CONCENTRATION

As physical exercise strengthen the body, concentration increases the strength of mind. Strong mind is not easily affected or disturbed by trials and tribulations of life. For improving concentration whatever activity we may be engaged in,we should try to be totally absorbed in it, however trivial it may be. At that time, except this activity the whole world should be dead for us. For example, even if we are eating a fruit at a moment, we should completely relish each morsel of fruit with our attention totally dedicated to it. If we are bathing , we should relish this activity fully, deriving maximum benefit from it by keeping our attention totally anchored to it. If you are reading a book, be totally absorbed in it for that time oblivious of any other thing. You should also learn to concentrate on uninteresting things also to develop real control of mind. Concentration in other words, means to learn to remain in the present moment which is the most desirable feature for success and happiness in life.

PLANNED THINKING

Ensure at various intervals that your thinking is planned and systematic and not haphazard and random. Unplanned random thinking , day dreaming is a sign of weak mind and indicates that instead of controlling your subconscious mind. You are being controlled it. Your conscious mind should remain fully active, in full awareness and maintain its master status controlling it servant.By going into passive, idle and day dreaming state, you encourage the influence of subconscious mind over your conscious mind. So ensure that only those thoughts in your mind which you really want to have at that moment. It has been noted in a survey that a sizable portion of one's life time is spent in wasteful thinking. This can be easily channeled for performing useful activities

POSITIVE THINKING

We give the least importance to this most important aspect of our life i.e. how we think. It is the single largest factor in building up of our personality and character. Develop the habit of viewing everything positively, even the most miserable situations. Negative thinking weakens the mind., makes it restless, agitated and impure. Convert every negative situation into positive one by readjusting your mental attitude. To quote an example as to how it should be done, suppose, someone abuses you or makes undesirable remarks in anger, then instead of feeling bad about him, just think that his mood is upset or he develop any malice against him. This is positive attitude. By having positive thinking, you will also to yourself favour able physical conditions and environment because by the law of psychic attraction, you attract physical condition and circumstances towards you according to your thoughts. For example, suppose you repeatedly develop a fearful thought that you may catch a particular disease start occurring in you. Such is the power of thoughts. They are as real as a solid stone. By remaining positive, you create an aura of positive vibrations around you which not only benefit you, but, all others coming into contact with you. This aura also protects you from the attack of any negativity released by others.

DON'T WASTE TIME

Normally it is seen that although we are running around here & there a lot, but without any concrete output. In short, we are simply dissipating our energy. Life is short and very precious. Timing is running very fast. Every moment we are coming closer to death. It can fall at any moment without any notice. Hence, don't waste any time here. We have to achieve maximum in this minimum time. Ensure that each moment we are progressing onwards and not shifting backwards. Don't waste your time in useless thinking, gossips and loitering here and there. Time which has been lost by you is lost for ever and can't be regained by you by any means. Time, like any other commodity, can't be stored. Time not utilized is wasted for ever. There is a saying: Waste your money and you are only out of money, but, waste your time and you have lost a part of your life.' Hence, always be busy in some useful constructive

YOU ARE THE MASTER OF YOUR DESTINY

To those people who always start cursing their luck while they face misfortunes. Please remember t hat you are hundred percent responsible for what you are in your life. You have made your destiny by your own hands. Your past has made your present. Your present will make your future. What you are experiencing today is the fruits of what you done in the past. Future is still in your hands if you are cautious enough to keep your present in order. Hence' never curse your luck for misfortunes, but face the reality boldly. Accepting self responsibility for your life and the realization that your thoughts, words and actions are the mould for shaping your future, can bring about a major change in your attitude towards life.

It is not necessary to revolve endlessly in the wheel of destiny like a galley slave. You have the power to come out of this wheel and control it instead of being controlled by it. As your level of consciousness rises, the hold of the destiny over you gets weakened. That is why spiritually enlightened persons are not afraid of destiny at all. They have the handle of the wheel of destiny in their hands by which they can change the fixed conditions.

BROODING OVER PAST AND WORRYING FOR FUTURE

Some people practically waste their whole lives on these two occupations. It is possible that you couldn't do what you should have done in the past. But to spoil the present because of that is also not wise. Similarly spoiling our present by worrying for future which we can't foresee right now, is also not wise to fact, by spoiling our present by the above two operations, we are deliberately spoiling our future also.

Please remember that present is the most important moment of your life. What matters most to you and to the world right now is what you are at present and not what you were or what you will be. Nobody is going to bother about your past problems and situations and is also not going to favour you in employment or in an examination. Just because you had so and so problems in the past. They are only interested in what you are at present . So take proper hold of your present. By taking control of the present we can not only lay a good foundation for our future , but, can even reduce the effect of past.

