the potential to be great!

Verse 4.28: Having accepted strict vows, some become enlightened by sacrificing their possessions, and others by performing severe austerities, by practicing the yoga of eightfold mysticism, or by studying the Vedas to advance in transcendental knowledge.

The Olympics. Although I rarely think of the Olympics when they aren't on tv, by the time they roll around I am hooked and gripped in Olympic-fever.

These talented individuals not only make everything they do look easy but they do so with such focus, determination and confidence. Although the external draw may be the palpable drama and uncertainty of not knowing who will win the gold, there's a huge lesson that we can learn from these individuals.

Everyone has the potential to be great; it just requires proper coaching, faith and focus.

These three elements are necessary for success in all endeavors and even more so when specializing and trying to excel.

1. Proper coaching - this one element could arguably be the most important component to achieving success. Everything else stems from it. Not only does a coach, teacher, guru or guide enable one to learn and hone their skills, such persons provide a support system which is something we all need and crave.

As living beings, we are inspired by loved and encouragement and that's exactly what a qualified coach provides. They also serve as motivators who push us to do more than we ever believe ourselves to be possible of. This is why the concept of guru or a qualified teacher, is brought up again and again in the bhakti texts. It is not only integral to yoga but to life itself.

2. Faith - without having strong conviction that our pursuits are worthy and that we are capable of accomplishing them, it's extremely easy to get distracted and quit. That's why it is important to remember that our faith must constantly be fed. It's not a one time thing! When we associate ourselves with individuals who not only believe in us but are also pursuing a similar path or goal, our faith naturally increases. That's why like-minded association is invaluable.

3. Focus - focus is the result of having a solid foundation of support (through coaching) and faith. It's what allows us to sacrifice and set aside our short-term desires for the long-term goal. Similar to faith, it is something that has to be constantly fed and one of the ways to keep it alive and well is by controlling the mind. The Gita specifically talks about this at length and gives the answer to how we can become focused - through practice and detachment. We continue to do our very best everyday and if we become distracted, we do not dwell on it but pick ourselves up and get back on track.

It's important to remember though that these principles which can lead one to greatness are not reserved for a selected few but are available to everyone. The fact is we all have the potential to be great and are meant for greatness!

a life less complicated

Verse 4.21: Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions, and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions.

Although we have so much in terms of technology, facilities and entertainment, dissatisfaction is running rampant in the world today. Conversations seem to be peppered with the phrase "Life is really complicated these days," and are frequently accompanied with a long suffering sigh!

How did we make our lives so complicated and what can we do to make it more simple?

It's a question that so many people ask these days and today we find the answer in the Gita. Our lives become complicated....

When we try to claim proprietorship over something, someone or someplace

The moment we do so, we immediately inherit complications.

In simple words, proprietorship means claiming something is "Mine". As was explained in the 'Attachment Trap', as soon as we identify ourselves with something (i.e. become attached to it) it can pave the way to lust, anger, delusion etc... if we don't approach it with the right attitude.

There's the potential for things to get complicated....fast!

So what can we do to make things more simple?

When we let go of any sense of proprietorship, recognizing that everything is the energy of the Divine and is on loan to us from Him, a huge burden is removed from our shoulders. Instead of seeing people and things as possessions to own and control for our own pleasure, we start to see everything as they really are - people and things that are worthy of our respect. Instead of trying to gain happiness from them, our mindset changes to how we can give happiness to the one who has given us all these treasures.

Gratitude starts to awaken within our hearts. Things that we may have perceived as obstacles transform into gifts and lessons and our lives become peaceful and happy.

That's what a life less complicated is really about. It's about living a life where our hearts are filled with gratitude and lightness. The only thing we need to do is: appreciate more and think about ourselves less.

a life of learning

Verse 4.17: The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is.

In Chapter 2 we discussed at length what karma (action), vikarama (forbidden action) and akarma (inaction) are. For anyone who would like a refresher, you can check it out here. Today, however, I'd like to talk about the real life application of these concepts.

Before getting to that, I'd like to share a beautiful quote from one of my favorite bhakti yoga mentors since it relates perfectly to this topic of application.

"It's very important to practice spirituality for practical application of spiritual knowledge."

Let's meditate on that for a moment, shall we? What does it actually mean? It means that we may hear lots of beautiful concepts and ideas but unless we actually try to implement that knowledge in our daily lives, it won't actually translate to wisdom. That's because wisdom is "the art of converting an experience into learning."

If we don't strive to apply what we've heard, then chances are we'll never really learn.

That's what our lives can become if we choose to live a life of learning. Since we are constantly performing actions, whether consciously or unconsciously, we get the perfect opportunity at every moment to tune into our motivations. Why are we doing something? Is it for our own satisfaction? Is it to make ourselves feel better? Is it really helping others? By posing such questions, we are forced to evaluate what is driving our actions. And trust me, if we actually attempt to do this even a little bit, it's amazing how introspective we'll become of our own thoughts and motivations.

Of course, we'll find that many times we'll skip out on checking into our motivations and you know what? It's ok. After all, for some of us this may be a slightly foreign concept to first reflect and then act. And like any habit, it takes practice and time. Even if we are starting to reflect after the fact, that's a step in the positive direction.

If and when we do reflect afterwards, it won't be uncommon to look back and perhaps cringe. Yes...that too is part of the process. It's may be uncomfortable to recognize what motivates our behaviour and distorts our consciousness. But that too is part of the learning process.

If we are unable to see the obstacles that prevent us from acting in positive and selfless ways, then we won't learn how to overcome them.

Life is all about the journey and in it there is the potential to learn so many lessons. Karma is one of the ways these lessons are dolled out. The Gita gives us practical knowledge as to why we face our current situations (i.e. results of our past actions). Equally important, the Gita teaches us how our reactions to these circumstances will impact our future. So...are you ready to live a life of learning?