Ego- Part of a whole and not a whole in itself

We are all born with an ego, in fact, it is our survival tool and is the platform to board and begin our journey in search of the truth. But for ego, which is the self-esteem and or self-importance, we may remain ignorant, passive and many possibilities may remain unexplored with our immense abilities.

We are all born dependents and gradually move towards Independent- Intradependent-Interdependent. In simple terms as we do not live in isolation but in a society , we have to first establish our identity and then embark on life journey from  I to we, We to us and finally towards the whole(ultimate truth). I is a means to achieve an end and not an end, while ego is just a shadow of that I, let it be that small part.

The problem arises when we start overindulging in this “I” rather than moving towards the whole as mentioned above, we end up moving from I to Me to Mine and Myself.  The self assumes such huge proportions that we become indifferent to impact of our actions on others. we become Possessive, greedy, righteous, self-centered and start appropriating everything as our entitlement to lose the plot.

If we want to be a “GOOD Human being”, we need to first invoke “I” to make it happen, use it for our growth to ultimately surrender and witness life, the way it should be. In the process we rise in our own self esteem through self-awareness and self-respect. If we overindulge here, “I” gives rise to the ego, makes it bigger and we become utter selfish and egoists instead of moving towards selflessness i.e. us.

In order to lead an effective and balanced life, we all strive for growth in following areas and need to be aware that ego can be a spoilsport thus consciously  using the ”I” rather than working for “I”, will help.

Physical growth: Of course we have to take care of our body to be fit and maintain it properly , look beautiful, stay healthy live long and it is a must but quite often we start admiring our own growth, start indulging in the acquired beauty, muscle strength, the fitness and flex it in front of others  which in turn creates problems for everybody and we get mired in our own self-centric behavior.

Mental growth: The continuous process which we all follow for our mental growth is to collect data-analyze- convert to information-acquire knowledge- apply- experience-validate- wisdom- ultimate truth. Most often we end up as I know all, I have done it, I know it, I am right before even experiencing it and the growth stumbles, whereas with each experience we need to go back to “ I do not know” & restart.

Financial growth: of course we cannot become self-dependent without acquiring skills and abilities to make money and support ourselves and later the families as well, it is a must but still only a part of our overall growth, to achieve the end and not an end in itself. The attachments of this material world and the inherent desire to accumulate is infinite because of me. Here you need to take a call and follow the path from I to We-Us-whole and surely dump me-mine and myself.

Spiritual growth: This is a clincher as it helps our “I” to slowly surrender to the whole, as this aspect is about reaching out and connecting with our inner soul. It is a continuous process to develop our inner feelings and powers to harmonize with life around & slowly dissolve the “I” with our responsible actions.

To avoid the pitfall of ego and lead a balanced and effective life, better to build a principled character based on the four natural principles of Respect, Understanding, Love and Evolve. Focus on them in each of the daily activity, practice, make it a habit to become a whole and not remain just “yet another I”.

Satish Shitut

Jai Bharat

Emotions, Temptations and Thoughts are our personal baggage

All human beings are equally born with mind, body, spirit and soul. We also carry personal baggage of emotions, thoughts and temptations(evils)which make our lives complicated and particularly challenging. The beauty is that these three are the cause of human sufferings as well as the happiness. It is honestly said that “they can be our best friends and our best enemies” thus managing them to our own benefit (WIIFM) is the way forward.

All the avatars or prophets also had to go through the human lives to experience maximum human sufferings and come out victorious to prove their godliness. They are the symbols of all virtues and set an example for us to learn from and humanly put into practice. Both sufferings and death are inevitable in our life, a continuous effort to minimize the suffering and maximize the happiness, to the best of our abilities and enjoy the journey, is the name of the game.

Emotions: Fear, anger, shame, disgust, sadness, surprise, curiosity & Joy are main emotions which play a part in our life, first four bring negativity & last three positivity, we have the abilities and energies to minimize and maximize both with our actions. For example, a feeling of disgust due to an action of others can be given a pass and if it is out of our own action, correct it.

Temptations:  Lust, wrath, greed, attachment, jealousy and ego are our internal enemies. If Adam and eve in spite of warning by none other than God were tempted to eat the forbidden apple, who are we to suppress or avoid them thus the best way is to go through the process of self-realization i.e. Experience-Introspect- Conclude, beware and act consciously in future.

Thoughts: Our mind is a processor and is always in a thinking mode, it churns out thoughts by second. That being a neuro process, they come from anywhere and everywhere. They may be good, bad, ugly, beautiful, innovative, critical, novel, lofty, destructive, constructive and all sorts. Let them come and go but do practice cognitive thinking process and skills to channelize them to acquire knowledge, comprehend, process, remember and apply accordingly. They say that all creations happen twice, once when thought or dreamt and second time in real. Make them happen.

