The credit of this poem goes to the Art of Silence retreat at Boone, North Carolina by Art of Living Foundation.  It was amazing!  The picture and poem capture the connection I felt with the universe.  

In Silence

I am

with myself

Attentive

and

Aware

Watching my thoughts

and letting them go

In Silence

I am 

with my Self

The thought of this came from an article in Conscious Community magazine by Allan Cohen. The author inspired the thought - redefine success as inner peace.

That led me to thinking, “How do I define success?” Is it by money earned? Is it by Job Title or by driving impact at work? Is it by progress on the spiritual path? Is it by inspiring others or spreading joy?

The author asks us to redefine success as inner peace. The question then is, when do I feel peaceful? The author recommends using the compass of joy to identify those activities. Let’s do the activities that help cultivate inner peace and get away from those that take away peace.

For me, music is an activity that gives me peace and leaves me energized. Just yesterday I drove 20 minutes to meet my group and we all sang for 2 hours. Post the session I felt energized and I enjoyed every minute of it. I felt tired in the evening but it was well worth it. The question I ask myself is do I feel joyful or drained post an activity? Quite a few times after watching TV I feel drained. That tells me to not go on that path – the path that leaves me yearning for inner peace.

Redefining success as inner peace is hard. Imagine the conscious questioning, am I feeling peaceful? If not, how will I get there?

I define success as abundance and inner peace. Abundance of love, life and certain material comforts - a nice home, good books and ability to afford luxuries. Abundance also implies inner prosperity and joy.

What is your definition of success? And what compass do you use to measure it?

The green fields

With loads of yellow dandelions

Swaying in the wind

Joyful Abundance

The blue sky

Protecting and Nurturing

A new avatar everyday

Limitless Abundance

My heart

Grateful and blissful

Soaked in His love

Eternal Abundance

This topic was inspired from the topic Happiness Project and further inspired by my husband Pranav. The thought is that each day you note 3 things you are grateful for and it has to be 3 different things everyday. As you continue to do this, it becomes a habit. Eventually it leads to realization and acknowledgement of our blessings. Pranav is following this advice and has his own Gratitude Journal.

I have tried this mentally (and I need to make it a practice to have my own journal too). Funnily I have to really think before I note the 3 things. The expectations even from a Gratitude Journal are high!

As I snoop and read Pranav’s journal, I am amazed to see how thankful he is for very simple things – a good meal, playful times with Ashna or ever a simple hug or good beer.

The learning for me is the mindfulness of being thankful for the daily, taken for granted things. We don’t have to win a lottery everyday to be thankful! What should I not be grateful for?

I am grateful for

This moment

A quiet morning

This journal

And a hot cup of coffee

I am grateful for

This longing

A deep urge

This curiosity

And chirping birds

I am grateful for

Those tiny hands

Holding me tight

A naughty smile

And a stubborn mind

I am grateful for

Even those unpleasant moments

That remind me

To continue this journey

I am grateful for

You and

Him

and

Us

I am deeply grateful