We pursue many goals, which is fine as long as we know the highest priority, says AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI

Before you do that, you should be clear about the difference between a goal and a duty. Let me give the definitions of these two words. The word ‘goal’ is defined as something you hope to achieve. And the word ‘duty’ has been defined as something that you feel you have to do because it is your moral or legal responsibility. But the more appropriate definition of the word duty will be: What is dictated by time, place, and circumstances. Now an example will clarify the difference between these two words. A student is preparing for his final exam and is fully engrossed in it. However, his mother falls ill and needs a lot of attention, which means spending time with her. Yes, the boy’s goal is to do well in exams in order to further his academic career, but his duty temporarily supersedes his goal to a certain extent. Therefore, we can say that goal is long-term, while duty is what is required to be taken care of immediately.

As this article is about goals, let us see what kind of goals people set for themselves. A son of a rich man is studying hard to learn as much as he can before joining his father’s business. He wishes to make a lot of money in life. A daughter of a poor immigrant in the USA is learning law. Her goal is to pursue legal profession in order to have both sufficient money and respect in society. The third example is of a son of a famous cricketer. He is honing his skills in order to become as good and famous as his father, if not better. The last example is of an aging doctor. Though he is making a lot of money, he is not peaceful. He must, therefore, decide what his main goal is. There cannot be more than one main goal because the main thrust can be on one only. He has to curtail his practice hours to do spiritual practices in case becoming peaceful is paramount for him. These must take precedence over his professional duties. He must keep his goal of gaining peace uppermost in mind at all times while doing his duties. In short, the main goal has to be one only, while duties can be many.

Unfortunately, not everyone is clear about his or her main goal. They pursue many objectives. This is fine as long as one knows which has the highest priority. I will cite my personal example in this connection. I am a businessman but I am not entirely peaceful. I wish to enjoy sukha or happiness, which is possible only if I am peaceful. This enjoyment should not be entirely limited to sense pleasures but also to make me feel good. I am using the Sanskrit word sukha, which adequately describes what I am seeking. This word has been frequently used in the Gita. How am I going about seeking peace? From the Gita, I have learned that peace can only be obtained by having proper consciousness. Such consciousness comes by having faith in God. So I had to develop faith in God, which comes by doing spiritual practices as instructed by God. In the Gita, Lord Krishna has set out in great detail what He expects us to do. I began doing what the Lord expects and slowly realisations began to come. Meanwhile, I systematically reduced my involvement with my business. I made committees of senior employees to oversee different aspects of business and to involve me only when they were unable to agree upon something. This has worked very well for me. I have plenty of time now to pursue my spiritual goal. My mind is gradually getting controlled. I am beginning to become peaceful and there are glimpses of sukha, which I treasure very much. The key was to identify my main goal and work on it.

Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com