Today is February 1, and we’re already one month into the new year. A lot of us have already forgotten our new year resolutions. Now that the enthusiasm has subsided, we can think with a cool mind and see what we can do about our resolutions. (I’ve found ONE method that can truly help you stick to your resolutions.)
So, let’s start with some basics. What is a resolution? A resolution is a decision you make using your willpower to “do something” for an extended period of time.
When you make a resolution, the imagination of the result makes you so joyful that you feel you’ve already achieved it.
How good it feels when:
You’ve doubled your yearly income
Transformed your physique as you dreamed
Changed your Self-Image that is free from bad habits
But, why is it not possible to actually achieve it? Why is it not possible to carry the same energy you had while making resolutions for the next, say, three months? Or maybe even for 3 days?
What are the reasons why you cannot hold onto your resolutions with the same energy until your goal is reached? The reasons are:
You’ve too many distractions
You’ve too many desires
Now, why do you think people go to secluded places? Not just saints, all those people who have achieved great results have found their own secluded places. Either physically or within their mind.
It is because being secluded reduces desires and distractions immensely.
While you may not be able to find a secluded place, you can make your mind free from too many distractions and desires.
And resolutions are made for the same reason — to reduce distractions and desires. But for some, the resolutions themselves have created more distractions. Do you want to know how?
Tell me, how many resolutions have you made on New Year’s eve?
Three? Four? Or is your calendar full of resolutions?
If you have a lot of resolutions, then they are not called resolutions. They are desires.
People fill their calendars from 4 AM to 10 PM. And resolve to complete all those tasks to be successful. 4 AM to 10 PM – at least 10 things you’ve planned to do. And that’s how you’ve planned to fail.
Because, among those 10 things you’ve planned, even if you miss 1 task, you’ll feel you’re not resolute enough. And when your guilt begins to weigh you down, your whole plan begins to crumble.
Deep-rooted habits
Most of the habits that you’ve grown over the years cannot be changed by one resolution. They are deeply ingrained in your subconscious mind. You cannot change them all at once. So, the ideal way is to choose ONE resolution.
You are always tempted to do more than one thing at a time. Because you have many problems to solve. There are many things you want to change in your life.
But you cannot solve them all at once. You’ll have to prioritise your problems and tackle them one by one. To do that, you’ll have to have ONLY ONE resolution to begin with. And then you’ll have to work on it for a long time. As you go on doing it, you’ll develop a certain taste for it. Only then will it create subconscious impressions. To create subconscious impressions, you’ll need to do it for a long time – say 365 days, without breaking the chain.
Seinfeld Strategy
Have you heard of Seinfeld Strategy?
Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians in the world. He created a small goal for himself – to write a joke every day.
To make sure he didn’t miss any day – he had a full-year calendar on the wall and marked X on the date after completing his joke.
As he continued to mark X on the calendar, after a few days, it looked like a chain (XXXXX). And if he missed one single day, that chain would break (XXX_XX). He had to continue writing daily to keep an unbroken chain for the whole year.
It appeared like a harmless habit, but later he went on to earn about 300 million dollars per year as a comedian and writer. That’s how huge the domino effect of his small habit was.
So, start small and do it with earnestness. Soon, you will begin to build a taste for it. It not only becomes a habit, but creative juices begin to flow, creating an inner push to do it more and more.
When you choose ONE resolution, your mind thinks more about that one thing consciously, and a lot of other unconscious habits begin to subside. Also:
You will stop feeling guilty about other unproductive habits that you have.
The ONE thing you focus on begins to grow. Soon it will have visible effects on your whole day.
You don’t need to force those effects. You just need to enjoy doing this one process.
Now, the only challenge you have is how to choose that ONE thing. And when you do that, you’ll begin your journey to life mastery.
The bicycle mechanic who owned the store called me with a smile and asked me about the issue. The gears didn’t change without a hitch, and I said that to him.
He took some time to do the repair work, took a road test and handed me the keys.
During that period, I noticed how cool, relaxed and confident he was. The kind of self-assurance – where did that come from?
Now, I’m going to leave you with one simple logic using two situations. And then give you a bottom line based on that. Then you can tell me whether my logic is accurate or not. And finally, I’ll tell you what you can do to build trust. works?
Let’s begin.
Now, the first scenario is when the same mechanic visits a hospital and meets a doctor for a medical check-up.
Is the mechanic going to show the same level of confidence that he showed in his garage? Or will he face a man more relaxed and confident than he is – the doctor – at the clinic?
The mechanic is not going to show his confidence when he’s in front of a doctor. If he does, he’ll sound silly and arrogant.
Let’s imagine the second scene – the same doctor visits the same mechanic’s shop to get his bike repaired.
Who do you think will be more confident in this situation?
Of course, the mechanic.
Perhaps he is more modest because the doctor who treated him is now his client. Nevertheless, his level of confidence is superior to that of the doctor.
The doctor can walk like a king in his clinic, but when he is in the mechanic’s shop, he needs to be quiet, listening and watching. Just like the mechanic at the clinic.
You understand the point I’m trying to make?
Both scenarios tell you a couple of things:
You should not attempt to express your confidence when you are in an unknown location or a strange situation.
If you want to build your confidence, you’ll need to build your forte.
Self-confidence is not something you develop by posing to be confident. Or by using auto-suggestions. It develops by knowing who you are and where you fit into the world.
