Your life is right now! It is not later! It is not in that time of retirement. It is not when you have moved into the new house, or when you get a better job. Your life is right now. It will always be right now. You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now, because it is never going to get better than right now – that is, until it gets better right now!
When someone greets us, let us not ignore, nod, mumble or casually say ‘morning’.
Saying ‘Good Morning’ should not be difficult. Rather, be in the moment, experience the energy of the meeting, and the one who has greeted us gets our message plus our pure energy. No matter what mood the person is in, happy, sad, silent, but regardless of their response, in those two seconds we can make their experience of meeting us a good one. Let us not wait for others to greet us on the basis of hierarchies, of age, position, or power. We often overlook the power of simple gestures that add happiness, like making eye contact, smiling, paying a compliment, or waving a greeting. By helping others feel good about themselves, our own happiness significantly grows.
Everyone is looking to be acknowledged, that they matter, through our words and actions. Sometimes, this is all that people need from us. When we greet an old friend, hold the door open for a stranger, or thank a family member, how do we feel? Our kindness in action will let others know we understand their value and importance. Each day, we can have unconditional acceptance of others and give good wishes.
Our responses to situations determine our happiness, and the response begins with the thoughts our mind creates. We can take time early each morning to sit and experience the self as a soul, meditate, and count our blessings, and in this way program our mind with only positive thoughts for a perfect day. Feeding the mind with good thoughts first thing in the day is like planting healthy seeds in fertile ground.
Our inner mental preparation, done with care, creates beautiful outer realities for us. Situations and people may be imperfect, but our state of mind should remain perfectly calm, happy, and peaceful. The outer environment is a reflection of our thoughts. There is no point in trying to change the outer environment – it is only change ‘within’ that will produce the change ‘without’. There’s no time like the present, and the present is all we have. Let us be still and appreciate what is right in front of us, be present, pay attention, really be with the people we are with, because in a flash, it is gone and a new moment has taken its place. ‘In-joy’ each day, moment by moment, right now!
Chirya Risely is a Rajyoga meditation teacher based at the Brahma Kumaris Peace Village Retreat Center, USA.