Cultivating Self-ConfidenceThe Best Way to Harness Youth Potential Introduction

The potential of a river can be tamed and put to better use by constructing a dam across it. So in the case with harnessing the immense potential that lies unused in youth. Like the construction of a dam, youthful energies can be better utilized, for the benefit of youth and society through cultivating self discipline and self confidence. When a youth realizes that it is within his power to change himself and build his future, and he need not blame others for his failure, tremendous energy and enthusiasm is realized in him. Not only should every youth try his to harness his potential, he should also have deep conviction about his capacity to achieve it. Swami Baneshananda, is a former editor of The Vedanta Kesari. The root cause of all violence and crime in all their varied forms that we witnessed today lies in a superficial understanding of human problems. If only we go deeper, we would find not only the full picture but also the solutions to our problems as well. The only hope for bringing a positive change in todays world lies in having a right kind of youth. From whom else we can expect the help if not from youth? In the good old days, an ideal youth was adhyayakah( well educated in the art of living a holistic life), ashishthah (well trained in the ethics of equity and administration), dradhishthah (physically hard working). As this approach was preventive and not just curative, it is relevant today also. This along can harness the youth potential and provide a lasting solution to lifes problems.

The Making of a Youth

Youth is a period that comes in everyones life and goes away with years. No individual is young forever, and at the same time a section of human race is always young. So youth is a phenomenon. It is a time when one has the maximum resource, potential and power. This power is more than sufficient for the needs of life to go by in a very comfortable manner. At the same time, it is a period when one should know the importance of and possibilities in harnessing this tremendous force. If one fails in so doing, in the later years of life one ends up in frustrations and disquiet. Colton was so right when he said, The excesses of youth are drafts upon old age, payable with intersest, about 30 years after date. Suppose we want to construct a dam on a river to harness the water power. What we should do? First, we should take the guidance of the experts

in this field. They are the gurus. Second, we should study records of the experiences of those who have successfully constructed the dam. These are the scriptures of the field. To Finally, we have to be committed and have an unquestioned sincerity of purpose. Then only the construction of a dam will become successful. So in case of harnessing the youth power. We have to go about it in the same manner as we do in the case of dam construction. We should look for a guru in the truest sense. The word guru means, beside a spiritual teacher, a mentor or guide, who one should follow with sincere obedience. Uddalaka of the Chhandogya Upanishad tells his son Shevataketu: It is not in the tradition of the long line of our revered ancestors that we should follow that we should be Brahmin by birth alone and not by character. He persuaded Shvetaketu to live the life of a celibate with a guru, a learn from him. Let us understand what really makes a guru. a) Parents are the first gurus who stake their all to raise a child. The Upanishads extol them as gods (matri devo bhava, pitri devo bhava). A normal father and mother never allow their child to go astray and live a careless and aimless life. They show a keen interest and put in much effort in guiding his growth. Almost all the great man recalled and acknowledge their indebtedness to their parents contribution in building up their lives.

b) After parents come the teachers. They would be happy if their students perform well, nay, the best. The students are like their own childrens. In this respect sometimes the lady teachers have an edge over there male counterparts. Then comes the contribution of the elders. It is they who build up the environment in which one grows. The youth often forget this point and don not behave properly with their elders. When one is disrespectful to ones own
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elders, one does not mind wounding the sentiments the other elder Next in line is the help we get from reading books. But one should read the books with the soul aim to improving ones life, not just to gather information. In this respect the study of scriptures plays the role of benevolent friends. They never mislead us, rather they help us to achieve all the values in life- dharma (virtues), artha (wealth), kama (enjoyment) and moksha (liberation from limitations). We want artha or money, as we want kama or enjoyment in life. The scriptures will tell us, through practical examples about the ways to enjoy life without harming others and ourselves. The Kathopanishad is a brilliant record of the success of a teenager, Nachiketa, over Yama, the most formidable of gods. Nachiketa had learnt the message of immortality from the scriptures and dare to face Yama in the latters citadel.
d)

