Successful People 5

Successful People 5 The ability to take risks exponentially increases your chances to win the battle and increases the rate of your success. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference,’ says Robert Frost. Success simply implies accomplishment of aim or purpose. Successful people are blessed with a YES mind and are willing to make alterations in their lives . ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,’ wrote Winston Churchill. I can recollect the stories of three people. All were unknown to each other, but had one common strand in their lives. They were all alcoholics and were suffering — physically and emotionally. Their families were distraught, children petrified and relationships with spouses hitting rock bottom. ‘The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand,’ says Vince Lombardi. A posteriori , I recommended they undertake the Art of Living courses. The first colleague, junior to me, agreed to do a three-day course and found undergoing the ‘Sudarshan Kriya’, a breathing technique offered by the Art of Living, to be an exhilarating experience. He did not immediately quit alcohol, but managed to fight the battle with the bottle for yet another day. To begin with, his dependency on alcohol reduced substantially. If only he had continued with the practice of Sudarshan Kriya and also participated in other Art of Living courses unfailingly, he could have managed to combat the problem of alcoholism successfully. It is the vacillating and not the intrepid mind that acts as an impediment to the progress of man, be it materially or spiritually. The second individual did not have the gravitas in him to eschew the habit. He refused to undergo the course or take any other professional help and rather tragically succumbed to the lethal disease. And finally, the narrative of the third person. He kept struggling with dark and gloomy thoughts and a negative shroud enveloped his personality. Fortunately, he listened to me and attempted to do the Happiness Programme of the Art of Living. But destiny willed something else and for reasons beyond human control, he could not do the course. However, he had traveled all the way from Jaipur to Bangalore to have the Darshan of Gurudev as he was sick of the addiction which had numbed his immune system and he had begun suffering from a variety of health problems. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar asked this gentleman to get admitted to the Ayurvedic hospital located at Bangalore Ashram and undertake a rehab, before doing the course. He ignored the sagacious advice at his own peril and fled back to Jaipur. His monkey mind was still not at rest and kept conjuring tricks to continue his dalliance with Bacchus. However, the ways of the Masters cannot be appreciated by the small mind. Only a mind of superior intelligence can grasp the nuances, nods, smiles and acknowledgements of those spiritually evolved. Masters never foresake any needy who approaches and ensures help would be rendered in some form or the other. It so transpired that though this gentleman did not do the Art of Living course, he joined the Alcoholics Anonymous and over a period of time became sober. Ever grateful nonetheless, he always made it a point to have Guruji’s darshan whenever the Master was in Jaipur or Delhi. Thus did the divine grace flow to the seeker. The second case was a tragic one. But, rest assured, 66 per cent success was achieved and that itself was heartening. Those who gave 100 per cent were rewarded with success. That is the Law of Universe . It fulfills all positive intentions, provided they are pure in content and form. These are stories of men like any one of us, who have faced trials and tribulations in their lives. Some try, some struggle and some are successful. The choice is ours and that of our minds. The human mind is extremely important in providing the right course and direction. The mind remains an enigma and its potential is yet to be harnessed. Mind Power can make people successful or failures. However, it is paramount to give one’s 100 per cent. To be successful in our careers or to make a 360-degree shift in lives like those suffering from any debilitating addiction, the individual needs to take risks and not become prisoners of their past or remain stuck in their pigeon holes. Determination, Dedication, Dabbling with something new, Doggedness of pursuit map our minds to believe in the self and its convictions. A successful person and mind invariably lives in the Present Moment to be a harbinger of change. It is important to keep le