The art of living [Archives:2003/685/Education]
By Valsa Abraham
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Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals. There are many aspects of success; material wealth is only one component. Success is, in fact, a journey, not a destination. Material abundance, in all its expressions, happens to be one of those things that make the journey more enjoyable. But success also includes good health, energy and enthusiasm for life, fulfilling relationships, creative freedom and psychological stability, a sense of well-being, and peace of mind. How can we achieve success in the real sense of the term? The purpose of this article is to give you some of the tips that make your life worth-living.
First of all, we must believe that there are forces both good and evil that are within ourselves and also outside. These are, in fact, our own impulses magnified. The channel between our inner impulses and the forces outside ourselves is our own imagination and remember, a powerful imagination is our most important single piece of equipment. Our powers of concentration are also vitally important. The principle is that any strong emotion or feeling carries a charge of force, which is likely to affect that at which it is directed. The effect will vary with the strength of the feeling and the sensitivity of the target. We know that in ordinary life someone who has a strong personality can make him obeyed by the sheer force of his will. When you sense an emotion radiating from another end, as often happens, you seem to understand immediately what that person is feeling, you are reacting to a current of force whose nature you recognize instinctively, as if you were a kind of radar receiver registering invisible waves in the atmosphere. Therefore, a powerful imagination, coupled with relentless concentration, is then necessary for leading a happy, successful life.
Every person who wants to attain success in life must make use of some combination of the principles that are explained below:
The Principle of Purpose
We must have a definite aim or purpose in life. Life is like a journey. Once there was a young boy. He wanted to travel by train. He went to the railway station and asked for a ticket. The ticket clerk asked him where he wanted to go. The boy replied, “I do not know, I just want to travel”. Many people are like this boy who wish to travel, but do not know where to. So, you must first know exactly what it is that you want. After you know what exactly you want, make the attainment of that objective an obsession. Make it a sort of burning desire. Take it to bed with you at night, and to work with you in the morning. Think over it constantly. The best way to transform your objective into a burning desire is to write down a complete description in the following manner:
a. Write down exactly what you want to accomplish or achieve, and also in how much time you want to do it. Be definite.
b. Write down exactly how you want to go about achieving the above.
c. Describe what you are going to do in return for getting your objective. Remember, there is no such thing as ‘something for nothing’. You must give something or perform an equivalent service to be eligible for a return. This is very important. If you haven’t thought of giving something in return, do it now.
d. Write down again exactly what it is that you want and also in how much time you want to get it. Repetition is most essential.
The Principle of Belief
This is perhaps one of the most important principles of achievement. It is the one factor that endows all who use it with power. Christ said that faith could even move mountains. According to Shakespeare, “Our doubts are our traitors”. So, faith is one great equalizing force, which truly makes all men equal. Without belief you cannot accomplish anything worthwhile in life. Supreme self-confidence, based upon faith in God. Certainly, no one can ever attain supreme self-confidence without believing in someone higher than oneself, without having a definite belief in Infinite Intelligence. But how can we force ourselves to believe? The answer is very simple. It is through repetition. This is the way all desires are developed. A person comes to believe anything he repeats often, even if it is a falsehood. In the same way, the mind too can take and carry out orders, just as if it were a person. It will act upon your dominating thoughts, whether or not they are given as direct orders.
The power of the mind is so great that it has no limitations other than those, which people set up in their own minds. The power that removes all such limitations is belief…belief in God. Do you know that the average man uses only 5 percent of his brain capacity and even the world’s greatest geniuses rarely employ more than 15 percent? What a great race of human beings we would be if we could put to use just half of our mental and physical ability!
The Principle of Initiative
No privilege on earth is of benefit if one doesn’t take advantage of it. Similarly, no privilege is of benefit to you unless it is organized into a definite plan and put into action. There are two forms of action: (1) that in which we indulge from force of necessity and (2) that which we exercise out of choice and through our own free will. It is the latter one, which leads to success. This is the form of action, which you should try and adopt.
The Principle of Imagination
There are two types of imagination. One is as S.T.Coleridge has said, “Primary imagination” or basic imagination and the other is “secondary imagination” or creative imagination. Primary or basic imagination is simply the act of combining recognized ideas, concepts, plans, facts and principles in new arrangements. This is the most common of the two types of imagination and is used in a large measure by most of other, or us, at one time. Creative imagination, on the other hand, relates directly to some God-given power yet unknown to science, all new ideas are perceived and interpreted and then translated into actual ability. Only those limited number of people who have attained some form of unusual qualities or leadership abilities, as the name suggests, uses creative imagination. There are many examples of people who have used the power of creative imagination to great advantage. Edison, Henry Ford, Shakespeare, Marconi. Abraham Lincoln …the list is enormous. In fact most of the revolutionary discoveries, great literary works etc have been made through the use of creative imagination.
The Principle of self – discipline
The greatest of all the essentials of success is self-discipline. Through self – discipline, the power available through each of the principles of this Philosophy of success becomes condensed and ready for application in the practical affairs of everyday life. Self-discipline, simply speaking, is gaining control over oneself and this includes our mind. It is said that when a man gains control of his mind and begins to rely upon it, he has achieved a victory of the highest order- one that places within easy grasp whatever he has set his mind and heart upon. A person who has no self-discipline is like a dry leaf that is blown here and there by the stray wind of circumstances. Such a person can never have a chance to come within sight of anything that remotely resembles personal success. Self-discipline begins with the mastery of one’s thoughts. It reaches one to think first and act afterwards. Most people do just the opposite. Self-discipline gives you complete control over the so- called 14 major emotions that rule our life.
