Monday, March 31, 2008

Thought for the Month

The Magic of Solitude
By: Brian Tracy

The greatest men and women of all ages have practiced solitude regularly. They learned how to use silence to still their minds and tap into their superconscious powers for answers to their questions.

In this newsletter, you learn how you can apply this wonderful technique immediately to improve the quality of your inner and outer life.

The Magic of Solitude
Your feelings, your emotions, are the access point to your inner powers of mind. The most important part in the process of getting in touch with your feelings is to begin to practice solitude on a regular basis. Solitude is the most powerful activity in which you can engage. Men and women who practice it correctly and on a regular basis never fail to be amazed at the difference it makes in their lives.

Most people have never practiced solitude. Most people have never sat down quietly by themselves for any period of time in their entire lives. Most people are so busy being busy, doing something-even watching television-that it's highly unusual for them to simply sit, deliberately, and do nothing. But as Catherine Ponder points out, "Men and women begin to become great when they begin to take time quietly by themselves, when they begin to practice solitude." And here's the method you can use.

To get the full benefit of your periods of solitude, you must sit quietly for at least 30 to 60 minutes at a time. If you haven't done it before, it will take the first 25 minutes or so for you to stop fidgeting and moving around. You'll almost have to hold yourself physically in your seat. You'll have an almost irresistible desire to get up and do something. But you must persist.

Solitude requires that you sit quietly, perfectly still, back and head erect, eyes open, without cigarettes, candy, writing materials, music or any interruptions whatsoever for at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

Become completely relaxed, and breathe deeply. Just let your mind flow. Don't deliberately try to think about anything. The harder you "don't try," the more powerfully it works. After 20 or 25 minutes, you'll begin to feel deeply relaxed. You'll begin to experience a flow of energy coming into your mind and body.

You'll have a tremendous sense of well-being. At this point, you'll be ready to get the full benefit of these moments of contemplation.

 


The River of Ideas
The incredible thing about solitude is that if it is done correctly, it works just about 100 percent of the time. While you're sitting there, a stream, a river, of ideas will flow through your mind. You'll think about countless subjects in an uncontrolled stream of consciousness. Your job is just to relax and listen to your inner voice.

At a certain stage during your period of solitude, the answers to the most pressing difficulties facing you will emerge quietly and clearly, like a boat putting gently to the side of a lake. The answer that you seek will come to you so clearly and it will feel so perfect that you'll experience a deep sense of gratitude and contentment.

Trusting Yourself
When you emerge from this period of quiet, you must do exactly what has come to you. It may involve dealing with a human situation. It may involve starting something or quitting something. Whatever it is, when you follow the guidance that you received in solitude, it will turn out to be exactly the right thing to do. Everything will be OK. And it will usually work out far better than you could have imagined. Just try it and see.

You must learn to trust yourself. You must develop the habit of listening to yourself and then acting on the guidance you receive.

Action Exercises
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, select a specific time and place to sit quietly and practice one full hour of solitude. Don't put it off.

Second, take small periods of silence and solitude during the day, especially when you feel overwhelmed with problems or responsibilities.

Third, take action immediately on the ideas and insights you receive while in solitude. One good idea can save you months and years of hard work. The key is trust.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

An appeal for Temple Renovation

An Appeal


It has been ordained by Lord Sri Ram to have a Sannidhi constructed for Him within the premises of Sri Varadaraja Swami temple at Miralur, Chidambaram Taluk, Cuddalore District.

Miralur is a small village on the banks of Vellar River, a branch of Kollidam River. It is 10 km from Chidambaram, a famous temple town of Sri Nataraja and Sri Govindaraja Swami, en route to Vriddhachalam. It is 6 km from Bhuvanagiri and is in between Bhuvanagiri and Cross Road, near Sethiathoppu. Sri Raghavendraswami was born at Bhuvanagiri and a temple is constructed there for him. Miralur is nearer to Valayamadevi and Srimushnam. Agriculture is the main occupation of the village people.

Miralur village is blessed with 4 temples, Sri Varadaraja Swami Temple, Sri Agastheeswara Swami temple, Sri Mariamman Koil and Sri Theniamman Koil on the outskirt of the village. Sri Varadaraja Swami temple is said to be more than 500 years old.

The presiding deity is Sri Varadharaja Swami and His consorts Sri Sri Devi and Sri Bhudevi. A separate sannidhi for Thayar Mahalakshmi and Sri Garudan are also there. Sri Srinivasa Perumal with His Proyoga Chakra removes the difficulties of the devotees and blesses them with Happiness, Peace and Prosperity. One must have darshan at the temple to enjoy the bliss and the beauty of the Deities, which is not possible to be described through words.

People in and around the village worshi Mariamman Koil in the months of Adi and Thai with prayers to protect them and their wards from epidemic ailments.

The temple is managed by a family of hereditary trustee. Samprokshanam for the temple was conducted last in September 1997 after a gap of 60 years, mainly due to the efforts of the present trustee, Shri K.Venkatesam Pillai who took over after the demise of his father, Sri S. Kuppuswami Pillai. Sri Venkatesam Pillai, who hails from this village, is a retired official from Annamalai University.

