Positive Thinking

How we feel, good or bad is our choice – don’t lose this freedom!

We are a part of a bigger scheme

There is always a bigger plan than what we can see, that we are not privy to. However expansive or evolved our view may be, it is always a small part of the Universal of Grand scheme of things. Everything that life delivers to us is a part of that big plan. The most important takeaways from this are:

1.      There is always a reason for things to happen. Nothing occurs accidentally or without reason. Everything that happens is intrinsically and intricately connected to that larger picture. Things happen to us or in our lives in a particular way, because all of it was meant to happen that way.

2.      Hence there is no reason to think “Had I done things differently, the outcome would have been different.” If things did not happen a certain way, it is because it was not meant to happen that way. Therefore, don’t regret whatever did not happen or happened differently from the plan. You don’t lose anything because whatever did not happen did not belong to you, it was not meant to be in the first place. 

3.       “Whatever happens is for good. Good will always happen to you” is a belief, which gives a positive, optimistic outlook, helps equanimity of mind and prompts focus on the end goal. It helps enhance patience and creates a good feeling.

What you can do with what you have

It is said that, ‘You get what you deserve’. To me, it means that if you desire to get more, make yourself more worthy or more capable of deserving more. This approach helps focus on what matters most – building capability and not wasting time crying over what you did not get.

While what happens is not under our control, everything – good or bad – holds inevitable potential towards greater learning, wisdom, and advancement in life:

1.      Don’t waste your time on what you don’t have; see what you can do with what you have and where you can take things from there. It is not what happens to you that is important, but what you do with it!

2.      Our task at hand is only a tiny piece of a greater puzzle that has been allotted to us; our obligation is to use that opportunity to get the puzzle done in the best way we can (Quoted from the Bhagwad Gita).

3.      Circumstances may create deviations in factors affecting our plan. However, we have a choice to decide the optimality of our moves at each decision point. I.e. given a situation, look at what options we have and what we can do with the factors at hand , in an open , dynamic way .

4.      Take each challenge/change in the plan in your stride and use it for your advancement and learning.

5.      From each experience in life, carry forward not regrets, but only learning, each of which has the potential to take you to a higher level of evolution.

Be a part of the ‘flow’ – Nothing is ever a waste

Thus, it is better to be a part of the larger plan by flowing with it rather than being left out by fighting it. You are hence not at the mercy of life, but at the mercy of your willingness to accept or reject the way life presents itself at every moment.

Nothing goes waste, everything you do is a success: 

1.      Most happy or tragic moments in our life are stepping stones to greater things to come, at least in learning if not in the outcome.

2.      If you reach a goal set by you, it’s a success, but even if you fall short by a few steps, it’s still an achievement of where you have reached. E.g. you lost 10 kg instead of a goal of 15 kg weight loss; is that an achievement or a failure?

3.      Nothing lasts forever – neither joy nor sorrow.

4.      If you fail in a new business venture, the experience of what works and what does not is a valuable gain. Jack Welch of GE chose to retain an SBU head whose mistake cost GE in millions.

5.      If you studied an engineering course and work in a very different area, of say advertising, what you learnt of engineering is not taken away from you. You may not have an immediate or direct application, but the mind training you had during the engineering course is still a gain and you never know when in life you may have to work as an engineer again.

6.      Nobody gets more or gets ahead of time; than what is due to them, at that point in time

From Joe Vitale’s book- “ Life’s Missing Instruction Manual -When bad things happen to good people”:

1.      When we look back after some time, those events now don’t look as unusual, discomforting or moving. It is not difficult to look back and see the relevance of those events. If so, doesn’t it seem logical that perfection existed in every moment as it was happening? 

2.      Everything, including what may seem bad/undesirable at a point in time, adds value. Lance Armstrong said that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him, without which it would not have been possible for him to win the Tour de France

In conclusion, here is an apt quote from Dr. Joe Rubino:( In fact Don’t take yourself so seriously )

‘Only you can diminish your self–esteem and only you can restore it. Freedom comes with non-attachment to whatever a person says or does.