Manage Life, Manage it All

Cultivate Confidence

One should not look down on oneself. The greatest achievers were the most ordinary people. Napoleon was just a Corsican farmer, a peasant who grew to the great heights of gentry, became an emperor and conquered almost the whole of Europe. Swami Vivekananda was a confused youngster from College until Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa gave him the insight and he asked himself. "What have I done so far? This is when he became a roaring lion in Vedanta for the whole world. Mahatma Gandhi was an ordinary Barrister. He was not a politician. How did he become a great man? Shankaracharya was a little child. Today, their lives are glorified, but the beauty is that they all started as ordinary people.

Bhagawan Sri Krishna has said in the Bhagavad-Gita "Lift yourself by yourself and do not lower yourself again." Each one has the capacity for greater achievements. Do not look down upon your self. Nelson Mandela, in his inaugural speech echoed this idea from Gita. He mentioned that people are not afraid of their weakness, but there strength, they are not afraid of their failures, but of greatness; they do not fear inadequacies. Success, whether material or spiritual, is guaranteed if one is willing and ready to work for it. The seed of greatness is present in everyone but it is not sprout because of fear or lack of confidence. Everyone is seeking peace and happiness. The rishis gave up their lives not to give us pebbles- poverty, cheap thrills or joys in the name of religion, but to give the goal of the infinite. They pointed out, "Go for the best, GO for the infinite" The whole bulk of the scriptures points out the infinite nature of a human
being. Each one is the infinite. Each one is unique and each one is special. Converting your potential into performance is the art of management.

Learning from Sorrow and Failure

Unfortunately most of our lives goes complaining. Half of our lives goes in questioning. Why?, Why did this happen?" And the other half goes in asking "What? What will happen?" We are either grieving over the past or brooding over the future. The intellect always ask questions, but questioning will be either positive or negative. We have to learn the art of questioning itself. When failures or sorrows come in life, one must examine the cause and learn from past mistakes.

Sri Krishna did not pat Arjuna when he wanted to escape from the Battlefield in the name of spirituality. Krishna thundered, "I am asking you where? Where has the perilous condition come from, O Arjuna? How has a Hero like you collapsed to this condition?"

Sri Krishna almost whipped Arjuna "Don't give into impotence. O Partha! It does not befit thee. Therefore, give up this means weakness of heart. Stop grieving over why and what, Get up and face the challenge of life. This first statement immediately transformed the character of Arjuna's mind. He changed his question, How, O Madhusudana, shall I in battle fight with arrows, against Bhishma and Drona?

Practical people of the world do not sit and question about the uncertain future. They question, "How I can make it happen?" The moment Arjuna put forward this question, his thinking changed and rather than getting depressed, he said, "Please instruct me. How can I face the battle of my life?".

Therefore the science of life management, complete in all its aspects, starts with this question. The diverse aspects relating to material as well as spiritual success are the different facets of the diamond of our life. We have to cut and polish the sides so that it shines and reflects the brilliance of bliss, happiness and infinity.