JHALAK... THE SPARK

Pic.: Malabika Ganguly

I love these three books: Rhonda Byme’s ‘The Secret’, Eckhart Tolle’s ‘The Power of Now’ and Byron Katie’s ‘Loving What Is.’

Honestly, more than the books, I love the authors… and, that is for the same one reason: These books were born from the darkest period in the lives of these authors… Just before the priceless philosophy was chronicled in the books (or DVDs), these authors – all of them – had been to the hell-gate to kill themselves!

But, the end was not supposed to be so… It was destined to be something beautiful, sublime…

Sometimes, we need to go through the dark tunnels - experience pain, stress and confusion, before we can see light…  “The end of our anger and sorrow,” I often tell, “is the birth of our compassion.”

And, I believe, the grace that saved Rhonda Byme, Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie is all there waiting to save all of us. In fact, we haven’t been to such extreme cliffs… Most of us have not thought of killing ourselves, I mean…  Yes, we have been lucky in that sense. But, one thing is common with all of us: If we hang on, hold the fort, for some more time… we would win the battle. And, yes, we will go on to inspire others to do so, too…

Last week, in one of our PD sessions, 18-year-old Jhalak wanted to share something with her friends. Here it is:

Dear friends, lately, I had been feeling down… very down. The PD classes did help me, but as soon as I got back home, my depressed self would start haunting me again. It would pull me deep into that darkness where there was no light seeping in…

Under this constant shuttling between happiness and depression, I realized that I was losing myself. That, Jhalak inside me was fading away and in no time I would become a person whom even I wouldn't’t be alone to recognize…

Who wants to lose themselves? Are we so worthless? Are we so trifling? I asked myself this, and then came the voice – ‘NO’!

I am not here to take rubbish from the world… I am here for a purpose and live for myself. I am a very sensitive person, my feelings get hurt easily and am sure amongst many of you guys, it may be the same. I easily lose hope... I often feel down. But, just yesterday, I got his straight into my head and the light poured in…

I realized 10 things, which I would love to share with you…

1.      NEVER TELL YOURSELF ‘I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH’: This thing automatically sets you up for failure. You incarnated on this earth for a specific purpose and the strength to bear life’s struggles. You are good enough; otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.

2.      STOP TELLING YOURSELF ‘I CAN’T’: Our ego discourages us from moving forward but our heart can quickly overpower our mind as long as we believe in it. Remember what our sir said that day… “What you think about comes about.” So, believe you can do it and you will manifest exact reality.

3.      DON’T DOUBT: Good things take time; so, don’t’ doubt what Universe has in store for you. Thus, because your present isn’t working out, it doesn’t mean that Universe won’t help you create a better reality.

4.      SEE THE BEAUTY: learn to see the beauty in the chaos. Thus, make the best of the situation, change what you can and forget about what you can’t. Because, that’s what happy people do, right?

5.      MAKE YOURSELF HAPPY: At the end of your life, you will want to look back and say that you lived the way you wanted to.

6.      ONCE YOU CHOOSE HOPE, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE: Cultivate a more hopeful, positive attitude about life by changing yourself first; because, then, the outside world will match your vibration.

7.      STAY STRONG: “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls,” said Kahlil Gibran, “The most massive characters are seared with scars.” Every battle you fight in life only makes you stronger. So, don’t let them get you down, ever.

8.      NEVER FEEL THAT YOU ARE ALONE: This planet has over seven billion people. So, if you feel lonely, just know that someone, somewhere is going through the same thing. If you still feel lonely learn to enjoy your company.

9.      YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE A DIFFERNCE: Just do what you can each moment and you won’t have any regrets. Make the most of what you have and never let your past dictate your present or future.

10.  NEVER GIVE UP: Remember that you have limitless potential and you came here to embody your highest self. You have everything you need within. So, don’t let your ego tell you otherwise. Always, believe that something wonderful is about to happen.

Friends, we are humans… We are bound to feel down at times. But, to stay constantly motivated is in our hands. Remember, what our sir, Dr. Deepak said, “Your behavior is your choice… You choose happiness or grief.” So, let’s make a better choice today… and, anytime you feel negative thoughts creeping up, always, remember these inspiring words of Marianne Williamson:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

So, these were the 10 things… my realizations that brought light into my life. I will never let this light fade away… and I hope you won’t’, too.

Thank you.

Yes, the light at the end of the tunnel is waiting for all of us… Ms. Rhonda, Ms. Katie, Mr. Eckhart who wrote great books. It is, also, waiting for our young Jhalak… you and me. We just need to hang on there, for a little while more…

GERALD D’CUNHA