Swami Vivekananda and Youth

Swami Vivekanandas (hereafter Swamiji) birthday, the 12th January, is observed as the National Youth Day in India. This in itself speak volumes for the importance of his life and message for youth. Swamijis life presents a picture as to how one can remain mentally young even if ones physical body gets old. He did not prescribe any herbs for this purpose but advise us to tap and use the inexhaustibility and eternal source within us. Swamijis life itself presents a role model. Even as a child, and also as an adolescent, he took a keen interest in harnessing his youthful energy in constructive way. The few traits that shape a very tough yet sublime mind in an individual were well developed in his life. He was humble but also confident, daring but also wise, and

above all, he was broad minded but never lost touch with his boots. Sister Nivedita writes, These, then- the Shastras, the Guru, and the Motherland- are the 3 notes that mingle themselves to form the music of the works of Vivekananda. Swamiji teaches in deeper morality in the matter of our relation with others. Emulating our scriptures, he sees that there is no difference between us and others. Infact, all are the manifestation, although obscured, of the same mlan vital or God or the Self. Swamiji ones wrote to Mr. E.T.Sturdy, one of his British followers, We are the servants of the God who by the ignorant is called man.

When dharma or discipline guides us a basic force, money and enjoyments will not create or be a problem to us; rather they help us achieve our goal, moksha. From this point of view, the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda have become the scriptures for us. Sister Nivedita summerises the significance of Swamijis teachings thus: If the many and One be indeed the same Reality, then it is all modes of worship alone, but equally all modes of work, all modes of struggle, all modes of creation, which are paths of realization. No distinction hencedorth, between sacred and secular. To labour is to pray. To conquer is to renounce. Life is itself religion. To have and to hold is as stern a trust as to quit and to avoid.

Swamiji established The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, an organization for harnessing youth potential for the liberation of the youths themselves and for the good of men. This speaks volumes for his active concern for the youth and their problems.

Harnessing Youth Potential What the Youth Can Do

1.

Cultivating Shraddha

There is lot of confusion about one should prepare oneself to face the challenges of life. Actually our greatest help comes from and should be based on our true selfassessment and integrity of character. Swamiji was tireless in calling upon the youth to grow in one essential element called Character. Character includes developing the virtues of Shraddha, a key word in his scheme of man-making. In modern parlance, shraddha can be termed as self-esteem and self-confidence. Build up self-confidence and not mere confidence, is the gist of his message. Factor Leading to Loss of Self-confidence: Before proceeding further, let us look into what causes loss of self-confidence. Wrong Self-assessment: In most cases, our self-confidence depends upon how we handle a situation earlier. Unrealistically, we set an all or none standard for achievement. If we fail to perform upto our own expectations we take it not as a partial but a total failure and as a result, start losing confidence in ourselves. This happens because of our wrong judgement of our own worth. It is easier to say I failed than to say I did well partially.
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Brooding over Mistakes: Mistakes are common whatever be the task it should be born in mind that it is through mistakes that we learn more than through
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successes. The err is human. A single mistake, a single failure, a single criticism or passing comment makes us terribly miserable. We feel we have lost all hopes in all things. This is case of our magnifying the negative and belittling the positive. Dependence of Others Opinions: This is one of the harmful tendencies of a weak mind- depending too much on others opinion, approval and criticism. This happens only because we do not depend on own inner resources to support us.
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How to Develop Self-confidence: Be Realistic: None of us is perfect Let us accept is as a truism. Let us not deny that inspite of our mistakes and failures, we can value ourselves. We should try to evaluate the efforts instead of evaluating the results. Let us accept us that fluctuations in self-confidence is common to all of us. It is not your or my uniqueness.
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Appreciate Good Things in Ourselves: There are many good qualities in each offers, which we generally overlook. We should spot out the areas in our lives where we do well. And when we feel lack of confidence, we should do something in that area. It may sound very simple, but it surely helps us rebuild our confidence. Let us build a solid concept of a positive self-image. Swamijis says: He who does not believe in himself as an atheist.
2.

