Thoughts affect, and behavior matters!

THOUGHTS INVOKE ACTIONS!

An age-old saying, as rightly said by many of the great men who have left a strong impression of their personality on us. Thoughts, as they are produced in our minds; knowingly or unknowingly penetrate into our regular habits. The more we think about something, the more we are attracted towards it. The good we believe in and practice, helps us to achieve the goodness. But that's not all, the problem arises when we cannot control the negatives into our mind and then starts the destruction!

Our behavior, is affected by our thoughts in a number of ways. Most of the times, we tend to act in a certain direction only after analyzing the thoughts. These thoughts originate in our conscious self, and slowly but gradually enter into our subconscious without our notice. Consider an example, you were taught to never tell lies in your childhood. But, as you grew up and based on the situations you may have faced, you may have had to lie someone about something. This changed your perception of telling a lie. You made your own conception that sometimes, telling a lie is inevitable. Slowly, but gradually you changed your attitude and behavior towards this concept. This is how a simple thing enters into your sub-conscious system. You know it, but you are unaware about it.

Therefore, it is very important to keep a check on what you think, how you think and what made you think. However to be practical, it becomes really difficult to keep a check on these. We all are engrossed in a number of things and with the advent of technology our lives have become a little too complicated to be analyzed. You can begin with a simple exercise wherein you give yourself time and patiently go through your thoughts, without reasoning them. If you reason your thoughts, you will over-stress yourself. Let the thoughts come in, just watch them and let them fly away. You will slowly control your life in a better way. Take better decisions. Behave in a good manner to people. De-stress yourself. And a number of positive things left to be discovered. This does not take much of your time, but instead gives you peaceful time of your own.

I insist that each one of us requires to give oneself the time, he/she deserves. This will not only help the one who practices it, but it will also help others around that person. It won't be long enough, if the dynamic world sees a positive change in it's outlook by invoking the better of mankind just by revolutionizing the thoughts!

The boy and the lake!

The story is about a beautiful relationship between the lake and the boy.

In a village, far off from the urban chores, there lived a little boy whose house was near by a beautiful lake. The beauty of the lake was glorified with amazing greenery around with trees surrounding the boundary of this lake. A variety of birds visited this lake for it's natural offering. The afternoon was much brighter as the lake reflected the rays from the sun and brightened up this small village. While, at the night, the sight became a marvelous wonder with the lake reflecting the white moonlight and giving out coolness around. The boy felt very happy to be in and around the lake. He spent a lot of time around the lake. When he was happy he used to visit the lake and spend some quality time looking at the beauty of the lake.

Not only happiness, but whenever the boy was sad over something, he used to visit the lake and throw stones into it. One after the other, again and again, repeatedly. He used to throw the stones until he felt better. In a way, he used to remove all his anger and frustration onto the lake.

Along the lake side, there was a tree. And on the tree, was an old leaf, very dry and about to get withered. The leaf had watched the boy throw stones angrily into the river. The leaf was angry at the boy for doing this, but it wanted to know how the lake felt about all this. The leaf had many questions to ask the lake but it was afraid to ask as it thought that such a mighty lake must not even know who this single old leaf be. But with some courage, the leaf asked the lake, "Oh mighty lake! I am sorry to bother you. I am an old dry leaf about to get withered. I have seen you since my birth but I don't know whether you know me?" The lake heard the leaf and replied with a smile, "Oh my shade-giver, how can I not know you? You have always been over me and protected me from the Sun. You are one of the oldest leaf I have known." Hearing this reply, the leaf was surprised as to how the mighty lake praised such a dwarf leaf for protecting it from the Sun. Even though the leaf was only small enough to provide an inch of cover to the lake, the lake remembered it. The leaf said, "That's so kind and humble of you mighty lake. I am really happy that I need no introduction to you. But I have always had this question in my mind which I wanted to ask you before I fall down." The lake allowed the leaf to ask any question freely. The leaf asked, "Oh mighty lake! You are the one who provides life to us, to the birds and even to the boy who visits you daily. But I have seen the boy throw stones angrily at you every time he is sad or angry. This is not fair! You give away your goodness and the boy throws anger on you. How do you even suffer such an insult? Why aren't you angry at the boy?

The lake again smiled at the leaf and replied, "Oh dear leaf, I do not get angry at the boy because the boy has also spent the good times with me. He used to share the joy with me. How can I not share his sorrow then? When he throws the stones at me, I gulp them down to my bottom. Till now, I have gulped many of such stones within me. The stones which the boy throws at me are not mere stones, they are made up of his anger and he throws away his anger at me. Even the almighty lord has given me the power to absorb any huge thing thrown at me; and these are just small stones of his anger. These stones of anger which I have gulped till now, have helped me raise my water-levels to which I am present now. Not only this, the little boy's family has really worked hard to keep me clean throughout their lifetime. I owe my beauty to them. All the animals and birds visit me only because I am this beautiful and provide pure water to them. But I may like to tell you that I do not gulp down everything that is thrown onto me. The leaves and the flowers which fall down the trees keep floating over me and I do not try to sink them. I am thankful to them as they multiply my beauty. How can I complain about those who have been with me and helped me through my life? I am grateful to all of you."

Hearing the wisdom words from the mighty lake, the old leaf closed it's eyes and devoted itself to the lake as it fell off from the tree. There was happiness and a sense of content over the leaf's final moments before withering off. The leaf was glad that it spent the final moments and dedicated itself to this grateful lake!

- The End

Story written and conceptualized by Siddhesh Lakhan © 2013

LEARN TO PRIORITIZE!

Most of the days, our life runs smooth; considering the fact that we balance our lives in the right manner. However, on certain days, no matter how hard we try, things just seem to get burdened over us. In such situations, most of us tend to panic and behave absurdly to ourselves as well as others around. People who know you, your family, your friends and your colleagues are unaware and unable to figure out what exactly is wrong with us! We don't mean to act in that way at that particular moment of time, but as we have lost control over our minds we lose the touch of reality in our behavior. We try and remove out our frustration to the people and things around, not knowing, the after-results. By the time, we gain back our control, some of our dear ones have already formed a perception about us in the wrong way. Though, however hard you try to explain or say sorry, the fact is that you have behaved in a harsh way with them at the wrong time.

The point here is that, we don't really are aware of ourselves. We have lost the touch with reality so much that we forget who we are and what we do. The materialistic world always has it's power of attracting our minds onto it. So how do we get over all this? How do we establish stability in our lives? The answer lies within us, and the solution is to PRIORITIZE!

Prioritize your tasks, prioritize your routine, prioritize according to the urgency, prioritize your people etc. I can go on and on over this as different people have different priorities. No one can come to a common set of priorities. And why should he? We all have our right to choose and live the life our own way! Now the next question you will ask me is "Prioritizing is fruitful only when we know about the upcoming events, but what if the events suddenly turn up into our lives and we have no time to prioritize?". Well, I would say, again the answer to this also lies to your own self. See, the things or people who turn up into your life are a result of your own actions. Nothing comes into your life without you being involved into it, directly or indirectly. So, better keep a check on your actions. And for keeping a check on your actions, you must first keep a check on your thoughts, because THOUGHTS PROVOKE ACTIONS!

Ending on this note, I would wish you all to be kind to your own self. Only then, you can be kind to others. Prioritizing is an individual task, which depends on your thoughts; and the result of which will influence your life in the future!