SUCCESS is the infallible mantra of the present century. It is the crown which ultimately decides who wins and who loses in present day society. A successful person can open many doors and create unprecedented opportunities for himself/herself at the flick of a finger. He/she becomes a brand and commands his/her price for work. Success thus is the most desirable goal in today’s frenetic lifestyle. Most successful people define success as a combination of hard work, a winning personality, sheer staying and surviving power and lastly, the Grace of God. Many people are ambitious and want success. But they do not know how to set their goals and pursue them relentlessly until they are realized. Setting up a goal needs a careful examination of one’s skills, inclination, likes and dislikes as well as strengths and weaknesses. Once a goal has been identified, the best and shortest route to achieving it must be charted out. Goals and the manner of achieving them change from time to time. Hence, a certain element of fluidity must be allowed while a determined effort is made to reach them. Sometimes, a great deal of energy is wasted when unnecessary interests and activities take up the ambitious person’s time. The correct and balance use of time must therefore be cultivated as a fine art. Time and energy are the sacred gifts of God to human beings. They must be used with good sense and constant awareness of one’s goals.
An interesting example illustrates the point. A traveler was once bound for Delhi from Mumbai. He walked for days and did not know how he had reached. So when he noticed tow other co-travelers, he stopped them and asked, “Am I on the right road to Delhi? How far am I from my goal?” The listeners said, “If you go along the road you have taken, it will take you two years to reach. But if you turn around and follow the path we show you, you will reach there in one month.” The point made by this story is that the path to a goal must be checked from time to time. When the path is found, unnecessary turns and roundabouts must be avoided so that energy is conserved to reach the goal.
Doing an audit of your goals helps in achieving them systematically. It is necessary to list long term and short term goals in a systematic manner. Then check these goals and weed out those that are unattainable or put them on the back burner. Prioritize the remaining goals and write down the strategies for attaining them. Set out time limits and the resources needed to reach them. Then, with peace and an unhurried pace, go towards each one of them or several of them simultaneously, but with care and patience. Concentrate on one goal at a time when you are working to achieve it and don’t confuse one goal with another unless they are linked by their own nature.
Tuesday 23 June 2009
CHERISH THE INNOCENCE OF YOUR SOUL!
MANY people spurn this quality and lose it because they consider it disadvantage in the modern age of aggressive behavior, shrewdness and one-penmanship; Innocence is misunderstood to be foolishness! This is not true. The innocence of our souls helps us to be open to the wonders of divinity and nature. To see a beautiful sunset and feel completely at peace is a gift of this innocence. To see the gurgling of a mountain stream and feel refreshed is possible only when we have a patina of wonder. To enjoy trekking in lonely mountains, to see the lashing of a butterfly’s wings, to fly with the splendid birds and to discover the joy of gossamer fine expressions of nature – all these enable us to live beyond our pressing needs for money and the luxuries it can buy. The luxuries which nature offers us are free and or literature is an invaluable gift given to us by divinity. Once we begin to nurture the innocence of our souls, a thousand miracles of discovery bring us face to face with the talents and qualities of others. An innocent soul is filled with curiosity about the unfolding of nature and its myriad secrets, evident in natural phenomena, bird and animal life as well as human life. It prompts us to appreciate all that is wonderful around us and learn from it.
An anecdote about Albert Einstein, the world famous scientist, illustrates this quality well. It is said that Einstein was once invited to deliver and important lecture to the Academy of Sciences in New York, USA. He was given a magnificent room to stay in the professors’ colony, next to the home of a local professor who was in charge of his daily schedule. This local professor was responsible for Einstein’s comfort and for providing him hospitality. On one occasion, the local professor found that his young child was missing from him home. A hue and cry was raised but no one could locate the child. Finally, when the local professor and his friends heard squeals of laughter from Einstein’s suite, they knocked on the door with trepidation and the door was opened! What they saw inside stunned them. Lying on the floor, Einstein was showing pictures from a comic book to the young boy and both were rolling with laughter! Einstein had become a child in the company of an innocent child. Being a world famous scientist meant nothing at that moment! If you observe keenly, many great people have this quality of childlike innocence combined with profound wisdom. Examples are: the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, all towering masters who have shared child like delights in the company of children.
Appreciating all that is good in other people and in the environment is an expression of the innocence of our souls. This enriches our personalities infinitely. People often suffer from deep-rooted jealously and envy when others do well or are endowed with more opportunities or blessing in life. This is probably why there is an urge in everyone to destroy or desecrate the achievements of others or cause hurt to other. Indeed jealousy and a vengeful attitude are supposed to be the predominant flavors of life in modern age. But carrying the burden of other people’s efforts and success makes our shoulders droop with fatigue and suffering. Only when we put our appreciation of others’ work and success on record do we become free and light-hearted enough to walk energetically ahead to find our goals and success.
