Everyone of us wants to be successful in life. It would seem that the definition of success varies depending upon our circumstances or priorities. We want to be successful in our careers. We want to be successful in academics. We want to be healthy and strong. We want attention. We want love. We want to be successful even in not wanting anything. The definition of success, however, has to be singular. That is why there is only one word to describe it. What actually varies is the manner in which we seek success and the place or activity where we choose to seek it. Success is merely a state of mind that gives one the feeling of well being. This feeling of well being exists in all of us momentarily and in patches throughout life. It may exist for a while immediately after we complete an assignment to our satisfaction or whenever the memory of it takes hold of us. It is temporary and, therefore, a particular event or chain of events in our life cannot be construed to constitute successful living.
Life is continuous. If we live to the age of eighty, then we have lived every moment of those eighty years. We cannot choose to live five days a week and take the weekend off! Successful living, then, has to mean that the feeling of well being needs to exist in us every moment in life albeit the changing environment. In order to achieve this, we need to continually assess our situation and environment both internal and external and then respond to it. In order to respond, we must first accept the reality around us. We must accept our situation in life and our relationship to society and the environment. Acceptance is the first condition to response as opposed to reaction. Furthermore, our response needs to be such that it produces minimal disturbance. If we disturb the environment, we will only succeed in increasing the activities and adjustments that we need to make to preserve our own successful state of mind.
After understanding our situation and accepting it, we need to work on ourselves, cultivate the right attitude, and improve ourselves in order to convert reaction to response. We must leave no stone unturned in our efforts. When we speak of the environment we are normally referring to society, and that too, human society in the form of family, neighbours, country men, friends and enemies, the society needs to be dealt with appropriately. We must love unconditionally and serve dispassionately. If our best efforts do not bear fruit, then we must pray to divinity for intervention. We must pray to divinity to shower love and blessings on all those around us, the people we love, the people we hate and the people we have hurt in our attempts to improve the conditions in which we live. This is the secret to successful living. It is this that produces the state of mind that can be called success.
With Yogic Fragrance
Sri Pattabhiram.
Life is continuous. If we live to the age of eighty, then we have lived every moment of those eighty years. We cannot choose to live five days a week and take the weekend off! Successful living, then, has to mean that the feeling of well being needs to exist in us every moment in life albeit the changing environment. In order to achieve this, we need to continually assess our situation and environment both internal and external and then respond to it. In order to respond, we must first accept the reality around us. We must accept our situation in life and our relationship to society and the environment. Acceptance is the first condition to response as opposed to reaction. Furthermore, our response needs to be such that it produces minimal disturbance. If we disturb the environment, we will only succeed in increasing the activities and adjustments that we need to make to preserve our own successful state of mind.
After understanding our situation and accepting it, we need to work on ourselves, cultivate the right attitude, and improve ourselves in order to convert reaction to response. We must leave no stone unturned in our efforts. When we speak of the environment we are normally referring to society, and that too, human society in the form of family, neighbours, country men, friends and enemies, the society needs to be dealt with appropriately. We must love unconditionally and serve dispassionately. If our best efforts do not bear fruit, then we must pray to divinity for intervention. We must pray to divinity to shower love and blessings on all those around us, the people we love, the people we hate and the people we have hurt in our attempts to improve the conditions in which we live. This is the secret to successful living. It is this that produces the state of mind that can be called success.
With Yogic Fragrance
Sri Pattabhiram.
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