Life is about you impressing yourself with your own magnificence, you glorifying yourself in your own creations, you realizing yourself as the painter of your own destiny… When you do something challenging, when you climb that mountain, when you succeed in that endeavor, when you complete that project, when you create that masterpiece, who other than you feels the most joy, the most contentment, the happiest? For others, it is another masterpiece, another book, another piece of art, another construction, another story, but for you it is your own soul on display, your own creation at play. Oh the joy of it all!
What are you to anyone besides just a thought? Perhaps more than a thought. A feeling to someone. Or a necessity to another. But you are everything to you. And you experience others through you. Others exist for you because you exist. The universe is real because you are in it. And everyone in your life that you love or fear are experienced by you through your own perceptions of them. Essentially, your life is all about you, happening through you, for you, so you can have a taste of yourself through myriad mirrors of reality, so you can know yourself in experience. And that is true actualization, impressing yourself in your own acts, amusing yourself in your own imaginations, amazing yourself in your own creations.
Who was Jane Austen? Do you know her? You may have heard about her, you may have read about her, you may have read her books, or you may have never heard of her. At the end of the day, she is merely a thought in your mind, perhaps a feeling in your soul if you connected with her work. But her work, her art, gave her the utmost pleasure in the act of creating them, the satisfaction of expressing her inner world onto an outer canvas. That feeling is priceless. We come here on earth to experience that. To experience ourselves as the creator of our own lives, to self-realize.
Sometimes we mistakenly think that we live for others, that our lives are meant to serve others. But that is not true. Because even when you think that you are doing something for someone else, the self-agenda is being fulfilled in the process. For instance, when you go out of your way to help another it causes you to know yourself as a loving being, to feel caring, compassionate, forgiving, generous, helpful etc. Those are the feelings you are after, even when you think you are doing it selflessly. To understand this better, read selflessness does not exist. But here is the thing: when you make a grand gesture, create something beautiful, help another, follow your passions, others are served by you living your dreams, you creating that masterpiece, you manifesting the highest version of yourself. Because in the larger sense there is no other; there is only the self. And all those ‘others’ are an extension of the self only. Yourself, to be more precise.
There are many gurus, masters, out there who will tell you that the path to enlightenment is through selflessness, service to others, renouncing and sacrificing your pleasures, or even dissuade you from following your dreams. They will tell you, “follow my teachings and you’ll get all your answers. Practise what I practise and you’ll get enlightenment”. No you will not gain enlightenment, you will get to the same place where they are at. And that may not be enlightenment at all! They will tell you what to do and what not to do. But by following them, you have become a servant, not a master. You have obeyed, but not created. What if, following your own path, pursuing your dreams actually serves others? It shows them what they too are capable of, as you awaken the divinity within and experience yourself the creator of your own reality.
Sacrifice is not necessary when you realize that everyone is a part of yourself ultimately. It does not serve the self to deny itself in the act of “loving” others. Rather when you fulfill yourself, meet your own needs before reaching out to others, you actually help those others more because now you can give from that space of wholeness. However, when you give from a place of neediness, you will feel depleted, drained, dejected, disappointed when others don’t reciprocate thus becoming bitter and resentful over time. No aspect of divinity is any less or more potent than you are. Everyone has in them the potential to self-actualize. In fact, you may be doing a disservice to the world by sacrificing your own dreams or necessities for others, and definitely you are not a good example for future generations, because your offsprings will also learn from you how to sacrifice their dreams instead of going in the direction of them. Sometimes giving to another prematurely, when they are not ready to receive is disempowering and can actually backfire. You may not be helping at all! Rather if you can cause others to empower themselves that is a more loving act, as you empower yourself in the process. Yes, giving is love but receiving is also love. Make sure you learn how to do both, balance the energies of giving and receiving to find harmony within you. Some people are great at giving but they find it difficult to receive. That kind of giving comes more from a place of control than real love, whereas receiving is being willing to be vulnerable so others can love you. Then there are others, who only take and don’t want to give. Their energies too are imbalanced as they don’t experience the personal power that comes from giving.
The path to enlightenment is coming to realization that you are the master of your own destiny, that the divine spark within speaks to you, guides you, leads you. No two people will walk the same path here on earth. Everyone has their own journeys, their own inner callings, and if you don’t tune in to yours, you will hear the noises of the world and mistake them to be your truth. And you will be very miserable. All that you need on your journey here, your heart knows. But do you have the courage to listen to it, to tune in to that inner voice constantly nudging you, prodding you towards your destiny to fulfill your personal legend? You have come here on earth to have an experience of yourself. There are myriad ways, plethora paths, mazes and meanderings through which you travel. But there is no one right path for everyone. Don’t let anyone fool you or bully you into their way of doing things. Others can guide you, show you their way, what worked for them, but if you blindly follow them instead of having the courage to find your own self-expression, you will be lost. No teacher, not even the Buddha or the Christ can show you your path. Only you know it. And you are free to carve it your way.
