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June 7, 2025 Literature/ Art/Music/Education, Book reviews

Book review- The Power of Subconscious Mind

Welcome to my book review corner.

Will be reviewing, ‘The Power of Your Subconscious Mind’ by Joseph Murphy.

“The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy is a self-help book that discusses the capabilities of the subconscious mind and ways to utilize it to enhance various aspects of life.

Key aspects of the book include:

Understanding the Subconscious Mind: Murphy explains that the subconscious mind is a powerful force that can influence our thoughts, behaviors, and outcomes. By understanding how it works, we can tap into its potential to achieve our goals.
Positive Thinking: The book emphasizes the importance of positive thinking and how it can shape our reality. Murphy provides techniques to reprogram the subconscious mind with positive affirmations and beliefs.
Visualization: Murphy discusses the power of visualization and how imagining desired outcomes can help manifest them. He provides practical exercises to practice visualization effectively.
Overcoming Negative Patterns: The book offers strategies to identify and overcome negative thought patterns that may be holding us back. Murphy suggests ways to replace these patterns with positive ones.
Healing and Health: Murphy explores the connection between the subconscious mind and physical health. He provides examples of how positive thinking and visualization can contribute to healing and overall well-being.
Success and Prosperity: The book discusses methods for utilizing the subconscious mind to achieve success and prosperity. Murphy shares techniques to align the subconscious with one’s goals and aspirations.

Overall, “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” is a thought-provoking and insightful read that encourages readers to harness the power of their subconscious to create a better life. It offers practical advice and exercises to help readers implement the concepts discussed in the book. If you are interested in personal development and the mind’s potential, this book is worth a read.

Joseph Murphy’s book “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” provides techniques to manage anger and anxiety. Practical applications of the book’s concepts:

Managing Anger:

Positive Affirmations: Use positive affirmations to reprogram your subconscious mind. For example, repeat phrases like “I am calm and in control” or “I choose peace over anger” regularly. This helps to instill a sense of calmness and control over your emotions.
Visualization: Visualize yourself in situations that typically trigger your anger but imagine responding calmly and peacefully. This practice can help train your mind to react differently when you encounter similar situations in real life.
Relaxation Techniques: Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. These techniques can help calm your mind and body, making it easier to manage anger.

Managing Anxiety:

Positive Thinking: Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. For example, if you find yourself thinking “I can’t manage this,” replace it with “I am capable and strong.” This helps to reduce anxiety by fostering a more positive mindset.
Visualization: Visualize yourself successfully handling situations that cause you anxiety. Imagine feeling confident and at ease. This can help reduce anxiety by creating a mental image of success and calmness.
Affirmations for Anxiety: Use affirmations specifically designed to reduce anxiety, such as “I am safe and secure” or “I trust in the process of life.” Repeating these affirmations can help to calm your mind and reduce anxious thoughts.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Practice mindfulness and meditation to stay present and focused. This can help reduce anxiety by preventing your mind from dwelling on past events or worrying about the future.

By consistently applying these techniques, you can harness the power of your subconscious mind to manage anger and anxiety more effectively. Remember, it takes time and practice, so be patient with yourself as you work on these strategies.

More information on any of these techniques?

Sure! Visualization is a powerful technique that can help you harness the power of your subconscious mind to achieve your goals and improve your mental well-being. Here are some detailed steps and tips on how to practice visualization effectively:

Steps for Effective Visualization:

Select an Undisturbed Location: opt for a setting where interruptions are unlikely. This will help you focus and relax.
Relax Your Body and Mind: Breathe deeply and relax. You can also practice progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and body.
Set a Clear Intention: Decide what you want to visualize. It could be a specific goal, a desired outcome, or a situation you want to manage better. Be clear and specific about what you want to achieve.
Create a Mental Image: Close your eyes and create a vivid mental image of your desired outcome. Imagine it as if it is happening right now. Use all your senses to make the visualization as detailed and realistic as possible. For example, if you are visualizing a successful presentation, imagine the room, the audience, your voice, and your feelings of confidence.
Engage Your Emotions: Feel the emotions associated with your visualization. If you are visualizing a positive outcome, feel the joy, excitement, and satisfaction. Emotions play a crucial role in making the visualization more powerful and effective.
Repeat Regularly: Practice visualization regularly, ideally daily. Consistency is key to reprogramming your subconscious mind and making the visualization more effective.

