It was legendary motivational speaker and author Napoleon Hill who once made this profound statement: a positive mental attitude comes from the wellsprings of one's soul! This is a deep assertion because in our spiritual journeys, the soul is the vehicle to our cherished destination, so anything coming from the soul must be sacrosanct for the discerning traveler on the path to enlightened living.
Keeping a positive mind is a great task that is often marred with challenges as the pitfalls on the journey are many. But the greater the risk and challenges, the sweeter the victory at the end of the day.
In a world that is often filled with so much negative vibes and heartbreaking atrocities often perpetrated in the name of religion, keeping one's mind positive is indeed a Herculean task. Yet this challenge must be met head on and tackled for the benefit of the traveller on the path and the people and situations he or she would come into contact with.
Therefore, I believe, that my task is always primarily to keep my mind positive so that I can be a source of peace, love and beauty as I journey alongside others in this world. Being the creation of The God of Love who brought me here to celebrate his Name and cultivate His earth, I must be a reflection of His Beauty and a demonstration of His Beautiful Names, among them "Assalaam", which means the source of Peace. But how can I be peaceful and be a reflection of the Source of Peace if I am not imbued with a positive mental attitude?
I refuse to be defined by the acts of terror and carnage committed in the name of my religion, Islam; a religion whose name takes its very roots from the word "Salam" which means peace in the sublime Arabic language.
Therefore I make it a habit to eschew all negative emotions such as anger, hatred, envy, revenge and intolerance by keeping an open mind on key issues of life. It is my life goal also to infuse my mental setup with positive emotions of love, understanding, empathy and care as taught and lived by our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and his brothers in spirit Jesus and Abraham (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all).
The wisdom conveyed through the desiderata is key to my personal philosophy: "in spite of its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful, strive to be happy." So I strive and work and pray each day for a mind that is devoid of malice, untainted by hatred and unalloyed with thoughts of violence.
Indeed, the Quranic teaching is golden wisdom, "I do not think that I am free from weakness; all human souls are susceptible to evil except for those to whom my Lord has granted mercy. My Lord is certainly All-forgiving and All-merciful." As taught in verse 53 of the Chapter, Joseph. So my striving also includes prayers for constant Divine intervention in terms of guidance without abdicating my responsibility in making positive, peaceful choices.
As the late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale would teach "God is always a Good God!" I believe this is the truth and so I strive to never become despondent in any situation no matter how tough; it is the rough moments in the journey that call out our best selves and thus I keep praying alongside my constant striving, the ultimate Muslim prayer, repeated by all devotees at least 17 times everyday during ritual obligatory prayers: "Guide us to the straight path." Amen.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Staying-on-the-Path:-My-Biggest-Jihad-Is-to-Keep-My-Own-Mind-Positive&id=9725823
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