Have a Friend: It is important for all of us irrespective of our age, situations in life, and vocations, to have a trusted and intimate friend. The friend should to be such that he/she will be able to comfort us by pointing out what is good in us, and also will not hesitate to draw our
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attention to our faults. Talking with such friends, we may discover some of the valuable things about ourselves and also the causes for our failure. Take Up Some New Challenges: If we go on avoiding works that we consider as challenges, then it is sure that we become a bundle of negatives. Only a fool says: Until I learn how to swim I shall not touch water. On the other hand, if we start doing things with a little risk or challenge, ignoring success and failure, we will slowly but surely acquire confidence.
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Sri Krishna counsels Arjuna to maintain equipoise in loss and gain, in victory and defeat. The famous story of Robert Bruce and the Spider is an eye opener. Robert Bruce was a king. He lost his kingdom to an enemy king. He tried to regain his kingdom several times but failed. He had to take shelter in a scheduled cave for his life. One day he saw there a remarkable scene: a spider falling down again and again in its attempts to climb up the wall. In spite of its failures, it was relentless in its efforts that finally led it to success. This taught Bruce a great lesson in self-confidence. He regained courage, regrouped his men, and fought fiercely until he won back his kingdom. Robert Bruces doggedness in spite of many defeats is an example of how to regain selfconfidence.

5. Practise a Dry Run: It is also called rehearsal. Before we take up a work, we must try seeing its implication and have a talk within ourselves. This concern for our role in the work ahead is called vision. Evaluating our ability and seeking others help in improving us can greatly help us in boosting up our morals.

6. Trust in Goodness: At times we lack faith in our own goodness, and also in the goodness of others. This creates a very harmful influence on the process of building up self-confidence. The more we improve on this score, the more we will believe in the power of goodness. Many wrongly attribute self-confidence as an issue belonging to the sphere of psychology. It is not so. If we speak about only confidence, then this notion may be acceptable. But when we add the word self to it, we have to go deeper. Psychological factors are bound by the mind. Hence when our mind is upset for any reason, we just fail to do any work. It is because we have affirmed ourselves as the mind and mind alone. The Self is what is ainherent in us and our confidence depends on the quality of his manifestation. Let us learn about ourselves. Self-confidence, therefore, is awareness and not an attitude only. The scriptures say, it is not even awareness, but awakening (Jagarana). An awakened state is far superior to the waking state.

2.

Practising Brahmacharya

The word Brahmacharya is often misinterpreted and therefore easily misunderstood. Apart from the meaning of continence, its definition includes study of the Vedas (Brahma), and practicing austerities (brahmane vedartham charyam acharinayam, or brahmajnanam tap ova acharati arjayati). Study and austerity are mandatory for a Brahmachari or student. Continence or self-control goes naturally with concentration in studies which require some kind of physical and mental hardship. Earlier people followed the four stages (ashramas) at different places- Brahmacharis used to live with the gurus, Grihasthas in the household, Vanaprasthas and sannyasins away from society. Now the first three stageshave come under one roof called Grihastha ashrama. Hence there is the inevitable mix-up in the responsibilities of each ashrama. In modern context, many disturbing changes have taken place. All sacredness of the life in the household has been vulgarized on the T.V. screen. The immature minds of the

youth are the most vulnerable to it. Thanks to the present day social circumstances, we have almost lost sight of the contributions of the ashrama dharma that inculcated selfcontrol and concentration. Today there is no formal Brahmacharya ashrama or Vanaprastha ashrama; Garhasthya and Sannyasa are the only two ashrama now.

The stages (ashramas) are just divisions in time due to changes in the body. In youth, a human being has tremendous potential. In order to check its waste, the system of keeping away from avoidable losses was designed. Brahmacharya, in a sense, is just for the Ojas or subtle energy of body and mind which otherwise keeps going out through all the senses. Call it continence or chastity, it is meant for strengthening both men and women.