You’ll have to learn a skill and practice it so well that you’ll be the best in the world. (`Best in the world’ is a debatable topic. But you can be as good as possible for you.)
If you do that, self-confidence will follow you like your shadow. Because you’ve built your world around your skill.
But even in your world, you could go over the edge with your self-confidence. A mechanic with too much confidence can wreck a vehicle. And an overly confident doctor might kill a patient.
Is there some other way we can focus on strengthing self-confidence?
Well, there is one.
And that is CONSCIOUSNESS.
Consciousness is about being aware of oneself and its environment at the same time.
If you practice being aware all the time, you may be able to do well both in your world and in other people’s world.
As you develop that consciousness, you will naturally react to any situation. You won’t make mistakes. (Or a little bit.)
You have experienced this in many places, especially in offices.
Your manager or boss talks about big ideas and uses words that are full of hot air. And in every meeting, he (or she) speaks the same thing. Again and again.
Or sometimes, he suddenly gets angry, or is always reserved, or acts as if he is hiding something.
If you observe closely, behind this brimming ego, what you’ll see is a lack of knowledge or skills.
But, he fears admitting that he doesn’t know something.
To admit that you don’t know something is a big relief. It makes you humane and creates empathy among your co-workers, friends, and family.
But it’s not true that only certain people do this all the time. You and I have done this at least a few times in our lifetime.
I remember something I did when I was in high school.
One day, I was walking from the classroom towards our dormitory. One of my classmates was passing by, and she stopped me. She wanted to ask me the meaning of a Kannada term from the subject she was studying. I told her the meaning without a second thought.
During that time, my classmates thought I was very good at the Kannada language. And to some extent, I was good too. I used to read a lot and practiced creative writing most of the time.
That was exam time, and I still remember her reaction when I answered her question. (Oh God, he knows everything.)
But I was not sure. I went back and checked the dictionary. I was wrong. (No, I didn’t go back and admit it with her.)
But I felt ashamed at what I did.
I had to change how I dealt with such things. You can’t keep the reputation by doing such dumb things, you see.
And not exactly from that day, but over the years, I developed my mindset to admit when I didn’t know something.
But admitting that you don’t know something doesn’t solve the problem.
By accepting you don’t know something, you may appear truthful for the time being. But such repeated admissions create a bad impression about you in the long run. Also, you’re not helping either yourself or the person asking the question.
So, whenever such situations arise, I use a different approach. I answer the question by saying: “I think <THIS> is the answer. But, let’s Google it to make sure”.
This stops me from growing my ego, or even meekly accepting my lack of knowledge.
And when you’re working in a particular field, you cannot escape by saying you don’t know. You will have to try to understand it and be able to answer as quickly as possible. The best is to do it immediately.
If you neglect that, your colleagues or subordinates won’t respect you.
But an even more dangerous situation is when you maintain you know everything. With that, you begin to create an inner fear. And subconsciously you try to cover it up by keeping yourself reserved. It makes you angry often or you begin to talk bigger nonsense.
So, if you don’t work to learn your trade well, you tend to grow an unnecessary ego.
Again, learning is not about reading something and thinking you know everything.
For example, imagine that your team is implementing a new SaaS product. Reading the product instructions or watching a YouTube demo is not going to be enough.
You’ll have to have hands-on experience with the product. Because that’s how you’ll know the actual challenges your team is going to face. Otherwise, you’ll be clueless when your team talks about it in meetings.
If you do that extra work, you’ll be able to answer them well, and you’ll be a good leader.
Remember, if you don’t grow your skills continuously, you tend to grow your ego.
Improving or increasing concentration is not a one-time problem.
It’s a problem that you face every moment of your waking life.
So, a one-off solution is not going to help. You need a solution that not just solves the problem in different situations, but also creates an impactful, long-term and life-changing effect.
Here is a solution that is going to help you build a laser-like focus. So, let’s get started.
Why I’m not able to concentrate
How to improve your mental focus
It’s the most common problem people face. Some consciously think that they need to improve their concentration. But, for most people, they don’t even know there’s a lack of concentration that’s hurting their life.
They feel they don’t have enough energy and carry a sad face. They don’t know the root of the problem and they fight in the dark. There’s always an unconscious struggle within.
Lack of concentration is a problem that needs an immediate solution for everyone.
Students have many subjects to study, but their mind is craving to go out and play. Professionals have a lot of pending work, but they cannot put their mind into the work.
You see here, their initial problem is not even concentrating. The real problem is getting the work started.
During my college days, whenever there was an exam, a friend of mine would do something strange. Whenever we decided to sit and begin to study, he would open his suitcase and start cleaning it up. And it would take an hour. That was his first ritual before starting to prepare for an exam.
And when I thought about it, I realized I also did something like that. Whenever I have something to write, I get tea, watch some YouTube or do some research on the web. And tell myself that these are all preparations for my writing.
But, they’re not. These are delay tactics employed by my mind. Are you not doing these kinds of rituals that only delay your actual task?
If you’re doing that often, consider these two things:
First, there’s a lot of unconscious actions happening within your mind. And these random actions are preventing you from focusing your mind on one action.
The second one is, your mind DOES NOT want you to find focus. (Why so? I will explain in a while.)
This leads us to a crucial question…
What is the mind?
This question is crucial. Because if you understand what mind is, then you’ll know the root of the problem.
First of all, understand that your mind is not you. You’re a different entity using the mind. The mind is an instrument that you use, and you are not the instrument itself.
