IT TOOK 48 YEARS TO LEARN….
FOCUS ON GOALS, IGNORE IRRITANTS
Avoid thinking and expressing
dissatisfaction about irrelevant, unimportant and insignificant things. Expand this
area of irrelevance, insignificance and unimportance.
HELP OTHERS TO HELP YOURSELF
Try to help others, timely. Timely
help can make real difference to people.
There are many examples. Many people cannot encash opportunities because
they could not get help in time and many other people even lost their lives for
the same reason. Behind ever success there is always a story of receiving
timely help or at least timely advice. If you cannot help at least avoid making
derogatory comments on people who help others. Example:expressing passive
comments on charitable institutions like Satya Sai Trust, Paripurnanada Trust
etc. There may be some problems in them. But we should also express gratitude
about the public good and benefits to some individuals rendered by them.
Managing one's own family itself cannot be done without blemishes. So imagine
running big institutions and that too voluntary organizations consisting of
individuals with different cultures, backgrounds and mindsets.
SHARE THE SORROW, ENJOY THE
SUCCESS OF OTHERS EARNESTLY
Love your relations. Don’t restrict
your love to only your spouse, children and grand children. This is not exactly
love but selfishness with some motive of return. Expand this love to your cousins,
aunts and uncles etc. Then slowly extend it to neighbours and friends. Enjoy
their happy moments with them apart from helping them in need and sympathizing
with them. Ironically sympathizing is easier compared to enjoying happiness
because jealousy is the biggest enemy for everyone. Then extend your love to needy and deprived
people. Slowly think about loving everyone. Never think about these words as “it
is easier said than done.”
CONTROL YOUR OWN DESTINY OR SOMEONE ELSE WILL…
Take responsibility for your life and
be proud of it. Don’t blame others and events for your failures. It is the
biggest reason for further failures in future for many people. Take control of your
life,learn from mistakes. Do not repeat them. Correct them, prevent them to recur.
Expand your horizon. Always think you and you alone are responsible for the
failures.
LIVE IN THE PRESENT
Live in the present. Fear of future is
the biggest enemy of present happiness. Always thinking about things like
children’s education, marriage, promotions, ranking, health of self and parents
etc. cause anxiety and eats away present happiness. Many times we are scared by
imaginary future events which never really do occur. So enjoy the present, plan
for the future, but do not worry about it. Events will unfold as they are
destined.
WORK HARD, EARN MONEY, EAT WELL AND SAVE FOR TOMMOROW
Financial independence is fundamental
to freedom of individual. Without this one cannot pursue his interests and his
own way of living. He cannot act on his own thoughts because he will have to dance
to the tunes of his creditors, to the people who help him and so called
business partners. Without financial independence one has to live a life of
parasite. For achieving financial independence there are two ways. Increasing the
income, reducing the requirements or desires. Both have limits for ordinary
human beings leading normal life with families. Increasing the income without
crossing moral limits is very difficult but not impossible. Reducing
requirements and limiting desires without compromising basic needs and satisfying
near and dear is also difficult but it is also not impossible. It is very hard
but it is always hard to lead a good and quality life. Srinatha and Pothana
famous 15th century Telugu poets are perfect examples of the above. Even though
possessed with highest levels of knowledge and earning very high income and patronage
of great kings in his prime youth Srinatha had to lead pathetic life at the end
as he could not control his desires or limited his requirements whereas Pothana
with equal knowledge but limited income had the courage to even refuse the ,dedication
of his book to the then kings but still could lead a life the way he wanted. History always respected Pothana over
Srinatha for the personal qualities. People like JRD Tata, NR Narayana Murthy,
GD Birla set examples for earning money without crossing moral limits, whereas
people like Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Pramahamsa, Ramana Maharshi etc taught
us the way to limit desires and requirements.People like Mahatma Gandhi and Balagnandhar
Tilak personified both.
FEAR IS THE BIGGEST ENEMY
Fear of failure and fear of criticism
are the biggest stumbling blocks for people to act and succeed at many times.
But inaction is unpardonable and wrong action is only perception. People who do
not act not only fail in that activity but fail in their life. But failure in
action is many times a temporary setback or failure to reach the stretched
goals set by you or others. Reaching 90% of goal or finishing second or third
is not a failure as told by some modern management
gurus “you will still be in the pit of you cross 90%”. It is evaluation and
stepping stone for further future success. Even Thomas Edison failed 1000 times
before inventing electric bulb. History did not call them failures but as
experiments. Abraham Lincoln failed in every election starting from ward
councilor, Senator, Governor, Vice President before getting elected as
President. Many students try for IIT seat or University Rank but end up getting
EAMCET Rank or College Rank. But getting EAMCET Rank or College Rank are also
no mean achievements. Only the people who are recognized or talked about are
criticized. Criticism to be taken as a thing to be reviewed about If it is for
development take it positively if not ignore it. Karma yoga teaches you to act
without thinking about its results. Results include expecting praise from
others for all your actions. Karma Yoga also teaches that inaction is not
possible and we are always engaged in some involuntary acts like breathing or
killing insects with our movements. Laziness should not be tolerated at any
cost.
SPOUSE IS THE BACKBONE
Cooperation of the spouse is a
prerequisite for the success of all. There is a old saying that “Behind every
man's success there is a woman”. I am not sure whether these words are told in
the above context or women guided or at least acted as catalysts in the man's
success. Cooperation of the spouse does not guarantee success or development
but non cooperation of spouse certainly leads to not realizing full potential
or not reaching the goal and becomes hindrance in the path. This should be kept
in mind always by any partner who wishes the welfare of the other.
FAMILY IS INSURANCE
One thing we Indians always take as a
matter of routine is our parents living together always even though there are
some differences exist between them. But it is not as common as we feel if we
take the situation prevailing in many parts of the world. Parents living
together is the root cause of success of Indian children and we are always at
advantage with the family as a pillar of strength behind us. If there are any
doubts just read biography of Barack Obama, President of US. Just observe how
fortunate we Indians are before cursing our customs and superstitions. We can
always rely on family for support in case if conditions are adverse. This is
the best and cheapest insurance available anywhere in the world. Togetherness is happiness not only for us but
also for our future generation.
