the speaking tree - Remember, It Can Always Be Done
Anup Taneja
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There are basically two kinds of people, says Paramhansa Yogananda those who are governed by the `never-say-die' spirit, ull of confidence, ready to face all sorts of challenges in life; and those who always see the gloomy side of hings, are given to worrying, and lack he confidence to fight adversity .The parable of the two frogs is llustrative of this. One big and one small frog fell into a pail of milk. The sides of the pail were too slippery and steep for the frogs to climb out. They kept battling and struggling to stay alive. Every time they raised their mouths to inhale a little oxygen, down hey went. They paddled around, rying their best to find their way out.This struggle proved a bit too much or the big frog that soon gave up and drowned.
The small frog, however, said: `Life s too precious and wonderful. I don't want to die. I will keep paddling and fighting for survival irrespective of what happens to my little feet.' So it kept battling for hours, when suddenly it found something solid under its feet. As a result of constant paddling, the milk was churned to butter! Out jumped the little frog! Indeed, the habit of nega tive thinking could shatter your confidence and impair your judgment. Negative thoughts like `I won't be able to climb that steep hill' or `I am not hopeful of making the grade' constantly occupy the mind of a person with a pessimistic approach to life.To such a person, success proves elusive.
The National Science Foundation estimated that, on an average, people have 70,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day, with 80% of those being negative and 95% being repeated. This implies that we aren't really thinking; our mind is being governed by the memory of earlier thoughts. Negative thoughts, over a period of time, become so deeply entrenched in the mind that a specific `groove' is created in the brain that makes you behave in a certain way , often against your wish.
Special effort is required to eradicate negative thoughts and to create brain patterns of positive thoughts. One way of doing this is that we strictly avoid categorising thoughts as `good' or `bad'. Understand that these thoughts come and go voluntarily from the collective consciousness and you do not really own them.
You might not have control over what enters your brain, definitely have the power to but you definitely have the power to remain indifferent to these and watch them like a witness.
Secondly , try to keep your mind constantly occupied in some constructive activity . It is said that an idle man's brain is the Devil's workshop. The time when your mind is vacant is just the time negative thoughts overpower you and wield their influence on you.
Thirdly , through deep meditation, make efforts to get connected with the positive energy , the cosmic current that constantly flows within you. Do introspection on a regular basis and invoking the power of your will, direct your mind to cauterise the cells of negative thinking. Constantly assert in meditation: `By the power of Divine Will, all my negative tendencies will soon be destroyed.' If you are cowed down by adverse situations in life and lose hope like the big frog, you are finished. But if you keep on battling with determination and positive approach, you will be able to surmount all difficulties and emerge victorious in life. Never give up hope. It can always be done.
The small frog, however, said: `Life s too precious and wonderful. I don't want to die. I will keep paddling and fighting for survival irrespective of what happens to my little feet.' So it kept battling for hours, when suddenly it found something solid under its feet. As a result of constant paddling, the milk was churned to butter! Out jumped the little frog! Indeed, the habit of nega tive thinking could shatter your confidence and impair your judgment. Negative thoughts like `I won't be able to climb that steep hill' or `I am not hopeful of making the grade' constantly occupy the mind of a person with a pessimistic approach to life.To such a person, success proves elusive.
The National Science Foundation estimated that, on an average, people have 70,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day, with 80% of those being negative and 95% being repeated. This implies that we aren't really thinking; our mind is being governed by the memory of earlier thoughts. Negative thoughts, over a period of time, become so deeply entrenched in the mind that a specific `groove' is created in the brain that makes you behave in a certain way , often against your wish.
Special effort is required to eradicate negative thoughts and to create brain patterns of positive thoughts. One way of doing this is that we strictly avoid categorising thoughts as `good' or `bad'. Understand that these thoughts come and go voluntarily from the collective consciousness and you do not really own them.
You might not have control over what enters your brain, definitely have the power to but you definitely have the power to remain indifferent to these and watch them like a witness.
Secondly , try to keep your mind constantly occupied in some constructive activity . It is said that an idle man's brain is the Devil's workshop. The time when your mind is vacant is just the time negative thoughts overpower you and wield their influence on you.
Thirdly , through deep meditation, make efforts to get connected with the positive energy , the cosmic current that constantly flows within you. Do introspection on a regular basis and invoking the power of your will, direct your mind to cauterise the cells of negative thinking. Constantly assert in meditation: `By the power of Divine Will, all my negative tendencies will soon be destroyed.' If you are cowed down by adverse situations in life and lose hope like the big frog, you are finished. But if you keep on battling with determination and positive approach, you will be able to surmount all difficulties and emerge victorious in life. Never give up hope. It can always be done.