A request has been made with Sri Subbiah Sthapathi, Asthana Sthapathi of Sri Sankara Mutt, Kanchipuram to have the idols prepared according to Agama Shastras and he has assured to provide the Vigrahas before 20th May 2008.

It is proposed to have the Samprokshnam during the last week of May 2008 or first week of June 2008. The exact date of Samprokshanam would be communicated after finalising with the Vedic Scholars.

Devotees are requested to participate in the Samprokshnam and receive the Blessings of Sri Ram.

Ambition (Long Range Plan):

i. Collect donations from the willing donors for Samprokshanam and utilise the amount judiciously
ii. Invest the surplus funds after the Samprokshnam in some mutual funds/fixed deposits
iii. Ensure daily pooja and celebration of yearly festivals without any omission including Sranavanam, Janma Natchathiram of Sri Ramar Punarvasu etc. At present Thirumanjanam is performed every Sravanam every month.
iv.Encourage the children/students to learn rabhandam/Thevaram/Thiruvasagam etc.
v. Educate the people about the health awareness especially the ill effects of drinking habits and arrange for the treatment of alcholic addicts.
vi. Involve all the people in the village to work together for common cause and take care of the destitute.


Contact Address:
V.Raghavan
V.Sethumathavan
V.Seshadri
V.Vasudevan
Plot 82 Third Street
Ashtalakshmi Nagar
Valasaravakkam,
Chennai 600087
Tel: 044 24765367
9445102706
email – nalini.seshadri@gmail.com

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Be An Optimist at All TimesBy: Brian TracyEveryone wants to be physically healthy. You want to be mentally healthy as well. The true measure of "mental fitness" is how optimistic you are about yourself and your life.In this newsletter, you learn how to control your thinking in very specific ways so that you feel terrific about yourself and your situation, no matter what happens.Control Your Reactions and ResponsesThere are three basic differences in the reactions of optimists and pessimists. The first difference is that the optimist sees a setback as temporary, while the pessimist sees it as permanent. The optimist sees an unfortunate event, such as an order that falls through or a sales call that fails, as a temporary event, something that is limited in time and that has no real impact on the future. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees negative events as permanent, as part of life and destiny.Isolate the IncidentThe second difference between the optimist and the pessimist is that the optimist sees difficulties as specific, while the pessimist sees them as pervasive. This means that when things go wrong for the optimist, he looks at the event as an isolated incident largely disconnected from other things that are going on in his life.
See Setbacks as Temporary EventsFor example, if something you were counting on failed to materialize and you interpreted it to yourself as being an unfortunate event, but something that happens in the course of life and business, you would be reacting like an optimist. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees disappointments as being pervasive. That is, to him they are indications of a problem or shortcoming that pervades every area of life.Don't Take Failure PersonallyThe third difference between optimists and pessimists is that optimists see events as external, while pessimists interpret events as personal. When things go wrong, the optimist will tend to see the setback as resulting from external factors over which one has little control.If the optimist is cut off in traffic, for example, instead of getting angry or upset, he will simply downgrade the importance of the event by saying something like, "Oh, well, I guess that person is just having a bad day."The pessimist on the other hand, has a tendency to take everything personally. If the pessimist is cut off in traffic, he will react as though the other driver has deliberately acted to upset and frustrate him.Remain Calm and ObjectiveThe hallmark of the fully mature, fully functioning, self-actualizing personality is the ability to be objective and unemotional when caught up in the inevitable storms of daily life. The superior person has the ability to continue talking to himself in a positive and optimistic way, keeping his mind calm, clear and completely under control. The mature personality is more relaxed and aware and capable of interpreting events more realistically and less emotionally than is the immature personality. As a result, the mature person exerts a far greater sense of control and influence over his environment, and is far less likely to be angry, upset, or distracted.Take the Long ViewLook upon the inevitable setbacks that you face as being temporary, specific and external. View the negative situation as a single event that is not connected to other potential events and that is caused largely by external factors over which you can have little control. Simply refuse to see the event as being in any way permanent, pervasive or indicative of personal incompetence of inability.Resolve to think like an optimist, no matter what happens. You may not be able to control events but you can control the way you react to them.Action ExercisesNow, here are three actions you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.First, remind yourself continually that setbacks are only temporary, they will soon be past and nothing is as serious as you think it is.Second, look upon each problem as a specific event, not connected to other events and not indicative of a pattern of any kind. Deal with it and get on with your life.Third, recognize that when things go wrong, they are usually caused by a variety of external events. Say to yourself, "What can't be cured must be endured," and then get back to thinking about your goals.
Develop amazing self-confidence and be unstoppable in everything you do!Think of all the things you could do if you enjoyed super levels of self-confidence... your career would be booming, offers would be flying your way, everyone would want to be with you. You would have more opportunities to find that "special someone."

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