The first part of this article appeared in the May – July 2008 volume of ‘Eternal Voice’. Our real confidence comes from our own internal dignity and self-respect. Our real confidence does not come from any worldly crutches such as titles, trophies or medals, wealth, or worldly possessions, which only produce temporary pseudo-confidence. Our true confidence is always a reflection of our personal integrity. It is our true self-worth in the eyes of our inner self. Therefore, true confidence simply cannot be faked, forced or purchased.
To gain real and stress-free confidence that is supported by your internal dignity and self-respect, you must take on a mission of adding the highest value in every thought you conceive, in every act you perform, and in every encounter you face.
We must first realize that our real self is not our human body. We just reside in this body. That’s why focusing only on our body, rather than listening and connecting to our real selves, leaves us lost and trapped in short-lived pleasures. Rather than making decisions centred on pleasing the body, one must focus on the true mission of one’s real self, which is, making a difference while staying on the path of unconditional loving, serving, and giving. This focus gives one a real purpose in life that activates and supports stress-free productivity and produces lasting true happiness.
We are designed to serve and add value. As a result, we will be frustrated and stressed when we take on any role that subtracts value. Although we were born to our human parents, in reality, we were actually made and designed by the laws and wisdom of the Universe. Thus, in our inherent design, we were not created as a separate entity but as an integral part of everyone else and collectively we are all an integral part of the bigger ONE.
The omnipresent wisdom of the universe has thus designed and created us to serve and add value to our bigger ONE through one part or one person at a time.
The very moment one goes against the fundamental design and thinks of oneself as an individual, it will make us selfish and self-centred. As a result, we will focus on adding value to just oneself, even if it subtracts value from others. This thought process would make us stressed and frustrated.
To live stress-free, simply stay within the design parameters and become a value-adding entity that always adds value unconditionally. We cannot be truthful until we discover the truth about our own inner self. All our truths are relative and conditional. They are tied down to our agendas, our experiences, and the incomplete knowledge or data that we gather via our extremely limited five senses.
Furthermore, all our truths get tainted and contaminated by our defective filters such as ego, greed, fear, insecurities, prejudices etc. That is why when two people hear or read the same information, their conclusions can be so very different.
Therefore, until one discovers one’s uncontaminated self that is free of fear, greed, ego, insecurities, etc., one cannot be truthful. By recognizing the truth about oneself and living in line with it, one’s pain and suffering will disappear and one will lead a life that is fulfilling and stress-free. The things in life that appear to be real are not; that is why reality escapes us, and we end up wasting our entire life chasing falsehood.
Our human system is only capable of gathering surface data through our five senses, which can only give us an incomplete or even erroneous picture. Therefore, all realities based on this data are pseudo-realities. Chasing goals and objectives based on these falsehoods will always lead us astray and make us stressed.
The true reality is hidden within us. It is only when we comprehend this reality that we become aware of our true fortune. This true fortune is in fact our own self-worth, which is only earned through unconditionally serving the bigger ONE, one part or one person at a time. This path leads us to a highly fulfilling and stress-free life.
We will be prejudiced until we can bring spirituality inside us. Spirituality is absence of duality. In simple words, it makes us aware of the fundamental truth of life and gives us capability to see ourselves as an integral part of others and the bigger ONE. All our prejudice, judgment, fear, greed, anger, insecurities and ego come from an erroneous assumption that we are a separate entity. This mind set leaves us stressed as it forces us to compete and fight for our existence and look for comparative betterment in this world….
Spirituality removes fragmentation from within us by endorsing total integration through the oneness paradigm. It brings harmony and cooperation, is void of prejudice and thus gifts us stress-free living. There is no difference between a business contract and conditional love. In business contracts, there is always a give and take that is very clearly spelt out between the parties. In conditional love, we love someone under conditions or with expectations of love or gifts in return. How then is that relationship different from a business contract? These expectations are only capable of bringing anxiety and disappointment resulting in stress.
Only unconditional love, which one gives regardless of others’ actions, represents our deepest affections that are immersed in our gratitude toward the bigger ONE. Thus, it’s unconditional love that grants you true inner joy and stress-free living. Ownership is an ill-conceived concept in a world where we are merely guests.
One of the root causes of all stresses and frustrations lies in our misunderstanding, that we can own things. The truth is that everything, including our own human body, is actually gifted to us by the universe (of which we are all an integral part). And, all that we consider ours can be taken away in an instant. Every year we hear of victims who lose everything due to fires, floods, or other disasters.
The fact is that the universe has assigned each of us responsibility by allocating our resources to manage with a clear purpose to add value unconditionally, in every thought and action, without any selfish agenda. To live stress-free simply takes care of your responsibilities and lets go of your ownership.
We have not gained anything until we have gained our self-worth. All the trophies, glories, and recognitions given to us by this world cannot fool our inner self about our true worth. Our self-worth is not measured by our worldly successes, but by our own conscience… looking at the true intent behind our every thought and action. Our self-worth, which is endorsed by our conscience, comes only from fulfilling our purpose in life… to add value to our society unconditionally and continuously. Therefore, to find our self-worth and live stress-free, all we have to do is to follow our conscience.
