Brahma Kumaris

Monday, August 07, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 07-08-2017

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Soul Sustenance 07-08-2017
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Father & Child: The Emotional Connect (Part 1)

At times, it is great for fathers and children to reflect on the bond they share. It is also nice to say thank you to father, appreciate and acknowledge their role - of shouldering responsibilities of family, career, finances, social & spiritual life.

Success for a father has no unanimous definition. It appears to be about how much physical, social and financial comfort a father can provide, but today emotional bond between them is the key. Whether toddler or teenager, a child wants quality time and energy of the father, apart from having all needs fulfilled. So the responsibility is on the father to establish and sustain a loving relationship. Let us explore how as a father, I should bond with my child.

The first phase is my pre-natal bond which begins when my child is in the mother's womb. As a father, every thought I create for my child travels as vibrations, providing emotional nourishment. So I should radiate loving, comforting, welcoming thoughts. Conflict, anger, anxiety and other negative emotions should be avoided. I should not create thoughts of gender preference as my child catches it and feels unwanted if it is of the opposite gender.

Substance addictions for me and my wife is an absolute No. If I indulge in smoking or alcohol, I radiate vibrations of addiction to the child. Addiction not only depletes my emotional strength, it influences my child's mind and body. I must refrain from this stage and stay away from it, for life.

The next phase is infancy or babyhood and is the finest time for me to seal a strong emotional connect. Participating in baby-care tasks is important, but more important is how I feel while playing with, talking to, carrying or calming my child - do I create thoughts of love and comfort? Or do I create irritation and hurry up to get back to other work? Doing the latter sends vibrations of rejection to my child.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 07-08-2017
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The power of determination brings all thoughts into practice.

Expression:There are a lot of thoughts that come into the mind that should come into practice immediately. These thoughts come according to the demands of time or according to the kind of people that one comes into contact with. But the only way to bring all these thoughts into practice is to use the power of determination. Where there is determination there is the commitment to use all the resources for the realisation of that thought.

Experience: When I am able to use the power of determination, I am able to realise my inner potential and use it in the right way. So I am able to experience constant progress, because all my thoughts are for my own self progress and all these thoughts naturally come into practice. I never give up anything with temporary setbacks but am able to do everything for the constant progress of the self.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Sunday, August 06, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 06-08-2017

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Soul Sustenance 06-08-2017
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Understanding What Is Time

We created the concept of time to measure our experience of the space between events. Time passes only because we experience change. What is change? Change is only a series of events. So time is our experience of the speed of events. This explains why time seems to be moving faster today, because both the speed and the number of events are increasing. And it seems even faster if we participate in those events. If the speed and number of events was less, we would experience time to be moving slowly, as it used to be a little earlier in the history of mankind.

Today, sitting in our living rooms and offices, electronic, print and other media allows us to observe hundreds of events from all over the world, every day. To observe them actively is to participate in them. If you want to slow time down, learn to be a detached observer of the thousands of events around you – participate or observe actively only when necessary. If you want to stop time, meditate and be in your original, timeless, eternal consciousness. Meditation is after all an art of shutting down your senses and slowing down. Today, we fear time, as a result we hear ourselves saying many a times, Hurry up, time is running out! or I hope to have more time tomorrow! or I need to save time! Ultimately time, is our life: it cannot be saved or lost, but must be lived now. This is where your will-power is important - we can choose exactly how we spend our time at any moment.

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Message for the day 06-08-2017
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Love creates the right environment for others' positive growth.

Expression:Where there is love, a natural environment for others' growth is created. Love gives the ability to perceive the positivity in others and gives the encouragement to others to bring about that positivity and use it for the benefit of the self and others.

Experience: When I have love for others, along with perceiving their specialities, I am also able to recognise and use my specialities and inner powers more and more. Knowing and using these specialities is naturally for the benefit of those around me. This gives me an inner experience of power which makes me a constant giver and a support for those around me.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Saturday, August 05, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 05-08-2017

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Soul Sustenance 05-08-2017
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 3)

Very often in a group or team, while moving towards a common goal or objective or purpose, the leader of the group or gathering is required to give his opinion to make the objective of the team possible. Servant leaders are extremely active, positive and authoritative in giving their ideas, when they are required to do so, but are able to keep a relationship of detachment with their ideas. They maintain a right balance of authority (while giving the idea) and humility (while accepting the result of the idea, the result could be rejection or even acceptance of the idea). Also servant leaders are detached when accepting or receiving or listening to ideas from team members. The more the attachment to one’s own ideas, the more will be the tendency to resist or reject the others’ ideas, which they do not do.

