Words of Wisdom by Swamiji
How to Increase Inner Strength and Higher Understanding
In life, we all have certain dreams, goals, and aspirations that we put every ounce of energy into accomplishing. We are not, however, always successful in those efforts; many times, we fail. And we are never taught how to handle failure in life; our teachers, mentors, peers, and role models always teach us to get ahead, become successful, manage our assets, and land our dream job, never focusing on the failures that we will inevitably face along the way. But it is the handling of failure, not a success, that breeds spiritual upliftment.
At one point in your life, you may have felt disheartened, disappointed, or depressed after failing to achieve a dream or goal that your mind was fixated on accomplishing. The inability to overcome this state of mind will spiral your life downwards. Just like a swimmer who must swim on top of the water to avoid sinking, we must overcome and elevate beyond the waves of life to avoid sinking to the bottom. Conversely, that swimmer who is able to overcome the waves, storms, and obstructions of the ocean will develop invaluable qualities such as persistence, diligence, and determination. He will become stronger both physically and mentally and can turn the simple game of swimming into a meaningful lesson for life. In the same way, those individuals who overcome the downward tendencies of the mind and the overwhelming waves of life will develop a great deal of willpower and wisdom. But in order to develop the strength, courage, and understanding to battle these waves, we must meditate on God's divine light; by spending time with God, we will inherit his divine qualities and develop the tenacity and relentlessness to face any problem in life. And it is this pairing of divine light and overcoming failure that gives birth to true spiritual upliftment in life.©Copyright 2020 Divine Light. All Rights Reserved