Forgiveness is a gift, you give yourself.

‘Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace,’ says Mel Robbin.

People hurt each other. It happens to everyone, intentionally, unintentionally, regretfully or not. It’s a part of what we do as people. In a world where being out for revenge seems to be more at hand, and appear to bring more satisfaction, they say it takes courage & strength to do it.

Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It does not exonerate the perpetrator, but it liberates the victim. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship. It is necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning. It’s a gift you give yourself.

Forgiveness is about letting go of the past, understanding & moving on, it’s about taking care of your mental health and setting yourself free. Selfish? May be, but it’s the kind act that do good to others too.

‘Micchami Dukkadam’ is an Indian Prakrit language phrase found in historic jain texts. It means, “may all the evil that has been done be in vain.”

It is just as simple as that…….If it’s our mistake let’s ask for forgiveness. And when someone else makes mistake, we should try to forgive.The forgiveness principle explained is a generic one. Every situation is different and every individual’s capacity to let go is different as well. Whether or not we release the negativity, is an individual choice. But to heal ourselves, it is advised that we do make an attempt, sooner or later. Our ego is not ready to forgive but our soul is.

Mark Twain says, ‘Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”

But…..set your boundaries high, so no one dare destroy your self-esteem, self-respect & self-love.

Another’s perception does not define your worth.

Since childhood, we look upon to our family, friends & teachers for their opinion. If they appreciate, it is cherry on the cake. But if any negative opinion comes, we are disheartened & our inner peace is destroyed.

It is really important to teach our children that whatever they our doing is perfectly right.Then, they will become fearless and courageous.They will become confident enough to take their own decisions. Otherwise, they will constantly try to prove others, their worth.

As grown-ups, this applies to us also. Since almost for thirty five years of cooking food for us, I always looked upon my family for their opinion about food. I was happy or sad accordingly. But now, when I am practicing mindfulness since last six months, I understood external validation doesn’t matter. I should be confident enough to serve the food. Now I just pray to mother earth for the abundance and we all enjoy eating. It’s so peaceful….!! It’s the same food, but now we enjoy it the most rather than thinking of less or more salt.

Really, we all are so much stuck up with society, culture, traditions and what not, that we have almost lost our inner peace. We should realise this that people understand from their level of perception. It is not reality, even salt looks like sugar.

If outside validation is our only source of nourishment, we will feel hunger for the rest of our life. If we constantly try to prove our worth to someone, we will be forgetting our value. Just like camera might not be able to capture the full beauty of the night sky, doesn’t make the sky any less beautiful.In the same way, there will be times at work…..in relationship….at home….or elsewhere,where others might not be able to capture our beauty/ talent.

Misunderstanding, lack of effort to get to know you, inconducive environment or just bad luck and many reasons which can make you feel lesser than you really are because your true self wasn’t well captured. But remember__

Another’s perception does not define your worth. Your opinion is your opinion. Your perception is your perception. Do not confuse them with ‘facts’ or ‘ truths.’ External validation doesn’t matter, never did.Your reality is within you.

It is good to be mindful of how others see you, but to keep in mind that it’s just an information, not a definition.

So, don’t think too much, just do what makes you happy….!!!Be your trueself…!!!

Happiness depends upon ourselves.

Happiness is a personal responsibility. The first and most important thing we can do is to take ownership of who we are and of the state of our lives. Only then can we become the person we want to be and find fulfillment & happiness in our lives.

According to Seneca,”a good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness. “If we can live virtuously, a good life will follow. Stoicism is a practical philosophy with the aim of living a meaningful life and becoming one’s best self.

If we want to lead a happy life, we should stop worrying about things which we can’t control. We can’t control the things around us, but we can control how we respond to it. We can’t control external events, other people, nature,our genetics or the past. But we have absolute control over our thoughts & actions. We can control how we respond to it through our judgement and reactions.

Inevitably, things will happen in our life that we can’t control, but it’s our perception of events followed by how we respond to them that makes things good or bad. That’s where our power lies.

The more we remind ourselves of this, the less we will suffer from fear & anxiety and the easier it will be for us to invest our energy and efforts into becoming the people we want to be.

Most people believe that happiness comes through obtaining more of things like success, money, fame, time, possessions etc. They think their problems will go away & they will be happy with their lives.

The issue is that it’s our incessant want of more that only makes our lives more difficult. We become slaves to our desires. We can free ourselves by simply wanting less.

Epictetus says, ‘wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.’

Life has given you a lot, you just have to recognize it.True wealth & power arise from your ability to make use of what’s in your possession. What gives it value is how you use it, not just having it. It’s ok to want certain things such as the essentials for a comfortable, thriving life, and it’s also good to have dreams, aspirations and goals.You should be striving to improve yourself, your circumstances and to build a better life. Appreciate what you have.

‘Cure your desire_don’t set your heart on so many things and you will get what you need,’___Epictetus says. Stoicism is a practical approach to living, one that doesn’t shy away from the reality that life is hard & adversity is in its very nature.

Instead of fighting this, it teaches us to accept reality, embrace it and make the most of it. It teaches us to approach happiness as more of a process that parallels self improvement and pursuit our higher selves.

Stay happy & blessed!

Abundance is a mind set.

I used to believe abundance was defined by all that I have and all that I show for__I know different now. Abundance is so much more than material items and so much more of a feeling, perspective and who I have beside me.

As Wayne Dyer quotes,’ ABUNDANCE is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.’

Abundance comes from within. It comes from thought, attention and mindfulness. We should plant seeds of happiness, hope, success and love and it will all come back in abundance.

There is a lie that acts like a virus within the mind of humanity. And that lie is,’ there’s not enough good to go around. There’s lack and there’s limitation and there’s just not enough.

The truth is that there’s more than enough good to go around. There’s more than enough love, joy, success and everything. All of this begins to come through a mind that is aware of its own infinite nature. If we believe it, we can act upon it and it will show up for us. That’s the truth.

To attract abundance into our life, we need to feel abundant and develop an ‘abundance consciousness.’

It means to become aware of the existence of plenty of everything, of feeling it in our life and of connecting with it, even if it doesn’t seems to be a part of our life at this moment.

There’s abundance in the Universe and everyone is a part of it, no matter where he or she lives and irrespective of one’s situation & circumstances. But we may not have access to this because we alienate ourselves from it & prevent it from manifesting in our lives.

One of the way to open our mind to prosperity, richness & plenty and to attract them into our life is through the power of ‘visualisation’and ‘affirmation.’

God will over flow your cup, so grab the biggest one you can find. Be Grateful!!