Productive thinking and igniting inner power for real success
“Mindfulness is a catalyst for willing acceptance of everything and everyone including your own moods, ego, emotions, attitudes and limitations” (27).
Preeti Pathak’s book ‘Ignite Your Inner Power: The Art of Mindful Living’ introduces us to the overwhelming thoughts and observations to help establish a firm understanding of the concept of living and growing. It explores thoughtful ideas in depth, concerning – emotions, actions, and reactions for the physical, mental and emotional well-being, and provides valuable suggestions to keep persistence towards knowledge and goals.
In order to seek resolution, Preeti Pathak’s 4 mindful sets of models present great ideas on communication and expressions under various subjects. Aware, Accept, Ameliorate and Act can help one evolve from a tragic order of mental stimuli to a definitive version of self (pp 19-38). The negotiation of self with an outer world needs to be altered, depending on the challenges that lie on his/ her path. Hence, this authored mindful art of living can be taken as a torchbearer for offering a deeper insight into the essentials to set free from negative emotions.
Self-orientation asserts great assumption – to avoid stressful actions – and can even impact relationships adversely if not treated with care. The stepwise progressive ideas emulate thoughts to build opportunities and strengthen the stages that might come upon in life’s prospects. It helps in avoiding thoughts causing to suffer distressful mind with the intense atmosphere raging to anger, fear, and suppression; the very patterns of irresistible behaviour. Thus progressively, the many sets of modules are recorded to govern life with enriching experiences to ignite the power of inner-self.
The author further deplores the rating of success in terms of – awards, merits, wealth, and recognition that makes a normal human critical, judgemental, rude, sad, fearful, anxious, unhappy or hateful. These accomplishments rather distort one’s thinking, sometimes affecting the mental capabilities by causing mental trauma or a psychological injury.
While attempting to understand and discern wisely, it draws one’s mind towards consciously applying daily efforts. On receiving the fine sensibilities, the repeated blows that carry on the mind traumatize the craving temper. Therefore, it is very much essential to accept reality and act wisely; and hence, a reference from Kurukshetra serves as an exemplary example for self-elevation. The best example cited is of Lord Krishna’s counselling to Arjuna as a mentor on the battlefield of Kurukshetra where Arjuna, a victim of churning emotions is found balancing himself to calm down his oscillating emotions with the inner power, and seeks wisdom to rise, ignite and shine (p18).
In the process of rejuvenation, the writer constructs unique style and enhancement influencing life’s behaviour by channelling the mind to the notion of assertion and assumption. Channelling the mind towards productive thinking can give a strong resolution as the disturbed misconception of monkey mind is prevented from stepping into the unknown valley. The positive assertion presented with case studies can help one take an affirmative stand to enhance self-esteem. The rooted ideas about building confidence in one’s self, seek to give a phenomenal change in uplifting and moulding the inner impulses with the help of mindful observations.
The case studies as in Kishwaar Nensey, D P.Apte, Sumiti Tandon, Anna, and Aparajeet‘s tales on the subjects – Communication, Confidence, Values, Motivation, Respect, Courage, Discipline and Beliefs protrude great aspirations, given a mindful concept of understanding. Each subject is discussed with an examination proving positive results while on the other hand, the subtle self can also take negative implications if not treated with care. Whereas infusing negative thoughts may also cause critical and strained relationships. A case study has been recorded through the observations on Ego by Venkatesh Srinivasan, Founder and Marketing Director of RW Promotions Pvt Ltd. This factor ego has its enormous effect on the two friends Ahmed and Shiv as it ultimately brings unfavourable atmosphere in office (39).
The subject in each case study discussed on motivation, discipline, positive emotions and life’s conscious systematic efforts kindle an urge to practically apply the steps for a better result. These ideas help control negative thoughts hampering one’s growth of mechanism to accepting them positively. In matters of values, Preeti Pathak studies the influence of external environment that dominates the personality quotient as the operating systems seem engraved through the subconscious mind. Further, the author’s ideas about shaping or defining one’s personality, the core elements – such as honesty, discipline, non-violence, sincerity, truthfulness, helping others, compassion, love, non-greed, and non-jealousy – operate genuinely in shaping and redefining the identity. In introspection, the 4 points on mindful practices can be taken into consideration:
“1. Every morning journalise five values learnt through family culture in youth and values developed through experiences.
