Without a vision, nothing can be created. Without a vision for our lives, we get trapped. We start spinning, getting caught up in small things. Little problems become big problems, and we lose ourselves in the process.
When we have a clear direction for our energy, feelings of fatigue, boredom, procrastination, the sense of being stuck – simply vanish. Really, these states of being are created by the mind. We often say, “I’m tired” or “I don’t feel like doing this,” but when we have a clear goal, we forget all that. Think of a mother: she may be exhausted, but if her baby needs something, she forgets her tiredness and tends to the child. A clear goal allows our energy, our Shakti, to flow in the right direction.
So, what should that vision be? In the yogic way of thinking, there is only one ultimate purpose in life: to know, on a deep level, that you are a divine being. To know the Self. In my thinking, the Divine is simply when there is no conflict in the mind—when you are feeling whole and complete, not running around like a hungry ghost always looking for something more.
It reminds me of this story – there was a man who had a habit of stopping every day on his way to work. First he would stop at the coffee shop and talk with his friends there. Then he would go to the newspaper stand and talk with his friend there. Then he would stop and get a snack. All of this he did on his way to work and the same thing on the way home. One day, he got a call: “Your house is on fire!” He dashed out and started running. His friends called out, “Wait! Stop – have some coffee, come and talk, have a snack!” He didn’t even look at them. He had no time to waste. This is our situation. If we remember that our “house is on fire”—that this life is short and every moment is precious—we realize we have no time to get hung up on small disappointments.
Living your highest doesn’t always feel good. I often hear people say “I don’t feel like” doing this or that. An undisciplined mind always flows toward laziness, but if the purpose is clear, laziness has no place. We do what needs to be done.
Ups and downs are bound to happen in human life. There will be good days and hard days. Keeping a higher vision keeps us going. We fall down, we pick ourselves up, and we keep walking.
Start small. Look for a moment in your day when there is no conflict in your mind—when you aren’t eating dinner and already thinking about dessert. Be fully in that moment. That is the Divine moment. When we keep our vision high, the little things can no longer overwhelm us.
