EMOTIONAL SELF ASSESSMENT QUIZ
* Give yourself 1 mark for every "YES" and no mark for every "NO"...!
1. Are you happy with your body?
2. Are you happy with your diet?
3. Do you feel energetic?
4. Do you do some form of exercise daily?
5. Do you practice yoga at least once or twice a week?
6. Are you happy with the quality and quantity of your
sleep every night?
7. Do you wake up refreshed every morning?
8. Are you happy with your weight?
9. Do you consider yourself a happy person?
10. Do you have at least three people in your life that
you can confide in and trust?
11. Do you talk to them daily?
12. Do you do fun things with friends and family?
13. Are you happy with your experiences of intimacy and sexuality?
14. Are you comfortable with your financial resources?
15. Do you spend less money than you earn?
16. Do you spend money on friends and family?
17. Do you have a meditation practice?
18. Do you feel compassion for those less fortunate than you and
have the desire to help them?
19. Do you have peace of mind?
20. Do you think about the meaning of death?
21. Are you comfortable with the fact of your own mortality?
22. Do you experience moments of spontaneous joy?
23 Do you feel joy at the success of others?
24. Do you experience spontaneous insight and creativity?
25. Do you experience meaningful coincidences and synchronity?
26. Do you feel you are highly intuitive?
27. Do you feel that there is a spiritual solution to every problem?
28. Are you in touch with your shadow self?
29. Do you think consciousness survives physical death?
30. Do you see the world with as your extended body?
31. Do you understand what it means to be the eyes of the universe looking at itself?
32. Are you able to harness the power of intention?
33. Do you see relationships as a mirror of yourself?
34. Can you harmonize the masculine and feminine in your own being?
35. Do you have the desire to free yourself from all conditioning and experience total freedom?
36. Do you have the desire to transcend your personal identity and experience your universal identity?
37. Do you see Planet Earth as your extended body? The earth recycling as your flesh and bones, the rivers and waters as your circulation, the air as your breath, and the trees as your lungs?
38. Are you able to see several event lines in the future based on choices of the present?
39. Are you able to tap into the matrix of collective thought, the cosmic field?
40. Do you feel the presence of the divine wherever you go?
___________
0-10: Struggling
10-20: On your way
20-30: Thriving
30-39: Almost There
40: Enlightened
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
I Love You Ma...!!!
I Love You Ma !!!
It was Mother's Day. He was driving his new royal blue Mercedes Benz and enjoying the bounties of nature. The road was smooth and the traffic was less. The trees on both sides danced with the wind and protected the street from the hot rays of the sun like a guardian. He was at peace listening to the birds warbling early in the morning.
The colorful flower shop adjacent to the road attracted his attention. He stopped his car, got out and took a closer look at some of the flowers displayed. There were bouquets of red, pink and yellow roses arranged neatly on the shelves. Every bouquet had a beautiful 'Mother's Day' greeting card attached to it.
He thought about his loving mother who lived two hundred miles away. He chose a nice bouquet of pink roses, signed the greeting card and requested the shopkeeper to courier it to his mother the same day.
Just before he got into his car, he noticed a small, cute girl standing next to the shop. She was counting the currencies in her hand. She seemed a little upset.
He went up to her and asked, "Can I help you?"
She replied in a choked voice, "I want to buy some red roses for my mother. But I have only eighty rupees whereas the bouquet costs one hundred rupees."
He smiled and asked her to accompany him to the shop. He bought a big bouquet of red roses for the little one. She thanked him profusely. He patted her and bid her goodbye.
While leaving the shop, he offered her a ride. She was elated and said, "Yes, please take me to my mother." He was thrilled as he could see her eyes sparkling with happiness.
She showed him the way, which finally led to a cemetery. She disembarked from his car, gave him a hug and said, "Thank you Uncle". Then she ran to her mother's grave, knelt down and placed the bouquet on the freshly dug grave.
The man was speechless for a minute. He immediately made a U turn and drove back to the same flower shop. He took the bouquet of pink roses from the vendor and drove down two hundred miles, at one stretch, to meet his beloved mother.
He handed over the bouquet to his mother, gave her a tight hug and said, "I love you, Ma."
She kissed him on his forehead and asked, "Why did you drive down all the way? You could have simply couriered the bouquet to me and wished me over the phone."
He said to himself, "This is a Mother's Love. At any point in time, mothers think only about our comforts and well being."
It was Mother's Day. He was driving his new royal blue Mercedes Benz and enjoying the bounties of nature. The road was smooth and the traffic was less. The trees on both sides danced with the wind and protected the street from the hot rays of the sun like a guardian. He was at peace listening to the birds warbling early in the morning.
