Dream is not what you see when you sleep, dream is something that doesn't let you sleep. This quote, supposedly by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, one of the most charming Presidents that India has had, has been doing the rounds on Facebook and Twitter. And quite inspirational, I must say. But then if a dream doesn't let someone relax or sleep - they would, in a greater likelihood, fall short of achieving their dream.
Motivational speakers talk of passion. I have seen people with killer passion, and I have seen them fail miserably. If you haven't had some good sleep, you cannot wake up the next day and work with your efficiency and effectivity at its peak for too long. Outer dynamism and inner peace, have to go hand in hand. There is no alternative.
Guruji explains - if you have to go from Delhi to Pune - you have to buy the ticket, and then load your luggage, and then seat yourself. And then, you have to stop thinking about it, and enjoy the journey. Passion has its place, it gets you started. But then you cannot walk to your goal loaded with passion in your head. You have to drop it. You have to find the balance.
When the mind is anxious, or doing some or the other planning all the time, or in the habit of driving me to some or the activity every minute - it hampers my creativity, I am not my natural self (sometimes I may not realize it though), and I simply lack the punch... the impact... on people and situations. Most great ideas happen to people when their bare bums are fixed on the royal seat. When the mind is at peace, when it has nothing to do and nowhere to go, we are at our best.
How to find balance ?
- Everyday... exercise, do Sudarshan Kriya, and meditate.
- When you are very immersed in something, take a break and do something completely irrelevant.
- Read some knowledge. Not your trigonometry, or accounts, or medicine or programming books. Take out sometime, and learn about the Self. 'Celebrating Silence' is a good book to start with. My favorite is 'Ashtavakra Gita'. It's not really suited for the beginners though.
- If you still find yourself stuck, take a pillow and go to sleep. The world will not come to an end.
