Creative Thinking: Business and heart
A wise man, speaking to a group of businessmen, once said, “As fish die on dry land, thus will you die if you remain trapped in worldly businesses. Fish need to swim in water because that is the environment where they live. In the same way you must go back to your heart.” The businessmen were confused and asked him, “Do you mean that we must give up our businesses and enter a monastery?” “Not at all, answered the wise man. I never told you to retreat from the world. I only told you to re-enter your heart.”
Here, the most interesting word — worth to be pondered upon — is “re-enter,” which seems to imply that all human beings, not only the businessmen in the story, used to inhabit their hearts, from which one day they came out to go ... elsewhere. What does the expression “to be in one’s heart” mean? It simply means to live our lives the way we are supposed to, according to the moral and ethical principles we know to be true. Which are these principles? The deepest part of your “self” knows what a fair thought, word or action is, what should be said and done, what should be avoided. Unfortunately you are often lured away by other considerations, by elusive desires and foggy goals. A quick, easily achievable fulfillment is often pursued instead of looking higher, instead of nursing more elevated aspirations. Don’t we all know the old saying “It is easy to know what we should do, but it is difficult to actually do it?” Why is it so difficult? Because, when talking about making progress or mending flaws, you start by wishing to do something on the matter, but then you end up forgetting your good intentions.
The positive news is that, in order to live a more serene and fulfilling life, you do not need to abandon your business, forget your activities, neglect your friends. Not at all. Whatever your life has been endowed with must be appreciated and cherished. Your family, your job, your friends, your skills are gifts for which you must be grateful. What you need to do, though, is not to forget that your soul needs a fair amount of spiritual nourishment as well. Therefore, feed it with elevated thoughts, use meditations on fruitful ideas (such as those suggested by a good book, an interesting article, an inspired lecturer) in order to dig deeper into yourself and understand better what your true nature is. Also use your prayers to establish a tighter relationship with the Divine which, alone, can provide you with the strength you need to face life’s challenges — while also enjoying its gifts. You do not need to change your lifestyle, your job or your habits. You do not have to give up the stuff you like doing. The only thing you need to remember is that there exist certain values which should never be given up, no matter the reason. If you succeed in finding the path to your own heart, you will find it easy to re-mold your life. It is enough for you to listen to the voice of your intuition, that always tells you the right thing to do. In such way you will see how your negative thoughts drift away and disappear from your mind. As a consequence, your motivations and spiritual goals are going to change. Your behavior is transformed for the better and one fine day you will see that you have become the positive individual you have always wanted to be. It can be done. Many have done it. Why not you?
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