Here, I would like to narrate my own experience to illustrate the point. A dear friend of mine, who was an expert textile designer, used to constantly encourage me to by my own car. I was nervous to do that because I knew little or nothing about the maintenance or repair of cars. I had nightmares about sudden breakdowns in the middle of the road and my insecurities about handling such problems. Still, she went on and even demanded that she would take the first ride in my new car when I bought it. In time, I bought my own car and invited her for her first ride in it. When she came, she stood quietly before the car, saluted it silently and then sat in it. I was surprised and asked here what was sacred abut a car that she had saluted it! Her reply is etched in my heart even today. She said, “I am not saluting the car. I am paying homage to your effort and hard work. Do you know that among the many names of the Lord is Kashta, which means hard work and constant effort. Only when I recognize him in everyone’s efforts, will I be free to achieve my own success. Only people who appreciate others’ efforts and accept that everyone has the right to opportunity and success, are happy in their own success! Those who rue the achievements of others, never have the time to learn from others or to walk freely and lightly ahead to achieve their own goals.”
The innocence of your soul bestows upon you the ability to see beyond the obvious. When you hear great musicians and vocalists like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Jasraj or Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, you not only appreciate their incomparable music but also ‘perceive and enjoy the years of relentless efforts they have put in to reach the level of reaching a meditation-like-state’ in music. When you see the paintings of masters like M.F.Husain or S.H.Raza, you do not think only of the money such art will fetch, but also of the patient years they have plodded, locked up in lonely studios with hardly anything to eat when they strove to achieve the excellence they show to the world today.
Life works on one sure principle – wherever there is action, there is reaction. Thus, whenever you radiate goodwill and friendship, the reaction you will receive will surely be goodwill and friendship in the long run. This must be your firm belief. This belief is the kernel of the innocence of your soul.
An anecdote about Albert Einstein, the world famous scientist, illustrates this quality well. It is said that Einstein was once invited to deliver and important lecture to the Academy of Sciences in New York, USA. He was given a magnificent room to stay in the professors’ colony, next to the home of a local professor who was in charge of his daily schedule. This local professor was responsible for Einstein’s comfort and for providing him hospitality. On one occasion, the local professor found that his young child was missing from him home. A hue and cry was raised but no one could locate the child. Finally, when the local professor and his friends heard squeals of laughter from Einstein’s suite, they knocked on the door with trepidation and the door was opened! What they saw inside stunned them. Lying on the floor, Einstein was showing pictures from a comic book to the young boy and both were rolling with laughter! Einstein had become a child in the company of an innocent child. Being a world famous scientist meant nothing at that moment! If you observe keenly, many great people have this quality of childlike innocence combined with profound wisdom. Examples are: the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, all towering masters who have shared child like delights in the company of children.
Appreciating all that is good in other people and in the environment is an expression of the innocence of our souls. This enriches our personalities infinitely. People often suffer from deep-rooted jealously and envy when others do well or are endowed with more opportunities or blessing in life. This is probably why there is an urge in everyone to destroy or desecrate the achievements of others or cause hurt to other. Indeed jealousy and a vengeful attitude are supposed to be the predominant flavors of life in modern age. But carrying the burden of other people’s efforts and success makes our shoulders droop with fatigue and suffering. Only when we put our appreciation of others’ work and success on record do we become free and light-hearted enough to walk energetically ahead to find our goals and success.
Here, I would like to narrate my own experience to illustrate the point. A dear friend of mine, who was an expert textile designer, used to constantly encourage me to by my own car. I was nervous to do that because I knew little or nothing about the maintenance or repair of cars. I had nightmares about sudden breakdowns in the middle of the road and my insecurities about handling such problems. Still, she went on and even demanded that she would take the first ride in my new car when I bought it. In time, I bought my own car and invited her for her first ride in it. When she came, she stood quietly before the car, saluted it silently and then sat in it. I was surprised and asked here what was sacred abut a car that she had saluted it! Her reply is etched in my heart even today. She said, “I am not saluting the car. I am paying homage to your effort and hard work. Do you know that among the many names of the Lord is Kashta, which means hard work and constant effort. Only when I recognize him in everyone’s efforts, will I be free to achieve my own success. Only people who appreciate others’ efforts and accept that everyone has the right to opportunity and success, are happy in their own success! Those who rue the achievements of others, never have the time to learn from others or to walk freely and lightly ahead to achieve their own goals.”
The innocence of your soul bestows upon you the ability to see beyond the obvious. When you hear great musicians and vocalists like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Jasraj or Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, you not only appreciate their incomparable music but also ‘perceive and enjoy the years of relentless efforts they have put in to reach the level of reaching a meditation-like-state’ in music. When you see the paintings of masters like M.F.Husain or S.H.Raza, you do not think only of the money such art will fetch, but also of the patient years they have plodded, locked up in lonely studios with hardly anything to eat when they strove to achieve the excellence they show to the world today.
Life works on one sure principle – wherever there is action, there is reaction. Thus, whenever you radiate goodwill and friendship, the reaction you will receive will surely be goodwill and friendship in the long run. This must be your firm belief. This belief is the kernel of the innocence of your soul.