Next, the mind is not the brain. (Yes, some people don’t know the difference.) It’s not a physical entity but an entity that you call it yours.
So what is the mind? The mind is simply a flux of random thoughts.
That’s why Yogis say the mind doesn’t exist. Because when there are no thoughts, there’s no mind.
If you ask how do you exist without the mind, a simple answer is you’re beyond your mind. When there’s no mind, when there’s no thought, your pure consciousness is operating. But that’s an ideal situation. That’s a different journey.
Let’s get back to solving the immediate problem.
Scientists say you and I think about 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. That’s about 50 thoughts per minute. And about 1 thought per second?
I don’t think it’s that simple.
The mind is a flux, and every second wave of thoughts are moving in different layers of the mind. Some you recognize and some pass without you noticing them. You catch some of them and spend time with those thoughts — and call them YOUR thoughts.
They were not your thoughts. They were some passing random thoughts. From the moment you own the thoughts, they begin to influence your actions – both physical and mental.
Now the next question is, how can you catch only some thoughts and not all of them? Is there a pattern to these thoughts that you catch?
If you observe carefully, you don’t catch any random thought. You catch only a type of or a pattern of thoughts.
If you have a habit of thinking sad thoughts, you catch sad thoughts easily. If you’re a happiness seeker, you identify only positive aspects of every situation.
And the thoughts that you catch depend on your personality type. The personality type you’ve developed over the years of your life.
Because you have enjoyed thinking about them, now it has become a habit for you to think only those patterns of thoughts (Some people easily catch fearful, depressing, jealous (collectively called negative thoughts…).
Power of thoughts
Until now we discussed what is mind, what are thoughts and how individuals have their own pattern of thoughts.
Now, let’s see the power of thoughts and how they influence the world.
Basically, thoughts themselves are not powerful. Thoughts that pass through your mind are very random and contradicting in nature. (If you just observe them, they pass like waves, and behind them come more thoughts.)
Let’s see how these thoughts are random in nature. Let’s say, you think that you want a new car. If you have that one strong and pure thought, many doors open for you. You’ll find a way to get that car.
But, as soon as you think of owning a car, there’s an opposite thought that you don’t have enough money to buy that car. Or that you don’t need that car for now. Even while you’re thinking all this, some more random thoughts are passing aimlessly through your mind.
Because of this kind of multiple and directionless thoughts, you’re not able to create powerful intentions.
When there are no powerful thoughts and intentions, you cannot create new things. No miracles happen in your life.
Also, because this random thinking has become a habit, you’ve lost the ability to focus.
Now, if you really want to develop the power of concentration, you’ll have to create a new habit of thinking.
And that begins by making efforts to understand, analyse your current thought pattern. And then choosing what you want to think.
But there’s a nature of the mind that you can use to develop new thought patterns.
And that nature is – you can bend it by choosing to think new thoughts. And thinking those thoughts more often to make it habitual.
So, when you choose a new thought habit and work on it consciously for a few days, your mind will soon adjust itself to the new pattern. Soon, without your conscious effort, your mind will start catching the new pattern of thoughts.
For example, you want to become a singer. But, there are opposing thoughts that you don’t have that talent.
Now, you decide to create a thought pattern of you becoming a singer. (Try it as an experiment, without stressing yourself.)
Keep that desire for a few days. Imagine yourself singing. If you do that sincerely, your mind will prompt you to spend more time singing and listening to good music.
Wherever you go you will see hoardings of music concerts on the road, music stores on the street and you will begin to notice music-related news in the newspaper and magazines. (Those hoardings, music stores and news stories were always there. But because you started a new thought pattern, they’re becoming clearly visible to you.)
If you now compare with your life a few days back, you’ll find that a new life blossoming around you. And it all started with a single act of working on your thoughts.
Observe what is happening with your life from now on.
People interested in music begin to appear in your life. You will soon become a part of a community that loves music. And these people become a strength for you and your music career.
See how powerful your thoughts are?
You didn’t consciously think of a community that loves music or visualised people coming into your life. You focused on music and those thoughts created a world around you.
(This is how the Law of Attraction works. But, you don’t need to directly work with the law of attraction and force things to happen.)
I can give you more examples of how your thoughts if focused properly, can impact your life. But for now, just understand that your thoughts have the power to change the world around you. But if you focus on changing the world, you have deviated from your purpose. Don’t worry about the results. Now, let’s move on to…
How to create thought patterns
There is one secret you need to know at this point – you don’t need to CLEAR old thought patterns to create new ones.
In case of a blackboard, you need to rub off what is already written on it before writing something new. But with the mind, you can directly start writing new ones. The old ones will fade away by automatically.
To create a new pattern, the first step is to calm your mind. There are many ways to calm the mind, like meditation, intense work and practising systematic breathing.
Once you feel you’ve a calm mind, start thinking new thoughts. As discussed in the previous example, start thinking about your music career.
Remember, don’t begin by thinking that you are a great musician. The Law of Attraction teachers teach this method. But it is a difficult path. It’s overwhelming and you will soon feel tired. When you’re creating a new thought pattern, start slow.
If you are trying to create a pattern of being a sportsperson, begin by watching the sport that you are interested in. Focus on one kind of game. If you want to be a footballer, for the time being, don’t watch other games like badminton or volleyball.
Start reading about the game and people who have achieved great heights in that game. That way, you’re strengthening your new thought pattern.
