Prayer is a subtle creative energy that helps us connect with a greater power. All of us, at least the ones who do pray, use it in the best ways that we know how. I think, thoughts that are oft repeated, gather tremendous strength. So am I saying that if I put my thoughts in fervent prayer, they will manifest into a self-fulfilling prophecy? What I do know at this moment is that my worries are over shadowing my need to be happy and content on a lazy Sunday afternoon. So then indeed I am looking for an antidote to my anxiety.
There are so many ways of feeling out of it, that making sense of everything that surrounds you at some point or the other becomes an important part of life. Thoughts, feelings, relationships, all looming large, as if Pandora’s box has just been tipped open. Is there any secret recipe for happiness and contentment?
Looking around at the people who are in our lives by choice or otherwise, one realizes that even the ones who move around us joyfully, have not really been blessed with lives of abundance, love, success and prosperity. But the one thing that they have probably been blessed with is the ability to take their circumstances and change them something else. So then is life just a bag of tricks?
What makes more sense to me is when I hear -Life is like a deck of cards and the hand that has been dealt to you, is the one that can actually be manipulated. Winning or losing is within our control most times. All we need to adapt here, would be most certainly a simple shift in attitude, that recognizes and unearths the hidden potential for personal fulfillment in every thing that we endeavor to do, with every duty that we manage to undertake.
The Universe as we know it, can turn unpredictable and chaotic at times, and as humans we tend to focus on the negative largely expecting the positive to take care of itself. Life is usually whatever we make of it. Simplistically it only means that, when we are in jobs that we dislike, the one way to tackle them would be to concentrate on the position that we have been allotted, making sure we present it with enough gusto.
It can be viewed as an opportunity to discover what our personal strengths actually are. Every unexpected event when viewed as a surprise can actually add flavor to our very existence. In doing this we create a jubilant life which can turn out to be infectious to the people around us. Having an optimistic and hopeful mindset creates a whole new world.
But merely making a conscious decision to be happy is not enough. What works well is that when we go through life’s complexities, we need to adopt a childlike attitude to everything around us. We have to let life surprise us. Preconceived notions have to be thrown out of the window first, in order to enjoy the bounties of nature and the Universe.
As we find ourselves in the thick of it, like I find myself at this very moment in time, over whelmed by so many things that absolutely demand my attention, I realize with trepidation when my late mother once said to me- we are never given more than we can handle! So the best coping mechanism would be to go straight to my calm centre and try to anchor myself in my belief systems. For me it’s my family.
When the outside world gets rough, I retreat and take refuge in all the simple things in my life, my home and the people I love dearly. I read and I write, soaking in my creativity, basking in its very energy. Of course the other ways of entering the realm of calm, amidst the seeming chaos, would be taking deep breadths, being a complete Yoga fan.
Tapping into our inner resources, one should in all actuality respect the present moment. Collecting all our scattered energy, one has to create a sacred space where one can tap the inspiration, help or positivity that is just waiting to enter one’s life. It is well known that the flow of the Universe, in its perfect order, waits patiently to move into our lives, when we clear the space for it.
I read somewhere that the reason so many people get sick, exhausted and overwhelmed in their daily lives is because they, haven’t had the good sense to look after themselves. Individuals also need a certain amount of oxygen to sustain them selves. By that I mean, one should understand that taking care of one’s self is neither selfish nor indulgent but plain practical.
Sometimes by putting ourselves first, it becomes necessary to say the -No word. There is nothing wrong in acceding in the requests that people make of us, as long as they don’t infringe on our health and our happiness. Our individual values are so deeply rooted that we are in a constant fear of doing the right thing.
Daily rituals like taking quality time out, walking, writing in a journal, meditating, even turning shower time into a calming session are just examples are a must. The oxygen that we need is all around us. We just have to learn how to breathe.
Yes! But, I have so many fears; and I feel that I am only human at the end of the day. I know that most things worth doing have fear attached to them. Growing up, learning new things, getting into relationships, getting married, having babies, changing careers, and so many other things that are labeled life changes can bring about deep fears.
All these are the good fears, since they are potent reminders that we have to release the past and move into the future. But fear definitely has a way of throwing us off balance. Just because we feel uncertain and insecure, it should not discourage us. I would like to think that fear, merely notifies us that we are on the edge of our comfort zone.
When we decide to face the fear, we move on to the next level conquering new boundaries. I like to honor my fear, that is, when I recognize it, then I listen to it, I try to overcome it and then watch for the transformation, because clearly Fear almost always comes alongside anything worth doing in one’s life! And change I believe is the only thing that is constant!
The thing to keep in mind is that human timetables do not keep time with Universal ones. We are often hasty about our progresses; and our disappointments thrust us into utter despair, but what we do not realize is that peace can be found in the fact that we are exactly where we need to be at this very moment. One has to just take pride in the many accomplishments, making the most of every circumstance in which one finds oneself. Everybody’s time comes. And I clearly await mine.
Previously published in the Sindhian
