Thankful Prayers

• God, I am so thankful to you for giving me excellent health, a healthy young body, a peaceful and beautiful home.
• Thank You God for healing me completely of all the ailments and irregularities in my mind body. I have complete Faith in You. You answer all my prayers.
• You have blessed our family with wealth. I rejoice in you by sharing it.
• Thank you God for uplifting me spiritually day by day and creating harmonious circumstances for me so that I can be near to You.
• God, I am so thankful to you as I spend my day doing my duties cheerfully. I spread cheer all around and keep everyone around me happy and stress-free.
• God, thanks for giving me strength to be 'aware' each and every moment and be a witness to all the events and non-events of this mind body.
• I am so grateful to you for giving me an opportunity to serve and help others.
• The master says, " burning with desire stops you from relapsing into your Being. Until then, you will not find peace and rest in Divine Love." I thank you God for giving me strength to be in my divine self and for keeping me in that state.
• I thank You, God for being cheerful always and spreading happiness all around me.
• I thank You for giving me joy of living. I am independent. I go free. I cast the burden of all my worries onto You. I surrender all my anxiety to You. My life is in Your hands. My hands are open to receive whatever You have chosen to give me.
• I am living my life to the fullest and I thank You for that.
• The Master says, " Faith brings totality, pulls together all loose ends of consciousness, integrates the whole personality. Doubts scatter and (get) destroy(ed). By His Grace, the true purpose of my life will manifest. I have no doubt about that.
• Thank You God for giving me an opportunity to fulfill my dreams. I am utilising my potential to the fullest. All my talents are getting explored. I am enjoying my life, prospering, visiting places I wish to.
• I thank You God for all the talents that You have given to me. Those talents have made my life so good.
• I thank You God for this beautiful body through which I am able to pursue my activities and am able to pursue the path of seeking realisation.

I am so happy and grateful now that

• I am doing EVERYTHING I want to do; exactly when and how I want and like to do.
• I give gifts to everyone often.
• I am in perfect shape and weight.
• I am peaceful and serene.
• My speech and words are used in comforting others.
• I serve and help others.
• I enjoy a harmonious life.
• I pursue all my favourite activities viz. ..........
• I give and receive love, care, understanding, co-operation and respect.
• I am receiving everything I want now.
• I find myself smiling when I am humiliated and when I am sad.
• I am receiving Grace from my Master for peace, health, strength and awareness to complete my bad and good karma of this life.
• I am receiving strength to be aware of every moment - whether it's pleasant or unpleasant.
• I perform the tasks given to me as an instrument with total awareness every moment.
• More and more is coming my way that is good.
• I am healed totally and completely. my health is in excellent condition. It is possible only because of Your Grace. You are always with me. I can feel Your presence.
• You have given me abundant love, abundant peace and abundant prosperity.

On Marriage by Jane Wells (1886)

It's utterly amazing to discover what this lady wrote more than a century ago holds true even today. Her four simple rules can take us a long way to enjoy a wonderful married life.
Here you go!

• Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger.
• Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a bit than to break.
• Believe the best rather than the worst. People have a way of living up - or down - to your opinion of them.
• Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindness you bestow on your friends.

Thoughts to chew on to keep bright and cheerful!

These 20 thoughts will help develop a positive, pragmatic approach to life:

1. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
2. You are never fully dressed without a smile.
3. You are as interesting, attractive and competent as anyone you are going to meet.
4. A bore talks about himself, a gossip talks about others and a marvellous conversationalist talks about you!
5. Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't and the other half of people who have nothing to say, yet keep talking.
6. You don't have to do what other people want or expect you to and the easiest way to do it is to say 'No.'
7. If you are praised for being good at something, don't question the person's judgement or denigrate your abilities with a stern remark.
8. In this world, just when you're trying to think of yourself memorable, there's always someone who forgets that they have met you.
9. Now is the time for every good deed. Do not wait until tomorrow, for it may be just a little too late.
10. Set a worthy oal, work towards it. Then set a higher one. In this way character is moulded. If you have grown up children, encourage them to do so, guiding them gently.
11. We always find time for what we like to do.
12. Make each day a positive day. and start today - in fact right now!
13. the great secret of happy serene living is in the phrase ' one at a time'. It means, first of all 'one day at a time'.
14. The man who would control others must first learn to control himself. If he cannot control what is under his hat, he cannot control what is under his roof. Self-mastery comes first.
15. You double every burden at which you frown or complain; you halve every burden which you meet woth hope, optimism and cheerfulness.
16. The best thing you can do for others is not only share your rishes, but to reveal him his own.
17. There's nothing wrong if you blunder once in a while in blue moon.
18. Your true pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
19. If you feel you have something to contribute and if you in your ideas, keep up with your confidence and carry them out.
20. Expecting success leads to thinking successfully, which eventually leads to being successful.

Hi Sweetheart!

• Dump your personal myths about being tough and aggressive in order to get ahead in life. Giving and loving are not signs of weakness.
• At least twice a day, say to someone, -'May be I'm wrong' whether or not you are in error.
• Go out of your way to express your affection and admiration for family and make a point of accepting any tenderness they show you. Regularly buy a thoughtfully chosen gift for them.
• Make a conscious effort to employ understanding and forgiveness when you encounter people you don't like.
• Take time out everyday to examine and appreciate something beautiful.

Dear Reader, I invite you to add your very own tips for living life beautifully in this feature.

Life's Like That! - Treasures from my old diary

Bad facts about life:

1. Life isn't fair, always.
2. For every 'why me', there is an equal and opposite 'why not me?'
3. No matter how bright, charming and lovable you are, everybody is not going to like you all the time, leave alone love you forever.
4. From time to time, it will always rain on your parade.
5. Every now and then, no matter how smart you think you are, you will do something terribly dumb.

Good facts about life:

1. Unless you are exceptionally unlucky, life is nearly quite fair most of the times.
2. A lot of the times you will not have to ask the question 'why me?'
3. No matter how ill-deserved it is, luck is a dumb thing; once it comes it usually stays for a while. Sometimes it overstays too!
4. most of the time other people are too dumb to really remember you stupidities.
5. Nothing is so bad that it can't get worse.

Subtle Transformations

Inner transformations are so subtle! If we are aware, we can experience transformations moment to moment. But we don't realise the amount of leap we have taken till we compare our progress keeping in view a long span of time; say, our attitude today as compared to a year ago or so. Suddenly we know what it is to mellow down! The information which would have made you jump with wild reactions keeps you calm now because you are able to take a pause and choose not to hurt the other person or because you are fully aware your opinion in the matter will not be taken in the same spirit! Your equations change. Although, the old patterns tend to peep in and sometimes make their way in; but you know how to attend to them - first by seeing that they are patterns and then working on them.

Today I feel quite free if not totally. External events of a certain kind which used to bother me like hell have ceased to affect me. If you give up the sense of owning something; it ceases to disturb you. On second thoughts, what is it in this world that you own? Nothing. One by one you have to drop tendencies,objects, human beings, ET AL..... I can see that things do not make me feverish any more but they do disturb a bit. Ego comes into play.I still have to practice not to react either in words or in thoughts. The inner chattering has to stop. I thank you God for giving me this much - whatever little awareness it is. Oh! How much I have struggled to establish myself in the centre within! Nobody but yourself can establish yourself.

It's only Divine Grace showering upon me; otherwise how could have I consciously chosen to forget the ugliest and still be my loving self? My inner peace and strength keeps me calm and it shows! My attention has shifted and divine process has taught me how to stop giving energy to negative emotions. The results are amazing! There's only peace within. There's patience and faith that things will turn out to be favourable. There's no doubt.Even if there's a slightest one, it's followed by faith and strength. I am surprised to find this new kind of confidence! I had never thought of myself as my own self! Thank God for everything.

