What is that one habit
that has helped you to reach
the state that you are in, Mahatria?
I don’t think I can say that
there is one habit that has helped me to reach
where I’ve reached.
But what has helped me is,
if I take up one thing,
I’ll practice it consistently long enough,
whatever that is.
If that can be called a habit.
Because what is the point in beginning…
I hear this phrase from everybody.
‘I am starting again with my exercise…’
‘I’m starting again with meditation…’
‘I’m starting again, to plan my life a little better…’
‘I’m starting again to learn…’
What do you mean by starting again?
In a very short lifespan, that human life is all about…
70, 80, 90 whatever, it’s a fleeting moment in a human life.
And how many times can you start again,
and I think people are stuck in this vicious cycle of life –
starting again, giving it up, starting their life, giving it up –
when life should actually be an upward spiral!
And the only way it’s going to be is,
to bring in consistency of practice and
making it long enough.
So, I think what has helped me is
rather than trying to do
too many things in life,
I’ll pick up one thing.
For example, now,
I decide what is the next thing I want to focus on…
whatever that is,
I’ll take this and
till I feel that it has become natural to me…
What is natural?
What is added from outside is called perfume.
What comes from inside is called fragrance.
From outside I can add a deodorant or perfume.
What emanates from a flower is fragrance.
So I think every discipline in our life,
or habit as you used…
starts outside in,
but eventually it has to reach a stage where,
it’s inside out.
Not even action.
I don’t think enthusiasm was natural to me.
But when I looked around in the world,
I realized that
nothing great has ever been achieved
without enthusiasm.
And nobody has attained greatness without enthusiasm.
So I decided, I need to cultivate this.
Having decided, that’s the only thing I’ll focus on.
Morning to evening I’m asking myself this question,
‘Did you do it enthusiastically?’
Till one day realize that it’s not a decision,
it’s not a choice,
it’s a choiceless state from now onwards,
it’s become my very nature and it’s a natural expression.
Having grown in the early years
with a lot of deprivation in life,
I never knew how to be happy in life.
I can’t smile, I can’t laugh,
I will always frown,
I’ll always have a serious face.
But then I realized the greatest magnet
that exists in life is happiness.
The world gravitates towards happiness.
If you are a happy individual,
you don’t have to go in search of anything,
everything comes in search of you.
I consciously decided to cultivate myself
into a happy individual.
That is the only thing that I focused on,
till it became a nature to me.
So if I have to use this…
I will say,
if you can pick up one thing and
practice it consistently long enough…
Then every year…
every phase of your life,
you can discover another wonderment about yourself.
With inconsistency,
you will have a vicious cycle;
with consistency,
you will have an upward spiral.
Consistency is the hallmark of greatness.
Thank you.