The colorful flower shop adjacent to the road attracted his attention. He stopped his car, got out and took a closer look at some of the flowers displayed. There were bouquets of red, pink and yellow roses arranged neatly on the shelves. Every bouquet had a beautiful 'Mother's Day' greeting card attached to it.
He thought about his loving mother who lived two hundred miles away. He chose a nice bouquet of pink roses, signed the greeting card and requested the shopkeeper to courier it to his mother the same day.
Just before he got into his car, he noticed a small, cute girl standing next to the shop. She was counting the currencies in her hand. She seemed a little upset.
He went up to her and asked, "Can I help you?"
She replied in a choked voice, "I want to buy some red roses for my mother. But I have only eighty rupees whereas the bouquet costs one hundred rupees."
He smiled and asked her to accompany him to the shop. He bought a big bouquet of red roses for the little one. She thanked him profusely. He patted her and bid her goodbye.
While leaving the shop, he offered her a ride. She was elated and said, "Yes, please take me to my mother." He was thrilled as he could see her eyes sparkling with happiness.
She showed him the way, which finally led to a cemetery. She disembarked from his car, gave him a hug and said, "Thank you Uncle". Then she ran to her mother's grave, knelt down and placed the bouquet on the freshly dug grave.
The man was speechless for a minute. He immediately made a U turn and drove back to the same flower shop. He took the bouquet of pink roses from the vendor and drove down two hundred miles, at one stretch, to meet his beloved mother.
He handed over the bouquet to his mother, gave her a tight hug and said, "I love you, Ma."
She kissed him on his forehead and asked, "Why did you drive down all the way? You could have simply couriered the bouquet to me and wished me over the phone."
He said to himself, "This is a Mother's Love. At any point in time, mothers think only about our comforts and well being."
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Parents are precious. Take care of them.
Parents
Note: This article is forwarded by my good friend Ms. Madhavi. Thanks Madhavi for this article.
This was narrated by an IAF pilot to IIT students during a Seminar on Human Relations:
Venkatesh Balasubramaniam (who works for IIT) describes how his gesture of booking an air ticket for his father, his maiden flight, brought forth a rush of emotions and made him (Venkatesh) realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents.
My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never travelled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Jet Airways. The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air.. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for a window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.
As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him. When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me. But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life. As a child, how many dreams our parents have made come true.
Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for cricket bats, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have catered to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes? Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us? Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young. It is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.
Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments. Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care needs to be given to our parents and elders. Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes.
Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too..
Take care of your parents. THEY ARE PRECIOUS.
__._,_.___
Note: This article is forwarded by my good friend Ms. Madhavi. Thanks Madhavi for this article.
This was narrated by an IAF pilot to IIT students during a Seminar on Human Relations:
Venkatesh Balasubramaniam (who works for IIT) describes how his gesture of booking an air ticket for his father, his maiden flight, brought forth a rush of emotions and made him (Venkatesh) realize that how much we all take for granted when it comes to our parents.
My parents left for our native place on Thursday and we went to the airport to see them off. In fact, my father had never travelled by air before, so I just took this opportunity to make him experience the same. In spite of being asked to book tickets by train, I got them tickets on Jet Airways. The moment I handed over the tickets to him, he was surprised to see that I had booked them by air.. The excitement was very apparent on his face, waiting for the time of travel. Just like a school boy, he was preparing himself on that day and we all went to the airport, right from using the trolley for his luggage, the baggage check-in and asking for a window seat and waiting restlessly for the security check-in to happen. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and I, too, was overcome with joy watching him experience all these things.
As they were about to go in for the security check-in, he walked up to me with tears in his eyes and thanked me. He became very emotional and it was not as if I had done something great but the fact that this meant a great deal to him. When he said thanks, I told him there was no need to thank me. But later, thinking about the entire incident, I looked back at my life. As a child, how many dreams our parents have made come true.
Without understanding the financial situation, we ask for cricket bats, dresses, toys, outings, etc. Irrespective of their affordability, they have catered to all our needs. Did we ever think about the sacrifices they had to make to accommodate many of our wishes? Did we ever say thanks for all that they have done for us? Same way, today when it comes to our children, we always think that we should put them in a good school. Regardless of the amount of donation, we will ensure that we will have to give the child the best, theme parks, toys, etc. But we tend to forget that our parents have sacrificed a lot for our sake to see us happy, so it is our responsibility to ensure that their dreams are realized and what they failed to see when they were young. It is our responsibility to ensure that they experience all those and their life is complete.
Many times, when my parents had asked me some questions, I have actually answered back without patience. When my daughter asks me something, I have been very polite in answering. Now I realize how they would have felt at those moments. Let us realize that old age is a second childhood and just as we take care of our children, the same attention and same care needs to be given to our parents and elders. Rather than my dad saying thank you to me, I would want to say sorry for making him wait so long for this small dream. I do realize how much he has sacrificed for my sake and I will do my best to give the best possible attention to all their wishes.
Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing for their grandchildren also. They have wishes, too..
Take care of your parents. THEY ARE PRECIOUS.
__._,_.___
Sunday, October 24, 2010
How To Handle Negativity
Question:
How do you maintain a high enough level of consciousness when someone throws a ball of negativity at you, so that you don’t feel resentment and anger afterward?
Answer:
Just be yourself and let your natural response be what it is. If you are having a strong emotional response to a situation, then that is your present experience, then that what is happening. You can’t have a honest spiritual reaction to negativity by trying to be loving and accepting. Take your reaction as an opportunity to heal the part of you inside that takes it personally and as a way to correct the voice inside that buys into or feels threatened by that negativity. You begin by noticing your reaction without judgment or blame. That part of you that can witness your emotions, is your higher self, that is beyond any hurt feelings or anger. As that silent self becomes stronger and more dominant than your ego, it becomes easier to let go of the resentment afterward, and you will find that over time you will also be less and less reactive to the negativity when it occurs.
How do you maintain a high enough level of consciousness when someone throws a ball of negativity at you, so that you don’t feel resentment and anger afterward?
Answer:
Just be yourself and let your natural response be what it is. If you are having a strong emotional response to a situation, then that is your present experience, then that what is happening. You can’t have a honest spiritual reaction to negativity by trying to be loving and accepting. Take your reaction as an opportunity to heal the part of you inside that takes it personally and as a way to correct the voice inside that buys into or feels threatened by that negativity. You begin by noticing your reaction without judgment or blame. That part of you that can witness your emotions, is your higher self, that is beyond any hurt feelings or anger. As that silent self becomes stronger and more dominant than your ego, it becomes easier to let go of the resentment afterward, and you will find that over time you will also be less and less reactive to the negativity when it occurs.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
How to Transform Your Life...!
To change everything, you only have to change one thing.
If you’re struggling with something that you’d like to change in your life, rest assured – transformation might be closer than you think. When we look at the big picture, it’s often tempting to think that we have to change...the big picture. In reality, you can change one little thing, and the entire picture will shift.
When you feel most powerful, most able to take on challenges, what tends to be your emotional state? Are you feeling good, or feeling bad? My guess is that you’re probably feeling most capable, most on your game, when you’re feeling good. And when you're feeling bad - well, even the smallest hurdles can seem insurmountable - nevermind the major obstacles. However, the temptation is to think that you’re at the mercy of “how you feel” when it comes to making shifts in your life.
The Big Three
Take anything in your life at all, and the way that you experience that situation, the emotional state that it puts you in, can be broken down into three components:
Your physiology – what you’re doing with your body
Your focus – where you’re choosing to place your attention
Your language – the words that you use to describe the situation
These three elements are your keys to unlocking the secret of speedy transformation.
A simple experiment to make it real for you
As an experiment, think back on your life, to something that made you really sad, or depressed. See if you can get back into that feeling state again. Once you’re there, examine what you’re doing with the “big three”.
What are you doing with your body? How’s your posture? Your breathing? Do you feel relaxed, or constricted? Do you feel tension in any part of your body? Is there a movement that you associate with that feeling (and what is it)?
What are you thinking about? What thoughts do you repeat to yourself, like incantations, to get you into that emotional state? What pictures do you have in your mind?
What are the words that you use to describe the situation? Are there particular metaphors that you’ve chosen?
Now move on to a happier time
Having done that with something that made you sad – now switch to something that made you joyful. Think back to a time where you were feeling really, really, good. Make that really, really, really good. Take a moment to really get yourself into that state. Now think about the big three again.
What are you doing with your body?
What are you thinking about/focusing on?
How would you describe this situation to someone else?
Changing Your Emotions in an Instant
First of all, did you notice that you were able to experience quite an enormous emotional shift in a relatively short span of time, from feeling sad/depressed to feeling great/ecstatic? And how did you do that?
By changing your physiology, your focus, and your language.
These tools are available to you at any moment to shift the way you feel, to completely change your experience in any situation.
Try it, you’ll like it
The next time you find yourself faced with a “problem”, take a moment to assess the Big Three. What are you doing with your body? What are you paying attention to? What words are you using to describe the situation. Then, as an experiment, try changing each of them.
Start with the body. Change your posture. Smile. Straighten your spine. Hold your head up high. Imagine that some celestial being is looking down upon you, only you, and in that moment the two of you are connecting. You are embodying the physical manifestation of that celestial being here on the planet. Feel different?
