Words of Swami Vivekananda

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”
-------

“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.”

-------

"All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything."

-------

"All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark. "

-------

"As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God. "

-------

"Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way. "

-------
"External nature is only internal nature writ large."

-------
"GOD is to be worshipped as the one beloved, dearer than everything in this and next life.
If faith in ourselves had been more extensively taught and practiced, I am sure a very large portion of the evils and miseries that we have would have vanished."

-------
If money help a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better. "

-------
"In one word, this ideal is that you are divine. "

-------
"Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin; to say that you are weak, or others are weak."

-------
"Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth."

-------
"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success."

-------
"That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material."

-------
"The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free."

-------
"The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them."

-------
"The Vedanta recognizes no sin it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that. "

-------
"The will is not free - it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect - but there is something behind the will which is free. "

-------
"The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong. "

-------
"Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true. "

-------
"We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. "

-------
"When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state."

-------
"Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.
You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself. "

-------
"You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul."

11 ways to be a happy employee

Can you recollect a day where you woke up at 5:00 am, got ready quickly and waited to do something exciting? Was it your college annual day function? Or a competitive exam? Or maybe a first date? Maybe it was your wedding day. Is it Monday morning to work? If the answer is the last, surely you are a happy employee.

Though the above occasions may not have a lot in common, excitement and motivation can be attributed to almost all of them. However, at the workplace, it is almost impossible to find both or any one of these attributes daily. But, being happy or unhappy is always in our hands. That's the choice we make and we are the creators of the outcome by our actions. Let's look at what might make an employee unhappy.

. Unfair rewards and recognition
. Office politics
. Un-cooperative team
. Unreasonable boss
. Insufficient compensation
. Constant threat to job security
. Lack of responsibility in the current job
. No clear career path
. Seating location
. Lack of basic facilities at workplace

And the list goes on and on. Some of these things may not really propel an employee to quit, but it might lead to negative energy which leads to low productivity. When an employee is under-productive he or she will be the first target when companies look for opportunities to give pink slips.

As mentioned earlier, being happy is always in your hands. A happy employee is more productive and gives more than an unhappy employee. So let's look at some ways to up the happiness factor.

1. Plan your week on Sunday night

Look at your work calendar and plan your week on Sunday night or Monday morning. This would include important meetings, deliverables, a brief summary of things that are pending from last week and any tasks to be achieved during the week. Though this might look like a time management tip, at the end of the week, on Friday night when you re-visit what you have achieved over the last five days, the satisfaction is immense.

2. Undertake activities that you are passionate about even though it might not be in your job profile

Start an initiative that you would love to do irrespective of whether it is required for you to do or not.

. Send a daily newsletter to your team on the topics that most of them will be interested.
. Do a presentation on the topic that you are passionate about.
. Organise a small sports event for your team.
. Call everyone in your team for a team coffee, breakfast or lunch break
. Appreciate colleagues in your team or in a cross-functional team who did a great job
. Write a poem on your team's achievements
. Arrange a potluck lunch

3. Do not indulge in the blame game

If something goes wrong do not blame others blindly. If you commit a mistake, do not hesitate to accept it. As Gauthama Buddha said, there are three things we can't hide for long: the sun, earth and the truth. Accepting your mistake gracefully will only make you look like a true professional and also give you the satisfaction of not cheating.

4. Communicate more often in person

Utilise all the opportunities where you can speak to an individual in person rather than e-mail or phone. But be aware of the other person's time and availability. Listening to a positive answer from a person will give you more happiness than if it is done over the phone or via e-mail.

5. Know what is happening at your workplace

Will this make a person happy? Truly, yes! Imagine a cricket team that doesn't know how many runs to score to win a match? More than losing the game, the player will never be interested or motivated to play well.

Attend all meetings that are addressed by the CEO to your immediate manager to know what is going to happen around you. It could be the company's growth plan or your department's next big project. Jack Welch mentions in his book Winning "every employee, not just the senior people, should know how a company is doing."

You will also get an extra edge if you are in a position to answer queries raised by your peers or juniors. This is not just for the good reasons, but bad reasons as well. You do not want to be the last employee to know if your company is laying off employees (in the worst case, if you are the one who is on that list).

6. Participate in organisation-level activities

This could be as simple as spending one weekend for a corporate social responsibility activity or attending a recruitment drive to help your HR team or arranging a technical/sports event at the organisational level. Most of these events will be successful as people do come on their own to contribute.

