Arranging your mind creates Happiness

Its celebration everywhere and festive mood with crackers going off every now and then on this Diwali day. I dont know how but I just managed to catch a bad cold. Relaxed on my bed, I immerse myself in thoughts - little lessons taught by my mom that supplements the Secret of happiness.

As a child, I remember always wanting more than what I had. That meant looking at other kids who wore Nike shoes, brought Cheese Sandwishes for lunch to school while I carried the traditional "Thayir Saadam with oorkai" (Curd rice with pickle), owned cricket bats that had Sunny Gavaskar's autograph and countless other things which I was envious about. When I went back to Mom to ask her to buy these for me, she would simply say - "Be grateful for what you have son coz there are many who dont even have what you have". She also encouraged me to share what I had with those who were less fortunate. Initially, I did not fully understand & follow what she said. However her principle never changed and as I kept hearing those words over and over again, I started believing it. Once I understood the power of gratitude and started to arrange my mind, YES - "ARRANGE MY MIND" - my life is surrounded with HAPPINESS.

Let me now share with you a lovely story that I read about "Arranging your mind".

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when I told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

'Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.

'Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.

'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

'Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

'Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

'Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.'

Be thankful for and share what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough - UNKNOWN

“Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly make your choice NOW”
Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com

10 Minutes extra

I did a session yesterday for a group of new recruits undergoing induction program at one of my client's. It was quite interactive and lot of fun, filled with role plays and simulations. Whenever I have interacted with employees at inductions, I have found most of them with bubbling energy and enthusiasm. Hardly anyone is nervous about his/her career and future. There is immense self belief, a desire to perform and grow.

When I finished the session, I left the new recruits with the words, "You are what you think you are. If not for the organization, make a difference to yourself and you can do that by asking yourself three questions at the end of everyday at work;

a) Have I brought a smile to anyone's face and made them happy?

- Even if that means, paying a simple but sincere compliment.

b) Have I learnt something new today?

- Perhaps, even lessons from Succesful failures. Our daily objectives should include a honest effort to improve on yesterday.

c) Have I shown the same commitment and enthusiasm that I showed on the first day I joined?

- Yes or No, just prepare yourself to make sure that the answer is a BIG "YES" for the next day. Remember, You cannot consistently perform in a manner which is inconsistent with the way you see yourself.

If the answer is Yes to all, then you have had a fulfilling day and are making consistent progress. If not, don't worry - you will just need to spend another 10 minutes extra. That's all it takes to answer these 3 questions positively. As they say, the difference between Ordinary and Extra ordinary is that little extra."

If organizations and managers in particular could follow through and provide the right environment, there is every chance that employees will outperform their own beliefs. The Result - "Growth of the Employee = Growth of the Organization".

“Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly make your choice NOW”.
Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com

Secret of Happiness

This story is from a very popular book which has had an impact on millions of people all over the world. As I am reading through the book perhaps for the 5th time in English (I have read it once in German as well - the book has been translated into 63 languages), I decided to pause and pen this story down which has a deep meaning.

The story goes like this..

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from a wise man. The lad wandered through the desert for 40 days, and finally came upon a castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived. The boy had to wait for a couple of hours to meet him and narrated his story of what he had come to seek. After listening attentively, the wise man said that he did not have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and retun in 2 hours. "Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something", said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After 2 hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. Well, asked the wise man "Did you see the Persian tapestries hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that took the the master gardener 10 years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?.

The boy was embarrased and confessed he had seen nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted him. "Then go back and observe the marvels of my world", said the wise man. 'You cannot trust a man if you dont know his house'.

Relieved, the boy took the spoon and returned to explore the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceiling and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains around him, the beauty of the flowers and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related everything in detail that he had seen.

"But where are the drops of oil that I entrusted to you?' asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you, said the wisest of wise men. The Secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to to forget the drops of oil on the spoon".

Taken from the book "ALCHEMIST" by Paulo Coelho.

Delight yourself first to delight people around you. Most importantly, make your choice NOW!
Meet me at: www.gettingtodelight.com