The 7 positive emotions are love, sex, hope, faith, enthusiasm, loyalty and desire. The 7 negative emotions are fear, jealousy, hatred, revenge, greed, anger and superstition. All these 14 emotions are obviously states of mind, subject to control and direction. The 7 negative emotions can prove to be deadly if they are not mastered. Similarly, the 7 positive emotions may also be just as destructive as the negative emotions if they are not organized and under control. Self-discipline enables one to eliminate or subjugate the 7 negative emotions and exercise the 7 positive emotions in whatever manner desired. Lack of control of the 7 negative emotions may lead one to sure failure in life. The proper channel sing of the 7 positive emotions, however, gives one the driving force that can be used for the attainment of any wish. Of course, it needs practice to learn the art of self-discipline.
The Principle of Intelligent Thought
What is thought? Is thought subject to individual control? The answer to the second question is –yes. Thought is a form of energy that is distributed through the brain. But it has one peculiar quality that has no connection with any other form of energy: Thought has intelligence. Thought can be controlled and directed towards the attainment of success in life.
How do you control thought? By taking possession of your mind. You can take possession of your mind by habit. We are ruled by habit. Our habits are fastened upon us by repetition of thought and experience. They function voluntarily, without any effort on the part of the individual. Thought habits, just like our physical habits, can easily become fixed. Once formed, they function automatically, without any voluntary effort on our part. When a thought habit becomes fixed, it is taken over by some unknown law of nature to the subconscious mind, which it voluntarily carries out. This unknown law is almost like the law of gravity. It relates human beings and all things to one another in exact conformity with the nature of their thoughts. Negative thoughts bring forth negative results. Make a decision never to think in a negative way. Project all your thoughts, instead, in a positive manner. Think big. That is one of the secrets of successful living.
The Principle of Enthusiasm
Everyone desires success in life, but only those who have the fiery enthusiasm ever attain success. Enthusiasm is emotion or feelings in action, or it is a kind of feeling that one initiates at will. But while enthusiasm is purely voluntary, it must be accompanied by a motive. So, the beginning of all enthusiasm is desire based on motive. Enthusiasm stimulates the subconscious mind and puts it to work in connection with the motive, which inspires enthusiasm. Yes, uncontrolled enthusiasm is almost as detrimental as no enthusiasm. For example, the man who is so enthusiastic over himself and his own ideas that he monopolizes the conversation when in the company of other people is sure to be unpopular. Such a person also misses many opportunities to learn by listening to others. Remember that every thought that you send out becomes a definite part of your character. So, try never to have thoughts of a negative nature. Think no more of poverty, despair, and disease. Instead, train your mind to dwell on positive thoughts. Through proper control and careful practice, we can build up a personality that provides us with a strong will, a sharp imagination, self-reliance, persistence, initiative, courage and ambition to have a successful living.
The Principle of Personality
Many people make the mistake of thinking that there is nothing you can do about ‘personality’, because you are either born with a pleasant personality or an unpleasant one. This is quite wrong. It is wrong to think that you are born with a definite personality, which you will stick to you throughout life regardless of your own efforts. You are changing everyday. The cells in your body are constantly dying and replaced by new ones. In the same way, your personality is also constantly changing. It is being directly affected by your physical health, your thoughts, desires and emotions. One well-known Sales Manger of an International Organization has made up a list of the essentials for a good salesman. These are health, honesty, ability, initiative, tact, enthusiasm, sincerity, energy, open mind and knowledge of business. You will note that only one of these ten points deals with the business, and that nine deal with the man himself. Since we are all concerned with selling, either ourselves or our services or our products, it is obvious that these personal traits – in other words, our personality- forms nine –tenths of our chances of success. So, if you intend to make a success of yourself, you need to have a winning personality. It is an important fact of life that some one is instrumental in getting almost every material thing in this world. No matter how great a man’s knowledge, if he cannot win the co-operation of other people, if he cannot sell his ideas, win friends and persuade others, he cannot get very far in life.
Therefore, determine to improve your positive traits and to cut out and cast away all negative ones. Resolve henceforth to be honest with yourself and with others. Be sincere and genuine. Above all, be yourself. An attractive personality is a natural personality. You cannot make a lasting impression with your personality without expression. Your personality may express itself through physical appearance, through your conversation or through writing. The way you dress, talk or write is ‘you’. This is how other people see you. An overdressed person or a continuous talker quickly becomes unpopular. You must learn and behave according to your personality. Conversation is the most important form of speech. It reflects your mind and your personality. A high-pitched voice tends to get on people’s nerves after some time. It is far better to modulate your tone of voice by talking softly, gently and clearly.
It is within the reach of every human being to develop his or her inherent abilities. We have tremendous capacities, far more and far greater than we suspect. If we really make use of those talents given by God in the proper way, each every one of us can lead a successful living.
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