2. Follow introspecting regime to align own thoughts, action and attitudes with good values learned. Then rate your dedication to implement values learnt.
3. Conscious, persistent and self- motivated efforts to implement the values learnt in day-to- day life.
4. Introspection to discover how much you value yourself” (65).
A strong hold within oneself can build outreach destination, and to acquire this challenging aspect, the elements such as hatefulness, fear, anxiety, criticism, jealousy, possessive nature, insecurity can all be studied systematically.
The author’s awful examination with fighting and winning proclaims the art of elevation and crowns an amazing championship. Fighting within to win willpower, igniting the mind to challenge and to overcome fear is an extraordinary power – a tool to override all existing barriers in the mind. A case study by Grandmaster Vidit Gujarati an Indian Chess Team Captain from Chess Olympiad, ‘a gold medallist’ affirms confidence about studying his own thoughts each time by learning from mistakes and focusing with a shift in attitude (106). It gave him mental stability to help orient himself with a willpower to eliminate fear from the very tender age of nine to walking ahead up to twenty-two, for he had many a battle on his way. Vidit in his own words:
“I kept feeding my mind [sic] the thoughts I wanted to see in reality. So, when such situation came, I was mentally ready. When the opportunity was there I was able to grab it because my mind was already there. And I started to see results. This mental orientation eliminated fear. I won a bronze medal at the Asian Chess Championship in 2017” (108).
Restoring balance in professional and personal life is a grave necessity for the sanctity of happiness of a normal living. In this process, mindful awareness is an added appreciation in Preeti’s assertion. The recorded example of a multinational employee serves to build great understanding for the score of severe criticism that he undergoes. Rajan an early recruit in a multinational company suffers a sharp decline due to his substandard performance. The story highlights how the leader coach Taraa Vermaa Senguptaa studies Rajan closely as a specialist at Behavioural and NLP Practitioner’s observation. There were discussions held in this regard under Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence where the victim was made to focus and understand how things could be improved within his control (116). The brainstorming sessions not only brought drastic changes but also made him receptively keen in sharing and volunteering help to the needed group members.
While in pursuit of peace, happiness, and constant well-being, criticism or act of criticism, Preeti exclaims: “Conscious effort to cauterize and replace every critical and negative thought with positive and non-judgemental reaction gradually brings a shift inside our core and loosens the grip of being critical” (120). And she finally concludes by bringing in various ideas to keep oneself determined, resolute, and calm-minded to further harmonize balance within the self.
The prospect of understanding one’s role in society determines great effort. It is only on realization of service to the community one can enrich self-growth and self-development. Self-development is attained by focusing and practicing mindful exercises for their holistic well-being. In an analysis of building inner confidence, Preeti exhorts one to be positive to keep mental strength. “If you think of fear you will be afraid; but if you think of courage you will shake off the fear” (114).
Relationships can last if the innate happiness of unconditional love is received with the expected results and responses from both sides – be it with marital relations, parent-child relationship, or any social accommodation. The pretty downcast on being unsuccessful follows an egoistic attitude to overcomplicate relations. It is a living within the box or limited thoughts disempower and undervalue open-mindedness ultimately leading to suppression of growth or evolution of self.
Almost all studies recorded are the experiences interviewed/ interacted through the observation of the writer as a first-person narrative. The writer’s description seems more authentic with the autobiographical elements in it. Further, the writer draws the reader’s attention through each event recording instances giving a vivid understanding to control emotions with the true necessity of representation on part of professional standard of living.
The ideas listed out connect one to the other, building potential standards and demonstrating outreaching results. Preeti Pathak’s mindful practices study all aspects of development during both short-term and long-term targets even in the case of limited resources for the steady growth in business. Hence the provided observations establish a path to lead and crack awful results, and break hardwired cores of the subconscious mind. It enables one to widen the possibilities in internal coping mechanisms towards a stress-free life. The roof cover sets a positive demonstration of mindful ideas.
Hence, the book can be read as a positive rendering to elevate self-esteem and achieve great accomplishments by the thoughtful observations towards ‘Igniting Inner Power.’