Notes by Dwija Ramesh
Recap: Many people with pleasure, position and possession do not realize the purpose of life as we have come to know. Once these people lose that status, they lose every bit of respect.
- Jeff Bezos
- Wealth
- Justin Bieber/Taylor Swift
- Fame
- Donald Trump/Vladimir Putin
- Power
Infinite happiness is apart from the world, it is unconditional. In terms of people like Mahatma Gandhi, he does not have external superiority, however, the entire world respects and aspires to follow in his footsteps.
If you are striving to live what we have been learning, you will experience the qualities of a person with steady wisdom. One who follows this naturally gains virtues and is independent of context.
Discourse:
Story time: There was once a farmer who had been living on this farm his whole life. He always complained about how his lake had too many fish in it. He thinks, “what am I supposed to do with these rolling hills? I have to keep people out of it.” He’s a very angry farmer :(. One day, it is dark out and he has to get home, and he steps in cow poop. He then decided that he would sell the farm so he could live somewhere “nice”. A few days later, he’s looking for a new place to live and he sees a country home in the best location and the best layout. It was exactly what he was looking for. He reads the ad multiple times and he sees that the listing agent is his. The place that he saw was the place he lived in! He immediately cancelled his listing and told his agent, “This is what I’ve been looking for my whole life.”
Lesson: It’s extremely easy for us to complain about our lives. But how does our life look towards other people? We need to get a new perspective to realize that our life is not as bad as we always make it out to be. We perpetually want, however, what we get is what is the best for us – what we need. We need to be grateful for what we are given. To do this, we have to acknowledge what we already have. Whenever you are not content with what you have, look around you and remember what you already have. This is gratitude and it is the best way to realize that you are happiness, independent of all else.
Contentment is our first quality to practice. Get a notebook to express your gratitude.
Activity:
Take 10 minutes to write down 5 things that you take for granted. Then, reflect on why you shouldn’t and how you will actively practice having gratitude for each.
My own reflection: I take this community for granted. I used to feel that we all live in different places, so this is temporary and not as serious. However, I’ve had some of the most meaningful conversations with this community and I’ve grown so much. This is all a blessing for me and not acknowledging it is like throwing away a hand that is trying to help me up. I take my parents for granted. Both of them have supported me in every one of my endeavors. Many people don’t have this grace, but my parents have never forced me to do anything I don’t like. They have helped me grow to be independent. I feel that I should show more gratitude to them by giving them more love and expressing these thoughts more often.
RAW: Last week, our RAW was to send in a question.
This week’s RAW is: Each day before bed, write down 3 things you are grateful for. Then, when you wake up every morning, read what you wrote. Start your day with contentment.
Extra Assignment!! Read this : https://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/true-secret-to-success–it-s-not-what-you-think-.html