Author: J.P. Vaswani
Publisher: Gita Publishing House – 104 pages
Book Review by: Sonu Chandiram
This book of by J.P. Vaswani – a prolific author of 100+ books, a spiritual leader, sage, and teacher and who is revered and loved by millions of people of many faiths worldwide – contains simple truths and easy-to-follow suggestions that can work miracles to transform your life into one where you find inner peace and happiness.
With what authority can I say that? Because since I began changing my attitude and actions of my former self when I (sometimes) complained and criticized, into one sincerely praising people for the good I found in them, they began changing their attitude towards me and better relationships between us have blossomed.
For example, in the past, I was being given suggestion by a family member to do things in a particular way to get better sales results. I reacted internally to that suggestion: “Has that been proven – where is the evidence?” I used to say to myself “I will do things in the way it has worked before.” But I decided to take the suggestion anyway and do as I was advised. And to my surprise, betters results has been the outcome.
In this light but nevertheless highly valuable book, the well-known author and man of immense wisdom, who is lovingly called Dada Vaswani, sets down in just seven chapters how to begin the journey to improving your life by getting rid of the habit of complaining and replacing it immediately with the attitude of being thankful, and practice thanking.
Once you begin thanking God for the many blessings you have in your life and thanking everyone for everything you receive from them – tangible or intangible – what will happen is that more and more of the things you are thankful for, will follow – guaranteed. Again, this is based on personal experience.
This precept of thankfulness was discussed in the classic work The Secret. While I had previously experienced that in some instances, some people did not appreciate what I gave them, over time and frequency, they eventually did. Then, they started doing good things for me, including one recent wonderful income opportunity offered to me.
The seven short, easily-understandable chapters are:
- There Is So Much To Be Grateful For!
- The Attitude of Gratitude
- The Secrets of Successful Relationships
- Why Do We Complain?
- Practical Suggestions
- Practical Exercises in Thanksgiving
- Meditation on Thanksgiving
J.P. Vaswani starts out quoting Meister Eckhart who once wrote: “If the only prayer you said in your life was ‘thank you’ that would suffice.” Then Dada Vaswani writes that people who know him know that his favorite form of communication with God is to say: “Thank you God! Thank you God! Thank you God!
He suggests: “let these words be on your lips constantly,” because “a grateful heart will make your life beautiful and abundantly blessed.”
He points out however, that some people respond to the suggestion to be thankful by saying “What is there to be grateful for?” J.P. Vaswani responds:
“I must confess that it leaves me speechless with disbelief. What is there that I need not be grateful for? As for me, I am grateful to be alive; I am grateful that I can see and hear and feel; let me add fro your sake: you must be grateful that you can walk and run. As for me, after six months of enforced rest, I am beginning to take ‘baby’ steps after a complicated orthopedic surgery and consequent stroke…”
In the chapter on Practical Suggestions this is what J.P. Vaswani suggests to you:
- Learn to value people
- Realize that no one is perfect
- Look for merits – not defects
- Take the lead in
- We need one another!
- Give people what they deserve and a little more!
- Offer thanks to God every moment of your life!
In conclusion, it is a given that the acquisition of specific knowledge enables people to become successful in their profession.
J.P. Vaswani has pointed out in his talks and books the difference between knowledge and wisdom: that knowledge is about the past and wisdom is about the future. To that I will humbly add that wisdom can also empower you to improve your present, not just your future.
I believe that whatever it is you want in life, you need people. And the better your relationships with people, the more successful and happier you become. I also believe that nothing helps you improve your relationships with people, than wisdom. This book contains the valuable nuggets of wisdom you need toward success and happiness.
Get your copy now – go to http://www.sadhuvaswanicenter.org/media/books.html