Healthy habits like having pictures of men and women of pure character hung on the walls of ones living place, hearing slow vocal or instrumental music, using incense sticks of mild scent, physical exercises, cleaniness of body and place, moderation in eating and sleeping, practice of pranayama, and concentration or meditation are prerequisites to maintaining a high standard of physical and mental health. Continence is the practice of trusting and loving the spiritual self present in us. It is not that we do not observe these disciplines in our daily life, the only deficiency is we do not observe them with awareness. We should be aware that we are doing them as disciplines that leads us to our cherished goal of self confidence. When we do them consciously they produce the maximum result (yat shraddhaya karoti tat viryavattaram bhavati).

3.

The Role Of Education

Education is not just confined to the four walls of academic institutions. Education, as Sri Ramakrishna puts it, is a continuous process of learning and renewing throughout life. Academic competence is of course one of the aspects of this integrated education. But it includes gaining creative competence also. Education is not only collection of information, but also a means to develop our creative competence. No youth goes away from the bounds of society. He is required to acquire interpersonal competence for happy mutual living. Education should help one develop a sense of community. Through participation in community activities the youth can inherit traditions, obligations, responsibilities and duties which are the essential ingredients of true education.

Harnessing Youth PotentialWhat the Elders Can Do

Environment for Growth: Elders should accept the responsibility of providing the right kind of environment for youth. We often fail to see how a youth is compelled to grow in an environment. With the rise in number of poor, less privileged, homeless and frustrated youth all around, and their taking to drugs, violence, involvement with gangs, etc., there is a serious deterioration in the environment worldwide. It is becoming more and more risky, mostly for
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youths, to move about and live in areas with a high incidence of juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, and crime. These living conditions have a dehumanizing effect on young peoples psyche, leading them to treat these as natural to a society. Elders should be willing to play a responsible part in creating a good environment. Community Support in Change: it is not the responsibility of the Government alone to provide positive alternatives for such young people but all members of the society are responsible. Personal initiative should be taken in this matter. Often money is not the problem. What is lacking is the moral support of the society to the concept that these youths can become and, in fact, are valued as their productive members.
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Providing Positive Alternatives: There is a need to provide opportunities to channel their potential through. Hence the society must create opportunities for young people to keep them healthily engaged. What the youth need is not charitable support, but opportunities to build skills, exercise leadership, and establish a firm relationship with the caring community. There is always a dream in every youth to grow and acquire rights not only as a voter but as a citizen also.
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Handling the Period of Rapid Growth: Elders should learn to see in the youth their own newer versionsimproved, more efficient and free from earlier defects. When a youth enters adolescence, he is awe struck by the new world of colourful emotions into which he finds himself. There is jubilation in being able to unmake things that their elders have made, for it evinces a confidence in their power. Rabindranath Tagore says that during teenage young people are easily misunderstood by both seniors and juniors: their simplicity is termed as childishness and seriousness is
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termed as over-maturity. As a result, they lose their sense of belonging, and try to find friendship, safety, and scope for development of leadership skills and responsibilities in some group-membership. As a sharp contrast to this, the elders in some affluent societies, sometimes outstep their limits in sympathizing with the youthful emotions. The youth, on the other hand, should be convinced about the harmful aspects of those childish emotions and not just get pampered. In the absence of a proper understanding of this fact, many youth vent out their emotions in the discotheques or clubs or when they are out of the country. A small kid may complain of the boredom. And parents, mistaking it to be a disease, rush to a counseling centre! With such wrong upbringing, children grow into highly emotional susceptible individuals. They then detach from their community and elders. Having grown in an atmosphere of individualistic paradigm, these youth find it difficult to appreciate the need for a well-knit community. On the contrary, there are communities which are too tightly knit under the influence of fanatic indoctrination. Both are not welcome in a human society.

Helping to Quench the Thirst for Leadership: The idea of leadership is most dear to youth. From youth alone future leaders emerge. The concept of leadership training does not envisage that all should be leaders. It is said that leaders are born, not created. In todays highly professional and technical world, it is not always easy to create leasders only through talent or predisposition. One has to develop the qualities, wisdom, courage and efficiency of a leader through grinding disciplines. The independent spirit ion the youth welcomes such an approach to bring out their potential
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because they love to take decisions, face the consequences, take the blames, and learn from their mistakes. Looking at Youths as Human Resource: More often than not, the youth is admired more as economic resource than as human resource. In this respect, their value is being underestimated. Youth development is not youth involvement or empowerment, but a gradual transformation towards enlightened citizenship.
6.

