The sun was scorching, but even hotter were the flames of his inner turmoil. He had just ended a long-standing relationship. Sweating with his emotions, he thought, “Why has God created this feeling of love, only to bring the dejection of heartbreak?” Love had brought him so much misery that he had begun to curse its very energy. It had imprisoned him instead of setting him free.
Then he turned his gaze to the sun, the source of his external sweat, and looked at it with anger. In response, he received a subtle message from the sun: “My son, I give energy to the whole world, and I exist in you, giving energy. There is an inner sun of consciousness within you. My rays are neither polluted when they fall on the gutters of the city, nor enriched when they fall on a garden—I remain unaffected by what I illuminate. Likewise, there is a light within you that is not touched by joy or sorrow. Close your eyes and see this inner light, and you will no longer be swayed by suffering.” In that moment, he suddenly stopped sweating and a new light arose within him.
Feed and nourish your positive beliefs and doubt will starve to death. The strength of our fear reflects the weakness of our positive beliefs.
Rapunzel, a beautiful girl, was captured by a witch and imprisoned in a castle. Her hair was so long that when she let it down from the first-floor balcony, it would reach the ground. The witch used it to climb up and bring her food. She constantly told Rapunzel that she was ugly, even though she was truly beautiful. One day, a prince came across the castle and, to cut the story short, rescued Rapunzel and freed her from the witch. They were married happily ever after.
The deeper meaning of this fairy tale is especially relevant for young people. Deep within everyone lies beauty, like that of Rapunzel. Yet within us, there is also a ‘witch’—our negative beliefs. These beliefs create an inner imprisonment, much like Rapunzel’s castle. The prince represents a positive thought that can help us break free.
With a positive thought, we can overcome the negative belief—the ‘witch’—and free ourselves from the imprisonment of the castle, the inner prison created by our own negativity. All creative people have done this: they have acted from a place of positive thought and dismantled their negative beliefs.
When we are young, it seems that the days are short and the years are long; as we grow older, the days feel long and the years short. Whatever the truth may be, we should remain psychologically young and charge ourselves with enthusiasm. Then, every moment becomes a moment of great aliveness. Learn to believe that this is a wise way of living.
Learn to operate from the belief that you have no limitations. Limitations are created by thought. Feel that you have full possibilities—in fact, infinite possibilities. This is your potential. Your task is to bring this potential into reality. Picture yourself as being full of possibilities and keep this mental image alive even in difficult situations. Identify two of your negative beliefs and imagine that you have literally kicked them away.
Before you go to sleep, reflect on your day and notice whether you were influenced more by negative or positive beliefs. Reprogramme yourself wisely. Just as you brush your teeth twice a day, make this a twice-daily exercise for your mind.