7. Have a hobby that keeps you busy and happy

Many people say their hobby is watching TV or listening to music or reading the newspaper. These aren't hobbies, they are just ways of passing the time. Some hobbies are evergreen and will keep you evergreen as well: dancing, painting, writing short stories, poems, blogs and sharing your experiences.

8. Take up a spor

While choosing a sport make sure that there is physical activity. There is the danger of becoming addicted to sports where there is less physical activity (like computer games, chess, cards etc). Physical activity keeps a person healthy and happy. If you pick up one sport well, you can represent your organisation in corporate sports event too.

9. Keep yourself away from office politics

Politics, as a practice, whatever its profession, has always been the systematic organization of hatreds. -- Henry Brooks Adams
Politics is everywhere and the office is no exception. Playing politics might be beneficial but only for the short term. So the best thing to do is play fair.

10. Wish and smile

More often than not, there are fair chances that the other person will smile back. This could be your security guard at the gate, your receptionist, your office boy, your CEO or your manager -- never forget to wish them and smile.

11. Volunteer for some activity
"The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving." - Albert Einstein

Do at least one activity without expecting anything in return. There is no set frequency for this. This could be once in a day or once in a week or thrice in a week. It could be as simple as making tea at the office for your colleague, helping a colleague who is working in another department by using your skills, dropping your colleague at his door step in your car, going to your manager or colleague to ask if there is any help you can extend, contributing to technical or knowledge management communities in your organisation etc.

~~~~~

Decision And Confusion

Decision comes only when there is confusion. When there is no confusion then there is no decision. For example, if there is a piece of wood and a biscuit on your desk, you don't decide which one to eat, isn't that right? Decision is always about choice and choice is always confusing. So, all decision-makers are confused! (Laughter)

Action is spontaneous when there is no actor. In you, there is an actor and there is a witness. An actor is either confused or decisive, but the witness realizes that the action is spontaneous and smiles.

The more decisions you make, the more confused you are, and as a result you swing between pain and pleasure. The more the witness grows in you, the more playful and untouched you are. Trust, faith, love and joy all manifest in and around you.

Are you confused, decided or happy now?

SIMPLE (or)COMPLEX ?

Life is utterly simple and yet most complex. You have to simultaneously attend to both facets of life. When life appears most complex, turn to the simplicity. Simplicity brings peace. When you are peaceful attend to the complexity within you. That will make you more skillful.

If you are only with simplicity, it makes you lazy and dull. Being only with complexity makes you angry and frustrated. The intelligent ones balance them and rejoice in both. If you look only to simplicity, growth is not there. Looking only at the complexity, there is no life at all. All that you need is a skillful balance. If you recognize both simplicity and complexity of life, you will be skillfully peaceful!

Colors are the complexity of life. White is the simplicity. When your heart is pure, your life becomes so colorful.

Golden Words of Vivekananda

When there is a conflict between the heart and the brain, let the heart be followed.

A man of intellect can turn into a devil, but never a man of heart.

Religion is not a theoretical need but a practical necessity.

Renunciation does not mean simply dispassion for the world. It means dispassion for the world and also longing for God.

There is no misery where there is no want.

The secret of life is not enjoyment, but education through experience.

Every new thought must create opposition.

Renunciation is the withdrawal of mind from other things and concentrating it on God.

Every man who thinks ahead of his time is sure to be misunderstood.


In this short life there is no time for the exchange of compliments.


Do not wait to cross the river when the water has all run down.

The greatest sin is fear.

Better the scolding of the wise than the adulation of the fools.

If you love God's creation more than God, you will be disillusioned.

Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth can't be sacrificed for anything.

God has become man, man will become god again.

If it is impossible to attain perfection here and now, there is no proof that we can attain perfection in any other life.

That part of the Vedas which agrees with reason is the Vedas, and nothing else.

If you want to do anything evil, do it before the eyes of your superiors.

Happiness presents itself before man, wearing the crown of sorrow on its head.

If one is a slave to his passions and desires, one cannot feel the pure joy of real freedom.


If you can't attain salvation in this life, what proof is there that you can attain it in the life or lives to come?

Never mind if your contribution is only a mite, your help only a little, blades of grass united into a rope will hold in confinement the maddest of elephants.

