​Today we will look at how we can best Handle Pesky situation or just plain snoopy, annoying people- who seem to be more interested in what is happening in your life than their own. Of course, it not true interest, but they are trying to see if you are having some problems or issues, so somewhere they can feel better about their own selves.

It is surely a very sad and sorry way of living, but many people do this- some knowingly and many many others are totally oblivious that they are doing it!! In fact, this is the reason why sensational, negative news have such extensive viewership. I will write another article about it at another time, make another video on that… but for today, we will look at how best to handle pesky, annoying people and sticky situations!
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So this is how things began... I was picking up a few fresh vegetables at our local grocery store and I bumped into this person who I knew from an old client site. I had hung out with her couple of times after work and now for a long time I had lost all touch with her. What was particularly interesting about this meeting was the ‘fake’ interest and pleasantries that we both were showing!! 

Does that sound familiar?? I suppose all of us who lead ‘normal’ lives come across people in stores, malls or even sometimes in the hallway- that we would rather avoid. But good social habits and sometimes cultural customs and norms- require us to be pleasant to them and greet- even when all our being would rather ‘run in the opposite direction’!!

I do not believe in typical pleasantries and usually if I do not have anything true or interesting to say to someone then I just avoid saying anything at all, as I don’t want to point fingers at anyone and create a negative scenario either!! But in this case, it was different… we were there right next to each other picking tomatoes and I had said the first ‘hello’ (oh, well!!) 😊

So, we meet and are chatting- asking those usual pesky questions of “Oh, how are you doing??”… “Great! What about you??”… now, the fakeness of this situation started to bother me, but other than being outright rude and walking away, there was not much I could do about it.

This got me thinking- hmm… how can I make the best of this situation?? Well… why don’t I observe my fakeness?? So, I started observing her, myself and our interaction with a calm awareness of an ‘observer’. Saying all those ‘correct’ things, hearing her response and so on. As we moved on and I got to the checkout lines where I am quite familiar with several of the staff (I have been shopping there for many years now), it was very amazing to feel the genuineness of our (the checkout staff and my) interaction. 

So, as I was walking home, it got me thinking… usually when we come across unpleasant situations, we try to close off our self. But instead of doing that, it is a far better method to open our self- and then, to observe the fakeness.

I actually felt like a movie or stage actor- I was playing a part of this nice pleasant person, greeting that old colleague and saying all those nice things- but somewhere it was almost like I was saying the drama-lines with conviction (like a good actor) but at the same time, I was consciously observing myself as the ‘do-er’ of that action- or should I say ‘my acting’. And this conscious way of observing and maintaining a calm, open presence helped me immensely because instead of resenting an unpleasant meeting, it felt great to connect with those with whom I genuinely connected!

We all come across scenarios where we meet someone who we would rather have not bumped into. Instead of feeling upset and then ‘trying’ to be nice to them on their face- “play the role of a pleasant person’- say and do the actions appropriate for the situation with total presence and conviction, but at the same time maintain your conscious awareness about yourself as the ‘do-er’ who is observing this ‘play being acted out’… this way you will not feel upset by closing yourself and harboring negativity. Instead because of conscious awareness and fun acting you will not only make the best of the situation but also maintain your openness to all people and interactions.

Though here I am speaking about chance meetings, we can use this same technique in any interaction where that other person usually draws out strong negative emotions from us. This could be that high-handed boss who chooses to pick on you and belittle you so he or she can look smarter.

​It can be a work colleague who often snoops in your work, so they can use that information to back-bite you and many other such situations where we do not expect it to be a pleasant interaction, but at the same time, somewhere we are required to be a part of it! Any time we dread an interaction because we feel it is going to be unpleasant, in all those situations, maintaining a conscious awareness with distancing can help immensely!!

Conscious observation and distancing with whatever required acting, or should I say conscious and active ‘role-playing’; allows us to conduct a situation in a healthy manner instead of “negative-fakeness’ which tends to build resentment and seething anger within us.

Categories:
Conscious Living,   How To...,   Our Path Our Journey,   Self Development  and   Spiritual Awareness
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Keywords and Tags:
#difficult #relationship #peopleinteractions   #people   #dealingwithdifficultpeople   #snooping   #calm #serenity   #annoying

We have all heard of stories from our grandmothers as to how when she was young, no one used to lock doors and windows in the house. Everyone trusted the other people and in general everyone had a more open attitude towards others.

​But, in today’s day and age that is unthinkable. Even as we are in the house we tend to keep our doors locked. In addition, we need to put in surveillance systems and other such technology that help to ensure that our house and other possessions are well monitored even when we are not around.