Tips for Effective Visualization:

Be Consistent: Practice visualization at the same time each day to create a routine. This will help you make it a habit and increase its effectiveness.
Stay Positive: Focus on positive outcomes and avoid negative thoughts. Positive visualization helps to reinforce positive beliefs and attitudes.
Use Affirmations: Combine visualization with positive affirmations. For example, while visualizing a successful outcome, repeat affirmations like “I am confident and capable” or “I achieve my goals with ease.”
Keep a Journal: Write down your visualization experiences and any progress you notice. This can help you track your progress and stay motivated.
Be Patient: Visualization takes time and practice. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

By incorporating these steps and tips into your visualization practice, you can effectively harness the power of your subconscious mind to achieve your goals and improve your mental well-being. Visualization can be a powerful tool for managing stress, anxiety, and other challenges, helping you create a more positive and fulfilling life.

Would you like more information on any specific aspect of visualization?

Combining visualization with mindfulness can be a powerful way to manage anxiety and enhance overall well-being. Here are some steps to help you integrate these two techniques:

Steps to Combine Visualization with Mindfulness:

Select a Quiet Location: opt for a location that is quiet and comfortable, where interruptions are unlikely. This will help you focus and relax.
Begin with Mindfulness: Start by practicing mindfulness to bring yourself into the present moment. You can do this by focusing on your breath, observing your thoughts without judgment, or paying attention to the sensations in your body. The goal is to become fully present and aware.
Set a Clear Intention: Decide what you want to visualize. It could be a specific goal, a desired outcome, or a situation you want to handle better. Be clear and specific about what you want to achieve.
Create a Mental Image: Close your eyes and create a vivid mental image of your desired outcome. Imagine it as if it is happening right now. Use all your senses to make the visualization as detailed and realistic as possible. For example, if you are visualizing a successful presentation, imagine the room, the audience, your voice, and your feelings of confidence.
Engage Your Emotions: Feel the emotions associated with your visualization. If you are visualizing a positive outcome, feel the joy, excitement, and satisfaction. Emotions play a crucial role in making the visualization more powerful and effective.
Stay Present: While visualizing, maintain a mindful awareness of the present moment. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to your breath and the visualization. This helps to keep you grounded and fully engaged in the process.
Repeat Regularly: Practice this combined technique regularly, ideally daily. Consistency is key to reprogramming your subconscious mind and making the visualization more effective.

Tips for Effective Practice:

Be Consistent: Practice at the same time each day to create a routine. This will help you make it a habit and increase its effectiveness.
Stay Positive: Focus on positive outcomes and avoid negative thoughts. Positive visualization helps to reinforce positive beliefs and attitudes.
Use Affirmations: Combine visualization with positive affirmations. For example, while visualizing a successful outcome, repeat affirmations like “I am confident and capable” or “I achieve my goals with ease.”
Keep a Journal: Write down your experiences and any progress you notice. This can help you track your progress and stay motivated.
Be Patient: Visualization and mindfulness take time and practice. Be patient with yourself and trust the process.

By incorporating these steps and tips into your practice, you can effectively harness the power of your subconscious mind to manage anxiety and create a more positive and fulfilling life.

Please share your thoughts on this …in the comments section below.

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Book Review- Destiny of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh Rathod

Your client must go to jail tonight, the judge said, as he picked up his pen to formalise the pronouncement cancelling Atul’s bail.
Atul’s heart skipped a beat, the blood rushing about in anguish as he sank down on his chair, discredited and shamed.
Atul hadn’t been as prepared for this; so when reality struck, it did so with a paralyzing force.

The above are opening lines of ‘Destiny of Shattered Dreams by Nilesh Rathod. These opening lines lure us into the novel as we want to know about Atul, the protagonist. As readers, we have the following questions in our minds: –

Who is Atul?
Why has he been convicted?
What crime has he been convicted of?
Why has the judge been so strict in not granting him bail?

