this realty of the world. It is all meant to make you struggle and metamorphose in the great plan of life. Honour and accept the world as it is and cheer up. Life is short. Enjoy what the world has given you. Again, Cheers.