How do we see ourselves? With what kind of awareness do we go about our life? Our state of mind, perspective, and the way we relate to the world are all influenced to a considerable extent by our self-image.
If our self-respect is high, the standards we set for ourselves – what we think, how we behave and live — are also elevated. When we exist on that higher plane and interact with others from there, our self-confidence is naturally strong.
But even someone with a powerful awareness can become ordinary if they think wastefully — it drains their energy and consumes their time, to no end.
One can remain powerful only when one has stopped wasting time and energy. If there are waste thoughts in the mind, powerful thoughts cannot stay there. The waste will repeatedly bring us down.
An elevated awareness makes us strong and successful, but waste thoughts – born of fear, doubt, attachment or expectations – rob us of enthusiasm and joy. Someone troubled by “Why?” and “How?” in every matter will become disheartened over trivial issues. They have many desires, because of which they make numerous plans, and they make them very quickly as waste thoughts arise fast. Therefore, they think of grand projects, but since they lack power the plans are never fully realised. That, in turn, causes disappointment.
Powerful souls, on the other hand, think sensibly and only to the extent required. Free from waste thoughts, they are calm and focused, and therefore able to work according to their plan, which brings them favourable results.
Waste thoughts create upheaval in the mind and drain us, whereas positive and powerful thoughts keep us fresh and productive, helping us accumulate inner power in the form of confidence, determination, enthusiasm and optimism.
But why do we have waste thoughts? The reason is quite simple – we do not recognise the harm they do, nor do we fully understand the value of powerful thoughts. If we busy ourselves with positive, purposeful and powerful thoughts, there will be no scope for wasteful thinking. It is when the intellect is idle that waste thoughts arise.
The key to being strong and successful is to pay attention to our mind so that waste thoughts do not arise, and consciously create powerful thoughts. Spiritual pursuits greatly help in this. However, they should not remain an intellectual exercise limited to reading, listening to, and memorising ideas and concepts. Powerful ideas sound impressive and just hearing about them can be very exciting, but the joy is short-lived, and it does not make us strong. Only when we reflect on what we have learned, understand its relevance to our life and apply it does it turn into real experience, which gives us incontrovertible authority.
Those who have such authority, with their unshakeable conviction and the living proof of their life, are able to remove the doubts and fears of many others and show them the path to success and fulfilment.
B.K. Asha is director of the Brahma Kumaris’ Om Shanti Retreat Centre in Gurugram, Haryana.