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Other Topics::
19. Self-knowledge and Self-development:
A Hindu Vedanta View: The core of Indian spirituality is to know ourselves.
We believe that the body and the mind are sheaths covering our true nature -
the Self. Without self-knowledge, we live in endless insecurity. The BMI (body,
mind and intellect) are miserable when we try to derive lasting happiness from
the world outside. Nothing gives to us true happiness. The BMI discover poise
when we look within and find the Self. Then the physical, emotional and intellectual
aspects of our personality express the peace and security of the Self.
20. Holistic Development :
The whole of life is valuable. Deep satisfaction is ours when do justice to
the whole of life, all the vital areas. Otherwise, our way of living has fragmentation.
Lopsided growth can do no good in the long run. Holistic development covers,
on one hand, the upkeep of our body, speech, mind and intellect. On the other,
it encompasses service to society and nourishment of Nature. All this is possible
when there is increased clarity on our own self-identity. Inquiring, "Who am
I?" is a core spiritual exercise that enlivens holistic growth.
21. Finding Peace in a Hurried World:
Let the keys to your happiness not be in somebody else's pocket! You must know
how to unburden yourself and feel the freshness and childlike innocence in your
heart, even as more responsibilities and challenges come your way. Let work
not overwhelm you. Let domestic and social responsibilities not take away your
serenity. Objectivity, integrity and humility are among the ways of life that
protect your peace amidst storm around you. Mind-management with self-observation
and self-knowledge can keep you afloat on the rough sea of life's events.
22. Understanding and Overcoming Fear:
Human life - domestic and professional - is beset with fear of many kinds.
Philosophically, memory of painful experiences causes fear. One fears that such
pain may repeat. Again, attachment is the basis of fear. One is afraid that
somebody may take away what is very dear to one's heart. Or it is a case of
fearing that one may not get what one wants. In summary, it is a mischievous
play of a conditioned mind. We can treat our mind to its better health - eliminating
all false conditionings. Learning to live in the present, we can significantly
reduce fear, if not eliminate it completely.
23. Turning Proficiency into Efficiency:
The knowledge and skills that we have constitute our proficiency. Efficiency
is a matter of how much of it we bring into expression in our work. Very bright,
qualified people sometimes perform poorly, while less-equipped people deliver
goods better. What is the secret of being efficient? Three areas can be identified
where we may remove obstacles to being efficient. Inertia, mind's wandering
away from the present moment and resistance to team work lead to poor efficiency
in spite of good proficiency. We examine how these hurdles are overcome.
24. EQ - A Tool for Personal Effectiveness:
Understanding our emotions, managing them and motivating ourselves into worthy
activity are three aspects of Emotional Intelligence (EI) that lead to increased
personal effectiveness. The emotional quotient (EQ) complements the well-known
Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Together, the two abilities make an excellent worker,
manager or leader. The price of neglecting our emotional development is too
high. The benefits of emotional maturity are immense. We examine aspects of
the role that emotions play in our work life and identify ways to increase the
EQ.
25. Stress Reduction using Ancient Wisdom:
Trikarana-shuddhi is the traditional expression for our key to reducing stress
in daily life. It means purification of the three dimensions of our personality
viz. body, speech and mind. The old saying goes, "Two hands are needed to clap."
The outer world no doubt throws new challenges at us, but it is our weakness
often that makes those challenges too hard to face. A programme of constant
self-improvement increases our inner strength. A stress reduction hexagon summarizes
the six approaches to solve this problem of increased stress in life. Regular
exercise (X), Emotional Self-education (E) and Study (S) of inspirational literature
are one side of the hexagon for inner development. Objectivity (O), Integrity
(I) and Humility (H) are the second side of the hexagon, which significantly
improve our relationship with the world around us.
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