The title ‘Destiny of Shattered Dreams is apt and justified as it is here that we see the dreams of a Man being shattered and know how does it feel. So, as we proceed to read the novel further, the questions are answered as well the mystery unfolds.

Story– Atul Malhotra, 35 years, Chairman of the board and founder CEO of Transmech Telecom Limited (TTL). He was in judicial custody on charges of corrupting government officers, violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act [FEMA] and other economic offenses.

Atul Malhotra’s ambition, passion, and raw courage help him realize his dreams. He is a quick learner and adapts to any new situation. Power, aspirations, betrayal and drama is what all the story is about. It gives out messages of righteousness while entertaining you.

Atul found his solace in Qazi Sahib’s couplets while in jail. Qazi Saheb or Akram Qazi was the legal brain behind the business. He often came up with such beautiful lines or couplets. He was a poet, musician, and romanticist, a multi-faceted personality. The following quote is appropriate to the situation and worth mentioning:

Time is a messiah, every sorrow it shall contain,
But time it is and time it shall take,
But who will heal my wounds till then?
Just so will continue sorrow’s shackle all life,
Sometimes the pain it shall bluster,
At other times, pain it shall heal.
For how long will the distraught cloud contain itself?
Bellowing, bellowing, it shall set the firmament on fire,
Afore bursting it too will set fire to the same desire.
What do you call destiny, this I do not know?
Transforming, altering forms it too shall my extant relish.
Something like the spark did leap, I thought that now at least it will absorb me,
Fire, fire all the way but how shall it give cinders
before destiny’s decree.

The above lines are very apt and beautifully expressed. The author, Nilesh Rathod who is debutant novelist is praiseworthy.

Genre– The genre of the book is Contemporary Fiction and covers many sides of life. It is about the rise and fall of Atul Malhotra in business. Contemporary fiction is usually focussed on giving people a glimpse into some part of daily experience showing them what it would be like to walk in someone else’s shoes. In contemporary fiction, the writer focuses on making everything as realistic as possible. The author hopes that the experience of reading a story will give the reader a better understanding of these issues than he would otherwise obtain from non-fiction account which deals with the same kind of subject matter that would potentially help the person develop more sympathy or better understanding.

Style– The pace of the novel is fast and tells a tale of this brilliant young man’s meteoric rise at business. The author has used simple, clear and lucid language. The fast pace of the novel keeps you engaged till the last page. It is nothing short of being a Bollywood movie. It is well-written with poise and with conscious efforts.

Book cover of Destiny of shattered dreams — Image courtesy – Goodreads

The book cover is very apt and suits the title ‘Destiny of Shattered Dreams’. It has been designed by Mugdha Sadhwani. It grabs the reader’s attention with a broken line running right through the centre of the cover page. It is a brilliant red and blue cover.

About the author: Nilesh Rathod is a business person, writer, and poet. Co-founder of Ensemble Infrastructure India Limited, Nilesh’s current company employs over 2000 people. Destiny of Shattered Dreams is his debutant novel. He is currently working on his second novel. He lives in Mumbai with his wife Preeti and sons Shloak and Parv.

Book trailer– This book has a book trailer which has been directed by Jay Bhansali, Music Composer: Amaal Mallik and Script & Voiceover: Nilesh Rathod. It is an amazing concept, narration, and music.

So, all I can say grab your copy today. 🙂

February 2, 2016 Book reviews, Literature/ Art/Music/Education

‘Across the Chicken Neck-Travels in Northeast India’

The book Across the Chicken Neck: Travels in Northeast India written by Nandita Haksar is a fascinating read. The author travels to different places and narrates in detail about their culture, and their past. The information given here is not available in history books that are part of our education. It is a comprehensive study of the understanding of people’s life in this region. It makes you contemplate and gives a voice to struggles of the people living in the Northeast region.

A travelogue with one of the best political writing. She uses mythology, history, sociology and anecdote to create an exhaustive portrait of Northeast India.

Travel writing is among my favorite forms of non-fiction. In the beginning, it appears to be simple but there is much depth as she progresses and you get drawn into this region which she knows so well. Her narrative is simple. Haksar was first exposed to the Northeast in 1974 when she visited as a journalist.

