An old couplet in Hindi says, ‘jaisi mati waisi gati’. It loosely means that your mind influences the quality of your life. Positive thoughts make a good life - a life worth living and thoughts glued with negativity bring down the quality of your life experiences.
The scientific community has arrived at similar conclusions. Studies show that optimists have a longer life span, lower levels of cardiovascular diseases, and stronger immune function. A positive outlook is linked with better work performance and an uncanny ability to handle stressful situations.
With problems hovering like bees in every area of life, be it relationships, career, family, or finances, positivity seems like a luxury for the common man. But it is not.
Developing a positive approach is a choice and knowing how to do it is the birthright of everyone. Following are three secrets to positivity that you can include in your life from today.
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The three untold secrets to be positive
1. Don’t counter negative thoughts with words
How to stay positive is more of a similar question to how to reduce our negative thoughts. The first natural thing we often try to do is counter negative thoughts with positive words. But, that has a short-term effect. Our negative thoughts relapse in no time. The second other common reaction to negative thoughts is suppression or anger at the way they bubble up without warning. As if a thought takes permission before visiting the sacred space of your mind.
There is, however, a third way – a less common, but a significantly effective one – it is to do nothing at all. Be silent and just observe your thoughts. Like how mud settles down in water naturally, so will your thoughts. When you become silent and observe your thoughts, they will lose their grip on your mind automatically.
If you’re unable to observe it, stop giving importance to those thoughts. They will simply fizzle out.
"If you resist negative thoughts, and try to push them away, then they will follow you like a ghost. Shake hands with your negative thoughts. Tell them, ‘Come here and sit with me. I will not leave you’, and you will see how they quickly disappear." - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
2. Change your habit
All of us have a bad habit of finding faults in others and writing those negatives in our memories with a permanent marker. We ignore the likelihood that our perception could be flawed. Our biases have a funny way of not letting us see the complete and true picture - a picture where the other person is not as bad as they seem.
The solution to this is to consciously reverse our habit. Instead of looking for something to complain about, look for something to praise. Here is a short story for you to enjoy and see what this habit reversal can do for you.
3. Raise your prana level for a positive mental attitude
When the mind is agitated or sad, we tend to become more negative in our outlook. Suddenly, the next person appears to be irritating and our situation in life seems less than ideal. But, if we change the state of our mind, our outlook also changes.
A way to make the mind more positive is to raise the prana level or vital energy force in the body. Less prana in the body creates agitation, sadness, and tension. While a higher prana level dissolves negative emotions and builds a positive mental attitude.
Practicing pranayama and breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya significantly raise one's prana level.
You can learn Sudarshan Kriya in an upcoming Online Meditation and Breath Workshop.
(With inputs from Prashant Lalchandani, Faculty, Art of Living)
Remember that problems come and go in life. There is a bigger strength inside you, a higher power that is taking care of you through all your problems.
Know that everything is changing. The negativity will also diminish. Don't resist or indulge in the negativity. Instead, be a witness. Meditate daily and learn to witness the negative thoughts inside you. Meditation and breathing techniques will strengthen your mental resilience and help you go though any negative phase.
As per Patanjali Yogasutras, the 4 positive attitudes are: develop a friedly attitude towards happy people, a compassionate attitude towards sad and miserable people, happiness for people who are succeeding and doing good work, and ignore those who are involved in crimes and unglorious actitivites.
Raise your prana, the vital life energy in your body with pranayama, breathing techniques and meditation. A higher prana level naturally brings more positive thoughts.
Enhance the positive energy within you. Pranayama, meditation, fasting, chanting and listening to powerful chants help to raise all together raise the positive energy within you and around you.
Some positive sayings by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
1. See life as an adventurous game and play the game without worrying about the outcome.
2. Dream the impossible. Know that you are born in this world to do something wonderful and unique.
3. Feel grateful for your very existence and all the love that you have received. This will bring happiness and joy to you.
4. When you wake up every morning, look in the mirror and give yourself a big smile. The smile is a sacred gift of life.
5. Happiness is right here and now and the way to find it is through meditation. It improves our mind, health, and brings more happiness.
6. Living every moment in life with contentment brings you freedom.
6 steps to make your bedroom more positive:
1.Light an incense stick - the fragrance from the incense is believed to elevate energy and spread a sense of calm around.
2.Open up closed windows to allow fresh air and sunlight to come in.
3.Rearrange the furniture or bring about a change in the home interiors.
4. Sprinkle salt in the corners of the room.
5. Practice meditation and yoga - that cleanses the mind and brings in positivity.
6. Chant or play powerful chants in your room.
The key to happiness in life is to not stay stuck in ‘I…Me…Mine’ (meaning one’s own personal desires or material gains). Dedicate your life to some larger goal, or to the service of others around you. Then you will find that only happiness flows through your life.
Instead of grumbling on your shortcomings, resolve to address them. Instead of indulging in any negative inner dialogue, observe them till they dissolve into oblivion.
