Essential Technologies For Empowered Management. By Bhakti Tirtha Swami The metaphysical technologies listed here are simple yet profound tools that you may want to incorporate into your management style. To reap the greatest benefits from these principles, you can include meditation on these ten technologies in your daily regimen. 1. What is it? What for? So what? This meditation is designed to help us realize that many illusions can influence or enslave us. Leo Tolstoy once wrote about a transition in his life when he began to question everything, despite his great success. Following Tolstoy’s example, in this meditation envision yourself as possessing great material abundance such as exorbitant wealth, worldwide fame, vast knowledge, or dazzling beauty. Consider each of these areas in turn and, others if you wish, realizing that it can not be the ultimate goal of life. Ask yourself the questions, “What of it?” “What for?” “So what?” 2. Not this body This reflection helps us realize that we are more than just the physical body. Therefore, we should not overreact or be overly attached to the material stimuli. The exercise consists of saying attentively: “I have a body but I am not this body”; “I have a mind but I am not this mind”; “I have a job but I am not this job”; or “I have a house but I am not this house.” Insert any problem into this meditation to help yourself release any attachment to temporary phenomena. 3. The other person’s point of view This practice helps us become more sensitive to another person’s perception of the situation, particularly during interpersonal conflict. Choose a conflict that has been troubling you. Write a letter to yourself as if you were the opposing party trying to convince yourself of the opposite point of view. Employ this letter-writing technique for any conflict. 4. Seeing God everywhere This contemplation helps us give more of ourselves to others and receive more love from people in general. Practice seeing everyone as an energy of God. 5. Everything has a purpose There are no coincidences. Because higher agencies are controlling the universe, each encounter has come to us for a particular reason. We are subject to a spiritual law similar to law of physics; every action produces a corresponding reaction. Therefore, we can try to discover the lessons in every occurrence. The exercise is to turn negative events into positive ones and positive events in to even better ones. If we learn from all events, then everything that happens can become a positive occurrence because we have become wiser. 6. Accountability The knowledge that we are monitored by the Supreme and His angelic hosts will encourage us to live more righteously in order to be rewarded rather than punished. The exercise is to imagine that we are always being monitored by God’s all-seeing eyes. 7. Call for love This practice helps us appreciate the many forms in which a call of help can come and reminds us to always examine ourselves to see how we have helped others. The exercise is to see all interactions as either a giving of love or a call for love. 8. Love in action This technology helps us shower everyone and everything in our environment with vibrant love. The exercise is to see ourselves as embodiments of love in action. 9. Near death Imagine that your doctor has just informed you that you have a serious case of cancer or AIDS, and you are going to die in three months. If this were your fate, how would you live each of your last days differently? This reflection helps remind us that we can never be certain how much longer we will remain in this material body. Therefore, we must not procrastinate or have a weak list of priorities. Important things essential things must be done now! 10. A second chance We must live each day in readiness to depart if our appointment with death arrives. The exercise is to imagine that you are dying right now, and can see what you are leaving behind and the effect that your death will have on others. What are your last thoughts? What are your regrets? What things you have left undone? You should do these things today.