The cow never tells a lie, and the stone never steals, but, nevertheless, the cow remains a cow and the stone remains a stone. Man steals and man tells a lie, and again it is man that becomes the god.

When even man never hears the cries of the fool, do you think God will?

Strength is life, weakness is death.

Never are the wants of a beggar fulfilled.

We want the education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one's own feet.


Let the heart be opened first, and all else will follow of itself.

Tell the man his defaults directly but praise his virtues before others.

Activity is life and inactivity is death.

Salvation is not achieved by inactivity but by spiritual activities.

Even the least work done for others awakens the power within.


New things have to be learned, have to be introduced and worked out, but is that to be done by sweeping away all that is old, just because it is old?

The man who says he has nothing more to learn is already at his last grasp

As long as I live, so do I learn.

No one can save a person who hires a carriage to go from one street to another, and then complain of diabetes.

By the control of the subconscious mind you get control over the conscious.

It is the constant struggle against nature that constitutes human progress, not conformity with it.

The very essence of education is concentration of mind, not the collecting of facts.

As we get further and further away from sense-pleasures, “knowledge for the sake of knowledge” becomes the supreme pleasure of mind.


It is through the many that we reach the one.


The soul is the circle of which the circumference is nowhere, but the center is the body. God is a circle whose circumference is nowhere, but whose center is everywhere.

The body itself is the biggest disease.

If any one of you believes what I teach, I will be sorry. I will only be too glad if I can excite in you the power of thinking for yourselves.

When the world is the end and God the means to attain that end, that is material. When God is the end and the world is only the means to attain that end, spirituality has begun.


The fear of God is the beginning of religion, but the love of God is the end of religion.

Do not give up anything! Things will give you up.


The sage is often ignorant of physical science, because he reads the wrong book- the book within; and the scientist is too often ignorant of religion, because he reads the wrong book- the book without.


Experience is the only source of knowledge.


Do one thing at a time and while doing it put your whole soul into it to the exclusion of all else.

Where there is life, there will be death; so get away from life if you want to get rid of death.


Records of great spiritual men of the past do us no good whatever except that they urge us onward to do the same, to experience religion ourselves.

We may read all the Bibles of the world, but that will not give us religion.


The brave alone can afford to be sincere


The balance is so nice that if you disturb the equilibrium of one atom, the whole world will come to an end.


Save the spiritual store in your body by observing continence.

When good nectar is unattainable, it is no reason why we should eat poison.


The wicked see in God wickedness. The virtuous see in Him virtue.

Everything that comes from India take as true, until you cogent reasons for disbelieving it. Everything that comes from Europe take as false, until you find cogent reasons for believing it.



Love to enemies is not possible for ordinary men.

The benefit of Yoga is that we learn to control instead of being controlled.


Never talk about the faults of others, no matter how bad they may be.

All quarrels and disputations concerning religion simply show that religion is not present.

You must not criticize others, you must criticize yourself.

What you have inside you is what you see in others.

Our business is to verify not to swallow.

How can that be loveless which causes love in me?

You cannot judge a man by his faults.

You must believe in yourself and then you will believe in God.

If you are pure, if you are strong, you, one man, is equal to the whole world.

Mother represents colorless love that knows no barter, love that never dies.

We trust the man in the street, but there is one being in the universe we never trust and that is God.

My motto is to learn whatever good things I may come across anywhere.

The secret of religion lies not in theories but in practice.

Seek for the highest, aim at the highest, and you shall reach the highest.

There is an ocean of difference between idleness and renunciation.

The self-seeking man who is looking after personal comforts and leading a lazy life, there is no room for him even in hell.

Hope is the greatest of all miseries, the highest bliss lies in giving up hope.

No one ever succeeded in keeping society in good humor and at the same time did great works.

Know that talking ill of others in private is a sin.

This Atman is not to be attained by one who is weak.

Whatever fosters materiality is no work.

Why look up to men for approbation, look up to God.

He who knows how to obey knows how to command.

Want of sympathy and lack of energy are at the root of all misery.

India is the only place where, with all its faults, the soul finds its freedom, its God.

It is the heart that conquers, not the brain.

All the strength is in you, have faith in it.

The body must go no mistake about that. It is better to wear out than to rust out.

In every attempt there are many obstacles to cope with, but gradually the path becomes smooth.

One must raise oneself by one's own exertions.