On YouTube
अच्छी नौकरी की तलाश है? || आचार्य प्रशांत (2021)
36.5K views
4 years ago
Meaningful Work
Courage
Decision Making
Spirituality
Seven-Year Itch
Ego
Action
Shri Krishna
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a questioner who feels unfulfilled in his job and is confused about the next step. The speaker states that he cannot provide a direct answer, as the question is akin to asking whether one should order pasta after getting bored of burgers. He explains that there is no difference between these two questions. If one was interested in one thing and is now no longer interested, asking if one should do another thing in which one might be interested is the same question. If the center does not change, the previous choice and the subsequent choice are on the same level. Today you are bored with a burger and are moving towards pasta; tomorrow you will ask for something else, and the day after, something else. The role of spirituality is not to change your decisions later; its job is to shed light on your center. From where are the decisions coming? For whom are the decisions coming? Even now, the job you want to do after changing is because you want to have a better experience. The speaker explains the concept of the 'seven-year itch', which occurs in every relationship, not just marriage. The thing that is dearest to you today, you will get completely bored of it after seven years. This is a seven-year cycle. You are just bored, you have not changed. The questioner claims he doesn't have the courage to do meaningful work, but Acharya Prashant challenges this, pointing out the courage it took to come to the session. He asserts that the problem is not a lack of resources like courage, but the failure to properly use the resources one has. We can be forgiven for mistakes made in ignorance, but not for knowing the truth and still not following it. Our problem is not a lack of resources, but that we do not make proper use of what we have. We know and understand a lot, but we are not ready to act on it. Acharya Prashant advises to start by taking small steps. Every small step will give you the courage, clarity, and strength for the next bigger step. The one who takes the steps will change. The ego wants to do something big, saying, "When I do it, I will do it completely," which becomes a good excuse for never doing anything at all. He uses the analogy of someone claiming to be such a devotee of Shri Krishna that they will only read the entire Gita, not just two verses, and thus never reads it. He concludes by urging the questioner to start with what he has, to put into practice what he already knows, and to take small steps. Let the foot slip repeatedly; at least it only slips, it doesn't break. The foot remains intact to try again.