Our life is a long journey, this trio is our preloaded baggage which remains with us throughout the life. Emotions are a mixed bag thus it is in our interest not to overload further by being too emotive over sensitive or insensitive. Learn from each thought and temptation to offload them, let them pass and focus on those which benefit you. This is a continues process to follow with the following natural endowments to manage them as per the best of our abilities and efforts.

Self-Awareness:

We have the ability to reflect on our own selves, introspect the inner self with our intellect so use it to analyze, understand  the thoughts, the emotions, the temptations and act based on the best known idiom ”what is in it for me”. Regular introspection and meditation is the way forward.

Freedom to choose action:

Once you have ascertained the WIIFM through the awareness process, experience the same and act consciously based on your own conclusions to evolve your own baggage policy. Never be afraid of failure and or seek advice. Do trust the source but verify as well, to grow.

Always remember that this personal baggage is a normal phenomenon in our lives, be human and enjoy the game of Rummy(pick and discard) to minimize the suffering, maximize the happiness, take both of them in your stride, a win after a loss is more sweeter, they say!

Satish Shitut

Jai Bharat   

Live life golf like- some similarities spiritually

A lot has been said about life being similar to golf and in some ways it is, both are four letter words like the other one which give you ecstatic moments while living or playing and we spend our lifetime in search of them and they remain either sporadic or elusive. Apart from this both life and golf have a huge aspirational aspect to them, easy to look at but complex and complicated to play or live effectively.

In golf, you are a solo player( of course there are competitors but they too are playing their own game like we live our own lives) with 14 clubs in your armor to choose from, to hit a stationery ball at a target determined by you, till you sink it into a hole, there are 18 holes and you are supposed to finish a game in 72 shots. In general, an average golfer takes around 90 plus shots to finish a round of golf, professional take between 67 to 75 plus shots and beginners around 120 plus shots.

In the process, to begin with you need to have a strong desire to play golf, learn, practice, invest time, money, start playing and gradually progress to higher levels with your skill, you are on your own- a player, a referee and a scorekeeper who signs his own report card, you have to play the ball as it lies, overcome all hurdles created by surroundings, weather, ground conditions, take the breaks in your stride and use your clubs ably to reach the target area, approach, land and sink the ball in the hole.

You are not only fighting the external battle as above, but you must overcome the internal issues as well to achieve your desired targets. A strong foundation on basics of the game, fit body, deep breathing, high spirits, alert mind, and soul fully into the game is a perquisite. Self-belief, awareness of the game, understanding of its rules and etiquettes, consideration for others, passion to excel, determination, practicing the skills, execution, fail-succeed-learn and in the process evolve, is the name of the game. We do face similar situations and require the skills in personal lives as well, to progress.

Now to be an effectively a good player, you need to strengthen internally as well, because any perfect shot demands oneness, spiritually too that is the way to progress in life. In golf, it takes roughly 4 and half an hour to finish a round in 72 shots, execution of these shots requires just two seconds each for that oneness where the body, mind and the club are in unison during that swing to impact a stationery ball and propel it to the desired destination. Total 144 seconds (72 X 2) of oneness of two seconds each spread in between periods of inactivity and wavering mind is a tough act and everybody’s nemesis.

Spiritualism says that you are only a part of a whole and you need to dig deeper within you consciously to find the truth of who you are to become one with that whole. and they meditate regularly to seek that oneness and evolve on that path. It is a proven fact that even those who meditate, to focus for two seconds, it requires regular practice as thoughts keep flowing every second. Years of focused regular practice helps them first to scrape the surface, dig deeper and then walk the path of oneness.

Oneness can be achieved by organizing your mind, body, emotions and energies to focus in one direction. Once your physical body, wavering mind, floating thoughts and the energies within are in unison in that direction you reach your destination. Similarly, in your “golf swing” during each shot a skilled golfer must aim, take the right club and posture, head still, eyes on the ball and balance evenly

on the legs and knees. Then leave out emotions, keep the mind and energies on the ball, move the arms, hips, shoulders slowly and swing in unison to achieve the desired shot. Result is the moment of ecstasy.

Practice may not make you perfect but no practice surely makes you imperfect thus keep trying, love the process, forget the momentary lapses and enjoy the moments of ecstasy, that is the way to play golf, live life, lifelong, to evolve with each ecstatic moment to be a better player and or a better human being.

Satish Shitut

Jai Bharat

We are products of environment Fact, Myth & reality

Let us do a reality check on the myth that all humans are product of environment based on facts

Facts:

Birth: The place, time and where we are born is not in our hand.

Race, Religion & Nationality: it comes as a birth tag for us.

Parents: We cannot choose parents, but we are their product.

Upbringing and Education: we are raised and educated by others and conditioned by them.

Surrounding and Neighborhood: It is based on the financial affordability, not choice.

