Calmness

As of late Ive been reading A book by James Allen, called As A Man Thinketh. This book focuses a lot on how thoughts and the mind is master over everything. Noble thoughts will always make a noble person, while lowly thoughts makes a lowly person.

"A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." So he says. I would like to share the link with all my readers and friends so they can hopefully enlighten themselves with the words of this very very wise man who definitely was avant garde in thought and character. http://jamesallen.wwwhubs.com/think.htm is the link to the book!

So yes before you go off reading it, here is a chapter on serenity of the mind, which I feel many of us lack in our topsy turvy world as the conditions of life never stays still for a moment, so is our minds that get tossed and blown away in all directions like the waves and winds.

Serenity

Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. It is the result of long and patient effort in self-control. Its presence is an indication of ripened experience, and of a more than ordinary knowledge of the laws and operations of thought.

A man becomes calm in the measure that he understands himself as a thought-evolved being, for such knowledge necessitates the understanding of others as the result of thought. As he develops a right understanding, and sees more and more clearly the internal relations of things by the action of cause and effect, he ceases to fuss and fume and worry and grieve, and remains poised, steadfast, serene.

The calm man, having learned how to govern himself, knows how to adapt himself to others; and they, in turn, reverence his spiritual strength, and feel that they can learn of him and rely upon him. The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Even the ordinary trader will find his business prosperity increase as he develops a greater self-control and equanimity, for people will always prefer to deal with a man whose demeanor is strongly equable.

The strong calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. Who does not love a tranquil heart, a sweet-tempered, balanced life? It does not matter whether it rains or shines, or what changes come to those possessing these blessings, for they are always sweet, serene, and calm. That exquisite poise of character which we call serenity is the last lesson culture; it is the flowering of life, the fruitage of the soul. It is precious as wisdom, more to be desired than gold - yea, than even fine gold. How insignificant mere money-seeking looks in comparison with a serene life - a life that dwells in the ocean of Truth, beneath the waves, beyond the reach of tempests, in the Eternal Calm!

"How many people we know who sour their lives, who ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers, who destroy their poise of character, and make bad blood! It is a question whether the great majority of people do not ruin their lives and mar their happiness by lack of self-control. How few people we meet in life who are well-balanced, who have that exquisite poise which is characteristic of the finished character!"

Yes, humanity surges with uncontrolled passion, is tumultuous with ungoverned grief, is blown about by anxiety and doubt. Only the wise man, only he whose thoughts are controlled and purified, makes the winds and the storms of the soul obey him.

Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever conditions ye may live, know this - in the ocean of life the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought. In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep; wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power.

Say unto your heart, "Peace, be still!"

In sports, this trait is usually what separates the men from the boys, clamness of mind in a competition will always lead to better results and a much more efficient and faster race, this has been brilliantly demonstrated by many top triathletes, cyclists and successful sports people over the years. A few good examples would be how in an Ironman race where top guys such as craig alexander have the capability to stay calm and controlled throughout the race and not be fazed about whoever goes pass them first or beats them in the swim. Those guys know how to be calm at heart, not panic and focus on their own race ahead with the right thoughts and in the end still thrash the opposition.

Lance Armstrong is another man who has great control over his thoughts while racing, and when he does that, he ability to see how the race will pan out comes to him and he then makes the right moves. Who can forget 03 TDF when the man showed great mental control and resolve to fight back and win the tour after almost losing it to Jan Ullrich when a lesser person would have cracked under the mental strain and pressure. Even with Phelps we can see that. Its easy to be unnerved by all the great attention that was placed on the man before the Olympics and with the amount of races he did, there were so many chances for false starts and DQ's but the man still succeeded in doing what he setout to achieve. People like Roger Federer, and Tiger Woods also have that trait. Who can forget Federer's (almost) comeback against Nadal in the 2008 wimbledon final after going 2 sets down, sure he didnt win but he showed great mental control that day to not give up? Also remember Champions League final 2004/2005 Liverpool vs Ac Milan where the reds were 3-0 down by halftime where they demonstrated great strength of mind as a team and came back to win! By calmness and mastery of mind these men achieved great things and so can you if you try!

As humans, I believe what separates us from the animals is the willpower to be proactive and not reactive. So by being proactive to our state of mind and note down our thoughts to prevent it from going idle, eg as we all know an empty mind is the devil's playground! This in return will help us lead better, happier and more productive lives! Calmness and the mastery of mind will also give you the ability to see things as they truly are and then enable you to make the right decisions in life!

Think right and stay calm, (yes stay calm for that 2 final papers you have on friday and sat even though you didnt study jack for them...=P)

Yuen