Say Yes To Life
Institute For Unlocking Human Potential
11512 14 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6J 7A3
“To share the age old wisdom with all and to provide the opportunity for everyone to experience life at its fullest and challenge everyone to Dare to Dream Big to realize their full potential”
N. Pas Paskaran
Volume 5 Issue 7 July 2006
------
Greetings to all:
In this issue, we will explore two separate topics. The first article draws our attention to the dominance of negative emotions in our lives. It encourages us to eliminate them if possible, and if not, minimize the negative emotions. Negative emotions rob us of a harmonious lifestyle. We must substitute positive emotions in place of negative emotions.
The second article addresses the financial dilemma faced by many. When we face a financial crunch, what action should we take? When there are more days in the month than money in the bank, what avenue is available to us? The conventional wisdom is to cut back on the expenses and endeavor to save more. There is an alternate approach which is much more rewarding. This alternate approach energizes us; excites us and motivates us. Read with an open mind. Try it with an open heart. We will witness miracles in our life. We will move slowly but steadily towards financial freedom.
I hope, you will gather insights on how to live our lives more effectively and enjoy the abundance and prosperity that life has to offer.
With Best Wishes for an Abundant and Successful Lifestyle.
The newsletters from the previous years are in the archives on the web page. This year's free monthly newsletter will only be emailed and not posted on the web page.
Refer:http://humanpotential.cjb.net Bookmark this address for quick reference.
Minimize Negative Emotions and Express More of the Positive Emotions
Negative and positive emotions
Psychologists inform us that there are over fifty negative emotions. The negative emotions rob us of peace of mind. The negative emotions block us from experiencing joy in our lives.
We must be masters of our emotions. We must consciously choose our emotions and not react to the happenings in our lives. Negative emotions drain our energy. Positive emotions energize us. I am not suggesting that we should be devoid of negative emotions. At times, there is a place for negative emotions in our lives. In the event of a loss of a loved one, it is natural to express grief.
We experience negative emotions because we feel that we are not in control of our lives. We feel that someone or something outside of us is pulling the strings to direct our lives. The locus of control is said to be outside of us. Thus, the negative emotions are the result of feeling that we are not in control of the various events happening in our lives. We feel helpless. We feel incapacitated.
Alternately, the negative emotions are the result of not meeting our expectations. We expect a particular outcome or raise the bar for a specific end result. If the ensuing outcome doesn’t meet our criteria, we experience a negative emotion. We feel disappointed, frustrated, angry or any of a variety of negative emotions.
We experience positive emotions because we feel that we are in control of our lives. We feel the reins of our lives are in our hands. The locus of control is said to be within us. Thus, the positive emotions are the result of feeling that we are in control of the various events happening in our lives. We are in command of our lives. As poet Henley wrote, “I am the captain of my ship. I am the master of my soul.”
Alternately, the positive emotions are the result of the outcome exceeding our expectations. We get more than we expected. We experience more than we bargained for. We’re elated. We’re overjoyed and experience any of a variety of positive emotions.
Responsibility for our emotions
To the degree, we take total responsibility for our lives, we feel we are in control of our lives. And hence feel positive emotions. When we don't take responsibility to the happenings in our lives, we feel we are not in control of our lives. We bemoan, "That's the way the cookie crumbles." We whine, “That’s the way the ball bounces.” And hence we feel negative emotions.
In order to eliminate negative emotions, we must bounce our own ball. In order to experience positive emotions, we must march to our own drummer.
All emotions come from within us. It is the result of the manner we respond to a situation. Being judgmental is the basis for experiencing negative emotions. Negative emotions are the result of asking the question, "Who did it?" Non-judgmental and responsible person would say, "Well, this has happened. What can we do about it now?" Non-judgmental person doesn’t cry over spilt milk. This person doesn’t dwell on past happenings and wallow in self-pity. We experience positive emotion when we decide to do something and move forward in life.
Babies don't have negative emotions. We are not born with them. Negative emotions are learnt. We program the negative emotions into our brain. As adults we have a gunny bag of negative emotions. We carry them day and night on our backs and never put them down. As mature adults, we should leave this gunny bag of negative emotions by the roadside and get on with our lives.
