YUVASHAKTI: Hitch Your Wagon To A Star

Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved by anyone without making a layout of the action to be carried on till accomplishment. And no accomplishment has ever been possible without the combination of factors adding to the process of fruition. Man by nature is a creature that wants to fulfil his aspiration in order to prove his worth in the society to which he belongs. Nobody is exception to this fact, though aspirations may vary from person to person. For example, a student will always think in terms of performing well in the examination he takes. But his performing well in the examination cannot be treated independently of other factors that determine the final outcome. A student must cooperate with the institution where he reads; he must pay attention to the teachers words; he must follow the discipline which the institution has decided. In other words, if you want to achieve your goals, always help others achieve their goals.

You must stick to the discipline a work calls for. If you are a student, you must be aware that without serious self-study, you cannot achieve desired success. You must read your study material seriously and try to clear every doubt which impedes your clear understanding of the topic or subject you ought to master. Your studies should never interfere with your routine with regard to day-to-day affairs like waking up early, brushing your teeth properly, taking a bath, having meals at regular intervals and having proper sleep. If you upset your routine, it will meddle with the quality of your studies and you cannot retain anything properly.

If you set your goals high and decide not to stop till you reach there, you will certainly emerge victorious. The great thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson has aptly said, Hitch your wagon to a star . If you think big, you can make it big in any field of human activity. Thinking big fills you with vigor and determination. You develop an unprecedented self-confidence due to the dimension of your goal. But your goal must be accompanied by a well-laid-out plan. If you do not plan the action, your dream will fall flat. A goal without a plan ends up as a wish. A goal is a task to which you commit yourself wholeheartedly. It is never an easy task. In William Shakespeare’s words “Ambition should be made of sterner stuff“. Naturally, if you decide to attain some goal, you will never let your attention get diverted. You will try your best to take every step in the direction of the fulfilment of your goal. You only need to be sincere and resolute. Once you train yourself with that intent, every step you take will take you closer to your goal.

In fact, goals are nothing more than tools to focus all your energy in the right direction, i.e. positive direction. In other words, your goals keep you from moving towards negativity. That is why people with goals always succeed in the end. They know where they are going. Not that success comes to them all of a sudden. Many of them have to face initial failures. But their failures are never impediments, but act as lessons. They learn from their mistakes and do not commit the same mistakes again. If you are determined, you will reach high. Stars lie hidden in your soul. If you dream intensely, you move towards your goal. Every dream precedes a goal. Remember goals are like magnets and they attract the things that make dreams come true.

Wishing that your dreams come true,

YUVASHAKTI: Concentration Is The Secret Of Strength

“We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing; others judge us by what we have done” are the wise words said by one of the greatest American poets, H.W. Longfellow. He wants to remind us of the mistake we commit when we overestimate or underestimate ourselves and get carried away by our own thoughts, when we are supposed to be objective in our approach and act according to what a particular situation calls for. For instance, in a situation where we are required to express ourselves, if we feel that others are more expressive than we are, we get disturbed and fumble while expressing our thoughts. It seems natural, but should be avoided, because our thoughts if expressed clearly can lead us to desired success. No two individuals can be exactly alike and some people may have better way of expressing themselves than others. But it does not mean that only those people are worthy of doing things. You can also become very adept at expressing yourself in a better way than other persons. If you believe in practice, in all probability, you will emerge victorious.

If you want to become a good communicator, you have to bear in mind that you should never use sentences which do not have any meaning. All that you say should have some purpose, because purposeless talk is idle talk. In order to make your communication effective you must choose your words carefully. Simple and concise words endear you to the listeners who are attentive and listen to whatever you speak. You should never use words which appear to be new and out of place. They should sound real and must appeal directly to senses. There is a famous quote—“Any fact is better established by two or three good testimonies than by a thousand arguments”. If you describe an event to illustrate a point, do not try to skip it and tell the whole story for good communication. If you tell it successfully even in brief, it will get your point across. Here the question which may arise is—“How to make even a real event look convincing?” The answer is very simple. Only those words will sound convincing which can present the facts in a simple and direct way. “The safest words are always those which bring us most directly to facts.“ Always choose your language according to the exigency of the situation and use only those words which match your audience. Never get elaborate in your expression, because it will result in loss of interest. People’s loss of interest in you will not serve your purpose, because vagueness may lead to misunderstanding or confusion. If you have got a tendency to use elaborate language, try to overcome it by practice. Practice your words aloud and try to find out whether those are the words you use in your conversation with friends. If you find out that you are using some words you generally do not use, avoid them.

The secret of good communication lies in simplicity. In the words of the famous poet, Walt Whitman—“Simplicity is the glory of expression.” Concentrate on the real-world examples and you will feel that you have been able to put your point across in a very simple language. If you make your point clear, there is a hundred percent chance of your success. Emerson has rightly said, “Concentration is the secret of strength.”