If you continue to do this, soon your mind will create more avenues and opportunities for you to go in this field. You become more knowledgeable than other people in the field.
And after some time, you don’t need to consciously force yourself into this thought pattern. The mind has become habituated, and it will take you further. As time passes by, you will become an unstoppable force that’s moving towards creating wonders.
Note: There is one thing I want to clarify at this juncture. When I started telling you about focusing on your interest, I didn’t tell you to – go to a secluded place or to NOT watch TV or to NOT meet negative people.
I didn’t tell you about things you should NOT do.
You know why?
Most people do it the wrong way.
Whenever people want to build focus first start by fighting with their current thought patterns. They force themselves to STOP watching TV or to STOP having junk food.
Remember what I said about the blank board?
Don’t try to erase the old writing. Don’t try to remove the old thought patterns.
Because when you try to remove old patterns, you’re actually concentrating on them. And giving them more energy with your focus. And the more energy you give them, the more it becomes difficult to erase them.
Don’t worry about the current pattern. If you are obsessed with TV, Netflix or junk food, let them be there. Just focus on what you want now. Soon you will see that your old obsessions will begin to subside.
Remember, your mind does not recognise your words. It recognises your focus. So don’t struggle with the Don’ts.
So, how long do you need to focus on new thoughts to make them permanent?
It takes 21 days to create a new pattern.
For a lot of people, focusing for 21 days is a struggle. But see it’s a challenge for your commitment. If something is going to change your whole life, are you not willing to commit for the next 21 days?
If you fail in the beginning, start again from the first day. This way, you’re concentrating more and giving more power to yourself. And your power of commitment becomes stronger.
And the more committed you are, the more respected you will become in society. Remember how society respects committed people?
Have you not observed this? People who are illiterate, poor and those who cannot speak a sentence properly become popular leaders. How? Commitment Boss.
So 21 days.
And this is the problem with the majority of people. They lack commitment. And if you want to grow above the mass, you’ll have to commit to your self-development.
Did I inspire you enough? Now, let’s move onto the next part.
How creating a new thought pattern builds you a personality
Your personality is what you think, what you do and what you care for. This is what the world sees in you.
As long as you are entertaining hundreds of thoughts, you are clueless about what to do. You don’t know what to respect, what values to stand for. You are just a confused personality. That means you have nothing to offer to the world but more confusion.
Some people may love you and others hate you, but if you have clear thoughts and goals, the world looks at you with awe and respect. Continuously breathing proper, uniform and intense thoughts give uniqueness to your personality.
The thought pattern you cultivate crystalizes your personality traits. And they directly influence your actions.
Some people have a crystalized negative personality. If you observe them, they always find negative sides of people, events and always complain. For them, even if great things are happening in their life, they can’t recognize them. Because they have tuned themselves to negativity.
If you have built a positive personality, even in the darkest night you will be able to see the light. That’s because you have trained your mind to see only the light.
When you are that kind of a person, people who are seeking the light desperately start coming to you. Because you are their hope.
Now let’s go to our primary question.
How to improve concentration?
With everything you have read above, you have understood the following:
Concentration is not focusing on things that distract you
Concentration is not forcing yourself into something that is an interesting
Building concentration is about transforming your complete thought patterns. It’s about creating a personality for whom focusing is a natural inclination.
Now, I have a question for you – what type of methods did you practice to develop concentration? And how did it work for you?
The day I bought my brand new car, I was too worried.
For a few days, it was nightmarish even to think about parking it inside the compound. Through that narrow lane.
‘Should I use an L-board’, I asked a friend.
`No’, she said.
I was in a dilemma.
Because I had rammed the car into a compound wall only on the third day of buying it. While parking.
And what might happen when I drive it through the heavy traffic of a city road?
But, the idea of admitting myself as an L-board, I didn’t like it. Even though it was my first car, and I was learning to ride.
As an L-board, you have many benefits.
People on the road, won’t show anger on you when your car’s mirror collides with theirs.
They always try to keep a safe distance.
Even police will understand if you’re involved in an accident.
Everything is good. But, what about your self-image? How do you feel yourself when you are declaring that you are an L-board, a novice?
Every time you sit inside your car, you’ll feel that you’re not good enough.
`Do you want that?’, she asked me.
What are you feeding into your own mind?
This is not just about driving your car. Listen to people around, most of them doubt their own capabilities.
“Novelist, me? No way”
“Starting a business? Not in my blood”
“That person, unlike me, is genius.”
Now, look at the high achievers around you. When they started something, they too felt like an L-board.
But they decided to throw the board away as quickly as possible, while most of us clung to it.
Because they believed in the projected image of themselves as masters. This is the leap that they took towards the unmanifest – the possibility of being a master.
So, if you want to be a master in any field, the first step starts with the belief that you are capable of. This belief has to grow into your whole being. Then it starts working for you. It changes your body language and behaviour.
So, whenever you start a new endeavour, the first step starts with your mind. You have to create an image of success and feel it. Feel it as deeply as possible, until you know what it feels to be successful. And begin your endeavour with that feeling. Hold on to that feeling even when you are failing.
This is how you get out of the trap of being an L-board, an average.
Here, all you need is a little courage. The courage to throw that L-board.
So, never think that you will start something after you are ready. You are never ready unless you believe it. So, feel it first, create a belief and then begin to act.
