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Ancient Wisdom For Modern Minds: 5 Golden Tips To Become A Better Version Of Ourselves
When I’ve had an unusually long day at work that wears me out, or a fight with my partner that went out of control, or simply struggle to harbour my emotions – I sit back and listen to Sadhguru videos/podcasts for a good 10-15 minutes.
Listening to Sadhguru is like meditation, like a balm for panic-stricken thoughts. He’s reached a level of enlightenment where his body, mind and spirit are in symphony.
Instagram: Sadhguru
The best part – he’s sharing his wisdom with people across the world, helping us control our emotions and make them work to our advantage.
Here are 5 teachings by Sadhguru that inspired me to look at the bigger picture, and become my best version:
1) Wounded Or Wise?
“I performed miserably at the presentation. I’m so unlucky. I wish I had a family business I could just take over, all this hustle is draining me out…”
Ever blamed your surroundings or background for a situation that went downhill?
Well, Sadhguru believes that if you’ve tackled a lot of adversities, you should be the wisest of the lot. But instead of collecting wisdom, most people choose to become wounded.
It is truly possible to use every situation in life as an opportunity to grow. But if you keep blaming your circumstances on external factors, you’re simply taking opportunities to self-destruct and stagnate.
2) What Is Love?
A lot of us harbour skewed conceptions of love – our partner’s ideology should be just like ours, we should like doing a lot of similar things, they should fit in our version of a “perfect fairy tale”.
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Here’s something profound that Sadhguru said about love – For most people, love means, ‘You must do what I want.’
No, love means they can do what they want, and we still love them.
3) Don’t Be Quick To Blame “Destiny”
Whether it is success or failure, it’s absolutely unjustified to credit it to “destiny”. Everything is a result of our actions and reactions.
Instagram: Sadhguru
In his book on Inner Engineering, Sadhguru writes, “Whenever we have had to do something about our lives, we have taken it into our hands. Whenever it comes to other people’s misfortunes, we have a word to explain it: destiny. And what a convenient word that is. Destiny has become a popular scapegoat, a way to deal with failure, a fatalistic ruse to reconcile ourselves to all kinds of uncomfortable situations. But turning inward is the first step from passivity to agency—from being a victim toward becoming a master of your own destiny.”
4) You Can’t Change The World
“I want to change you – that is not a revolution. I’m willing to change – now this is a revolution.” – Sadhguru.
We must make peace with the fact that we can’t change your family, your friends or even your spouse. The only person you are in charge of is YOU.
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The problem with today’s world is that we are quick to point out what should change in the world, but don’t want to change ourselves.
It’s time to take charge of our lives, quit making that boyfriend a better person, and focus on becoming the best version of ourselves.
5) Our Reaction To Situations Determines Our So-Called ‘Destiny’
On Russell Brand’s podcast ‘Under The Skin’, Sadhguru discusses how we’re not shaped by external influences, but by life itself.
“Whether we want to be a conscious response to everything that’s around us or want to be a compulsive reaction to all that happens around is the question you’re asking, and I think the answer is pretty obvious”, he said.
All the right answers are within us, all the acidic remarks are within us and so is the good sense to pick the right response. How we react to situations decides how life pans out for us.
Luminary
In this 1-hour-10-minute podcast on Luminary, Russell Brand and Sadhguru discuss human consciousness, inner engineering, spiritual practices and his initiatives.
In this podcast series, Russell Brand aims to examine what’s beneath the surface of the people we admire and idolise. Guests from the realms of academia, pop culture and arts make the podcast well-rounded!
While we 10/10 recommend the Sadhguru episode, there are other guests too who shared life-altering anecdotes and lessons – one’s that we must try replicating.
A few of our favourite podcast guests (apart from Sadhguru) include Deepak Chopra, Elizabeth Gilbert, and Brene Brown.
Intrigued much? Click here to explore the various episodes of “Under The Skin” by Russell Brand on Luminary. Happy listening, folks!