How wrong I was! How petty my outlook! How narrow my vision!

It’s the intent that really matters

Although being a square peg in a square hole is a necessary condition for happiness, by no means is it sufficient. Doing what I love as a profession certainly made effort less painful and more enjoyable, but there was a sense of emptiness and restlessness—a feeling of struggle. It felt as if I was rowing my boat against an invisible tide or walking uphill with a heavy load, all alone. No doubt passion for my work provided me with the energy to keep moving—but still, the whole effort somehow seemed wasteful and avoidable. There must be a better way, I told myself.

Then I discovered that the problem lay in my intent. I noticed that when I was involved in a selfless act, everything came to me easily, as if under grace. On the other hand, when I did what I loved doing only towards the fulfilment of my own needs—financial or otherwise—I was bound to feel incomplete and discontent.

Personal success is not equal to contentment

I am an intrinsic part of the environment I live in—its people, its animals, its resources—everything. When I am focussed on achieving my greatest potential without regard to my world, I may work hard and do whatever it takes, but my end goal is individual, personal. In the past I followed my dreams and goals because I was raised to subscribe to the capitalistic view of the world, which says that individuals need to think for themselves and maximise their own wellbeing.

But when has the part ever been more well than the whole?

No matter how it appears, I can never truly prosper and feel well when all I think about is myself. I may succeed in accumulating wealth and finding fame but authentic happiness will evade me, peace of mind will remain a dream, and life will always seem like struggle. Being self-centred, I may reach great heights of success and take pride in my achievement but it will lack the contentment that comes when I join forces with the greater intelligence that makes the sun rise, the flowers bloom and the earth spin on its axis.

Moving away from personal fulfilment and glory

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”
— Rabindranath Tagore

That is why I have this longing to let go of my quest for personal success and instead focus on serving others, be useful to the environment of which I am an inseparable part. Of course I can continue to do what I love doing, but the intent now is not personal fulfilment and glory but the betterment of my world. I believe that doing so lets me flow with the tide because I am now involved in cooperating with the collective intent of greater good.

Success takes on a fresh new flavour when you do what you love doing in service of your fellow beings and the planet. I am born with many gifts and I have realised that I find my bliss in giving them away. What I receive in return is invaluable: the support of the whole Universe.

 
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Story of the Lion and the Fox

There was once a man who prayed relentlessly for divine awareness to bring him lasting joy and success in his life. Finally, after months of praying, his effort bore fruit. As he went to sleep, he dreamed that he was wandering in the forest looking for enlightenment.

The next morning, taking the dream as a cue from God, he headed to the woods and meandered there for several hours looking for some sign that would provide answers. That’s when he spotted a fox with no legs lying between two rocks in a cool place.

Curious as to how a crippled fox has been surviving, he hid behind a tree and waited until sunset and was surprised to see a lion come and lay meat before the fox. “Ah, now I understand,” the man thought. “The secret to success in life is to trust that God will take care of all my needs. I don’t need to struggle to provide for myself. All I have to do is simply surrender.”

Two weeks later, weakened and starving after applying his newfound “wisdom”, the man had another dream. In it he heard a voice say, “Fool! Be like the lion, not like the fox.”

A Powerful Lesson on Serving

There’s such a powerful lesson in this Zen tale for everyone who walks the path of self-discovery. Life is a fine balance between surrender and service. The crippled fox was in the state of surrender because of his physical inability to do anything. The lion, on the other hand, was capable of hunting; he was in a position to help the fox and was doing exactly that.

When I am fully capable of helping myself and others, I have the opportunity to be the large-hearted lion. At such times, I need to act courageously, move forward with conviction and do all that I can to the best of my ability. I must not look for an excuse to shy away from action. I must be careful not to resign myself to a difficult situation and recognise the strengths I possess. Besides, being of service to others is a privilege. When someone needs my help, it means I am being given the opportunity to use my gifts and I must be grateful for that.

When to Surrender

There are also times when I actually find myself in the position of the crippled fox—absolutely helpless regarding a situation. Such times—when there’s simply no way out—are times to practise surrender, which is another way of saying that I must simply relax and allow life to unfold. Such surrender is an act of faith, and comes from a deeper understanding that whatever is happening is exactly what is supposed to happen. How do I know that? Because, it is happening! As Byron Katie says, “When I argue with reality, I lose—but only 100 per cent of the time.” I might as well accept what is. Then, a lion may or may not be on his way to rescue me—that’s not my lookout. My job is to make peace with my situation, however undesirable it is. Because, life has its own way of working out.

My great challenge, of course, is to guard against the tendency to underestimate my inner strengths or assume false weaknesses as an excuse for inaction. When I do so, I am behaving like the man in the above story who acted like the crippled fox even though he was really a mighty lion.

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