Apple, the world’s biggest tech company was started in a garage. With the help of a bunch of boys from the neighbourhood. But Steve Jobs, one of its founders and an iconic leader, always talked like they were into something huge.
This very mindset pushed them into creating iconic products that transformed the world.
Remember, L-board is always a dent in your confidence.
So never say, I am an aspiring actor, aspiring writer or aspiring businessman.
You are an actor, that’s why you act. Cut that `Aspiring’ out! Because, even after you did your best work, you remain an actor.
And when you believe in that, opportunities begin to come in search of you.
You’ve heard a million times that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But, this first step is not physical.
My grandfather’s family lives in a remote village. More remote when I used to visit it as a kid.
Almost a mile before we reached our grandfather’s house, there stood a handpost, at the intersection of three roads.
We called the handpost, with a local name Kai Mara, which literally meant ‘a tree with hands’.
The handpost always mesmerized the child in me.
There, I used to stand under it, and raise hands and say: ‘the left hand directs me to one town, the right one to another. But I choose the middle one, which directs me to my grandfather’s village, where my heart wants me to go’.
The image of the handpost has always been with me ever since, helping me make my decisions.
Whenever I was in confusion, I would imagine myself standing below the handpost, and try to make a decision – Which is the right path for me? Which one my heart is really asking me to choose?
And whenever I took a decision, I felt myself as very powerful.
You might have felt it too.
Good or bad, take a decision, and instantly you will feel your personal power.
That is the power of integrity – integrating all your outflowing energy in one direction. It is so satisfying.
Indecision is a sin. It is like a chain tied you to the handpost.
Imagine yourself tied to a handpost. You’re struggling, weeping. While you remain there, your friends are moving on, from success to success.
Every time you are indecisive, you are at the handpost.
If you are seeking success and happiness in your life, you should not stay at the handpost for longer. You should remove the shackles of indecision and move on.
If the decision you make is wrong, you will soon know it. You will feel an uneasiness within. If it is the right one, you will feel the power.
But, why is the decision so powerful?
The power of decision
The problem with most people is – they don’t know what to do. Some people have dreams, but they are not determined to achieve it.
I have had friends who wanted to become novelists. But, I never saw them doing something for it. Such as reading classics, writing regularly and learning the craft. They kept on dreaming that someday somehow they would become ‘famous’ novelists.
The wishful thinking.
And behind this wishful thinking, there is an inherent thought – some day, SOMEBODY will make me a novelist.
Some fortune, some god-force or some guardians will bring it into my life. Isn’t it?
You dream like this and until the end of your life, you continue to dream. But, nobody in the universe will make you a novelist.
The only one person in the whole universe that can do it for you is YOU.
You DECIDE to do it, and you DO IT. Whatever it takes.
This decision TO MAKE IT HAPPEN is the greatest leap.
When you make this decision, different energies working within you come together to become one force. When this one force starts operating, the universe starts to set things up for your success.
Remember, you have a cosmic force inside you. But, if you don’t make a decision, the energy forms are moving with randomly, cancelling each other.
Making a decision is like turning on the ignition.
If you have not made a decision to what you want to create, achieve and become, you’re still under the handpost.
Divided in mind, wanted to be somewhere, living somewhere else.
We all want to become leaders. In becoming a leader, the deeper reason is not just to rule others, but to escape from being ruled by others. More by stupids and idiots at that.
We all have struggled to be leaders at some place and we know that it is not easy. And when learning to become one, we are told that a leader should be courageous, caring and strong.
How do these qualities — courage, care, and strength — grow in us? Does merely forcing these good qualities make us a better leader?
As I tried to study and experiment with the psychology of leadership, I found that this question — How to become a leader — is absurd. There is another question we all must ask ourselves, which makes us leaders NOW.
I will reveal it in a bit. Before that, let us take three important instances in our life, where a good leadership becomes necessary.
Firstly, let us consider politics. How do you become a political leader? First, you choose a constituency to work for, you find the biggest problem the region is facing, and you work to solve it by consolidating people’s support, isn’t it?
Let us take some examples of the world’s greatest leaders. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian face of freedom struggle, did never strive to be a leader. For him, the biggest issue was India being colonized by the British. He started the freedom movement, and people followed him.
Lenin, who freed Russians from the clutches of Czars, or Mao who brought communism to China or Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for the Black Americans — all these people had issues to fight against. They did not strive to become leaders, but people, whose problems they worked to solve, made them.
Now tell me, whom do you respect the most — the ones who fight for a cause or for the power?
Let us take the second point — You are an employee of a company and working on a project. If your aim is to become a team-leader, observe the current team-leaders. Probably they know more about the projects than all other members, they work harder, and they are more responsible.
Of course, there are leaders who don’t know much about their projects or make efforts at learning, and those who are arrogant and abusive.
Now, answer this question — Who do you want to become? The responsible one or the arrogant and abusive?
Thirdly, as the head of a family, you need to treat everyone equally. As a head, you must know that your own needs are less important than those of your family members. If you cannot take this responsibility, you lose their respect.
Considering all this, let us break down the important traits of a leader:
A leader will select an area to work for and try to solve the most pressing problems.
He is ready to spend time in studying and understanding a problem completely.
He is ready to devote himself to solving a problem.
For him, the safety and happiness of his people are more important than his own.
Now, you might have realized that any of the mentioned leaders did not try to attain some absurd qualities of braveness, humility, and strength. They just did one thing. So, Your Easy Step to leadership is this:
Take an issue, and take responsibility to solve it.
