Chapter 46 The Power of a Peaceful Heart, Quiet Mind, and Winning Spirit.
The Desiderata, a famous piece of writing with great wisdom was found in a church in Baltimore, USA, 300 years ago. Its first line was: „Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. Similarly, the Hindu and Buddhist religions also seek peace and refuge, away from the maddening crowd. They recognise that in the noisy confusion of life, there are disenchanting relationships and human problems. One of the earlier chapters also discussed the importance of tranquillity, contentment and balance.
Successful people, prominent leaders, and especially the American presidents over the years, take retreats. Your nervous and spiritual system need a sanctuary away from the bustle and hustle to rest and recuperate; just as your body requires exercise and rest to let off tension and tiredness. Fatigue and emotional carry-overs can bring aggravation, problems, burn-outs or even accidents. Use moments of change and escapism to your great advantage and constantly build a quiet room in your mind, for prayer, power and progress. The 3 Ps!
Clearing the mind is an important step towards tranquillity. Erase all your doubts, fears, regrets, unpleasant memories and all negative traces, and replace them with healthy and pleasant thoughts. You can also recall past scenes and experiences of joy and victories. Supplement these with recollections of beautiful settings, blossom, music, mesmerising sunsets, starlit nights and magical moonlight. These will pacify and refresh your mind. Besides visual effects, verbal suggestions have similar impact on your subconscious. Use the CCPP formula and repeat to yourself: I am Calm and Confident, I have Power and Potential. It works, believe me.
Now that you are shining in school and preparing to step out into the world, it is time to re-empower you for long-term, confident living and top performance. The key is to advance in silence and serenity, in a subtle way. We all need time alone. In seclusion, we can exploit time further and gain extra grounds by fostering positive thoughts, renewal and progress; besides, many accomplishments need quietness and undivided concentration. It is crucial in your teenage years, that you learn to exploit the opportunities in solitude. Consequently, you will have some mastery over your habits, mental routines and quality of life. From general experience, I think the real test of youngsters capacity to use time alone is their ability to study their textbooks for extended periods, without running to the fridge, the TV, or the gossiping telephone!
Emerson assured us, „Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Your real power must come from within. Your mind is your own and you solely manage your responses to everything that affects your life. You must therefore take special care of the inner you, and filter all your daily thoughts and experiences so that none of the poisonous matter sneak in or latch on.
As you attain greater inner peace, your filtration process improves and excels. You must also fortify yourself, to handle disappointment and rejection, accepting that life comes normally with these things. They must be taken as opportunities to rise to greater heights. Remember, a kite soars against the wind. There is no such thing as permanent defeat, all losses are temporary. They are only blessings in disguise because God works in wondrous ways. Forced changes often lead to greater opportunities and success! So press on, as soon as your obstacles are tackled and smothered, calm flows from within. Then, with some efforts, success wont be far away.
Following fortitude, gratitude is another force that beautifies your heart and mind. It is deeply spiritual, oozing graciousness, charity and charm. So make it your daily habit to give thanks to God for all your blessings, bearing in mind that things could have been a lot worse! Extend this thankfulness to your loved ones and others around you, you are more indebted to them than you realise. Gratitude brings contentment, and both will give marvellous new dimensions to your hidden powers and your life.
Silence, stillness and shelter develop magic in your mind and body. That is why animals can hibernate for months without food and warmth, and yogis can meditate to decrease their heartbeats and body temperatures. Serenity is always important because it is the sedate garden where seeds of greatness germinate. Calmness fosters concentration, vision, creativity, insight, strategy, accurate thinking, and enhances your mental and spiritual well-being. Here are good directions for you:
A peaceful heart is achieved in the following ways:
1. Ensure your life is in harmony with your values and principles.
2. Live a virtuous, guiltless life. Practice forgiveness. When you let go of resentment,
revenge and regret, many weights are lifted.
3. Be hopeful. Anticipate good things, and work to deserve them.
4.Nurture gratitude, contentment, graciousness, goodwill and altruism.
5. Learn to accept things you cannot change. Learn to laugh at yourself. Maintain good
health and freedom from worry and fear.
The following are pathways towards a powerful, quiet mind:
1. Give priority and appreciation to the power of serenity.
2. Pray often. Enjoy beauty, scenery, fresh air, soft music, and all good things that appeal to the senses. Avoid noise and chaos.
3. Acknowledge a problem; solve it quickly the best way you can.
4. Enjoy quiet progress in planning, relaxation, concentration, problem-solving, accurate thinking, creativity, foresight, etc.
A winning spirit is developed in the following manner: 1. Use a totally positive vocabulary to see and tackle all situations, and be completely confident and optimistic. Shun all negativism, with absolutely no fretting and grumbling. 2. Treat all problems as opportunities, find some humour in them. 3. Have cheerfulness, powerful self-image and faith in yourself. 4. Treat work as labour of love. Work and play.
Lest we forget, solitude is the golden opportunity for affirmation and visualisation! Champions and achievers in various areas practise imaging and mental rehearsals of their perfect performance. Sportsmen and athletes have been rehearsing for ages and swear by it. Even business leaders visualise, as confirmed by Charles Garfield in Peak Performers. When asked about imaging, these entrepreneurs said they did it,„All the time. I just never knew it had a name.