The Messiah Herald Issue 05 June 2017 | Page 5

CHANGING YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi declares, ‘Neither the superiority complex nor the inferiority complex is good for you.’ SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO? To protect ourselves from becoming victims of emotional complexes, His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi advises us to be level-headed and realistic. When you do something wrong, apologise and try to not repeat the same mistakes again. Remember that no one is perfect; your mistakes are not reasons to feel self- loathing. When you do something good, acknowledge it and appreciate it as a blessing. His Holiness Younus AlGohar explains that the way to steer emotional complexes in the right direction is being grateful to the Lord. He states, ‘All our emotions should always be based on this line that any goodness that we have today is from our Lord.’ When you keep your thoughts and emotions balanced this way, you’ll successfully maintain a complex-free life. MESSIAH HERALD / ISSUE 05 / JUN 2017 What we pay attention to directly affects our emotions. If we can learn to direct our thoughts and attention towards constructive elements in our lives, we can further protect ourselves from emotional complexes. Normally, people feel disposed to thinking that to move forward in life, they need to focus on resolving issues of the past. They believe that by ruminating on emotional scars, they will eventually achieve true happiness. However, whether you are thinking about the past or the future, your emotions right now will be a reaction to what you are concentrating on. Fixating on painful memories will result in you feeling that same trauma in the present moment that you experienced in the past. It is like reopening a wound before it ever gets the chance to heal. Most of the time, we’re unaware that we’re thinking negatively. If you’re concentrating on something unpleasant, it is almost impossible for you to then think positively. You can’t be negative and positive at the same time. That’s why those who are depressed tend to see a more depressing world. In a similar way, you might notice that by imagining hypothetical future situations, you give yourself anxiety. You start to experience fear and self-doubt. Remember that the future has not occurred yet; by focusing on an unwanted future, you’re only robbing yourself of happiness in the present day! Your attention is so precious; it should be treasured. By consciously shifting your attention to the positive things in your life, you can control - and improve - your own mood. TIP: HH Younus AlGohar advises, ‘Only apply your attention to things that need your attention and it will be fruitful for you in life.’ To help you decide what deserves your attention, categorise your life according to two things: what you want and what you don’t want. For example, betrayal, the death of someone you care about, financial loss or breakups are all things you don’t want. Celebrations, spending time with close friends, achieving a milestone in your life - these are all things you do want. You’ll know whether something is what you want by how you feel when you think about it. In the beginning, you’ll have to train your mind to stop thinking about the things you don’t want and start concentrating on the things you do want. The more you do this, the quicker positive thinking will become second nature to you. 5