A Culture to Imbibe
Looking at the entire youth phenomenon with its prospects and problems is nothing unusual. Bidding adieu to the residential students in a convocation exhorted, address the teacher in the Taittiriya Upanishad exhorted, Speak the truth; follow the way of righteousness; do not deviate from studies. Being true to what he preached, the teacher acknowledged the truth of his own failings in unequivocal terms: Those actions of ours that are commendable are to be followed by you, not the others. What a glorious test of truth put into practice! Our shame or fear to admit our defects and deficiencies is a formidable malady that keeps truth at bay and enhances dichotomy in us. As one proceeds further with the Taittiriya Upanishad, one is astounded to learn the treasure of practical hints and instructions about dharma (dharmam chara) given by the teacher at that distant point of time. Unless there s dharma to regulate and guide our public life, there will be no society. Poverty brutalizes and prosperity barbarizes us if we have no dharma to guide us. The next advice is worth a fortune. The Upanishhad says: continue with the studies of the scriptures (svadhyayad

na pramadaha). This is a value we have lost due to out reading fictions and viewing movies. Young people do not have the maturity to discern that the characters in the fictions and the scenes in these movies are not translatable into real life. Who does not know that an undying and daring hero is just a myth, a fiction, a stunt, and not real? But this virus of false notions catches the imaginations of immature minds; then real life becomes too hard for them.

Conclusion
What the youth needs to become preventive or proactive and not just corrective. Youth has to equip himself well in order to face increasing challenges that are the hallmark of the present world. We have to address the causes and not just the symptoms. We cannot afford to lose any of the two resources that we have-the youth and the elders. We have too much of formal education and very little learning. Youth are always open and receive the ideas with open arms..We need not compel them. Just convince them that they are needed and are appreciated and see how they respond and take up the responsibilities that are theirs. This is called sublimation, which is welcomed not only by youths but also by all. Overcoming Negative Ideas
SWAMI BODHAMAYANANDA

Negative thinking is a singularly weakening trap that imprisons many young people. I cant is the mantra such people repeat. Their thoughts are woven around their weakness and failure rather than on their inherent strengths and success. By constantly focusing on the no-factor, or the cannot-factor, how many young, budding people are caught up in the mire of difficulties and problems that are anyway part of life! But such a negative outlook can be transformed into a positive and constructive force by following a simple changes, says this article. The author is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order. He has been actively engaged in conducting workshops, lectures and seminars on personality development for the youth in and around Chennai, benefiting thousands of students and teachers alike. Our Dilemma
Mankind is at crossroads today. Thanks to science and technology, man has unprecedented power, on one hand, but has also become a mass of doubt and a spy, on the other. Technology has certainly brought many benefits. If used to wisdom, these can eradicate many of the sufferings that we face. That if these are abused, they can destroy the entire race a hundred times over. Alongside this progress, there continues to be so much of animosity,

hatred, jealousy, cynicism and violence in the society. The reason for all this is lack of character. Swami Vivekananda rightly called for a man-making education, a man-making religion as the only antidote for todays problems. For, there cannot be a better world without better men and women. This requires change. The youth have to be rightly motivated, so that they could use their talents, intelligence and knowledge to rid of the poison of negativity.

With all its merits, our education does not make us positive. Hundreds of young students who emerge from the schools and colleges are confused, directionless, depressed, cynical of everything in life, nay, of life itself. How right was Swami Vivekananda when he said in a lecture titled The Future of India in 1897 thus : The education that you are getting now has some good points, but it has tremendous disadvantage which is so great that the good things .are all weighed down. In the first place it is not a man making-education, it is merely and entirely negative education. The child is taken to school and the first thing he learns is that his father is a fool, the second thing that his grandfather is a lunatic, the third thing that all his teachers are hypocrites, the fourth that all the sacred books are lies! By the time he is sixteen he is a mass of negation, lifeless and boneless.