Give to Yourself

Someone has truly said - "You cannot give happiness to others if you are not happy yourself." So firstly, make arrangements make yourself happy without feeling guilty! Some of us are so much used to living for others; which is great in its place but the resultant effect years or decades after thereof is that we start finding justifications when we want to do something just because we enjoy doing or may be because we simply want to do it. That 'something' could be something silly as well as great!

I want to tell all those kind and sensitive people out there - Experience joy and love! Stop blaming others. Live because you want to live. It's a long time since you thought of something all by yourself just for yourself in which no other person is involved. All these years you were going against nature. You wanted to give everything by being physically, mentally and emotionally available. In the process you did lots of things which were not your arena. You almost forgot all those things which were under your scheme of things. In such circumstances, the whole struggle becomes a huge waste of one's energy. Here, I am referring to mental energy and a whole lot of it! You are tremendously stressed out when you keep pursuing activities you do not personally enjoy.

So, choose your path. There is so much to be experienced. Don't forget to thank God for all those experiences which have moulded you to be a better person. They have helped you to discover yourself!

Moving Beyond Old Limitations

I came across this beatiful quote from a spiritual master some time back while I was working on curing myself of some medical imbalance.

• No one can liberate you, for no one has bound you, you hold on to the nettle of worldly pleasures and you weep for pain. The kite is pursued by the crows so long as it carries fish in its beak. When it drops the fish, from that moment it is free. First thing to understand is to let go off all the bondages rather not to identify with any bondages whatsoever.

Then I prayed -

• O God! Show me light, show me the way, my direction, my path. What am I meant for? You have already thought of something special for me.
• Please give me strength to see every creature in the universe inncent, faultless and pure.

This is what I was supposed to tell myself in order to heal myself as per my reiki master -

• I move beyond old limitations. I meet new horizons. Now I allow myself to express freely and creatively.

I continued with my own conversation within -

I do everything that wish to do. I live my life exactly the way I want. I receive co-operation and understanding from everyone around me. I get opportunities to explore my talents and grow. I enjoy my life because I pursue all the activities that I love.

I spend my life doing Divine activities. I complete all the activities and actions that I am supposed to do in this life as my divine duty as God has entrusted that work to me. I work with love in my heart.

Needless to say that I am cured now.

Poem - "Divine walking with me"

Whatever my stars fortell

Why should I deter -

Living my life to the fullest

For You always walk with me;

Absorbing all pains and joys

Celebrating all the victories and failures

With the same spirit

For You always walk with me

Mental Calisthenics - Treasures from My Old Diary

• Think of what would please an old friend, or anyone close to you. And act upon it.
• Write something everyday. A note to yourself, a bit of poetry or an entry in a daily journal.
• Memorise something interesting, funny, moving or serious (short and sweet length) once in a while. And to provide a total contrast, try to remember something from what you read, heard, said long ago.
• Review your calender for the next two weeks. If there's nothing good in it, do something different, the best things in life are free: museums, galleries, lectures... even some recitals.
• Make a decision to think only the pleasnt thoughts about a period of life that bothered you a lot.
• Think about two things everyday that deal with a positive reinforcement of things you want to change about yourself.
• Indulge in these mental exercises and watch your life change for the better.

Difficulties are angels from heaven!

Difficulties and difficult people are actually sent by God to the chosen ones, who are capable of giving tremendous love; so that they are reminded to love one another and love every phase of their lives - pleasant or unpleasant. The movie "Life Less Ordinary" was all about God sending angels on earth as evil people because most men and women on earth forgot all about loving and caring. After watching it, I got another insight! The movie had angels becoming evils or the mean. What I discovered was that the difficult times and/or people come to us so that we come closer to our loved ones; handle the situation together instead of throwing tantrums or blaming each other and most important of all remember God. Why not treat all trying times as angels sent from up there? We can first of all thank God for choosing us to go through that experience and then thank that person or the situation that was instrumental in making us go through it. Also, while thanking God we ask God to give us strength to pass through those times and believe that it is given to us.