530. Public Speaking

If you want to give a good talk, be witty and good humoured but if you want to give a great talk, remember that what comes from the heart goes to the heart.

529. Transformation and Power

Once you have learned how to transform misery into something better, you will have power over it. Our duty, as humans is to remove misery wherever we see it. Misery is not natural. Our true nature is infinite Joy.

528. Flexibility

Strive to remain flexible in mind and body and at the same time hold true to yourself all your life long. Find and define your values, the virtues you hold highest, and live by them all the days of your life. This is the meaning of steadfastness. If you remain flexible, it will not be rigidity. Remember that if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

527. Denial

When you say to yourself "I am not in this situation, I don't care." when in fact you are in that very situation, then you are in a state of denial. Denial equals Delusion. This is a very unhealthy mental state and should be avoided at all costs. When you deny what you know in your heart to be true, you are practicing Active Ignorance. In short you are lying to yourself. It leads only to misery and pain.

Denial is a major gateway to mental illness and ultimately, if taken to its logical conclusion, leads one to madness and destruction.

When a situation that you do not like develops, rather than going into denial, stand back and review and evaluate it thoroughly. See what, if anything, is to be done about it. Work out what the most appropriate response is and take action on it. Then let the bally thing go and move on from it.

You do not always have to respond immediately. Oftentimes, you have enough time to meditate and consider all your options before rushing in.

526. Judging

Do not judge people, for when you do, you take on their burdens. When you judge, you cannot be happy until the other person changes, and guess what ? They will only change if and when they want to. By judging, you are saying as much if not more about yourself than about the one being judged. Judge not lest ye be also judged.

525. Victimisation

Never allow others to victimise you by getting you to do things just to prove your own self-worth. Your self-worth is self-existent. It is a given simply by virtue of your own existence. It is not reliant on your actions or the opinions of others. Remember the description of your own Self :

The Self knows all
Is not born
Does not die
Is not the effect of any cause
Is eternal
Self-existent
Imperisable
Ancient
He lives in all hearts
That Thou Art

The victimisation spoken of here is a form of manipulation and a guilt-trip. Do not allow it to happen, even once. Repeated manipulations of this type build up resentment in your heart and mind. This is a form of mental and emotional cancer.

524. Back It Up !

Always keep backup copies of everything you do, write, build, create, whatever. File them neatly under a sensible system. Keep one copy at least off site. Better still, keep 3 or 4 in 3 or 4 off-site locations.