One shouldn’t aim big, but focus should always be on making small progress. life will be more satisfying, writes Ajit Kumar Bishnoi
In our lives, most of us make progress; at least we are supposed to. And such progress can be big, which catches attention of the public, or small or subtle, which hardly anyone notices, including the self. Some examples of having made noticeable progress are: Becoming leader of a nation, having succeeded in big business, landing a highly paying job after finishing education, becoming a regular Indian test player, creating a masterpiece, writing a bestseller, starring in a lead role of a box-office hit, and to develop spiritual consciousness as different from material consciousness.
Some examples of making subtle progress are: to be a good student, a good mother, successful doctor, a glorious sportsperson, to be an honest spiritual writer, being a good husband, a sought after singer, to develop soul consciousness and to love God.
Realistically speaking, only a small percentage of people taste big success. There have been instances of masterpieces of some artists having been found after they had passed away unrecognised. Similarly, some writings were recognised as very high class after a very long time; the writer was long gone by then unsung.
Therefore, we are better off feeling satisfied when we make some progress, and continue to do so throughout our lives. let me take an example of a student. School life begins with tears as the child is forced to leave the secure premises of home to be with strangers and is disciplined. A good child adjusts quickly and gains approval of his or her teacher. Now the journey of learning has started. If the child pays attention to studies, he or she is on the way to become a good student. He or she will be generally in the top 10 of the class, which is highly satisfying. Such students generally are successful in life.
If we are able to strike friendship with a good person, we have made important progress. However, first of all, it is difficult to find a genuinely good person, and if we find one, we are unable to adjust with him or her. But believe me, it is worth the effort. In any case, no one is perfect, not even a good person. A good friend is worth his weight in gold.
This is for married men. If you strike friendship with your wife, you have made huge progress. You may feel that she is not a genuinely good person. Yes, maybe, she is not, but now she is your wife leaving you no choice but to accept her. Believe me, it will make your life so much easier if you do that.
This is for women. Being good mothers is natural because there is always bonding with the child at least for the first few years. let this bond not break for whatever reasons; both will gain. Rather the whole family will gain. let the child be taught good values, and this is real progress.
Now I come to my favourite topic of love of God. This is really difficult, much more difficult than any I have mentioned so far. WhyIJ Because God is subtle. Then, there is a natural tendency to disbelieve in the existence of God. Does it not absolve us from doing all the right things propounded by GodIJ It is no wonder that you will always find people who will ask you to prove the existence of God knowing full well that it is not possible to do so; God is realised not proved by arguments. If someone is able to accept God in principle and begin doing what God expects us to do, there will be progress. And this is the mother of all kinds of progress. By the way if one is able to do so, all the big progress I have mentioned earlier will be nothing compared to it. Those are left behind with the body; this one is perpetual, which will continue to give us unbelievable benefits.
In the end, it is not being suggested that one should not aim big, but the focus should always be on making small progress. life will be much more satisfying.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com