As legend goes, a well-known palm reader once told a young boy that he had missed greatness by a fraction, as if the two lines on his had palm met, he would grow up to be an emperor. Immediately, the young boy pulled out a knife and cut his palm to join the two lines. Seeing his determination, the palm reader said it did not matter what the lines of his palms said, he will accomplish his purpose. The young boy was none other than the great conquerer, Napoleon.
We are what we think and our body is an image of the mind. The lines on our palms change as our thinking changes.
We all have desires, but willpower is needed to achieve them. Desires operate on the mental level while willpower operates from the intellectual level. The desires are our wish list, which fizzles out gradually. It takes willpower to yield results.
When we are intensely passionate, our desire translates into willpower, which is the secret to success. Success in life does not mean making lots of money. The world has seen many billionaires and we do not remember them all.
Success does not mean becoming the CEO of a company. The world has seen many CEOs, prime ministers, and presidents. We do not remember them all.
Success does not mean having six-pack abs. When Muhammad Ali won the boxing title in 1965, he had claimed that he would conquer the world with his power. But in 2015, he could not climb a dais because of Parkinson’s disease and needed support to even drink a cup of tea.
{{/usCountry}}Success does not mean having six-pack abs. When Muhammad Ali won the boxing title in 1965, he had claimed that he would conquer the world with his power. But in 2015, he could not climb a dais because of Parkinson’s disease and needed support to even drink a cup of tea.
{{/usCountry}}Success does not mean becoming famous. We do not remember all celebrities.
Our education system alone does not make us successful in life. Our exam results are not the yardstick for our success in life. Our life is much bigger than our university exams.
Follow your passion
The environmentalist, Tulsi Gowda, a tribal, who was awarded the Padma Shri, did not have an educational background. All she did was plant trees with all her heart. Right from childhood, she worked in a plant nursery. Over the years, she had planted over 1 lakh trees. She even became an adviser to the forest department. Her passion ensured that she is counted among the greats.
The depth in our practice is more important than the breadth of out knowledge. To excel, we should not be a jack of all trades and master of none. We need not have many degrees or connections to succeed. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi knew only music. Sachin Tendulkar focused only on cricket. Tulasi Gowda knows only how to plant trees. Yet, they are all successful in life.
A person wanted to get water by digging a well. His friend told him that digging a well at a particular place will get him water. It was hard labour and after digging for a metre or so someone suggested that he should try another place. So, this man started digging in that place. After digging for about 2m, he hit a rock. Then, a third person told him about another place. The man dug many holes over the years, but thirst remained unquenched. Had he continued digging in the same place, he would have quenched his thirst, along with the thirst of many other people.
Before understanding the world, understand yourself. We must choose a path which we like and after thorough deliberation, we must stick to that. Do not keep on hopping from one pursuit to another. Sustained practise with intensity is the key to success. Be passionate about what you do.
Do not imitate others
There is no joy in imitating others. Do not aspire to become like someone else. Imitation leads to fear, stress, and anxiety in life. Aspire to become yourself. Every fingerprint is unique and so are you. No two fingerprints are the same. No two leaves in a tree are the same. No two fruits in a tree are the same. There is joy in you becoming yourself. There is freedom in you becoming yourself. Remember, imitation products fetch lower value than the original product.
All actions do not give the same results. Actions are of four types – inaction, wrong action, selfish action, and selfless action. Only selfless action uplifts us and liberates us. The other three types of actions bind us and make us helpless.
Maslow calls it self-actualisation. Most of the population is struggling to survive in the world. They just live for food and shelter and pass their life. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says only a few in a million stand out, and the rest get wiped out unnoticed. Only a rare few will leave their footprint in the sands of time and the rest will get flushed out like worms. You can stand out when you become yourself.
Make sure that you give the prime time of the day to yourself. You are the most important person in this world. In the case of an airplane emergency, one must put a mask on themselves, before assisting others. Similarly, one must look after oneself before reaching out to others. Stay away from narcotics and alcohol. Always associate with positive people. Do yoga asanas everyday, and do pranayama to keep yourself physically healthy and mentally calm. Meditate to connect within and declutter your mind and enrich your roots.
Take pride in your culture
Instil qualities such as fearlessness, truth, generosity, compassion, joy, and peace. Be proud of your family tradition, your culture, and your nation. Those who cannot appreciate their own culture, tradition, and nation cannot command respect in life. This is one of the golden rules of management strategy: if you are not successful in your home turf, you cannot have sustained success in other pitches.
You must trust yourselves. If you do not have trust in yourself, you cannot expect others to trust you. Always think big, think positive, think great. Have a vision for your life. Have a role model for your life. By trusting yourself and with sustained practise you can convert your vision into reality.
A good human being is in great demand across the world. This world is a small stage, and the entire universe is the arena. Play the game of your life with exuberance. This way you can celebrate your life.
vasudevakriyayoga@gmail.com
(The writer is the Melbourne-based founder of Vasudeva Kriya Yoga)