Hari
Om
Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by
which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality
and become more congruent within our personality.
The next text which will guide the
Choose-day posts is "Tips for Happy Living - jIvnsUÇai[
/jiivanasuutraani", by Swami Tejomayananda (Guru-ji). Choose-days writings
are here to prompt deeper thinking on the choices made on a daily basis and
seek to provide prompts for raising the standard of one's thinking and living.
This text composed in format of Sanskrit traditional teachings, speaks directly
to this purpose. As ever, the full text may be obtained from CM Publications - or your local centre
(see sidebar).
Getting
back on track…
How
to harness our potential?
Tasami_aVy®ywR<
tu jIvne ïe:Q< lúymavZykm!.7.
Taasaam-abhivyaktyartham
tu jiivane shreshtham lakshyam-aavashyakam ||7||
(but) to manifest them, a great goal in life is
necessary.
Necessity
is the Mother of Invention.
Many
of our potentials have manifested out of necessity to survive or thrive. A
police officer tried catching a weak-looking thief who escaped. When asked by
his chief why the thief outran him, he said, 'I ran as part of my duty, he ran
to save his life… his motivation was greater!" Great potential may at
times manifest out of necessity, but usually if the goal is only to survive,
you work enough only to survive. If you just want to pass, you study just
enough to scrape through.
Role
of Goal -Manifesting Potential
How
much strength do we need in lifting a book? Not so much. To lift something heavier, a lot more
strength is needed and utilised. We can also increase our ability to lift
heavier and heavier objects by practice, little by little edging up the pounds
or kilos. For most of us though, the heaviest object we need to carry is
ourselves. The weight-lifter who decides to win in the Olympics, practices day
and night in order to lift that gold medal! The higher the goal, the greater is
the potential that we manifest. Goals enable and motivate us to perform to our
optimal potential.
Role
of Goal - Overcoming Obstacles
Edmund
Hillary said, "I did not conquer Mt Everest; I conquered myself."
When the great mountain stands before us beckoning, we can more easily overcome
our moments of weakness. Therefore, higher the goal, greater is the ability we
manifest in overcoming the obstacles from within and without. In mentioning
mountains, it is important to understand that we do not have to first pick the
tallest or the most rugged. Sometimes molehills can trip us up if we do not
know how to approach them! Goals do not have to be to rule the world; they can
be about managing to make each day a little happier - but if we don't set that
as a goal, what will provide it for us, what will drive us to it?