A true leader never says, follow me. Rather he says, I will be the first domino. I will break the mold, go the distance, play the game… create the game! You may spend all your life thinking that you don’t know, that others know better, so you give away your personal power, you duplicate what others have already done or live life on the sidelines without ever feeling empowered in your own skin. This is because you let others paint the picture of your life that you came here to paint. Mom says study engineering, dad says be a doctor, boss says become the best salesman, guru says sacrifice is happiness, and you allow them all to paint your reality. But in the end you are dissatisfied because you are not painting your own picture. You forget who you are or what you came here on earth to do. Others may direct you, inspire you, most people will mislead you or even force you to follow their dictates, but only you can take yourself there. Your soul is always communicating your truth at any given moment and you know it by the way you feel. Because feelings are the language of our soul. So yes if that means to wake up in the middle of the night and jot down your meanderings, then so be it. Do all it takes, to listen to the nudges of your soul. You are important. Your creations are significant. Your musings are magnificent. You matter. Do you think so? Then it is true.
What is right, what is wrong? What is good, what is bad? What is perfect, what is imperfect? What is success, what is failure? Oh well, society has many definitions for those words. In fact different people will define them differently. But those are all judgements, throw them away. Even spirituality is cultural and varies widely and wildly across cities, countries, continents. There is no one truth that everybody agrees on. Because we are all powerful creators with a unique vibration, a signature that no one can duplicate. You were made in the image and likeness of God, and you have come here to create… so create, Create, CREATE! That’s how you REALize yourself as the creator of your destiny.
People are so afraid to create what they desire, so afraid of judgement, of not being good enough, or they wait until the right moment arrives to write that book, to create that video, to make that art, to do that dance, to pen that poem, when all along the right moment is passing them by! You think you are not good enough? You are. You think you can’t? You can! Who knows it better than you? Magnificence starts with you. You have all the tools you need to create your masterpiece. Not one, but many during your journey here on earth. So start now. Don’t wait another day! Because, while you are contemplating whether to do it or not, the dream is passing you by.
The first step is the most courageous step. People wait for years to take that first step. Then even when they do, they quickly get disappointed, disillusioned, defeated when faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges and give up, thinking the dream is not for them, that they are not meant to do it, they are not good enough, bla bla bla… hence settle for a mediocre life. There will always be those reasons at the back of your head trying to dissuade you from carrying on. But you have to believe it is possible for you. You have to trust in you. Don’t abandon you. Don’t ponstpone that great idea for another day. And don’t aim for perfection, because perfection is another word for procrastination. Life will not come and knock at your door, asking you to take the next step. Life is lived in this moment. There is no tomorrow. There was no yesterday. There is only now, this eternal moment. And if you think now that you can’t, then when will you think that you can? Tomorrow? Just a question!
Everything you experience is through your own mirrors of reality, your filters of perception. And that filter can widen when you allow more of yourself in, when you don’t reject your own highest knowing about yourself, when you honor those midnight meanderings nudging you to live your grand vision, when you make room for yourself in your own life. That is when you experience the grandeur and splendor of all that you are and others are assisted by you living your life fully, true to yourself. And yes that takes a huge amount of courage. Because not every one will support you on your decisions or appreciate you when you walk your path. And that is okay. External validation is not necessary when internal validation is there. We often seek validation outside; when others validate us then we feel approved. Rather the opposite is true. When we approve of ourselves, others too will accept us… and they will find the courage to accept themselves. So brace yourself for the attacks. People will always judge you, criticize you, question your truth. When you create something great, some will be jealous, some will be proud, some will think you’re trying to get attention, some will think it’s horrible… but in the end, it is your creation, the glory is yours to live, the satisfaction is yours to taste, the disappointment is yours to become bigger, brighter, better, so you can take your own breath away!
Now go and create your reality the way you want it. Write it. Paint it. Dance it. Sing it. Live it. And don’t worry about what others will say to it. We live in a world where people try so hard to be like others when everyone is unique, when no two snowflakes are alike. When you know there is no one to compete with then all comparison vanishes and creation begins. Your soul talks through snippets, whispers, signs. As you get into the flow of crafting your destiny, the coincidences in your life will increase, you will begin to perceive magic. Real magic. Your path will reveal its secrets to you once you have the courage to walk it. That number has meaning for you. That symbol has significance for you. That omen is talking to you. That sign is telling you about your dreams. That bird is singing loud praises for you. Listen closely to the song of your soul. In this moment is life, all of it!
baisakhi saha 