3. The Power of Positive Instructions
Insight: Positive words carry a unique energy; that energy awakens others through you.
In 2012, on the eve of the Rajat Jayanti Mahotsav, Guruji Swamishri came for a campus visit with the planning committee. To guide visitors, signboards and instruction boards had been placed in several areas. They read, “Do not throw rubbish here and there,” “Do not pluck flowers or plants,” “Do not push,” “Women should not come this way,” and “Do not talk during the sabha.”
Seeing the signboards, Guruji suggested, “All the signboards have been placed in the right locations, but what if we word the instructions positively? For example: ‘Let us place rubbish in the bin,’ ‘Let us care for the flowers and plants,’ ‘Let us come for darshan in the queue,’ and so on.”
Guruji further explained, “Negative words inspire negative vision and behaviour. Naturally, there is already some negativity in the human mind. If we add negative words from outside, then, as they say, minus and minus become plus; negative behaviour increases. The human tendency is such that when we are told not to do something, we often feel drawn to do it first. If a cover says, ‘Do not open,’ people naturally feel more curious to open it first.
“So in satsang, family life or work, instead of saying, ‘Do not do this,’ if we give positive instructions such as, ‘Let us do this,’ people naturally begin to follow them. Instructions given with a positive perspective can bring transformation in others’ behaviour.”
In this way, Guruji taught the planning committee that positive verbal expression helps bring a change.
Resolve: I will give every form of instruction in positive words.
The words we choose become the direction others follow.
Reflection
- People change their clothes, their homes, their cities, their jobs, and even their relationships, yet they may remain unhappy. Do you know why? Because they have not changed the way they look at life.
- A positive perspective is the ability to feel less troubled than circumstances might warrant, and to experience greater happiness than circumstances alone may seem to provide.
- There is a vast difference between earning a place in someone’s heart and losing that place, much like the difference between a gentle mist and irritating smoke. People with a positive perspective naturally find a place in others’ hearts, while those who constantly carry negativity gradually lose that place and, like smoke, can leave others feeling uncomfortable and weary.
3. The Power of Positive Instructions
Insight: Positive words carry a unique energy; that energy awakens others through you.
In 2012, on the eve of the Rajat Jayanti Mahotsav, Guruji Swamishri came for a campus visit with the planning committee. To guide visitors, signboards and instruction boards had been placed in several areas. They read, “Do not throw rubbish here and there,” “Do not pluck flowers or plants,” “Do not push,” “Women should not come this way,” and “Do not talk during the sabha.”
Seeing the signboards, Guruji suggested, “All the signboards have been placed in the right locations, but what if we word the instructions positively? For example: ‘Let us place rubbish in the bin,’ ‘Let us care for the flowers and plants,’ ‘Let us come for darshan in the queue,’ and so on.”
Guruji further explained, “Negative words inspire negative vision and behaviour. Naturally, there is already some negativity in the human mind. If we add negative words from outside, then, as they say, minus and minus become plus; negative behaviour increases. The human tendency is such that when we are told not to do something, we often feel drawn to do it first. If a cover says, ‘Do not open,’ people naturally feel more curious to open it first.
“So in satsang, family life or work, instead of saying, ‘Do not do this,’ if we give positive instructions such as, ‘Let us do this,’ people naturally begin to follow them. Instructions given with a positive perspective can bring transformation in others’ behaviour.”
In this way, Guruji taught the planning committee that positive verbal expression helps bring a change.
Resolve: I will give every form of instruction in positive words.
The words we choose become the direction others follow.
Reflection
- People change their clothes, their homes, their cities, their jobs, and even their relationships, yet they may remain unhappy. Do you know why? Because they have not changed the way they look at life.
- A positive perspective is the ability to feel less troubled than circumstances might warrant, and to experience greater happiness than circumstances alone may seem to provide.
- There is a vast difference between earning a place in someone’s heart and losing that place, much like the difference between a gentle mist and irritating smoke. People with a positive perspective naturally find a place in others’ hearts, while those who constantly carry negativity gradually lose that place and, like smoke, can leave others feeling uncomfortable and weary.