There is no need to strive at acquiring good qualities because you already have all of them within you. Give them a vent by choosing to be responsible for something.
If you can take a responsibility now, you become a leader NOW. The bigger the responsibilities you take, the bigger a leader you become. The bigger a leader, the bigger risks you need to face. So, it is always good to take small responsibilities, experience and grow.
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, write in the comments section below:
“The strongest single factor in prosperity consciousness is self-esteem: believing you can do it, believing you deserve it, believing you will get it.” ~ Jerry Gillies
This is one of the biggest questions people ask on various Law of Attraction forums and social media – I tried everything, but I could not manifest what I wanted.
They try every method out there to create their dream house, big car, dream girlfriend – they ‘write down their dreams’ repeatedly, ‘they visualize’ and ‘fake it to make it’ and so on. But, nothing happens.
People repeatedly ask, why is this dream not becoming a reality? What is this unknown hurdle that is preventing me from getting what I want?
Let us analyze this situation.
First, consider these two points to understand:
We all know that the law of attraction is the law of belief.
The universe is not responding to what we want but is responding to what we have.
Now, there is a salesman working in a mobile shop for a monthly salary of Rs.15, 000. He can imagine buying a pulsar bike that costs about Rs.75, 000 (about $1200). But, for him, buying a car is a distant dream. Meanwhile, a software engineer who earns a salary of Rs.12 lakh per year can easily imagine buying a Toyota Corolla, but not a BMW i8.
This simply means that it is difficult for a salesman who believes he is worth Rs. 15,000 per month to visualize having a beautiful car. When there is an inherent belief that he cannot afford a car, all his visualizations go against his deeper belief and remain daydreams.
Self Image
However, if he imagines having his own mobile shop one day, it can be achieved. When he can own a mobile shop, he can easily buy a car without having to visualize it for days and months.
In this case, he is not dreaming about a big car, a big bungalow, but he has raised his own bar.
So, your car will not make you big, nor does your big bungalow. It is your own vision about your self-image that can make you big.
It is always easy to dream yourself to be in a bigger position than dreaming of having bigger things in your life. When you take greater responsibilities, you expand your consciousness. Your expanded consciousness can naturally let more wealth and abundance in.
Firstly, understand that you have an unlimited potential within you. What do you want to become – a great writer, painter, businessman or a scientist? Whichever the area you choose, the cosmic potential within you can help you achieve it.
Your Highest Self
There is another reason why you should always strive for a bigger position. When you have the self-image of a poor man, you will find it difficult to handle a fortune and lose it easily.
If you always feel that you are lucky for having a big car, you are sending a signal to your own inner being that you are less valuable than that car. With such feelings and belief, the dream car gradually becomes a burden for you. And soon, someone will steal it or it will get crushed in an accident.
This is the reason why those who get instant fortune through a lottery, game shows or any other means tend to lose it fast.
That is why you should have your worth bigger than all those that you want to possess. You should know that even that posh car should feel lucky to be with you. That is how you create your self-worth.
When you feel yourself be of great worth, all these things – the money, the bungalow, the relationships – start flowing towards you. You will no more be running towards them and lose your way.
Now, let us recall the two points we talked about earlier.
First, the law of attraction is a law of belief. Believe that you are destined to be a millionaire, you tend to be that. And when you think from that abundant outlook, as the second point says, the cosmos responds with more abundance.
This is the reason why mere visualizations will not work.
So, here is Your Easy Step:
“Instead of visualizing abundance in life, visualize yourself achieving that highest potential you ever dreamed of. With that self-worth come all those things you dream about.”
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, write in the comment section below.
Even a life’s mission cannot fully inspire you into following a daily routine — because of repeated failures, threats, and depressions. If you have a deity at the centre of your mission, supporting and leading you — then your routine becomes invincible.
A proper routine is a sure stairs to success.
But, most of us fail in maintaining a routine for a long time. You start following a routine, but within a week, it falls apart. And then you try some other method, which also fails. And this goes on.
Any method you take up, after a few days it starts becoming forced, tiresome, and dry routine, which you want to get rid off. Right?
There are two reasons why your daily routine is not becoming a natural part of your life.
The first reason is, your life has not turned into a MISSION.
That is, you are not able to connect your daily routine to a larger goal. Your energy is not moving in one direction, one higher goal in life. That is why you fantasize doing many things, but end up doing few.
You cannot reduce your body fat or build six-pack abs just because someone else has done it. What are you going to do with your six-pack abs? Act in the next superhero movie? Run a gym, or build a business around health? How is it going to help your overall life?
Your routine has to become an extension of your own personality. Unless you attach it with your overall goal of life, your routine cannot become a long-lasting one.
The second is, you have not chosen your MASTER yet.
We all want to become rulers. But there is also an innate desire for being ruled. It is easy when you have a master to report to. Right?
With most bosses and masters, you work to fulfill their dreams. But, how about having a master who helps you build your own dream? A master who can help you with your mission?
You can find such a master in two forms – one is a living master or a mentor. Another is a deity — I will explain it to you about this in a bit.
But, before that, please go through these eight morning routines and later you will know how to connect your mission with your master and streamline your life.
Brahma Muhurta — the time to get up
There is a precise time for you to wake up if you want to make the best use of your inner potential. The ancient sages have discovered that the perfect time for you to rise is during Brahma muhurta — a time precisely 1Hr 36 mins before sunrise.
