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Self-confidence

The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.
   
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."
   
He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time." The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!
   
"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the un-cashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.
   
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.
   
One year later, he returned to the park with the un-cashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.
   
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."And she led the old man away.
   
The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.
   
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Perfect means ‘no change’

Knowledge means without any mistake. Anything without any mistake is perpetually right. And anything based on mistaken idea will change. You have to correct the mistake. One scientist is putting forward one theory—after a few years this theory is changed. Another person will say, "Now here is the perfect." After ten years, another will come," No, that is not perfect. This is perfect." This is going on. They take it as advancement in research, but actually the knowledge is imperfect. Otherwise, what is the necessity of research and advancement? They do not know what is the end of advancement. Therefore all their knowledge is imperfect. Imperfect knowledge is that as soon as he comes to the imperfect point, "yes, we are trying." Trying means still knowledge is imperfect. Now we have to accept knowledge from Vedas without change. We do not say, "Five thousand years ago Krishna said like this. Now we are advanced. We change this line." You cannot do that. If you change the word of the scripture, then where is the authority of the scripture? So as soon as you change, that means it is imperfect. Five thousand years ago Krishna said, "You give up all other religious principles. Simply surrender unto Me."[Bg. 18.66]  We are preaching the same thing. One who is very experienced medical practitioner, he gives you a prescription; you visit him again and again, he gives you the same prescription unless you are cured. He doesn't change. He knows, "This is the disease, and ultimately this medicine will cure. So let him repeat that medicine." But a non-experienced physician, every time you go, he will change the prescription. We follow no change policy. Not that I think I have become advanced so, I change this to that.

Freedom from hankering, lamentation and fear

The grace of the Lord is abhaya, free from fearfulness. The benediction of the Lord is never to be lost. It is simply to be enjoyed. One simply gains and enjoys gaining. Bhagavad-gita also confirms this: when one achieves the grace of the Lord, the result is that all distresses are destroyed. When situated in the transcendental position, one is freed from the two kinds of material diseases—hankering and lamentation. Lamentation is for loss, and hankering is for gain. Hankering means, “I have no money, but if I get a million dollars, then I'll be happy." And when we have a million dollars, somehow it will be lost. So lamentation, "Oh, I have lost it!" So both hankering and lamentation are distresses. If someone accumulates a million dollars, he is always full of fear thinking, "What if the money is lost?" When one is situated in his own spiritual consciousness, then he will have no hankering and no lamentation. If we know that Krishna is the source and proprietor of the entire material energy, we understand that everything belongs to Him and that anything gained is given by Him for His service. Thus we do not hanker for the things of this world. Furthermore, if something is taken away by Krishna, then what is the need for lamentation? We should think, "Krishna wanted to take it away from me. Therefore, why should I lament? The Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes. He takes away, He also gives." When one is thus in full knowledge, there is no more lamentation and no more hankering. That is the spiritual platform. This is the best education, by which you become anxiety-less. That is perfection of education. 

If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging

A great football coach once said,” Just because you’re doing something wrong, doing it more intensely won’t help.”

Yet, how often do we do just that? We are making a mistake, getting ourselves into trouble – and, instead of backing off, reflecting, and doing it differently, we roll up our sleeves and do the very same thing even more intensely!

The same pattern exists in many areas of our lives. Many people have a great deal of conflict to manage. Whenever a potential new conflict arises, or the environment or circumstances seem to be encouraging that development, instead of backing off and looking  for new ways to defuse the situation, they charge straight ahead, as always – repeating their identical patterns and responses, taking the adversarial approach – and, once again, find themselves in the middle of another drama or conflict. Then, frustrated and stressed, they assume the world is to blame, or that they need to find more effective and more aggressive ways to deal with things. This is the essence of being in a vicious circle. The same essential problems come up over and over again, unless and until you see your own contribution – and vow to do something differently.

The solution is simple, but not always very easy. The trick is to recognize when your part of the pattern is being repeated; for example, “Here I am, arguing again,” or “I’m upset by the very same things – this sure feels familiar.” Then, rather than clenching your fists, feeling frustrated, filing your mind with stressful thoughts, and trying the same old thing, you instead relax, back off, and empty your mind. Soften and try to see the situation in a whole new way. 

What is that joyfulness?

People think, "I can enjoy this material world very nicely. Everyone is having such a good time. There is no reason I can't enjoy myself as much as they." This idea is illusion because there is no real enjoyment in the material world. We may be very good-looking, famous, well educated, wealthy and powerful, and we may have a very beautiful wife and children and hold the highest position in the country—but at any moment we are subject to be shot down. This is the nature of this world. There is no question of having pleasure without impediments. Even when the pleasures are earned after a great deal of struggle and sacrifice, they are temporary. In this material world there is no pleasure that can give us constant and unending enjoyment. One has to understand he is not the material body. Then one immediately becomes joyful. Just like if you are implicated in some undesirable affair and your lawyer advises, "Oh, you are free from this implication. The law does not bind you," you feel pleasure, "Oh, I'm free from this implication?" "Yes," similarly, as soon as one is convinced that "I am not this material body," then immediately he becomes joyful. What is that joyfulness? There is no hankering, no lamentation. Only Krishna can give us that. Therefore Krishna instructs in Bhagavad-gita that it is the welfare of every living entity to give up this material activity and just surrender unto Him, He will give protection from all sinful reactions. Unfortunately, people are so attracted by the glitter of material nature that they cannot do it. People always fear that by surrendering to Krishna they will lose something but Krishna is so kind that if He takes anything away, He will reward us a thousand-fold. 

Be willing to take advice

Once upon a time, there were three people who went to watch drama together. One of them was far-sighted, another one had a hearing problem, and the other had a twisted head.

After the show, they were judging the drama.

“Today’s show had great singers, but the costume design was poor,” said the person who had farsightedness.

“The costume was perfect, but the sound was too low,” said the person who had hearing problem.

“The sound was loud and the costume was fine. Everything was great, but the performance stage was lopsided,” said the person who had twisted head.

From the story above, most people do not admit their shortcomings. It’s because the person, who had farsightedness, cannot see things in clarity, but complains about the costume; the one, who had hearing problem, cannot hear things clearly, but complains about the music; the one, who doesn’t admit his twisted head, but complains about the performance stage.
   
According to statistics, the vocabulary most often used in our daily communication is either “I” or “me”. Aren't conflicts among human and disputes among nations, the results of over-emphasizing one's opinion?

Accept sincere advice and the reality of truth given by others. One who is willing to take advice and relinquish one’s ego can work well with others.