​This further leads to many cameras around our property and then we start to worry about privacy. We always tend to have curtains drawn down most of the time and wherever we go, we always seem to be aware of cameras and other prying eyes possibly watching us. THIS in turn makes us feel further unsecure and we are always looking for more ways to feel ‘secure and comfortable’.

Now, I totally agree that time have changed since our grandmother’s days. We do need proper locks and security systems. As we always discuss here… in the material world we need to act as per what is required (as a correct action/response) in a particular situation.

​What I would like to draw everyone’s attention is to the fact that what protects us, can also imprison us. The more possessions we get and more valuable those possessions, that much more we ensure it is properly secured under lock and key and even special safes and bank vaults. But this behavior trend is not limited to our possessions. We are increasingly skeptical of people around us.

Globalization now puts us in contact with many people from very varied background than that is most familiar to us. But instead of being truly ‘inquiring’- trying to learn about that person, their culture and beliefs; many a times we go with depicted stereotypes, which at best are a few people’s experience- which even if true for most people, may still not be true for that particular individual (with whom you are dealing).

We need to protect and nurture our sense of adventure and wonder. Adventure is not about jumping off planes or climbing high cliffs- true adventure is to experience life with total and complete involvement. To experience what is… and this cannot be done if we are already influenced by our preconceived notions or we have already pre-set expectations.

Yes, there are those who feel that their existence can be protected by harming others and because of rampant deception and aggression (and even violence in many cases); it is important to be cautious- but make sure that what is meant to protect you does not stifle you or your life-experience, enjoyment and overall well-being.

Reflect  within yourself to ensure that what is meant to protect and benefit you does not end up imprisoning you within the confines of dogmatic beliefs and automatic thought-less actions!!

Categories:
Conscious Living,   How To...,   Our Path Our Journey,   Self Development  and   Spiritual Awareness
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Keywords and Tags:
#openyourmind #dogmaticbeliefs #imprisonment #freeyoursoul #freedom #fundamentalism #consciousliving   #ascension   #maitreyiparadigm   #maitreyigautam   #soullessons   #soullearning

​Those of you who know me, know that I left India and have settled in the west several years ago. Though it is my dream to travel through India one of these days, for right now my knowledge of its current geography and economic development is truly limited to news sites, people’s notes and comments and of course Bollywood/ TV shows!!

Recently I was speaking to someone from Bihar- which historically was one of the most developed regions in India. Several ancient Greek, Chinese as well as other scientists and philosophers came to study at the famous Nalanda University. The Bodhi tree where Siddhartha achieved his enlightenment and became Gautama- The Buddha is also in this state. There are so many other historically significant and amazing things about this state. BUT, by the same token, sadly over the more recent history, this once glorious state has been reduced from it’s once fame to more ‘notoriety’ because of  increase in poverty, crime, and in general impoverishment of its residents!

​​As someone, who is more aware of this ‘de-famed’ region did not know that over the last 5 to 10 years, things have drastically improved in the state. Bihar was always famous for its rich natural resources and with good governance and leadership, it is rapidly developing and catching up to again being an economically (and culturally) developed region of India.

Why am  I writing all this?? You see, when I was speaking to this colleague at my client site, I made a few comments which were based on my old view. Initially, he was interpreting them with his view of the region (the currently developed version)… so apparently there seemed to be much disconnect between us.

It was a personal chat. I could sense his dissonance and explained to him how my notions were old, as I had been living outside India for a long time. We chatted some more and he helped me to gain a better perspective of today’s modern and developed (or should I say- revived) Bihar! BUT it also made me think on how conversations typically go.

We all hear and speak from our memory and our experience of life. The other person is interpreting it from their experience and knowledge and many a times there is a ‘difference’ that we never seem to stop and account for!!
We humans learn and operate based on memory!! If I was to say “apple”- the reason you understand what I mean is because, somewhere in your mind, you saw a “juicy red apple”.  

​Well, you see… it is not just about the fact that you saw a red apple and understood what I said… what if you only liked and ate the green Granny Smith variety of apple and so that is what you saw in your mind. So even though most people would think of apples as sweet, for you they are nice when tart!! 

Now as humans we relate with such patterns all the time. When it is something objective (like an apple), it gets comparatively easier- because I could say a sweet apple and if you were thinking of tart-apple, then you would question saying- hey apples are not sweet, they are tarty… then I will explain- how I meant the red Gala apples and we would be all good!!

When we are conscious of the possibility that “what I understand may not be what he or she is saying”- then it allows us to be more humble in our approach. Then we can be more inquiring into what someone is really saying, what they are trying to convey! 

