Professional and personal life is an extension of oneself. In day to day life, we come across situations that require us to adapt to meet the demands of the situation. Most often, we are coping up with situations rather than being in control of it. It is this coping up that creates internal strife, which is the root of all the discord within and hence outside.
Whenever we respect, care, have deep belonging to anything, we are most particular about it. We do everything possible to make it perfect. This brings about a natural sense of duty, responsibility towards it. This natural response further enhances our ability to assess situations, prioritize, plan and organize. Generally the conflict that comes with professional and personal life pertains to the choices we make and our ability to cope with those choices. Our ability to cope depends on our understanding of the situation, its demands, what needs to be done to accomplish it and actually doing it. Bringing about a balance in life requires knowledge of one’s abilities, duties, understanding the demand of the specific time, place and situation and most importantly having the discipline to fulfill ones responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Effortlessness in everything we do comes from our joyous and enthusiastic approach to it.
Our world is a reflection of our own state of being. When we are disturbed, confused, low, we find the world around us in a turbulent state, which in turn affects us and vice versa. When we are at peace and balanced, we are at our best. In order to find a balance in our outer world be it professional or personal, there has to be a balance within us. To find this balance within us, we must first know what this balance is, what causes the imbalance and how to attain to this balanced state.
A balanced state is the natural state of the Self. This state of equanimity is the expression of the Self without the interference of our mind. The science of uncovering the nature of our mind and rediscovering our Self is the process of Yog. Until the time that one is subject to fancies of one’s mind and ensnared by the play of one’s senses there is no escape from oneself. In our daily life, we are constantly being tugged in different directions by our thoughts and churned in the whirlpool of our emotions. It is price we pay to be enslaved by our mind, senses and our tendencies. Unless we reclaim our long forgotten supremacy there is no escaping from our mind and its tendencies.
The quest for balance in life is the quest for Self Realisation. Only the one who has mastered oneself is balanced and hence a master of the world around. The quest for Self Realisation, is to awaken to our true nature. This is the journey taken by every aspirant in the path of Yog. This is a path for the warriors, aspirants, because one has to put everything on the line to rediscover one’s Self. The shackles of deep rooted ignorance of ‘I’, ‘Me’ and ‘Mine’ have to be destroyed to realize one’s own nature. Only Grace can liberate oneself from this state of avidya or ignorance. To be worthy of this Grace is the path of sadhana, worship undertaken by each aspirant. In this worship, one offers oneself ceaselessly at all levels of existence – whether thought, speech, action, being. The offering is of oneself in the supreme quest of perfection, to offer the best we can be – at all time, place and situation. This unbroken yearning to realize the Self, the unbroken self-effort to offer ones very best and deep self-inquiry to know the transient from the eternal, is born only to a devoted heart. A heart that is free from limitations of ‘I’, ‘Me’ and ‘Mine’, steeped in purity of a selfless life, is worthy of devotion. Only this heart is the recipient of abundance of Grace.
Although, the aforesaid cannot be captured in mere words, it gives a glimpse of the journey each one of us has to take. It is a reminder of how precious life is. How wonderful it is to be alive and how we must selflessly give our best to each moment. With this realization, everything we do will be perfect. A balanced existence comes about naturally. Life then is simple and joyous. Be it professional life or personal, there will be a natural balance. Then, no matter the highs, lows, twists and turns, one is at one’s best to do what is necessary at that moment joyously and enthusiastically.