It is the elixir time when your mind is most serene and calm. This is the time you can recreate yourself and become what you want to be. So, decide that you will not open your social media, mails or news until you complete these tasks.
Here is your ideal routine:
Brahma wakes up
‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (I am the ultimate reality) declares Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. When you wake up from your slumber, you have returned from the deep sleep state where your pure unlimited potential exists. The potential that is untouched by your limiting beliefs about yourself.
So, when you wake up during the Brahma muhurtha, you wake up not as the person you slept the day before, with all that bad experiences and impressions, but as Brahma — the pure unlimited potential.
In your sleep, you have touched your deeper self, which is the almighty — the Brahma or Parabrahma. So, when you wake up, you wake up with an unlimited potential — that is why it is so important.
When the world is still asleep, no vehicle sounds, no humans showing up around, you will still remain the Brahma and do the most important things that build your day and your mission. That is why you get up at Brahma muhurtha — the time when you are the Brahma.
This is not the time for you to visit Facebook or Twitter or news — which again brings you back to the world, and you lose yourself.
This is the time for you to take up your morning routines.
But, when you wake up, don’t hurry towards your predefined routines. First, feel the emptiness that you have touched in your sleep. Be with that experience for sometime. And slowly, let yourself come to the world. Take a few long breaths and feel the silence inside.
2. Drink hot cumin water
Drinking hot beverages such as green tea, lemon tea in an empty stomach helps better bowel movements. I would suggest you to have a cup of hot cumin water mixed with honey for added benefits.
3. River bath or river mantra
There is a reason why people from ancient times took bath in flowing waters of rivers. River water is full of cosmic energy, also called as pranic energy or bioplasma. When you take bath in a river, that energy enters into you and refreshes your being.
Even the water you take from a well or a pond does have the same effect. But, all cannot have the luxury of a river or a pond nearby. But, there is a method of energizing the water.
So, before you take bath, recite this mantra to infuse pranic energy of river-water into it:
(Meaning: I hereby invoke the holy waters from rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri to be present in this water.)
Considered holy, these rivers flow in various parts of India and are worshipped by people across the nation.
In The Miracle of Water, Masaru Emoto writes, “By holding the intention of peace towards the water, by thinking, speaking and acting with the intention of peace towards the water, water can and will bring peace, to our bodies and to the world.”
You need to understand and recite this mantra to know the effect it will have on the water and also on you. It changes the vibration of your entire being.
Taking a cold water bath brings your mind and body out of the last bit of slumber. Traditionally, several immediate benefits of cold shower/bath are listed.
Cold water increases your blood circulation, as blood moves faster to keep your organs warm, which in long term keeps you healthy and younger. Also, it increases your testosterone and fertility and decreases the tendency of depression.
Immediately after the bath, you are suggested to invoke the divine.
4. Pooja — the divine calling
During your deep sleep, which is called as Sushupti, you are one with the all-pervading cosmic energy. When you get up, you are still connected to it. And, this is the time for strengthening that connection by invoking the cosmic divinity.
This can either be done by invoking the cosmic formless presence, or by worshipping your own personal deity.
With personal deity, you are not worshipping some stone or statue. You are treating it as r a presentation of the all-pervading cosmic entity and will develop a human-like relationship with it. As the relationship grows deeper, you will receive greater rewards.
So, immediately after the bath, devotees prepare for a pooja of their deity. (The Magic of Devotion gives you a step-by-step method to learn and practice devotion for success in life.)
During the puja or worship, you invoke the all-pervading cosmic energy, offer flowers and fruits and thank the divinity.
There is a reason behind this offerings and gratitude. When you express your gratitude towards this all-pervading power, you are not only acknowledging the best things you already have in your life, but also letting more of those things to flow into your life. Through the attitude of gratitude. And with the offerings, you are connecting deeper.
During worship, a devotee recites a few mantras, which are crucial. Take this mantra for example:
Samudravasane devi parvatastanamandale
Vishnupatni namastubhyam padasparsham kshamaswa me
This mantra calls the earth as mother, praises her and seeks her forgiveness for stepping on her.
And there are similar mantras that express gratitude to the sun, the rivers, sacred herbs and animals, and the ancient great men who contributed immensely to our lives.
Either you can learn mantras, or you can simply remember all those entities and energies that are causing and leading your life. A heartfelt expression of gratitude is equal to any mantra.
Just remember to thank all the people your life has been enriched by. You will know how rich you are.
5. Physical postures for mental balance — Yoga
After getting up, your consciousness slowly returned to your body through drink and shower. Now, it is time to completely return to your body and own it. Yoga and Pranayama will help you do it.
You must know that Yoga is not your physical exercise. It helps you physically but, the primary aim is to bring the stability of your body and mind and make you ready for meditation.
That is why proper focus on breathing is important during yoga. You can give evening time for your gym exercises. Now, as you want to take up several works for the day, you need to work on the stability of your mind.
Think that Yoga and Pranayama are for that. But, you can select specific yogic postures to work on particular parts of the body as well. But the primary goal is to balance your mind.
6. Recite the power word — Japa
You will be surprised to know how recitation of a word makes you very powerful. Let me explain the science behind it.
While hundreds of thoughts enter your mind every second, only a few select thoughts are allowed and entertained by it. The mind lets only those thoughts that match your current mindset. If you are feeling down or being overpowered by your past, it is simply because you are tuned to such thoughts. And your mind is allowing them because they are familiar.