​​Conscious Listening can surely help to cut down on many arguments and miscommunications!! Also, it can help us to really observe and understand people, situations and things as they are and not as per our own ‘preconceived ideas and notions’. 

Conscious Listening can help us to take practical steps in mitigating our usual ‘karmic’ way of experiencing, interacting and interpreting all that happens around us!! 

Categories:
Conscious Living,   How To...,   Our Path Our Journey,   Self Development  and   Spiritual Awareness
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Keywords and Tags:
#consciousliving   #ascension   #soulmessages   #listening   #heartolisten   #maitreyiparadigm   #maitreyigautam   #consciouslistening   #soullessons   #soullearning

​Gratitude is a very powerful emotion. It can break un-seen and unspoken barriers. It has the capacity to pass through seemingly unsurmountable walls- which people build around them. It can help to bridge gaps and connect us with all and everything around us.

​How is this possible? Because of one simple reason- We all like to be recognized, because it is a very simple and basic human need. 

​We do many things throughout the day- for our family, at work for our friends and sometimes even strangers. It could be some household chore (that we always do) like making breakfast or cleaning the dishes or it can be one-off thing like helping out a friend with some money.

How do we feel when someone says “thank you” to us? I am not speaking about that careless “thanks” which is clearly said in a thoughtless manner, I am speaking of when someone says “Thank You” and they really mean it. You can see it in their eyes and hear it in their voice. In fact, when people truly mean their gratitude then many a times them saying “thank you” out loud just becomes more of courtesy!!

… and how does  that make you feel?? Good, isn’t it? We all like and want to add value to others and when we hear a thank you, somewhere it validates the value, the service we provided that person or persons. 

Also, most people tend to thoughtlessly pass thru their day, mechanically doing their tasks. They pass by their work colleagues and even their family members with simply half-grunted words that have been said more out of habit than any thought behind those words or greetings!! 

​Most people are so engrossed in their own world that many a times they don’t even seem to ‘see’ all those people who surround them!!

So, when they say “thank you” they acknowledge our presence. They acknowledge not only what we have done for them, but appreciate us for who we are- since ultimately who we are- our way of thinking, our beliefs and so on is what has allowed us to do what we did for them!! 

So when they thank us, somewhere they acknowledge and reinforce our primal need to be recognized and validated- as a value adding individual!!

You feel this way when others acknowledge what you have done for them. So when you express gratitude, you say ‘thank you’… you given them that same attention, validation recognition and this makes them feel good. They warm up and connect to you. This builds bridges and strengthens relationships.

Starting today- make it a point to express gratitude to all those people who do things for you- particularly those people who you typically take for granted- like your parents or spouse or household help or cleaning staff, the bus or train driver, the office peon and so on. 

You don’t have to always verbally say a ‘thank you’- though whenever possible, try to say it out loud as well… but definitely make it a point to truly recognize the joy, love, goodness or service a person brings to your life. And be grateful… when you are thankful to them you are also expressing gratitude for the Divine providence that exists in your life.

After all it is because of Divine presence and providence that those people are in your life, adding value and providing you service and at times even love and comfort!!

Remember: Gratitude is the best attitude and it is ultimately it is our Attitude which determines our altitude- i.e. our achievements and accomplishments in life!! 

Categories:
Conscious Living,   Our Path Our Journey,   Self Development  and   Spiritual Awareness
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Keywords and Tags:
#gratitude #thankyou #givingthanks   #appreciation   #grateful    #appreciate #maitreyigautam #thanksgiving 

There was a time when we used watches to determine when to meet someone. Maybe also use them to fix up some group events and so on. That was about it. But how did we get from being the ones, setting up a time- to being enslaved by time! 

If we look around, most of us seem to be running- mostly at break neck speed. Running where? Running why? Sadly people don’t take the time to even stop and answer themselves, because they are worried they will be late for some event or miss out on the next "happening" thing.

​Slowly our life is totally governed by our watches. Part of being a “mover and a shaker” is supposed to be how busy our life is and how many activities and events we have going on?

What I am covering here is not about should you do/not many activities in a day. It is about truly “living your life” not just spending each day doing activities.

Even though life is a series of actions and activities, there are many other important dimensions to life and reducing our daily existence to merely work and tasks, reduces us to become slaves of time! 

Categories:
Conscious Living,   Comfortable Living,   Life Management,   Our Path Our Journey ,   Self Development  and   Spiritual Awareness
​
Keywords and Tags:
#Quantum #ConsciousLiving #WisdomandInsights  #TimeManagement #Hindu #Vedic #Consciousness #SoulTherapy #SoulHealing #Heal #FindTime #Time

Some days you want to rise promptly and shine whereas other days you just want to curl back up and shut off this world! Embrace both... as all these feelings make the "authentic you"...