Also, when a leader starts misusing his leadership for his own good and greed, and becomes egoistic, his team members start staying away. Servant leaders, through their humility, become an inspiration for others. Experiencing power and autonomy is healthy, but when a false sense of ownership sets up in leadership and the leader starts taking his role for granted, it is the time when a leader will experience great downfall in his role as a leader.

Altogether, a good leader is one who uses his mind or law to handle himself and his heart or love to handle others which ultimately brings justice to his role. Such a leader who maintains this balance of love and law wears the crown of servant leadership gracefully through various stages of life, enjoying the respect and earning the good wishes of all whom he comes into contact with.

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Message for the day 05-08-2017
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The one who is calm and cool is the one who makes the right decisions.

Expression:The natural nature of the human mind is to come under pressure and tension during negative situations. When there is a challenging situation, there is naturally the tendency to find it difficult to maintain an inner state of calm. But the one who has the ability to go within and find the inner calm is able to be clear in thinking and is able to make the right decisions.

Experience: When I am able to experience the inner state of calm, I am able to be clear in my thinking. With this clarity I find the right decisions and solutions emerging very naturally within my mind. I will never have the difficulty of having to make decisions, but all decisions are made with ease and they are right too.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Friday, August 04, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 04-08-2017

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Soul Sustenance 04-08-2017
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 2)

A good leader, before orchestrating (controlling) his team members will learn to orchestrate (control) his inner orchestra of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, moods and perceptions to create the desired tune or team result. When leaders become dictators or start orchestrating (controlling) their team members first, the fall of the team gets certain. A good leader is characterized by the way he makes his fellow members work as a team with him being a part of it. Misuse of leader power has a negative effect on team members' perceptions of the leader's ability and desire to engage in open communication. Because open communication is vital to any project, these perceptions can hurt team performance. These negative effects of leader power can be virtually eliminated simply by clearly communicating the idea that every team member is individually instrumental for any given task at hand.

Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the top of the pyramid. By comparison, the servant leader shares power and puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Servant leaders spread an energy of trust in the group, which catalyzes higher levels of engagement of team members, greater involvement of their effort and ideas and greater speed in change and creation of the new, which is the objective of every team. As a result, an excellent team culture is developed.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 04-08-2017
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To pay constant attention towards positivity is to be free from tension.

Expression:To pay attention means not to think, speak or do anything waste, negative or even ordinary. The one who keeps attention in this way and also allows no negativity from outside to go within, is always free from tension. There is also the proper use of everything that is available.

Experience: When I am able to pay constant attention and also use the inner treasures within for a positive purpose, there is the use of the inner potential. When there is the recognition and use of this potential within in this way, negativity finishes; just as sunshine finishes darkness.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Thursday, August 03, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 03-08-2017

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Soul Sustenance 03-08-2017
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 1)

Very often in a group or team, while moving towards a common goal or objective or purpose, the leader of the group or gathering is required to give his opinion to make the objective of the team possible. Servant leaders are extremely active, positive and authoritative in giving their ideas, when they are required to do so, but are able to keep a relationship of detachment with their ideas. They maintain a right balance of authority (while giving the idea) and humility (while accepting the result of the idea, the result could be rejection or even acceptance of the idea). Also servant leaders are detached when accepting or receiving or listening to ideas from team members. The more the attachment to one’s own ideas, the more will be the tendency to resist or reject the others’ ideas, which they do not do.

Also, when a leader starts misusing his leadership for his own good and greed, and becomes egoistic, his team members start staying away. Servant leaders, through their humility, become an inspiration for others. Experiencing power and autonomy is healthy, but when a false sense of ownership sets up in leadership and the leader starts taking his role for granted, it is the time when a leader will experience great downfall in his role as a leader.

