Monday, March 26, 2007

Overwhelming Positivity



I discovered this concept a few days ago. I was like feeling depressed and not so happy for no reason at all and I thought: OK meghu, old boy these negative thoughts must be doing their job, lets beat them at their game!

And so I decided to be overwhelmingly positive. In 5 minutes flat I couldn't stop myself from laughing and grinning. Suddenly my spirits soared really high. I felt better tyhan I'd ever felt in a month. I was like soaring in the sky. So there I discovered that just blocking negative thoughts, concentrating on the positive things, thinking about what to do instead of what has hppened can channge your life.

Three cheers to overwhelming positivity.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Power of Thought

The power of the thoughts we think is beyond our imagination.

Stay alone for 10 days in a room from which you cannot escape and with no one to interact with. You will be a different person altogethor.

And contrary to what you may think, the change in the isolated person will vary from person to person from being outright depressed to being ecstatic!

The important thing is that it lies within our power to allow or disallow pleasant or unpleasant thoughts! People habituated to thinking of depressing things will have hundreds of unpleasant thoughts in a day.
One reason why the proverb “Work is worship” is really really true in our lives is that men forget everything but the job at hand during work, which means unpleasant thoughts will have no chance to enter.
Today I am feeling really happy – so happy that everything seems beautiful and mirthful. I can do anything – so high is my confidence. Some hours pass and suddenly, I am not feeling that great any more. I am feeling OK or I am feeling slightlly off target. Why? Has this not happened to so many of us so many times? This is because so many useless thoughts have somehow crept in and convinced us and changed our view of life.
We are what we think. If only positive thoughts come in, then our day will be really great.

Positive thoughts + action + positive thoughts + action = the way to go.

Thoughts + Thoughts + thoughts (Positive + Negative at random) + no action = depression and frustration.

Positive thoughts + positive thoughts + positive thoughts + no action = impossible, so many positive thoughts and no negative thoughts will have to lead to some action.

Action + action + action + no thoughts = Very less or no growth.

Monday, March 5, 2007

A Poem

The business of living


“The movie is so interesting”,
He thought, sitting in the theatre.
The corn, the ambience, the plot so arresting!
(And what about the caricature?)

He’d come with the account didn’t he?
Wads of notes, cheques, coins to chime,
Fortune to last an eternity:
The bank account of time.

Spend and watch, watch and spend,
As if they were synonyms!
The Business of watching a movie!
The Business of living a life!

With eyes on the screen,
And hands on the keys
Of his lap, he sat unseen.
A gander among geese.

Amidst this stifling heat-
No fluster, no frown.
He got up from his seat
He put the lap down.

The movie went on
As out he went(And out it went)
Into the rain- the spattering rain:
Out of the vent.(All that was pent)

The rainbow, the rain,
The stir of the way:
The radiance, the main,
The light of day.

He’d stopped watching the show,
He’d stopped working on the lap
There was nothing to tow
He’d opened the tap;

That he may drink.
The freedom in control
The freedom of being
And being in control

Not the freedom of the leaf
Blown by the wind;
The freedom of reality:
The freedom of the wind.

And then he knew he was
Not in the future,
Not in the present,
But in eternity.

Meghu

Current Strengths and Weaknesses according to www.authentichappiness.com

Brief Strengths Test
Here are your scores on the Brief Strengths Test.

ALWAYS

Integrity [authenticity, honesty]Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one's feelings and actionsHonesty, authenticity, and genuineness
98th percentile [compared to all web users]


Fairness: Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting personal feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chanceFairness, equity, and justice

91st percentile [compared to all web users]


Appreciation of beauty and excellence [awe, wonder, elevation]Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experienceAppreciation of beauty and excellence -

91st percentile [compared to all web users]

GratitudeBeing aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks

100th percentile [compared to all web users]




USUALLY
Creativity [originality, ingenuity]Thinking of novel and productive ways to do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to itCreativity, ingenuity, and originality 80%


80th percentile [compared to all web users]


Curiosity [interest, novelty-seeking, openness to experience]Taking an interest in all of ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discoveringCuriosity and interest in the world


72nd percentile [compared to all web users]

Love of LearningMastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally; obviously related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knowsLove of learning

67th percentile [compared to all web users]


Perspective [wisdom]Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself and to other peoplePerspective (wisdom)

73rd percentile [compared to all web users]

Persistence [perseverance, industriousness]Finishing what one starts; persisting in a course of action in spite of obstacles; "getting it out out the door"; taking pleasure in completing tasksIndustry, diligence, and perseverance

81st percentile [compared to all web users]


Vitality [zest, enthusiasm, vigor, energy]Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activatedZest, enthusiasm, and energy

88th percentile [compared to all web users]


Kindness [generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruistic love, "niceness"]Doing favors and good deedsFOR others; helping them; taking care of them

80th percentile [compared to all web users]


Social Intelligence [emotional intelligence, personal intelligence]Being aware of the motives and feelings of other people and oneself; knowing what to do to fit in to different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick Social

82nd percentile [compared to all web users]

LeadershipEncouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happenLeadership

74th percentile [compared to all web users]

Forgiveness and mercyForgiving those who have done wrong; giving people a second chance; not being vengefulForgiveness and mercy
85th percentile [compared to all web users]

Hope [optimism, future-mindedness, future orientation]Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought aboutHope, optimism, and future-mindedness

88th percentile [compared to all web users]

Spirituality [religiousness, faith, purpose]Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfortSpirituality, sense of purpose, and faith

85th percentile [compared to all web users]

HALF THE TIME
Open-mindedness [judgment, critical thinking]Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one's mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairlyJudgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness

25th percentile

Bravery [valor]Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what is right even if there is opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to

48th percentile

Citizenship [social responsibility, loyalty, teamwork]Working well as member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one's shareCitizenship, teamwork, and loyalty

20th percentile


Humility/ModestyLetting one's accomplishments speak for themselves; not seeking the spotlight; not regarding one's self as more special than one isModesty and humility


35th percentile

PrudenceBeing careful about one's choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regrettedCaution, prudence, and discretion

41st percentile

Self-regulation [self-control]Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one's appetites and emotionsSelf-control and self-regulation

52nd percentile


Humor [playfulness]Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokesHumor and playfulness

35th percentile

NEVER/RARELY
LoveValuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated; being close to peopleCapacity to love and be loved

5th percentile