Living Wisely Living Well | With Asha Nayaswami

Attachments are self-limiting—like prison bars. Ah, but see! Between the bars there is space. If you concentrate on that space, the bars will disappear: they consist only of your own “iron” stubbornness, its atoms being your repeated affirmation of a false reality.

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If you have a good idea, it may be “the better part of valor” to discuss it with those only who share your ideals. Protect it from people who might jeer, simply because it fails to conform with their preconceptions. Let your confidence gain strength before exposing the idea to human goats, who take pleasure in nibbling on other people’s inspirations.

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Generosity in victory is self-conquest. It loosens the shackles of pride, and fills one with a deep sense of inner gratitude.

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Humor arises out of a sudden release of tension with the introduction of some unexpected incongruity. This release, if followed by an upward relaxation into the higher Self, may give a fleeting glimpse of soul-joy. Let this year’s “April Fool’s Day,” then, bring you upward release into the happiness of your inner being, and not draw you down into whirlpools of mockery and cynicism.

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Counting to ten is a well-known technique for dissipating anger. You might carry this practice a step further: Visualize, with each number you count, a progressive expansion of awareness. Your perspective will thereby broaden incrementally, dissipating your anger, and changing your whole outlook—first to acceptance, then to empathetic understanding.

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Think of your life as dancing on air. In spirit, soar up on gossamer wings of pure joy. Brush lightly by every mountain peak of difficulty.

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Don’t try to impress others with your cleverness. Win them, rather, by your sincerity.

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Life asks of us many compromises. Make sure only that you adapt the compromises to your principles, and never your principles to any compromise.

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Never impose an idea on anyone. Offer it kindly, as a suggestion for his consideration. You’ll find him readier, then, to accept it.

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When bargaining, seek benefits that are mutual. If you express yourself generously, the other person will usually, of his own accord, meet you halfway.

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