Even though we have been on our spiritual path for a long time, there are still so many aspects which we need to bring together so that we can merge them in our wholeness!

Here is a thought for you to mull over and implement as part of your spiritual quest.  No part of you is "unsacred"- surely, there could be aspects which may not be beneficial or cause harm to you or others such as addictions or even laziness, but ultimately you need to address these shadow sides of your own self, bring them to light and make them whole.

Categories:
Conscious Living,   Life Management,   Self Development  and   Spiritual Awareness
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Keywords and Tags:
#Quantum #ConsciousLiving #WisdomandInsights  #bringshadowtolight #fromdarknesstolight  #motivateyourself  #Hindu #Vedic #Consciousness #SoulTherapy #SoulHealing #Heal   #healyourshadow    #healyourdarkness   #fears   #phobias  

Previously we have looked at what the word Namah really means. Now, let’s look at Namaste. This is a very famous greeting that we commonly hear now-a-days in the new age crowd! So, what does Namaste really mean?

Namaste is made up of two root words: Nama and Asti. “Nama” means salutation or greetings and “asti” means our very essence. It also means the bones and our body’s skeletal structure, since it forms the very basis, the very essence of our bodies.

​So, then what does the word Namaste really mean and why do we greet another person with this particular word of greeting (instead of Pranaam- which is another word for greeting or salutation). Also, typically when we greet Namaste, we join our hands and bow our heads slightly in front of the other person. Are these mere traditions or is there some concrete meaning behind all this??

Vedic Culture being the scientific culture that it has been, there is reason and meaning behind each word and action.

​Then of course over time many of those actions became traditions and then over the very long history which has had cultural influences and onslaughts from moguls and the British, some of these traditions have either been superstitiously distorted or people have forgotten their real meaning and so many a times they seem like empty repetitions of dogmatic actions.

But it is good that India is now experiencing its own cultural renaissance and is working towards renewing and reviving its true and authentic culture and incorporating it with innovative technology and modernization. 

So anyways, coming back to Namaste. When we greet someone with the word namaste then we are acknowledging the divinity within them. It could be anyone- a friend, a foe, a stranger- but the very fact that they are alive; they have that divine essence within them- the Brahman or Paramatma which is the supreme consciousness. So, basically by greeting them Namaste we are acknowledging and paying respect to that divine essence within them. 

Then the next question comes up, why do we join hands in greeting and bend our head (bow slightly) when we say namaste?

Each of the fingers in our palms signify a certain element. Our bodies and for that matter everything in creation is made up of these five elements or tattvas as it is called in Sanskrit. I will do another video to explain that in detail- but coming back to why we join hands in greeting is that we bring all these five elements within us together.

These five elements are Fire, Air, Water, Earth and Ether called Agni, Vayu, Varun, Prithvi and Akash respectively. So, by joining our fingers we symbolically bring together all our own core building blocks- and why we do that? The key is held in the fact we bow our head slightly in front of the other person.

As we all know energy flows from high to low. Also, it is innate within us that when someone approaches us with humility it tends to instigate our own kindness and humility and we tend to be “kinder or nicer” than we would have been otherwise.

​So, when we bow to the other person, we are opening ourselves to receiving all the energy goodness from this other person and at the same time, if they do not feel those nicer emotions towards us, we are somewhere silently initiating their innate behaviors by approaching them with love, our own essence and humility.

So next time you say Namaste to someone don’t simply say it as another new age greeting word, but say it with this understanding that you are not only greeting the divinity within them, but you are approaching them with your own core essence and that you are bringing your own building blocks together and are approaching that individual or group of people with love and humility so that your interaction can be the highest that could possibly be in that scenario.

Doing this is powerful. If you consciously observe your interactions, you will notice that the ones where you initiated the discussions with Namaste went very differently, very positively than when you simply greeted them and proceeded with your conversation. 

It is true that in professional or business situations it is not possible to steer away from the norm of Hand-Shake. But then joining hands in fact allows for an even better flow of energy between individuals, so it makes it even more important, that you approach with your highest, most conscious and best intent. 

So, next time you shake hands with someone or even greet them verbally, do it while mentally greeting them Namaste- acknowledging the divinity within them- approaching them by brining your highest self and bending your head slightly in greeting, so as to be open to the energy flow between you.