KNOWLEDGE BEGINS WITHACCEPTANCE OF ONE’S IGNORANCE
To succeed in the search for knowledge, one must begin by admitting one’s ignorance. This is not easy and is tantamount to an act of humility. Many people are so full of themselves that the joy of new knowledge is lost upon them through their own illusion of their all knowing nature.
A story illustrates this well. There was once a great scholar of the Bhagwad Geeta whose lectures were attended by thousands of people. They touched his feet and praised him as the best speaker they had ever heard. As time passed, his admirers were in such awe of him that they feared him. Therefore, none would venture to tell him that over the years, his speeches were becoming monotonous; there was no longer and edge of passion to his words and no new dimension to his thoughts. The crowds started thinning and soon, the audiences began to disappear. At this time, his closest friend and manger took him aside and told him gently that he needed to reinvent his style and knowledge. “What should I do?” said that scholar, “I have put before my listeners the whole of the Geeta. I am considered the best orator by all. What more do they want?” The friend told him that outside the city, in an isolated ashram lived a yogi who knew the secrets of the Geeta like none other. “Why don’t we visit him and get new insights into this wonderful book?” asked the friend. To get the huge audiences back as quickly as possible, the scholar acceded to this suggestion and both men rode in the scholar’s expensive limo to the ashram. Upon entering the presence of the yogi, the scholar said, “Sir, I have come to ask you for your insights on the Geeta. But you must forgive me – I am a busy man and have little time. Can you hurry up and give me some tips?” The yogi smiled and said,” Sir, I have heard so much about you. You are a great man. How can I let you go without some hospitality? I will give you a cup of tea and then we shall talk” The yogi disappeared inside and returned with three cups of tea. The cups were full of brew and the scholar was embarrassed. “Please can I have some milk?” he asked. The yogi replied, “Sir, your mind is exactly like this cup – too full to receive any new knowledge. Leave some room in you soul for new knowledge and your life will change miraculously.” The scholar understood the import of this statement and became a disciple of the yogi with total humility and gained infinite knowledge.
This story illustrates how a knowledge seeker should always be humble and curious. Knowledge has no boundaries. Every piece of information we receive through whatever means is an addition to the pool of learning and experience we collect throughout our lives. The intelligence we gather form our parents, teachers, self education, environment and other sources, when combined with our experience, becomes our wisdom, To be seeker, you need to ask questions, to find answers and to constantly be alert to new ideas, concepts, thoughts and solution to the situations we come across in our lives. A seeker learns from an ordinary blade of grass which bends down and lies prostrate in the face of a storm – only to rise and sparkle afresh the weather is sunny again.
A story illustrates this well. There was once a great scholar of the Bhagwad Geeta whose lectures were attended by thousands of people. They touched his feet and praised him as the best speaker they had ever heard. As time passed, his admirers were in such awe of him that they feared him. Therefore, none would venture to tell him that over the years, his speeches were becoming monotonous; there was no longer and edge of passion to his words and no new dimension to his thoughts. The crowds started thinning and soon, the audiences began to disappear. At this time, his closest friend and manger took him aside and told him gently that he needed to reinvent his style and knowledge. “What should I do?” said that scholar, “I have put before my listeners the whole of the Geeta. I am considered the best orator by all. What more do they want?” The friend told him that outside the city, in an isolated ashram lived a yogi who knew the secrets of the Geeta like none other. “Why don’t we visit him and get new insights into this wonderful book?” asked the friend. To get the huge audiences back as quickly as possible, the scholar acceded to this suggestion and both men rode in the scholar’s expensive limo to the ashram. Upon entering the presence of the yogi, the scholar said, “Sir, I have come to ask you for your insights on the Geeta. But you must forgive me – I am a busy man and have little time. Can you hurry up and give me some tips?” The yogi smiled and said,” Sir, I have heard so much about you. You are a great man. How can I let you go without some hospitality? I will give you a cup of tea and then we shall talk” The yogi disappeared inside and returned with three cups of tea. The cups were full of brew and the scholar was embarrassed. “Please can I have some milk?” he asked. The yogi replied, “Sir, your mind is exactly like this cup – too full to receive any new knowledge. Leave some room in you soul for new knowledge and your life will change miraculously.” The scholar understood the import of this statement and became a disciple of the yogi with total humility and gained infinite knowledge.
This story illustrates how a knowledge seeker should always be humble and curious. Knowledge has no boundaries. Every piece of information we receive through whatever means is an addition to the pool of learning and experience we collect throughout our lives. The intelligence we gather form our parents, teachers, self education, environment and other sources, when combined with our experience, becomes our wisdom, To be seeker, you need to ask questions, to find answers and to constantly be alert to new ideas, concepts, thoughts and solution to the situations we come across in our lives. A seeker learns from an ordinary blade of grass which bends down and lies prostrate in the face of a storm – only to rise and sparkle afresh the weather is sunny again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)