The Solution
It is, however no use to point the current negative atmosphere ; we should focus on the remedy rather than keep thinking of the malady. In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna teaches Arjuna a vital truth, Let a man lift himself by his self ; let him not degrade himself ; for he himself is his friend and he himself is his enemy. Man is his own enemy and friend simultaneously youth should learn to be their own friend by developing a positive, constructive, pure and friendly attitude towards themselves and the world. Whatever may be the situation one faces like loss of a dear one or failure in exams or career, or peer criticism, a positive mental attitude is most important to solve all problems. When we are carried away by our own impulses, we become our enemy. A person becomes a friend to oneself when he manages his negative emotions and keeps his

focus on positive and higher thoughts. One who has developed this quality of remaining positively focused even though he is surrounded by trials and tribulations, he will not allow his mind to be coloured or over powered by them. He will hold his head high and solve the problems with joy and fun. When a person is undaunted by circumstances, he becomes his own friend. It is said that when a piece of steel is magnetized, it becomes capable of lifting about twelve timed its weight. But, when it is demagnetized, it cant pick up even a pin! It is same with the mind. If it is positive, balanced and pure, it can be a master of circumstances and do wonders. The hallmark of all great leaders, athletes, scientists, musicians and others. In the world is their capacity to overcome negative ideas and remain positive. They constantly feed their minds with positive thoughts. Let us discuss some practical steps for overcoming negative ideas.

A.

Follow the Ant Philosophy

Ants have interesting lessons for all those who are infected with negative

ideas and actions. Just a tiny ant can teach us mighty lessons in encountering life. Ofcourse, everthing in nature can give us a lesson. The ant philosophy has four lessons which run: Lesson 1:The ants never quit whenever anybody stops them or they come across any hurdle. They climb over it, or find another way but never stop from marching forward. The lesson never stop from completing the given work or from reaching the goal under any circumstances. Lesson 2: Do you know that the ants think winter all summer? Quite interesting! Why do they think like that? The answer is they gather their winter food in the middle of summer and do not complain about the seasonal changes. As one enjoys the sand and sun on the beach, he has to think of rocks in the water

before diving in to the sea. The lesson is to be realistic and also think ahead positively. Lesson 3: Interestingly, the ant thinks of summer all winter. It sounds confusing and strange for us. During the winter the ant reminds itself that this will not last long and well soon be out of here. And at the first warm day they are out in the open and seeking adventure once again. Well, it may turn cloud again; they just dive back in to the closet and return another warm day. The lesson is stay positive at all times because there is light at the end of the tunnel. Lesson 4: Do you know how much an ant can gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? The answer is, All that it can. In nutshell the four-part ant-lesson is: (1) Never Give Up (2) Look Ahead (3) Stay Positive (4) Do all you can and march on.

B. Cultivate Positive Outlook

Says General Vijay Oberoi (Retd.), former Vice Chief of the Indian Army for 40 years, and he became the founder President of War Wounded Foundation, New Delhi: Disability is of the mind, never of limb or organ. One needs to open ones mind to opportunities that are available, instead of brooding over those that are not. With a zest for life and a positive frame of mind he overcame many hurdles. The human body and mind can be moulded in any way we want. The tools that motivate the human mind are dedication, discipline, self-confidence and positive outlook and hard work. How can the youth cultivate this? Here are some tips: 1. Read the life and writings of positive thinkers and leaders. 2. Choose to think positive thoughts. 3. Act on the acquired thought. 4. Allow the emotions to create more positive and constructive thoughts. Instead of thinking negative thoughts, we should think thus:

a) I realize that the power with in me is greater than the power of another. I have the power to control my thoughts, thereby control my feelings and the way I see the world around me. b) I decide to control my thoughts and think of the positive side of my personality and the world around me. c) I realize that the thoughts that are dominant in my mind will manifest themselves in reality. I thus decide to keep a positive, happy picture of my success.
d) I realize that the spoken word is the most powerful. I therefore decide to