Past should beused only for learning some lessons from it sop that these mistakes are not repeated. Besides this there is no importance of past.

ACCEPT AND RECOGNISE YOUR WEAKNESS

Once you have recognised your weaknesses, you have already taken the first step in removing them. There should be no hesitation in accepting your weakness before others and there should be no attempt to hide them because it is natural for all human beings to have some or the other weaknesses and to commit mistakes.

What is important is that after recognizing your weakness, you should start making efforts to eradicate it. This is what makes us humane and distinct from animal species.

If you feel that by knowing your weaknesses other people will think low of you, then, remember that it is always better to be recognised less than what you actually are because then you don't have to strain every time to prove yourself up to other people's expectations. Moreover, as explained earlier, it is your own views about yourself which are more important. Learn to see yourself with your own eyes and not from other's eyes.

SELF-SATISFACTION BEFORE SATISFACTION OF OTHERS

Many people live a life style which is primarily aimed at impressing and satisfying others. They give more importance to what people think about them than what they about themselves. This is one of the main reasons for our frustrations in life. Please note that it is more important for you as to what you think about yourself than what others think. Your self analysis about you is much more important. Nobody knows you better than you yourself. Hence, don't get straightway carried away by the judgement or opinion of others about you whether it be your praise or criticism. Weigh them with your intellect and then accept only those remarks which you consider appropriate. Other people's judgement about you is not necessarily a correct one because it is according to their mental biases. Only an enlightened person who has remained very close to you can give a correct judgement about you.

Always be in your natural state with a simple and decent life style irrespective of what others think about you and don't try to artificially influence people.

DON'T REACT IMMEDIATELY WHEN PROVOKED

When ever you feel disturbed or restless due to some sudden problems or some irrelevant remarks or comments by somebody, avoid reacting immediately or coming under sudden provocation. Allow some time to pass and refrain from doing or saying anything as long as disturbance persists in your mind. It is best if you temporarily avoid the person or situation whom you consider the cause of your disturbance. Preferably go away from and cool down yourself and then examine coolly all pros and cons. You are most likely to understand better about the real problem in this state of mind. Under provocation, the reasoning power of the mind gets destroyed.

Give clarifications to opeople of your innocence onl;y when asked for. Don't force your innocence on people. Your voice in reply should always be polite, respectful and controlled. You should never behave in an uncontrolled fashion and not resort to shouting while replying, however wrong blame or criticism has been done to you.

DETACHMENT AND ABILITY TO LET GO

Along with concentration, we should also develop the ability to detach ourselves from any thing or task at a moment's notice. Some people can concentrate and absorb in a task, but, they find it difficult to forget this first activity completely while taking on to the next activity. They have some hangover period. This only shows that we get unduly attached towards various things which actually we should not.

Please note that the world is a great training school. The only importance of various worldly things and incidents is to give us necessary training and lessons for our growth. They themselves are not important as such. Hence, we should only use them for our learning and growth, but, not get overly attached to them and once the purpose is served by learning necessary lesson, we should forget and discard them.Concentration and detachment should be practised simultaneously. Ability to forget and detach from undesirable past is a great quality for achieving success in life. It is well said 'Though it is sometime useful to remember, but it is often wise to forget'.

CONTROL OVER IMPULSES, OBSERVE PATIENCE

In your daily liofe just don't follow your impulsesand start doing saying anything which ever comes to your mind. It is a sign of weak mind. Have some checks and controls on your mind and never become its slave. Be the master of your mind and sense. Let them work as your servant and they should not be allowed to cross their limits. Your in tellect in association with your conscience should maintain its superiority over these lower faculties. Whatever impulse or urge comesw in your mind, don't jump over it immediately. First examine it properly and then accordingly hold it for sometime or ignore it totally. By exercising patience in this manner your will-power and mental strength will increase gradually which is necessary prerequisite for a satisgying and contented life.
Power of a controlled mind increase in the same fashion as the power of water increases when it is controlled and channeled by constructing a dam.

DON'T HAVE INFERIORITY COMPLEX

Many people have inferiority complex that they can do certain things which others can. They don't have confidence in their caliber and capability. Please remember that ultimate potential of all of us is exactly the same. No one is any better or worse than us provided we can explore the potential of our mind though meditation and soul consciousness. The reason being that all souls are exactly same as far as their original attributes are concerned.There is not even an iota of difference. Hence never compare with others and neither feel inferior nor feel superior to anybody.
Have full confidence that whatever others can do, you can also do. It is only a question of awakening of your dormant mental facilities. IN fact, there is no problem which we can't solve by developing our mind fully and id we can put our developed mind always attuned to God, we can then even share the vast Powers of our God also.