Christian Daa Larson, an American New Thought leader and teacher, as well as a prolific author of metaphysical and New Thought books, has written in his book ‘Your forces and how to use them’: “The greatest remedy in the world is change; and change implies the passing from the old to the new. It is also the only path that leads from the lesser to the greater, from the dream to the reality, from the wish to the heart’s desire fulfilled. It is change that brings us everything we want. It is the opposite of change that holds us back from that which we want. But change is not always external. Real change, or rather the cause of all change, is always internal. It is the change in the within that first produces the change in the without. To go from place to place is not a change unless it produces a change of mind – a renewal of mind. It is the change of mind that is the change desired. It is the renewal of mind that produces better health, more happiness, greater power, the increase of life, and the consequent increase of all that is good in life. And the constant renewal of mind – the daily change of mind – is possible regardless of times, circumstances or places. He who can change his mind every day and think the new about everything every day, will always be well; he will always have happiness; he will always be free; his life will always be interesting; he will constantly move forward into the larger, the richer and the better; and whatever is needed for his welfare today, of that he shall surely have abundance.”
Thus, in order to lead a happy, healthy and harmonious life, one has to constantly improve oneself. Though this advice may seem simple, it is really not that simple, for one has to incessantly work towards this goal. In this article, some tips on how to use one’s energy effectively, have been given. By imbibing them into practice, one can achieve personal growth and excel in every field of one’s life quickly.
Use your energy on important tasks: If you want to succeed in life, you should not waste your energy on tasks that do not bring any benefits. Such useless activities include surfing the internet without any purpose, watching TV, worrying and wasting money. When you are involved in such activities, you have no or little energy left for tasks that can create a better future. It is worth prioritizing and accomplishing important tasks first, and then if you still have enough energy, you may decide to do the unimportant.
Focus on one task at a time: If you want to get perfect results, you should focus only on one task. This way all your energy will go into it and you will accomplish it perfectly. If you waste your energy on several tasks at the same time, you will get average results because your energy will be divided among different tasks.
Control your thoughts: When the mind is strong, one does not catch the chaos in the outside world. Therefore, in order to avoid negativity of the external world, one should keep a watch on one’s thoughts. As a result, negative thinking will affect you less and you will notice that your days are getting more peaceful and positive.
Get organized: When you live in an organized manner, you do not suffer from stress and your life is peaceful and balanced. To start living this way, you should start planning your day in advance. This will eliminate any stress caused by being late to a meeting or forget to complete some task. You should also live in tidiness because by keeping your home clean you also keep your mental state clear and peaceful. Such mental state will benefit you in many ways, including improved memory and less negativity.
Live in the present: Although this self- improvement measure may seem strange to you, it is very important. The majority of people do not live in the present. They either dwell on their past or daydream about the future. They seem to forget the most important time of all – the present. You should enjoy the present moment because your current state of mind always manifests in the outside world, creating your future accordingly. Therefore, if you remain very positive, you will experience only happy days. However, if you dwell on negative thoughts, you are sure to encounter many obstacles and misfortunes in the present and the days to come.
Complete each task in a perfect manner: Whenever you are working on some project, try to accomplish it in the best possible manner. Always ask yourself ‘Is this project turned out as perfect as it could possibly be?’ If the answer is no, try to correct or add something to it until there is nothing that you can improve. This way you will make sure that each single task you accomplish is done in an excellent manner. By doing this you will create successful future because you cannot possibly fail if you get perfect results. Also, when you entirely focus on one task excluding everything else, you will notice that you start enjoying the task. If you focus on the task but still do not enjoy it that means that you probably see the task as a means to an end rather than the process. You should start focusing on the process itself to find enjoyment in the task. Such enjoyment will fuel motivation and you will accomplish everything quicker and better. If you enjoy your work, you will put only positive energy into it. As a result, your completed tasks will bring you success.
Challenge yourself: Nothing develops you more than challenges. Challenges force you to shift your comfort zone, experience new situations and make you grow. Without challenges, life would be very boring and depressing. Challenges are necessary for every human being who is seeking quality life. Only through trial and error you realize who you really are, which activities you like and what preferences you have. You can easily measure the success of a person by the amount of challenges s/he had.
Socialize only with positive people: Positive people can inspire, empower and make you happy. It is so much worth to be at least once in a while with positive people rather than constantly spend time with negative friends or relatives. If you spend your days with, for example, lazy people, you may notice that you are becoming lazy. So stay away from negative people and seek the company of positive people.
Exercise Daily: Daily exercise improves your health and strengthens your body. It makes you more active, positive and invincible. People who exercise every day are always perceived as strong-willed and disciplined. A simple Pragya Yoga (an exercise similar to Surya Namaskar) done daily can keep your mind and body fit all the time.
Read personal development books: These days it is not possible to get the company of virtuous saints. However, there are plenty of books written by eminent authors on improving personality. Make it a habit to read some good literature daily. Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma has written more than 3000 books on various aspects of life and how to improve them. Majority of them are available for free online reading on our website www.awgp.org.
So incorporate these traits in your routine and very soon you will realize that you have changed your course for a better future.
Akhand Jyoti Magazine 2017 Mar-Apr