speak positive words not only to help my self but also to encourage others. I focus my thoughts on the good in me, in you, in all. These thoughts should not be repeated mechanically but should be completed with concentration, sincerity and faith. Then alone will the youth have a beneficial and constructive influence on his or her personality. The youth should think and act upon the statements, let us say, regularly, for ten days in order to experience a positive change within. This is how one can drive away guilt, hostility, worry and other negative feelings and let in greater self-confidence, calmness of mind, and self-discipline. In his book, Peace, power and plenty, the well-known author, Orison Swett Marden, says, If children were thought mental chemistry, as they are thought physical chemistry, there would be no ailing pessimists, no victims of the blues. We should not see so many long, dejected, gloomy faces everywhere. We should not see so many criminals, so many sorrowful, tragic failures in every rank of society, in every walk of life. Therefore the youth needs to bring a positive change in their thoughts.

C. Dive Deep, O Mind

There is interesting anecdote of a landowner who lived near the town of Beaumontin, Texas, in America. Financial reasons forced him to sell portions of his land to feed his family. Then an oil company manager told him that there could be oil on his property and offer to pay him royalties if he would permit them to drill on his land. The land owner agreed, as he had nothing to loose. Surprisingly, there was indeed an oil well there and that was the discovery of Spindle Top, the most productive single oil well in history. The land owner became an instant multimillionaire-or did he? The reply is no. he had been rich even earlier but did not have the knowledge of the oil available there and consequently did not capitalize on it. Similarly, everyone has in himself an incredible ability, talent and divine wealth, which however remains unrecognized and unutilized. We should hence get acquainted with ourselves by doing a little mental drilling and exploring, for we have nothing to loose in the process. And what is the tool for this task? Selfdiscipline. It is the key to all great discoveries, and achievements in all walks of life. The well-known American writer, Willim Bennet, writes, in self-discipline one makes a disciple of one self. One is ones own teacher, trainer, coach and disciplinarian. It is an odd sort of relationship, paradoxical in its own way and many of us do not handle it very well. This does not mean punishing or torturing oneself but it simply means that self-discipline is mastery over ones thoughts. This enables a person to organize and unit all the scattered mental forces and focus on his goal. Self-discipline fortifies the mind against all weaknesses, and gives a unique values and dignity to life. By systematic and devoted observance of healthy norms the youth can surely develop greater confidence and maturity.
a) Discipline of the body: through healthy diet, yogasanas and other

forms of physical exercises.

b) Discipline of body: control of the vital energies through simple

pranayama technique or slow, rhythmic and conscious breathing.

c) Discipline of speech: conserving energy which is wasted in

gossip and unwanted talks. This makes the mind calm and focused, says Acharya Sankara, The first gateway to yoga is through control of speech.
d) Discipline of thoughts: Through self-introspection, visualization

and serious study of the scriptures, the thoughts can be purified and tuned.
e) Discipline of ones inner nature: by the practice of prayer,

intense concentration and meditation regularly. This awakens the faculty of Viveka or discrimination. Glorifying the importance of self-discipline, Swami Vivekananda says, Man is man so long as he is struggling to rise above nature and this nature is both internal and external. Today, the menace of negativity has assumed an epidemic form. In order to strengthen the mind, the classic example given in the scriptures is that of a single thread which is very weak, but, when many threads are combined and twisted together to make rope, which can control even an elephant. Similarly, healthy and wholesome diet of positive thoughts, which Sri Krishna calls as daivi sampath (spiritual wealth) should be administered to the whole mind in order to make the youth strong.

Conclusion
The youth should learn to increase their bank balance of positive thoughts and reduce the unnecessary expenditure involved in eradicating the negativity in thought, word and deed. Even a tiny ant, apparently negligible, can teach us how to over come obstructions and remain positive at all times. Self-discipline is most effective in overcoming negative ideas. One needs strong convictions to go through trials and tribulations with strength and meaning. In conclusion let us not forget that it is possible, through graded disciplines, to remove the layers of dirt of negativity that hide our divine nature.