Altogether, a good leader is one who uses his mind or law to handle himself and his heart or love to handle others which ultimately brings justice to his role. Such a leader who maintains this balance of love and law wears the crown of servant leadership gracefully through various stages of life, enjoying the respect and earning the good wishes of all whom he comes into contact with.

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Message for the day 03-08-2017
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The virtues of honesty and courage bring success.

Expression:The one who is courageous is never deterred by challenges, but moves on towards success. Combined with courage, is the virtue of honesty which allows one to be consistent, sincere and true in the efforts put in. So success comes with proper effort and there is also humility visible in such a person.

Experience: When I am courageous, but at the same time honest in my efforts that I put in for achieving success, I'll never have ego. I will be able to get the cooperation and good will of all, and especially the protection and the help of God. I will find myself moving slowly towards success with everything I do.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Wednesday, August 02, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 02-08-2017

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Soul Sustenance 02-08-2017
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 1)

A good leader, before orchestrating (controlling) his team members will learn to orchestrate (control) his inner orchestra of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, emotions, moods and perceptions to create the desired tune or team result. When leaders become dictators or start orchestrating (controlling) their team members first, the fall of the team gets certain. A good leader is characterized by the way he makes his fellow members work as a team with him being a part of it. Misuse of leader power has a negative effect on team members' perceptions of the leader's ability and desire to engage in open communication. Because open communication is vital to any project, these perceptions can hurt team performance. These negative effects of leader power can be virtually eliminated simply by clearly communicating the idea that every team member is individually instrumental for any given task at hand.

Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the top of the pyramid. By comparison, the servant leader shares power and puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Servant leaders spread an energy of trust in the group, which catalyzes higher levels of engagement of team members, greater involvement of their effort and ideas and greater speed in change and creation of the new, which is the objective of every team. As a result, an excellent team culture is developed.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 02-08-2017
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The one who is open to learning always finds an opportunity to learn and change.

Expression:Life has plenty of opportunities for the one who wants to learn. Each situation and person that comes one's way is an instrument for a new learning. Constant learning brings about a deep internal change and progress in one's life.

Experience: When I am able to learn from all that happens, I am able to be content for both what I have learnt and the change that I have been able to bring about. This contentment also keeps me enthusiastic and my mind open for further learning. I naturally become an embodiment of what I have learnt.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris

Tuesday, August 01, 2017

Soul Sustenance & Message for the day 01-08-2017

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Soul Sustenance 01-08-2017
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Wearing The Crown Of Servant Leadership Gracefully (Part 1)

It is commonly stated that perhaps those who are best suited to leadership power are those who never seek it. On the other hand, those who have leadership thrust upon them, and take up the mantle because they must, find to their own surprise that they wear it well. This process starts as early as our school life, when we become monitors and prefects and are granted significant responsibilities. We learn leadership at a young age. The type of leadership skills we inculcate at that age are important.

Importantly, a good leader, starting at an early age, should inspire and not aspire. Personal aspirations that are regardless (irrelevant) to others always convert a humble and successful leader into a failed one. A good leader should influence, not control - controlling i.e. passing orders, policies, rules, goals, targets, reports, visions and changes to force team members to work the way they believe it should be done; failing to listen or listening with little interest; exhibiting the Do as I say, not as I do mentality and providing inadequate support. Negative thoughts, words, actions or inactions expressing emotions like:

Why aren’t they performing better?
What’s wrong with that person?
Why don’t they know their job?
They should know their job!

lead team members to believe that leaders disrespect them and do not care for them at all. It results in failure of an organization or the task in hand.

(To be continued tomorrow …)

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Message for the day 01-08-2017
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The one who is responsible is the one who is always light.

Expression:To be resposnsible means to do everything with the best of one's ability. It comes with the recognition and the understanding of the importance of the task. No action is wasted, but everything meaningfully connects to the fulfillment of the task. So there are not even ordinary actions, but only those that are meaningful.

Experience: When I take up every task that I need to do with full responsibility, I am able to give my best. Then I will be able to be light having done my task well and in time. There is never the pressure of work, but there is plenty of time for the self and for others. I also find my inner resources being used to the fullest extent.

In Spiritual Service,
Brahma Kumaris