Peer group: More time by default is spent with those of similar age, status and background.

Circumstances: Things around us are changing constantly and affect our behavior.

Emotions: Fear, Anger, shame, disgust, sadness, surprise, curiosity & Joy is our baggage.

Temptations:  Lust, wrath, greed, attachment, jealousy, and ego are our internal enemies.

Life:  It is a complex system in a complex environment.

Myths:

Few myths we believe in, could be true or false as scientifically not yet proved but important.

We are all born equals with immense abilities and infinite possibilities for growth.

Cosmic energy and astronomical patterns play an important role in our lives.

Our destiny is sealed at the time of birth and is a result of our past deeds (Karma).

Religious practices and spirituality help us controlling the ever-wavering mind.

Reality:

It is true that most of us are conditioned and live as per our understanding based on above facts and myths thus end up being products of circumstances and conditioning. Here, if we apply the 80: 20 rule, 80 percent of the humanity lead their lives within these parameters due to following.

Be Passive: accept the fact that life is a product of environment and live a dormant life.

Be Reactive:  Keep reacting to ever changing situations or frustrate and bring more misery.

Be Active: Use the abilities to bare minimum, make the ends meet and manage their lives.

Game-changers:

The 20 % who rise above this and lead effective lives are those who realize the two natural endowments they possess, use them and rise above others to make the difference.

Self-Awareness:

Human beings are the only living creatures who can reflect on themselves, introspect the inner self with their intellect. They respect and understand their own immense abilities, love to take on challenges, overcome them and make things happen.

Freedom to choose: Be Proactive

We are all born free and have the right to choose the way we want to live our life. Those who have hunger for change, persevere and are patient reap the dividends. They consciously take the initiative and passionately pursue their goals to do better and keep evolving.

Best examples are Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Savitribai Phule, Mr. Abraham Lincoln, Dr APJ Abdul kalam who in adversity, created opportunities with their strong desire, karma, high principles, belief in themselves and love for all achieved their goals to write their own destiny. All is in the mind, I can make it happen, is the paradigm shift required to be your own product.

Satish Shitut

Jai Bharat

       

Evolve-Make it happen

In general, we all nourish an intense desire to progress in our lives, look forward to a change for better. A better tomorrow, but for that we need to make that change today, now, in the present. A change in either the situation or others is not in our hands, but a change within ourselves is very much a conscious choice we can make, to develop a process of self-growth culminating into progress in our own life.

We can always go for a change in our lives with quick fix changes in our image by learning personality development techniques, attitudes and behavior skills but the results may only be deceptive, outwardly and short lived unless we also cultivate the principles of Respect, understanding and love internally as pillars of our way of our life to be effective, long lasting and gradually evolve inside-out.

Evolving inside-out is a continuous process of development where you work on your own abilities consciously to learn, unfold, and gradually blossom on your path to progress. In simple terms, you are the script writer of the story of your own life and for it to become a hit, the content has to be good, thus build a  respectful  and a loving character which has a good understanding, live it, love it, expose it to various live situations, fail, adapt, learn, deal effectively and most important enjoy the script. 

Fundamental problems we all face in changing ourselves is the old habits die hard, we are generally happy in status quo, difficult to get out of the comfort zones, procrastinate, lethargy and contentment. we cannot offload this baggage overnight but complete focus, perseverance and hard work on your character building can help to overcome these hurdles, effectively.

It is just a matter of your mental state to be changed from negative to positive by simply igniting your positive energies of I can do it, do it and enjoy it loudly and clearly. The process is sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action reap a habit, sow a habit reap a character, sow a character and reap a destiny.

 The best example in annals of history is of Rishi Valmiki, who was a dacoit  who went to rob saptrishi but the sage felt pity on him, pardoned him and showed him the path of meditation, this in turn transformed him so much, that he went on to script the first and the most revered epic poem  on the earth, “Ramayana” on love, righteousness and shastras which depicted Rama as the ideal man,  Sita as a gem of a lady, Laxman symbol of duties and Bharat a symbol of devotion and sacrifice.

Knowing above, which ever your state of mind and or situation you may be in, if you wish to transform and progress  in your own  life, just become your own programmer, write your own script based on principles of Respect, understanding and love, act as a hero, use your immense natural abilities of the mind, body and soul to  defeat the enemies and negative energies within to evolve victorious.

The moment is now, thus make a choice, be responsible for your own life, choose your script to progress, enjoy every moment of action, keep failing as each failure is an experience in itself and the moment for self-realization, learn from it  and move forward to keep evolving in upward spiral mode.

Satish Shitut

Jaihind

Love-An enjoyable journey of Seeker to become a Spreader

Love is a reality and not a mere sentiment, our soul is love which is eternal and universal, love is pure consciousness. Love cannot be found in duality, it is just oneness thus it can never be found in other or any relationship but within yourself, in your mind, though elusive. One and only thing above all of us is love, highest experience anybody can imagine- the ultimate truth.