Nandita in her words and I quote:

This is the story of my journey, an Indian traveling through a part of the country where so many people share a citizenship but dream of different nations.”

In her chapter Through Nepal, she mentions about a place called Lumbini:

Lumbini is the birthplace of Buddha. But over the years, Lumbini had been forgotten and Maya Devi, Buddha’s mother, had been absorbed into Hindu fold. Even the name Lumbini disappeared from the memories of people. They called the village Rummindei which in time became Rupandehi.

The above is just one example of Buddhism. You come across many other descriptions about Buddhism which make this book, fascinating to read.

The book Across the Chicken Neck: Travels in Northeast India by Nandita Haksar (Unabridged, 1 Nov 2013) Hardcover is a narration of exciting, at times tiring, chilling experiences of the lone couple journey from Delhi traversing up and down the Eastern Himalayan mountains and back to Delhi.

The cover design is attractive and showcases her travel a journey in the Northeast region. There is an absence of good roadmap which is important for readers to connect with the author on her journey.

Nandita Haskar is a human rights lawyer, teacher, activist, and writer. Her other works include Demystification of Law for Women (1986); Framing Geelani, Hanging Afzal: Patriotism in the Time of Terror (2009); Rogue Agent: How India’s Military Intelligence Betrayed the Burmese Resistance (2010); The Judgement That Never Came: Army Rule in North East India (with Sebastian Hongray, 2011); ABC of Naga Culture and Civilization (2011) and Across the Chicken Neck: Travels in North East India (2013). Her books have been translated into several languages, including Burmese, Tamil and Tangkhul.

November 13, 2015 Book reviews, Literature/ Art/Music/Education

To Cancer with love- My Journey of Joy

Last week, #Tata Literature Live 2015, I happen to attend this session ‘Fighting the Big C’. Choose your own approach. The panel consisted of Neelam Kumar, Amit Vaidya and Amrita Chaudhary.

The panel- Neelam Kumar, Amrita Chaudhary and Amit Vaidya — The panel Neelam Kumar, Amrita Chaudhary and Amit Vaidya

Neelam Kumar spoke about how she had undergone treatment for her cancer which struck her two times. There were cancer groups she met during this time. She stated that you need to have positivity and inner strength during these times. Teachings of Buddha have helped her too on this journey. She says that you are alone on this journey where people won’t support you and you need to find your inner strength. Change the way you think. (Your approach).

Neelam Kumar introduced to us her book To Cancer, with Love: My Journey of Joy. She recounts her years of illness, betrayal, financial hardships, the breakdown of relationships and the death of loved ones besides the obvious emotional and physical trauma she underwent during this time.

I like to quote a few lines from her preface to this book –

Life is like water. Ever flowing. It has no beginning and no end.

Like a meandering river, it twists and turns into ever new topography. Sometimes it delights us with a patch of sunshine so intense that you wish you could run bare feet onto its banks and stay there forever. But just when you are preparing for this escapade, it winds without a warning into a terrain so grim, dark and foreboding that you wish you could run for cover. Except that there is none.

That is the adventure that makes life such a crazily, dizzy, thrilling journey. The only way out is to fall deeply, madly, irrevocably in love with it.

In the second section of the book, The Sea and Me is all about profound life lessons she has learned from the sea and the six strategies it can teach us to cope with the interval between birth and death. She quotes President Kennedy –

It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat and in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came’.

It is no wonder that the sea covers seventh-tenths of the terrestrial globe. We are the sea and sea is us. The sea is the greatest of all teachers.

Then in her third section of the book – Interactive section Life skills. Life throws at us myriad challenges and we do not know the answers. This section attempts to answer question’s whether it is a communication roadblock, confronting illness and death, handling adversity and obstacles, facing financial hardships and fears. How to overcome your fears?

Finally, a few teachings of Buddha from Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhist philosopher, peace builder, educator, author and poet. He is the third president of Soka Gakkai lay Buddhist organisation and the founding president of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), which is the largest and the most diverse of Buddhist organisations, promoting a philosophy of character development and social engagement for peace. I shall end with his quote