Nature of questions
We project into the future by asking questions such as: ‘What if it doesn’t work out?” “What if I am not healthy?” “What if I am lonely in old age?” “What if I don’t have sufficient money in my retirement years?” We answer these questions with unfavorable outcomes in the future. We experience negative emotions, such as anxiety and worry, as a result of projecting these unfavorable outcomes into the future.
However, if we re-word the above questions and ask: “What if I am healthy?” “What if I had companionship in my old age?” “What if I had sufficient money in my retirement years?” We will not experience negative emotions. We will experience positive emotions. Thus, by using empowering words and by asking empowering questions, we must minimize the negative emotions. We must substitute positive emotions in place of negative emotions.
We may hand over control of our emotions to someone else but we can’t hand over responsibility for our emotions to someone else. We’re responsible for our emotions. So, let us take one hundred percent responsibility for our lives and feel we are the masters of our emotions.
------------
Cut Back Our Expenses or Increase Our Income?
Our income is not sufficient to meet our expenses - financial dilemma. What should we do? The conventional wisdom suggests cut back on the expenses. Majority of the people take the path of cutting back on expenses. There is a better solution – increase the income.
Whether we want to cut back our expenses or increase our income, we have to come up with ideas to do so. We have to expend energy and effort to do so. When we cut back on our expenses, we lower our lifestyle. This lowers our morale. This drains the energy from us. Sure, it is easier to come up with ideas to cut back the expenses. It takes less effort to cut back the expenses. Hence, many follow the easy path. This approach places our life on a downward spiral.
Alternately, reflect and come up with ideas to increase the income. Maybe take a part-time job. Maybe start a business that brings an additional income. Read, learn and become better informed about investments and invest wisely. Yes, it is easier to come up with ideas to increase the income but it takes effort to implement these ideas. However, there is positive energy along this path. There is excitement. We gradually improve our lifestyle. Our lifestyle gradually gathers momentum to move along the ascending curve.
In order to earn additional income, we must do what we love. When we do what we love, then it is no longer work. On the other hand, if we are unable to do what we love, we must set our attitudinal compass so that we love what we do. This requires only an attitudinal shift. It’s our attitude and not our aptitude that determines our altitude. If we don’t practice either of the above, then earning additional income becomes a laborious process. It’s a frustrating experience.
When we burn the mid-night oil to earn the additional income, we must be clear in our head the reason for doing it. We must hold a clear vision of the anticipated awesome lifestyle that waits us in the years ahead. This will give us the motivation. This will provide us the energy and enthusiasm needed for the extra effort.
Somerset Maugham in one of his poems writes, “I asked for a penny and life provided me with a penny. I could have asked for anything I wanted and life would have gracefully provided.” Life has laid out a beautiful banquet to be tasted and enjoyed. Don’t settle for the crumbs by cutting back on the expenses. Earn as much as you can so that you can enjoy life’s banquet.
Being broke is reality. However, being poor is a state of mind. Poverty and prosperity are states of mind. As we embark to earn additional income, we must create a mind-set of abundance. Cultivate prosperity consciousness. The mind-set of wealth acts like a magnet to attract money. With prosperity consciousness, money tends to flow easily and effortlessly into our lives.
If we have a mentality of lack, earning additional income is a struggle. Even when we earn additional income, we experience an unexpected expense and we are back to square one regards our finances. Thus eradicating mentality of lack and replacing with the a mentality of abundance is essential to earning additional income and if we desire to move forward on our path to financial freedom.
When we arrive at a junction and have to decide whether to cut the expenses or increase the income - pause and rest if you must. Then dare to follow the path of increasing the income. The scenery is better. And it is worth the journey. Have a great lifestyle.
------------
Please forward this newsletter to friends, relatives and colleagues.
Please send me email addresses of people who may be interested in receiving the newsletter. Inform me of any change to your email address.
If you're not on my mailing list, please send me your email address for future mailings.
______