In literal and practical world most of us consider and experience it as intense feeling of affection, great interest or liking, sexual act, beloved one, friendship, sweetheart, fondness, admire or cherish, pleasure, enjoy, passion and compassion. We do get happiness out of these acts of love & relationships, but these are temporary, as they come from external source thus bringing with it the fear of loss while any disillusionment can also lead to hatred and despair.

In order to understand in simple and easy way, the difference in practice of love as per above two perspectives, I am taking liberty of broadly dividing these two practices in four categories, two each of seekers and spreaders of love and also apply the 80:20 rule to see which category each one of us belong to and what can we do to reach higher levels of pure love as follows-:

Seekers

1.Those who seek love in others, relationships and worldly things like food, wealth, career, profession, entertainment, drugs, liquor, possessions, power, name and fame.80% of the humanity belongs to this category, few of us do long and try to get in higher category but quite often oscillate between the seeker and spreader due to lack of conscious efforts and meditation.

2.Those who seek love in their passion of things like artists, sportsmen, professionals,

scientists & spiritualists.15% belong to this category who do spread love to others while seeking it, the best examples are Sachin Tendulkar, Roger Federer, Dr A P J Kalam, Ratan Tata, Narayan Murthy, Lata Mangeshkar and many more in their respective fields.

Spreaders

3.Those who are compassionate towards others, care for their wellbeing, treat all equally and consciously work towards alleviation of their sufferings. 4% belong to this category whose life is dedicated and devoted for humanity, best examples are Baba Amte, Florence Nightingale, swami Vivekananda and many more who are the torch bearers of Love in any society.

4.Those who transcend all above, enlightened to have witnessed pure love the “ultimate truth”.1% belong to this category who experience true and infinite love, and then share, teach and bless the whole humanity with their wisdom, best examples are Dalai Lama, Sadhguru and many more honorable saints and sages of our glorious civilization.

In short, all of us have the ability to practice pure love but 80% of us remain entangled in seeking love from other while 20% are able to do better because they consciously respect their abilities, understand the fallacy of temporary love thus consciously work hard to taste the ecstasy of permanent love ,experience it , share it and keep evolving as loving human beings.

The temptations, emotions and the wavering mind are natural distractions thus we all normally end up in first two categories and seek love. The journey of unconditional love is painful but is also the most joyous, like that of a mother giving a birth to a child. Our own journey from a seeker to a Spreader, to total surrender for oneness, may not take us to the higher levels but surely help us in leading an effective, joyful and a balanced life.

Satish Shitut

Jai Bharat

           

To Understand- a Seeker’s process

Understand is one of the key four fundamental principles of natural laws of life, the process of understanding self, life, relationships and the matter plays an important role in building a character-based lovable personality in your pursuit to lead a balanced and an enjoyable life.

Understanding could mean to know well ,perceive, interpret, learn, memorize, get the meaning, know the significance, be empathetic, inference, comprehend, believe, assume & in literal terms “stand under” to get a 360 degrees view of things rather than stand over and view only half of it, to form your own understanding thus we quiet often differ on the same except in science.

Total understanding is a process which involves relevant data, collective information, analysis, conversion of that to knowledge, application, experience, practice, improvisations and then perfection to become wisdom. it is all about focus, observing power, listening skills, care and judge by yourself to make it clear for the best possible understanding on anything.

Understanding requires our brain to think about any person, subject or a situation and use the concepts learnt to deal with them adequately. The abilities of both left and right side of the brain as well as the intelligent and emotional quotients as per the need are used, to grasp any given information mentally and then act upon to process the same, to have a full understanding.

It sounds tough and difficult but if you develop a habit of constructive questioning as a tool to reach lasting and positive conclusions, you shall easily evolve as a very understanding person.

Following aspects help you in your pursuit of “seek to understand” rather than be understood.

 Be a child: Start with, I do not know anything as well as desire to know everything(curious).

Be aware: know well your own abilities and use them to satisfy the needs of person or subject.

Be sensible: Aptly use all your senses viz feel, touch, hear, taste, smell and importantly common sense to analyze, comprehend and respond to any given person object or situation.

Be empathetic: Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, be respectful to all.

Self-realization: Based on each interaction and experiment, you shall learn and improve your understanding. It is an enjoyable and ever evolving learning process to find the truth. There is no better teacher than your own experience, each failure is a forward step towards success.

All human beings have a common basic need to be understood thus most often we want only to be understood as we feel we know everything though we may know nothing and mess up. Always remember that lack of understanding and or misunderstanding has only negative consequences thus it is better to try and seek to understand first and then be understood.

For a True seeker, understanding is the key to the gateway of love, which is the “ultimate truth”.

Satish Shitut

Jai Bharat