Don’t stop there. Move on to your focus. You were thinking about the problem. As an experiment, shift your focus to gratitude. Is there something in this situation that’s actually a gift to you? Has life given you a chance to grow into the person you’re meant to become? Instead of thinking about a person's frown, how about focusing on their earlobes, or the glistening spot on their forehead?
Finally, your language. What metaphors might you pick to describe your problem, and how can you turn them on their head? For instance, let’s say that you’re feeling confused – not sure what to do next – like you’re in a maze. OK, so you’re in a maze! Now, what would happen if you were lifted above that maze – wouldn’t that be a helpful perspective? What if you could start at the exit of the maze, your goal, and could see the path working backwards to where you are now – wouldn’t that help you reach your solution? What if you looked down at the ground there in the maze, and found that there was a thread that someone else had left behind, leading you the way out? Can you follow it?
As you see, within each problem are the seeds of its resolution. If you take a moment to “do” the Big Three, you’ll see how easy it can be to make the shift. And you’ll probably even find that simply ONE of the steps is all it takes to shift the landscape. All it takes is one. But all three – well, that’s just icing on the cake.
If you’re struggling with something that you’d like to change in your life, rest assured – transformation might be closer than you think. When we look at the big picture, it’s often tempting to think that we have to change...the big picture. In reality, you can change one little thing, and the entire picture will shift.
When you feel most powerful, most able to take on challenges, what tends to be your emotional state? Are you feeling good, or feeling bad? My guess is that you’re probably feeling most capable, most on your game, when you’re feeling good. And when you're feeling bad - well, even the smallest hurdles can seem insurmountable - nevermind the major obstacles. However, the temptation is to think that you’re at the mercy of “how you feel” when it comes to making shifts in your life.
The Big Three
Take anything in your life at all, and the way that you experience that situation, the emotional state that it puts you in, can be broken down into three components:
Your physiology – what you’re doing with your body
Your focus – where you’re choosing to place your attention
Your language – the words that you use to describe the situation
These three elements are your keys to unlocking the secret of speedy transformation.
A simple experiment to make it real for you
As an experiment, think back on your life, to something that made you really sad, or depressed. See if you can get back into that feeling state again. Once you’re there, examine what you’re doing with the “big three”.
What are you doing with your body? How’s your posture? Your breathing? Do you feel relaxed, or constricted? Do you feel tension in any part of your body? Is there a movement that you associate with that feeling (and what is it)?
What are you thinking about? What thoughts do you repeat to yourself, like incantations, to get you into that emotional state? What pictures do you have in your mind?
What are the words that you use to describe the situation? Are there particular metaphors that you’ve chosen?
Now move on to a happier time
Having done that with something that made you sad – now switch to something that made you joyful. Think back to a time where you were feeling really, really, good. Make that really, really, really good. Take a moment to really get yourself into that state. Now think about the big three again.
What are you doing with your body?
What are you thinking about/focusing on?
How would you describe this situation to someone else?
Changing Your Emotions in an Instant
First of all, did you notice that you were able to experience quite an enormous emotional shift in a relatively short span of time, from feeling sad/depressed to feeling great/ecstatic? And how did you do that?
By changing your physiology, your focus, and your language.
These tools are available to you at any moment to shift the way you feel, to completely change your experience in any situation.
Try it, you’ll like it
The next time you find yourself faced with a “problem”, take a moment to assess the Big Three. What are you doing with your body? What are you paying attention to? What words are you using to describe the situation. Then, as an experiment, try changing each of them.
Start with the body. Change your posture. Smile. Straighten your spine. Hold your head up high. Imagine that some celestial being is looking down upon you, only you, and in that moment the two of you are connecting. You are embodying the physical manifestation of that celestial being here on the planet. Feel different?
Don’t stop there. Move on to your focus. You were thinking about the problem. As an experiment, shift your focus to gratitude. Is there something in this situation that’s actually a gift to you? Has life given you a chance to grow into the person you’re meant to become? Instead of thinking about a person's frown, how about focusing on their earlobes, or the glistening spot on their forehead?
Finally, your language. What metaphors might you pick to describe your problem, and how can you turn them on their head? For instance, let’s say that you’re feeling confused – not sure what to do next – like you’re in a maze. OK, so you’re in a maze! Now, what would happen if you were lifted above that maze – wouldn’t that be a helpful perspective? What if you could start at the exit of the maze, your goal, and could see the path working backwards to where you are now – wouldn’t that help you reach your solution? What if you looked down at the ground there in the maze, and found that there was a thread that someone else had left behind, leading you the way out? Can you follow it?
As you see, within each problem are the seeds of its resolution. If you take a moment to “do” the Big Three, you’ll see how easy it can be to make the shift. And you’ll probably even find that simply ONE of the steps is all it takes to shift the landscape. All it takes is one. But all three – well, that’s just icing on the cake.
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