Remember that even a single negative thought can disturb you profoundly.
But, there is a method to seal your mind properly so that these thoughts do not sneak into your mind — that is the science behind the method of japa.
Japa or recitation of a particular mantra or a phrase or even a word has been practised since ancient times.
It has two benefits:
After a prolonged and quality recitation of japa, your mind will be able to seal negative thoughts.
This repetition of a particular sound will create energy that you can use to create the life you want.
Recitation of a Japa for 10 minutes further stabilizes your mind and makes it fit for meditation.
7. Gear up your goals — Meditation
When you get up in the morning, you are returning from your Sushupti, the bliss state. But, the only difference is that you are not aware of it. When you become aware of it, you will become aware of your true inner being, which is called as enlightenment.
Meditation is a method to get back into sushupti with awareness. When you sit for meditation, your goal is to observe how you go deeper into silence. But, this cannot be practised during your daily morning routine. This can only be practised if you can dedicate yourself to it fully for months and years. Otherwise, daily meditation has a different purpose.
Another goal of meditation is to focus your mind to create the life you want, about which we discuss now.
If you are on a mission, you meditate to focus your mind on the end result of it — the having of your desired object or accomplishing your goal.
During the meditation, you hold in your mind your desired objective as accomplished and feel the satisfaction. Once you experience the tears of fulfilment, you will feel that your meditation is complete. At the end, express your gratitude towards the cosmic power or your deity for making this possible.
8. Put on the mask
This is important.
When you get up from your meditation and are ready to take on the day, never forget to do this.
Have you observed how billionaire businessman Bruce Wayne turns into Batman by wearing the mask? How his body language and voice changes? During this transformation, he not just wears a new attire, but wears a new identity – a new mission.
When you complete the first 7 morning routines, you still are a potential energy, a possibility. With this 8th step, you are bringing the immense potential within into a form, a new identity.
That is why uniforms are important — they are in a way masks that you enter into. When you wear the school uniform, you admit and believe that you are a student, and others also believe that.
Similarly, if you are a police officer, a lawyer or any uniformed professional, as long as you are wearing the uniform, you and others see you with that identity. (Also, observe how your thought streams, body language, and behaviours change with the uniform.)
So, when you get up from your meditation and are ready to get out, do this — wear the mask that you yourself and the world want to see you with.
If you want to be a hugely popular writer, just wear that mask. If you want to be a film star, wear that mask first, and go out. Whatever is your ideal — get that mask ready and enter into it.
With this new self-image, all the qualities of your new identity will flower in you. Without you entering into that mask, you will not find inner impulse or motivation to do the works that you want to do.
The mask will make you ready to be already in the mindset of success.
The missing link
Now, this routine seems perfect. But, you cannot follow this routine for long unless there is a compelling mission of life.
But, even a mission may not fully inspire you for long. Many have failed in keeping up with their missions because of the repeated failures, fear, and depression.
But, there is one thing that can keep you going even through the most intimidating hurdles — that is your deity. For this, you will have to choose a right deity, make it your MASTER, and build your mission and life around it.
Your deity is the almighty that you have chosen to guide you all through your endeavours.
With your deity at the back supporting you, and a mission leading you, your routine becomes invincible.
Before you go: Do you think this information is enough to recharge your routine? Do you need more details? Please write down your questions in the comments section.
One evening, I was walking along the bank of Tunga river. On the way, I found a turtle plodding through sand, towards the river.
When I reached near, I found the turtle stop moving, pulling in its legs and head. I picked it up and it appeared like an empty shell.
For years, I did the same – I always shrank my conscious back to my body whenever I faced a stranger. Have you done that too?
It is the fear of facing a stranger or a strange situation turns us into turtles. Shrinking feels safe.
You might ask what is consciousness and what is shrinking.
Your consciousness is your awareness. At one time, you are aware of everything around you, and at another time, you are aware of only your body. In the first instance, your consciousness is expanded, while in the second, it is shrunk.
To be more clear, imagine this:
You are in an open field enjoying the green grass and butterflies fluttering around. Suddenly, a jeep comes from somewhere and 4-5 people get down. Now, you are not the same person who was enjoying the nature. You are aware of the strangers – they are better built, better dressed and more active than you. You look at yourself. Your consciousness is shrunk.
And whenever your consciousness is shrunk, you feel lonely and sad.
This kind of expanding and a sinking of yourself is your ego.
Whenever your consciousness contracts, it makes you feel that the people that you have excluded from your consciousness are against you. Soon those people will start acting against you.
You have not done anything to them. You think you just have excluded them. But you have abandoned them.
But, if you expand your consciousness and begin to include those people as part of you, soon you will realize that they begin to support you.
So, whenever you are afraid of any person, begin to feel that the person is a part of you. This very feeling brings makes you feel powerful and relaxed.
But with the current state, you may not easily drop the ego and accept people as part of you.
Redefine yourself and your mission
You need to redefine yourself, your purpose and mission of your life.
Redefining yourself is about who you are, what you stand for and what makes you proud. This can be done by finding your mission and master.
A mission in your life, a dream to build something big, helps you let go of ego. Look at the people who have dreamed of building great products, they were so humble and egoless.
And there were also people, who had the God as their master. They were also without ego.
Thank you. If you have a question, ask in the comments section below:
