This Earth Day - Pledge to Live Consciously!

Today is Earth Day - April 22nd. We started celebrating this day in the name of mother earth from 1970. However, as we can see, celebrating it once a year is not enough. Obviously. We live on what this mother earth provides us every single day. Mother earth has made herself available in the service of ALL her children. She provides for ALL of us enough for our existence so that we can focus on what we are meant to do. As Mahatma Gandhi said, she provides for all of our needs, but not for our greed.

As a human being, we are not only meant to know how to exist in harmony with everything in nature, like any other being, but also have the responsibility to make sure we don't allow any harm to any one of us including mother earth - not because we are supposed to be acting great - but because we all are connected and them is us. So, saving earth and ensuring all are living in harmony is as selfish as saving our own lives. Nothing less, nothing more and nothing wrong too! Sometimes it is important to act as a warrior than to be peaceful. We cannot be peaceful when we see our homes burning up in flames in the name of economic development. Let's wake up and do something about it - please!

So, whether we call it environment day, earth day, animal rights day, children day, mothers day, fathers day - it is not enough on that day to sow a plant, talk about saving forests, clean up the place, talk of saving water, take care of animals that we think are lovely like the dogs or the cats or dolphins, take OUR children for an outing, gift something to OUR mother or OUR father. Selflessness is far off from this point, let us at least extend our selfishness to include people outside of our family circles, then outside of our community, town, city, country and see the world - in all its magnanimity. We will become selfless in the process. Observe the love you receive from unknown and so called unconnected, travel consciously and the best part of the travel memories may be when we run out of food or water and there are people who show up from somewhere to provide for us so lovingly! When we experience this, we will not want to hoard things feeling insecure. There is no insecurity. Everything is provided. We are safe and secure. We are here for a greater purpose. Let's experience it - please!

Sustainability is not enough any more! We need to be conscious and stop some things NOW. In the name of development we have taken a wrong path in education, setting up industries, encouraging consumerism, living on credit based luxury, becoming slave of luxury and happiness instead of being the master of wisdom and living a simple but meaningful life. Let's make a conscious effort to live meaningfully and stop chasing happiness or joy all the time - it may not be necessary. Try it, please!

So friends, this Earth Day, let us pledge to live consciously, live with awareness, live responsibly, live in harmony, live humanely. If you like the blog and the pledge, please share this with your friends and encourage them to have and contribute towards a better world FROM TODAY. Have a wonderfully conscious day ahead 🙏😌💛

Lead your life like Lord Rama - Consciously!

I can't believe I am writing a blog on this topic, because I am a Work In Progress (WIP) myself in this area! However, the platform of Conscious Living Center (CLC) is as much for me to learn and grow as we share, as it is to help others do the same.

You will agree with me that most of us "know" everything. But only few of us make the serious effort to adapt it and make the shift within when we need to. Right?

When we feel we are not being understood or our best intended actions are not being appreciated, we are being blamed for our failed relationships or the challenges we face in life -  by our own loved ones who we wish to depend on for the moral and emotional support, it breaks down the self-confidence of the otherwise most brave and courageous person.

When this happens, either you start overly explaining your decisions and actions - still hoping and wishing to be understood by people you care about or you get defensive and not just defend your actions but are not listening to some sound advice or suggestion that comes your way.

Worst case is when we give up all hopes and we shut down. We neither explain nor defend. We don't care. We have no hopes. We get lonely and most of the times we pretend to be the way people expect us to be in the crowd and surround us by people who ask us the least questions and seem to be our fans! Even though we may know they don't care either or are looking at some benefits from your relationship. We think we are fooling others but in the end we fool ourselves and loose track of who we are and end up leading a confused and meaningless life.

So, at some point, we need to become very objective with ourselves. We need to learn to be observers of our actions and take corrective actions where necessary. Best option is to find mentors who may or may not be one of our loved ones, but definitely someone we respect and regard. We should take their guidance in situations and matters when our own judgement may get blurred.

This is where a spiritual master is the best in my experience who can always help you clear your vision and take you to have the eagles view of your own life and take corrective actions. With the help of a spiritual master, every fall, every mistake, every failure becomes the golden opportunity for learning and growing and even healing sometimes!

As a human, we are meant to live an exciting journey of exploring and learning, which involves all kind of turns and twists and we are meant to experience it as it is, learn from it and move forward. When we have clarity on why, what and how of our own self and the life we are leading, we don't need appreciation, support and understanding of the whole world to feel okay. We should have the approval of our own conscience and the few who matter. This needs courage but also becomes the source of being courageous.

Today is Sri Rama Navami. What better occasion to discuss this topic? Lord Rama's life is itself the best example of how one needs to live their own life dutifully and do the absolute right and not as per the convenience and comfort of self or extended self. Many actions of Lord Rama are also questioned and many will judge and criticise Him too....no one is spared. So, the best guidance we get from the life of Lord Rama is to become a leader of self, have absolute clarity about one's purpose and duty in life, dedicate oneself to that and lead the life accordingly.

I wish you all a very happy and conscious Rama Navami! Let us all wish Lord Rama on His Appearance Day, celebrate the day by remembering the teachings of Lord Rama and pray to the Lord to bless us with clarity in our own lives and help us become a conscious leader of self and lead our life the way it is meant to be lived - meaningfully, consciously, dutifully and not apologetically! JAI SRI RAM! 

THINK TO DISCOVER SELF AND SURROUNDING - CONSCIOUSLY!

One of the biggest issues we are facing in the human society today is that we have lost the art of thinking. This has not happened by accident. We are being programmed or conditioned to become followers. We are being trained to become followers of other leaders (especially still the white skinned or materially rich people), followers of what others (without judging their capacity) say, followers of instructions, procedures, processes and what not. Thinking causes one to be naturally curious and curiosity makes one seek out answers. This may cause a problem for those who do not wish anyone to know of their hidden agenda. Hence, in an organised way, we make sure we kill the thinking capacity through our upbringing and education. By the time one graduates, we get a machine which is ready to follow certain type of instructions and just implement. A herd of labour force, workers are who we are generating - no leaders. Some are encouraged to become managers in the corporate world to help the leaders manage human like a resource and that's it. Wings are cut then so that we cannot think of flying higher anymore.

This trend can be seen not just in the corporate world but in the family traditions especially in India, where traditionally we had a rich culture. The whole Varnashrama Dharma was distorted into the current caste system by those who had hidden agenda and we see how it has kept us divided and in the dark.

We have in a structured manner put up factories to convert human into human resource or a machine capable of following instructions only and then we now say the biggest danger facing us globally and our national economy is that Machines or AI will take over human jobs or the human world itself!! and we lack leaders and innovative, creative, out of the box thinkers!!!! respectively. Seriously?????? And best part is let's hear the solutions being offered and THINK. Solution is to consider what level of AI should be permitted to be developed!! On the other hand, we are now programming human resources or machines with thinking ability so that they can innovate, create or lead or at least pretend to be so!!!! This is just terrible.

We are forgetting the fact that there is a higher intelligence already leading the entire human race and the Universal phenomenon and the globe is not dependent on our limited intelligence and within that the AI we can develop or not. Issue is we are creating or developing everything, in the name of development and economic progress, that is totally un-necessary and is destroying the fabric of natural eco-system including the ability of harmony in existence!! This is the real danger!! We need to pause and really think consciously or take the advice of the few wise men left on this globe who may save us. Otherwise, we will soon cause our own doom. This is suicidal journey we are all on in the name of development, growth, success, etc.

Because we were aware this could happen, even the Kings had Spiritual Advisers traditionally in the Maha Bharat ( The Great Bharat or India). A spiritual master was above all - so that power, authority, money does not destroy the fabric of life. Unfortunately, by discarding spiritual guidance over a period of time, we have brought ourselves to where we stand today.  We need to wake up - NOW!

We need to first use our intelligence to discover ourselves and then explore our surroundings and know how to co-exist in harmony and play our role meaningfully in the interest of all concerned - not just the human race but as the most evolved species we are meant to be CONSCIOUS LEADERS of all other life forms and the supporting eco-system.

With folded hands, I wish to request the few of you who are reading this post to pause and THINK today what we are doing and let us please correct our course of action from today. It is late but not too late. There is hope if we wake up even now and start living consciously. If you need help in understanding what you can do and how you can go forward or help your children to lead a human life, please feel free to reach out to me at archana@consciouslivingcenter.in.

Please share this post link with as many people as possible and help me in this cause of waking people up - please 🙏 Please share your thoughts in the comment section, start a discussion, become Conscious Volunteers for the cause.

Wish you all a consciously wonderful Friday! Unleash your intellect and be human 💛👍😃

Grow wings and fly - Consciously!

What do you do if your hand gets stuck inside some box? Do you just accept it as your destiny? Do you just try to get comfortable with the box around your hand? Do you try to compromise your position and just live with it? NO right?

You do whatever it takes to get your hand out so that you can use your hand the way it is meant to be used. Yes, for a moment your hand got into a wrong place. It thought it can get into the box and find the candy that it wanted to reach out to, but even if the candy was there, when the hand got stuck with the candy, the candy was the least desirable item. You needed your hand out at the cost of all the candies you had in the box and if need be more!! Right?

Now, believe it or not, this is comparable to how our body, mind and heart feels when we are stuck physically, mentally and emotionally respectively! It begs our intellect lead by our soul  - the real ME powered by our Supreme Creator - to free us from our situation. Agreed, we put ourselves into the situation because of our own wrong judgement  or we went as per the directions of someone who we believed or cared for (still our decision to do so) or we feel that we were destined to face it due to our past karma.....but the question is what stops us from getting out of the situation NOW?

I have myself been in a situation for many years,  when I was trying to find all ways to either change the situation or the "box" to change and make me feel comfortable or I wanted to learn to become comfortable within the "box" somehow and deal with the situation I am presented with. When someone asked me why I am living in such a terrible state within the box when my true nature was to fly free like a bird and live life to the fullest, I said pitying myself and acting as a true victim, "what to do? God has put me in this situation. I have accepted it and am doing the best to make myself comfortable in the box and live the best life possible. My karma."

Surprised and almost shocked to hear this from me, the person said "Good to know you are a believer and you are giving the credit of your being in  your situation to God or your Karma, past deeds." Then he asked something that changed my life forever - "Agreed that God put you into that box. You had to experience how it is to be in the box due to your past deeds. However, when he has given so many doors and windows for you to fly out, why are you stuck NOW? If you went inside the box due to Him, why are you not moving forward and getting out of the box as He is allowing you to or wanting you to? I think you want to be stuck, you want to be a victim, you want the whole world to sympathise with you, you want to blame your situation for playing small. You don't want to take the responsibility of your own life. You are wanting to get treated the way you are being treated. You want to stay in the box forever and blame the whole world and even God. Is that not rue?"

WOW! I initially was angry at the person and argued - "You don't understand my situation! I simply cannot just walk out and be selfish." and when in reply the person said "You want to be selfless and nice to everybody around, at the cost of your own self - very good!,  but who gives you the right to treat yourself or your mind, body, heart and soul the way you are treating? You are not the owner. God is. And you are supposed to take care of these gifts and use it for the purpose it is meant to. Not waste it. Anyways, rest is upto you really. You want to free yourself, you can. If you don't want, even God cannot help." This conversation helped me cut the mental chord that tied me to the box and finally limp out and in some time I felt so light and started flying....phew, what a relief! Wondered, why I never did this earlier? And since then have been grateful to God for showing his mercy and compassion and saving me by sending the person, who I believe, was God's representative in my life!

Friends, I hope some of you will relate to what I am trying to say here. Please don't do the mistake I did and waste your golden years. This life is very precious and there is lots you are meant to do - not just enjoy - but perform your duty and live your life meaningfully for yourself and others. Every moment is precious.

I wish you from the bottom of my heart a very consciously introspective day which hopefully helps you to take that flight out of your situation physically, mentally and emotionally. I know how painful it is to stay stuck. I have been there. Today, even if there are moments of unhappiness I cause for myself or face, it is definitely nothing compared to the situation I was surrendering myself to, forgetting the fact of the power I have to change my situation. Today I know, even if I am in a box again, I need to learn why I got into it, feel the pain and then find the opening or create one to fly out!  Every situation is not sortable. Sometimes, getting out of the situation is the only way you can sort the situation for yourself. Just do it!

Need help, reach out to me on archana@consciouslivingcenter.in. I will be happy to help you. Have a blessed day ahead! Loads of love to one and all 💞🙏😌

Become Humane and Be Human - Consciously!

We call human beings resources now a days....that itself means we are converting them into things that can be used. You are a good resource if you are be used effectively. Effectively for what? To generate money! If you can generate money for the country, for the family etc. you are a good resource, if not, you are a wasted resource!! Point is that we are NOT a resource....we have a higher purpose!! And we need not judge people according to their capacity of generating money to like them or condemn them...each one is totally loveable the way they are!

We kind of see this but then we are programmed or conditioned later. What do I mean by this? We barely discriminate babies and kids. We love them all!! They all seem adorable. We adore them for their innocence, their beautiful smile, their naughtiness...even their tantrums and so-called bad manners! However, these very things become worthless as they grow older....we judge them by their skin colour, weight, height....if they are innocent, we call them naive....if they smile, we ask them what is there to smile?? (yes, I have been asked by a few!!), if they are naughty, we call them immature, irresponsible etc etc. because now we want all to be the best versions of what we have been conditioned to believe is a good human resource!!

So, point to ponder is : Are you human or have become a human resource? 😳

Coming to the second point, we love our car, love our dress, love our jewellery and may give our lives trying to protect them! I sometimes wonder if we have our so-called loved ones on one side  and precious things on the other, honestly how many of us will choose what? We have started believing if we have money, we can have it all!! No bigger myth than that my friend!! It is the reverse, if we have one loved one, he or she can make our life worth living!!

So, second point to ponder is : If you make a list of things and people you LOVE, which one will be longer? 😉

Wising you all my lovely friends and folks a conscious day introspecting these two important points and understanding the importance of a humane human life 😃🙏

BE PURPOSEFULLY BUSY - CONSCIOUSLY!

Most of the time either we are judging and criticising others or are being judged and criticised. When others do it to us, we don't like it. We feel misunderstood or not understood at all. We feel limited. We feel wronged. However, we do the same most of the time. May be because we are not conscious of it and it has become part of our system. We have made it a part of us because we are surrounded by it. This is what happens when we are not consciously living. We become what our surrounding or association influences us to be. We feel lucky if we have good environment and association and feel destined to doom if not. We forget that we can choose. We need not get influenced by anything and everything around us. When we are conscious, we can make a choice of what we wish to be influenced by and what not. We also can then choose to behave the way we wish others to be behaving with us.

One of the best ways to live a stress-free life is to find your calling or purpose in life, have a goal and get busy learning, growing and sharing. Then we have very little time and energy for anything else anyways. When we have little time and we are living consciously, we can be very selective about how we spend that time and who we spend that with. The moment we are thinking and acting or living, we will be fine. Our emotions have to be in our control, if we allow our emotions to rule us, it could spell a disaster. Only way to do this is to put intellect over body, mind and heart (emotions).

Intuition or conscience is a very different matter though. That is our true self or soul speaking to us. We should learn to listen to that and live by that for sure.

Wish you all a fantastically conscious day ahead and I sincerely hope you all have a defined purpose in your life. If not, please make it your immediate purpose or goal to find your calling. It is not just about the profession or career you should take up, but the way you lead your life.

If you need help in this regard for yourself or your loved ones, feel free to connect with me on whatsapp - 9686036182 (no calls please) on Saturday's between 10am and 12noon or 3pm to 5pm or write to me anytime on archana@consciouslivingcenter.in and I will revert back to you.  I am a coach (by profession), counsellor (by people's choice) and most importantly your well-wisher and friend (by choice) 🙏😊

Conscious Living Center turns officially 2!!

Friends, I am happy to share that Conscious Living Center (CLC) has officially turned 2 today! And if you are wondering what is the picture about - it is a cake....depicting a historical monument under construction! This is how I feel - a bit messy and things are all over - need to go back to my drawing board to keep looking at the big picture of how it will look when it is done and feel motivated to get back to work.

It has been an interesting journey so far with the 9 months of pregnancy when I started on this journey of setting up CLC. Investing everything I had and myself did all the paper work necessary with professional support to set up a private limited company, created the program content, reached out to the market and did the pilot tests. By the time the company was born, I was elated to see my adorable baby born and I could hardly keep my eyes off the 'Certificate of Incorporation'!

I created a dream plan of establishing a center which will be an example of modern Gurukul and Ashrama where young ones comes to learn about life and the elders come to stay connected to their roots and grow their spiritual knowledge and sadhana! I saw a place which had everything - from a wonderful temple, mediation and yoga hall, school, college, sports village, old age home, orphanage, hospital, garden with beautiful flowers, fruits, vegetables, trees, plants and water bodies. I saw spiritual masters, disciples, young and old all joyfully engaged in divine service! I saw all of us growing own food, travelling to historical places and living a simple yet rich life! I hear the laughter of kids, young girls and boys engaged in sports - surfing, skating, cricket, badminton and what not, singing bhajans and engaged in learning classical music, dance etc.,  adults cooking some amazing food, painting, sculpting and so on and elderly sharing their life experience and Krishna Katha with all the younger ones! This is my dream for CLC.

Hmmmm....even now when I speak of this dream, I have tears in my eyes. This is what I believe is not just possible but should be and look at what is happening around us! It is painful to see directionless, helpless, stressed out, depressed, fearful individuals! It is sorry to see how people are wasting their life! It is terrible to see how we all are being brain washed by some power hungry demons of today's society and they have indeed managed to make us all their salves - slaves serving these demons! We are being fooled to believe we have to secure ourselves, we have to succeed by earning luxury, we have to be busy being busy even if it is at the cost of own health and family ties!! All we are doing is to help them make more money. We are throwing ourselves in the burner of economy as a fuel....not to enjoy the economic growth but to serve those who want us to jump in!

Anyways, so how do I feel today with where CLC is? When I think of the lives touched and the difference we could make to a handful, I feel a sense of satisfaction. However, when I compare it with my vision - it is hard to celebrate. It is like the construction site cited above in the birthday cake - messy and seems like I have got stuck.....I need to fasten the speed of construction to stay afloat physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and also yes financially. But then I need support and resources to make it happen. I still am alone in this journey and it is getting harder. Those with entrepreneurial experience will know that this is the hardest year of a start-up. The 3rd year! It is tough to even sustain while it is time to grow exponentially and make a mark.

While I need to prepare the content, reach out to the market more than ever and also deliver some amazing programs, have to do it not at a shoe string budget - but almost no budget! This is the year when the growth opportunities are highest since two years of work starts bringing results but to entertain those opportunities, you wonder where you will manage your resources and being alone in the journey does not make it easier. So, frankly I find it hard to jump up in joy celebrating right now. I don't want to be disturbed. I was to stay focussed on work at hand and make things happen. I have lots to do before I go to sleep :-)

So, while I wish CLC HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I also pray that it survives and grows up fast before this mother gets too old - by the way, it is my birthday too and am not getting younger either.. hee hee :-) So, more than wishes, I want gifts - in the way of connects or some volunteering...even donations are more than welcome I say - call it investment - ROI will be your share in creating the wonderland of CLC - nothing more, nothing less :D

Have a wonderfully conscious day ahead! For those celebrating Ugadi and Gudi Padwa, I wish a very happy and prosperous new year too!

LOVE WHAT IS RIGHT - CONSCIOUSLY!

Yes, this is true for most of us. However, how many of us are conscious that neither of this is the right approach to life? We need not love what we do nor does it have to be pleasing for others. We have to do what is right for us to do. Period.

RIGHT FOR US and not just right. Because what is right for you may not be right for me. We realise that, right? But do we know then how to know what is right for you and what is right for me. Once we have the understanding, we will be able to see things in the right perspective.

Simply put my duty is what is right for me. Duty is not the role given in an organisation or what we call as job. Duty is what is referred to in our ancient scriptures like Bhagavad Gita as DHARMA. Yes, dharma is not religion, dharma is defined as PRESCRIBED DUTY. Basically, that means our duties are prescribed in the scripture (our manual) and we are supposed to act accordingly in life.

Now, if the duty is prescribed, is it the same for all of us human beings? NO. Dharma is based on the Varna (Division) and Ashrama (Stages) of life. We are all born with some innate qualities or characteristics. Based on the characteristics, we belong to one of the four divisions. We need to study ourselves with the help of our elders and figure that out first before learning to read or write A,B,C etc.

Similarly, in life we go through four basic stages (Ashrama) of life. Based on the stage of life one is in, there are certain prescribed duties which brings discipline in life as well. Now, when we know our PURPOSE in life. Finding your calling or purpose is not about knowing which career to opt for only, it is about knowing how to live life of which earning our livelihood is one part for sure.

Living life according to Varnashrama Dharma is the right way to live life in this material world. However, please know that this is just the basic and not the best way of living a human life according to Bhagavad Gita.

Best way is to understand the ultimate goal of life (our JEEVA or SOUL) and pursue that is all circumstances. This calls for transcending Varnashrama Dharma and the material nature comprising of 3 modes of nature (everything is because of interaction between these three modes). This is possible only by gaining spiritual knowledge (Gyana).

Once we have the right spiritual knowledge then we practice that and go through various processes for purification or preparedness to transcend through various stages of yoga and finally through the gates of Bhakti Yoga we connect with our Supreme Creator. Once we are connected, we start serving while we are here and surrender in the process. Then the gates are opened for us to transcend to the spiritual world which is our ultimate goal in life!

If this little blog makes you want to know it all in detail, that is very good. My recommendation as a starting point would be to read Bhagavad Gita. By the way, this has nothing to do with your religious belief. So, all are welcome to read this scripture which is popularly referred to also as one prescribing SANATANA DHARMA  loosely translated as DUTY OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS. Hence, it is almost like a manual by our creator for all of us to read and live accordingly!

Now, there are many versions of this holy scripture available in the market. Hence, that too gets confusing. So, I welcome those interested to read it with me. All are welcome - any age, gender or religion. Only condition is that it is not forced and is something that one has chosen to learn.  I will be happy to share my understanding that I have received from my spiritual master in the last 15 plus years as my humble service to you.

Message me your Skype id or connect with me on Facebook. I intend to start weekly sessions of Bhagavad Gita in Bangalore and either you can attend personally or I will try to stream it live on FB or Skype as well.

Wishing you all a wonderful Friday and hope it helps you to get started with living consciously 🙏😌

Be Content and Happy - Consciously!

All of us wish to be happy. However, many of us don't understand what happiness means. There is no product called happiness that we can go somewhere and buy nor is it a position that we can acquire. Then what is it? It is a feeling. This feeling does not come from one particular thing or situation. Then where do we go to and what should we have - to be happy? This is where we all are confused. We are running after something that we do not understand and that is why it is illusive.

We find people who have everything you can ever imagine materially - bungalows, cars, all forms of luxury, great family etc. but they are not happy. Most of these people are extremely anxious, stressed and feel empty from within. Then there are people who seem to have nothing - no luxuries of any kind, own nothing, no family etc. - but they are happy. They have nothing to fear and they don't seem worried about anything. We may mistakenly think of these people instantly as irresponsible, because of our conditioning. They live with a purpose and are willing to die working for that purpose. They feel gratitude for whatever is gifted to them. They recognise and acknowledge that whatever they have is gifted and not earned - this is their secret to happiness! They don't slog to earn, they do their bit towards their purpose utilising their gifts. This is living consciously or meaningfully!

Many of us try to live life quite transactionally. However, we don't understand how life works. Transaction happens in the form of karmic reactions but not in the manner we believe it happens. To begin with we are a gift by itself. We did not invent ourselves! So, the list of gratitude begins right there! Then everything we need for sustenance is provided around us. And trust me we get what we are meant to have - anyways. Now the tragedy is - we are so powerful beings that we also get what we want - and we have no idea what is good for us and hence what should we want. We desire for things that are harmful and when we get it - we wonder why is it hurting us instead of giving us happiness? We don't introspect enough, we still don't get it. We start cursing our provider for not providing us with the best and for not making us happy! We don't get it that for being ungrateful, we also will go through life learnings. We simply cannot escape this intelligent design!

We forget that we are created as happy beings and are meant to stay that way. Look at any child and you will know what I mean. Child is free of anxiety about future. Lives in the moment. Even a child has to cry when he or she is hungry to be fed or cared for. So, we need to put in some effort to indicate our need and we will be given with that. But greed has no end and is not appreciated by life since ultimately it is not in our ultimate interest. It is like a child asking for sweets. A parent will give a little, but will not allow the child to have too much because it is not good for the child. However, if a child decides not to listen and steal or run away from home and have it, life takes over and teaches the child a lesson it cannot escape. When we express greed, we are being like the child and when we work for all that luxury that we want - which is not our need but greed - we are behaving exactly like the child - immature and un-intelligent - right?  We have to learn to live the way we are meant to live - meaningfully serving and expressing gratitude for the gifts we have been provided.

Serving who? Not our boss, not our husband, not our country - but our creator. Yes, please read that again. When we serve our creator - everything else is taken care. This is like watering the root of a plat. Everything else is like watering the leaf which will fall off one day and will also not sustain the plant or help it grow into a tree.

Gratitude towards who? Not for self, for parents, for teachers, for trees, for animals etc. Gratitude towards our creator. When we recognise and acknowledge that everything and everyone has been gifted to us in this life by our creator, expressing gratitude towards our creator will help us express our true gratitude in the form of humble service to all the rest we come across - the good, bad and the ugly. Yes, we will feel grateful for everything because we will realise that we are provided in life with everything and everyone who is meant to add value to our life and help us learn and grow. We don't come across anything that is meaningless. If we see something that is not right, it is an opportunity for us to go out there and do our bit to set it right. May be that is our purpose. That is why we can see what others cannot. Let's not sit there and ask why can't others see this? Be fortunate to be able to see and grab the opportunity to do something meaningful.

This universe and all its life form actually functions very intelligently and if we have to fit in properly, we have to use our intelligence too. We have been provided with amazing faculties, but we need to make the effort to utilise it.

So, let's start our day today by introspecting what are the gifts we have been provided and are we utilising it meaningfully. Are we living intelligently? Are we expressing our gratitude? The moment we are thinking on these lines, we are becoming conscious intelligent beings. Living a conscious life is not just being aware but then using our intelligence to live with that awareness. 

When we really think intelligently, we will realise that happiness is nothing but contentment or being satisfied with what we have. Not running after something with anxiety and fear. But doing one's duty (dharma) consciously and with no desire of anything in return knowing well that what we are meant to have, we will be provided - nothing more, nothing less. 

If some of us think, then why do anything? We have to do because doing or in fact, serving is in our nature. We are constitutionally (the way we are made) meant to serve (the Supreme Being - our creator). We cannot avoid that. We can only serve intelligently or do a disservice. That is a choice we have.

What are you doing? Please check and do course correction if required - not tomorrow - TODAY, NOW! Need help? Reach out to me or anyone else you believe can help you. Please know that we should seek help from people who have achieved what we are seeking from them. We cannot go to a spiritual master and ask for great marks or wealth creation - that is not his expertise. Go to a great teacher or businessman. Ask for the greatest wealth of spiritual wisdom from a spiritual master- which in turn will help you decide what is worth desiring for 😇

Wishing you all a fabulous day leading you towards conscious living 🙏💛 Please like, comment and share!

Being patient can be a boon but is usually a temporary solution before the volcano bursts as they say. Unfortunately when the volcano bursts it damages everything around it and also itself inside out. Hence, if your patience is running out on something, don't teach yourself to have more patience but have the courage to look at the challenge at hand and deal with it. Work on finding the solution and not just avoiding the challenge. Don't view the challenge like a problem because one causes anxiety and the other causes stress. Some amount of anxiety can help us function better but stress just paralyses us. In one sense life is just like a video game where in you have to overcome one set of challenges to raise to the next level and with every level you get better at playing the game. Studying about the game and analysing it and not playing does not help. Being patient will not promote you to the next level. Material nature similarly is very just and impartial.  So friends, let's get busy with life consciously 🙏😃