Looking forward to your success in every situation,

YUVASHAKTI: Never Procrastinate

Everybody’s life in this world is the sum total of his deeds which he does and the ways those were done. A task may be hard or easy, but it is never accomplished in a very smooth way. Minor or major obstacles accompany every task. It is, therefore, your response to the obstacles you have to face on the way to the accomplishment of a task which determines the degree of your success. It has been noticed that everyone tries to take credit for every success himself while for failures he makes excuses and does not want to take responsibility. It is not a good thing to do so. It is not better than befooling himself, because successes and failures both are the results of his own actions. That is why the great scientist Benjamin Franklin has said, “He that is good for excuses is seldom good for anything else.” In fact, if you blame anything else for your failure, you do so because you do not want anyone else to convince you of your own lack of enthusiasm or effort.

In order to overcome your weaknesses regarding excuses or procrastination, you will have to get into the habit of taking responsibility; you will have to identify the factors which hold you back from getting close to your goal. By knowing those factors you can concentrate on your goal and march towards it with full confidence. Try to do away with the excuses which act as obstacles with firm decision. “Resolve to perform what you ought, perform without fail what you resolve.” If the length of the tasks you have to perform is the reason behind your procrastination or making the excuses, tackle it with cool and confidence. Break down the tasks into several chunks. If you do so, the tasks will not weigh very heavy on your mind. You can finish them one by one as they will look manageable. Schedule each task in accordance with the time you have for it. In this way you will have the confidence to finish the task efficiently. Watch out for procrastinating tactics and start doing the first task on the list. G. H. Lorimer has aptly remarked, “Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, and putting off a hard one makes it impossible.” Never let any task get impossible.

You should always be aware of the fact that you rarely have any control over the events that take place, but you do have control over the manner in which you respond to them. Your response to them is the most important thing, because it determines the degree and quality of the outcomes. Think of a pattern: Event, Outcome and Response. The event has always to stay in the first place. Then you should think of the outcome you want and next to it the response. This pattern will enable you to achieve the outcome you cherish. If you are not able to think about the outcome you want, there is all likelihood that you will think about the outcome you do not want. Here, your attitude comes to the fore. If you respond with anger, you may lose control and you will be less effective for the day. If you respond negatively, you will lose the chance of exploring the ways to have a positive outcome. If you blame others for a negative outcome, you will make others unwilling to help you have a positive outcome. That is why you need to

have a practical approach that can be possible only when you are determined. Remember the words of the great poet, H.W. Longfellow, “Resolve and you are free.”

Wishing that the New Year brings a lot of success for you,

YUVASHAKTI: Yes, You Can Realise Your Full Potential

There is no use whatever trying to help people who do not help themselves. You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he be willing to climb himself”—is a famous quote by Andrew Carnegie. Through these words he wants to make it clear that nobody can achieve anything worthwhile in his life unless he himself has the conviction that he can achieve it. Motivation has to come from within. At the same time, we are told to be introspective in order to gauge our real intention behind making all the efforts to have a clear idea of the intensity of our wish. One must spend time having a deeper look at oneself. This helps one become more aware of the forces that guide one through one’s life and makes one feel what change one needs to make one’s journey smooth and fruitful. Experts suggest that you should keep a diary and note down all the things that happen to you every day.

If you start following the expert opinion, you can easily know some truths about yourself which are crucial to your well-being. At first, you will find out what makes you happy. Besides, you will come to know what are the main points of irritation which lead you to the loss of control. It is also a means to know the feelings lying within yourself and point out the factors responsible for your worry. Your knowledge of your worry will keep you from getting afraid. This is possible only when you find out the assumptions you make about yourself as well as others. Mahatma Gandhi has aptly said, “Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship bound to break into pieces on coming into contact with the very first rock.” In other words, introspection provides us with the truths we are generally unaware of. Without knowing our weaknesses and strengths it is almost impossible for us to make our journey in the right direction.

It is only by becoming aware of the patterns of behaviour which form the basis of your life that you are able to take the right action which leads to the attainment of your goals and ambitions. If you attain your goals and ambitions, you are able to satisfy yourself and become happy. When you take sometime off to think over what actually awareness means, you will find that awareness is actually noticing everything. In brief, you are required to be aware of the impact of the words used by you, your thinking, the images you create in your mind, the judgements you make about others and your patterns of behaviour. Awareness also comprises the impact all these have on the way you run your life. This awareness is very crucial, because it is only by developing your awareness that you will be able to prevent your thinking from impeding your progress towards your goals. Here, it will be apt to quote William Shakespeare, the greatest English poet—”We know what we are, but know not what we may be”. In other words, to realise your full potentiality you have to be aware of your own ability.

You should never lose track of the fact that you have to be aware of the factors that might impede you in attaining your goals and ambitions. It is this awareness which will encourage you to have self-control which is necessary to concentrate all your energy in the right direction. The famous poet, Robert Burns has written—”Prudent, cautious self-control is wisdom’s root”. Self-control can be exercised by you only when you are aware of the facts regarding your endeavours.

Looking forward to your attainment of every ambition,