There was a time when we used watches to determine when to meet someone. Maybe also use them to fix up some group events and so on. That was about it. But how did we get from being the ones, setting up a time- to being enslaved by time! 

If we look around, most of us seem to be running- mostly at break neck speed. Running where? Running why? Sadly people don’t take the time to even stop and answer themselves, because they are worried they will be late for some event or miss out on the next "happening" thing.

​Slowly our life is totally governed by our watches. Part of being a “mover and a shaker” is supposed to be how busy our life is and how many activities and events we have going on?

I know many people who have missed doing the things they love dearly or even hanging out with friends they deeply care about because, they are always “busy” and just don’t seem to have any time. “I wish I had the time” is such a common phrase now-a-days and time management books abound in the stores. After all we are all given 24 hours in a day and it is essential that we learn to properly manage this time and properly maximize the activities we do each day.

What I am covering here is not about should you do/not many activities in a day. It is about truly “living your life” not just spending each day doing activities. Even though life is a series of actions and activities, there are many other important dimensions to life and reducing our daily existence to merely work and tasks, reduces us to become slaves of time! 

Quantum science tells us that time is relative. It can expand or contract. Probably the more obvious examples are when we are happy, a day seems like a few minutes and when we are sad or upset then a few minutes seem like a lifetime. 

What we need in our lives is not only to manage time, but also to step out of Time. We need to reset our very perception of time so that we do not view it as a measure of our existence- but as something that allows us the ability to do something. After all we do things- in time.

​So time along with space is a dimension of our being-ness, and not just something we look at on our watches and clocks! 

Our modern lives have made us slaves to time and we exist as time-bound individuals constantly worried about doing activities and meeting timelines, but many a times we are not even really present doing those very activities we are eagerly seeking. We are already thinking of the next thing, even before we complete our current undertaking. 

When we step out of this time-bound consciousness, we get to experience timeless-ness. A boundless creation and a bound-less dimension of existence. Then when we re-approach our daily activities from this space (time and space have a co-relation in linear existence similar to electricity and magnetism- one cannot really exist without the other), we find that we actually get more done.

Our lives will then start to exhibit a type of boundless-beauty which can only come about after experiencing a higher dimension and we start to feel more at peace and at ease not just within our own selves and the myriad commitments we have in our life, but also with life itself.

Set aside some time each day to do an activity you absolutely enjoy, even if it is hanging out with a friend or reading a book; where you will not be watching the clock! Do the activity to your heart’s content and naturally stop it as you feel nudged from inside. 

Truly start living life to the fullest with all its dimensions and not just a day at a time filled with activities and events. Open up to life… open up to a world of possibilities…

​History can not only teach us about the past, but also enliven our living experience in the present.  We have all heard about how “history repeats itself” and that the best way to find a way out of our current difficulties is to understand and learn from our past. 

We may think that our ‘current’ is very different from all these people who lived before us! People from the past who rode on horses does not seem relatable when we are worried about making our monthly car-payments!! 

​We may wonder- how can history teach us about the pressures of living up to the whim of our social circle- in the increasing presence of social media, when there was no Twitter, Facebook or fast communications in ancient times!

BUT they had their own situations and scenarios- taking on debt and/or living beyond one’s means, trying to live up to the social norms (true or dogmatic) is not new or limited to our times. 

History has a way to teach us- not just about what has happened in the past but also how it can help us to resolve our problems and issues in the present. What is needed of us, is an ability to look beyond the external dissimilarities and to find to the underlying common thread of human life- this has and will continue to stay the same…
 
Even though it is great to immerse oneself in such history places. It is not always convenient or possible for people- particularly in today’s times- where travel itself has its own challenges!!

Here is a way that you can still benefit from this idea- visit a historic part of your town/city. Every city, every town, every village has its own historic district- how the early settlers got there. How the place developed over the years and how it has transformed itself over time- all these things will help you to immerse not just in your local history, but also help you to feel an essential part of the current community. 

And if nothing else- visit the local museum and get a feel for the past. Look at the various artifacts and get to know the chronicle of events in that area- try this out!! 

Many a times, when we know the history and truly understand the morphosis, transformation of that region over the years- it helps one to feel a deeper connection with all those who have lived there in the past and also a deep connection with all the residents who are now that community.

You will be amazed at the profound way in which you will start to re-see your own local region- ‘as if with a set of new pair of eyes’!!

​#history #travel #historicdistrict #historicplaces #historictravel #museums #community #region #localdistrict #localcommunity #historicevents #journeytooneness #artofhappiness #spirituallessons #findinghappiness #happiness #becomminghappy #joyandhappiness #joy #happy #consciousliving #tipsforconsciousliving