The Secret for Eternal Success

Success needs clarity, energy, discipline, skill, will, creativity and intuition. However, for success to be long lasting, sustainable and eternal, it also needs to be based on sound principles.

Many successful organizations and also individuals fall from great heights within a very short time. In most cases, this is because their success was not founded on sound principles.

Below are the five principles for long lasting success. If these principles are applied, discrimination and wisdom dawns in life and the mind becomes clear and sharp. The more these principles are applied, the longer lasting the success will be.

1) Non-violence

In today’s workplace violence exists in the form of aggressive behavior, rude communication and improper intentions.

“Violence is the result of frustrations. The mind gets frustrated. The frustration builds up. A big question mark may come up. And that very question turns into violence.”

So how do we avoid getting frustrated? The first step is becoming aware of the frustration. Many times there is frustration because the mind is not able to solve problems. A calm mind is more creative and is more capable of finding solutions than an agitated mind. Breathing techniques and meditation helps to calm the mind.

If your mind is calm, happy and centered, you can be established in non-violence.

“If you are established in non-violence, violence will be dropped in your very presence.”

Increasingly the keys to individual and organization success are creativity, innovation, collaboration and teamwork. These cannot coexist with violence. Having a non-violent presence and being non-violent is key to long-lasting success.

2) Truth

“Truth is not just words. It is the quality of the consciousness, of straight-forwardness. When you tell a lie, your consciousness is not solid. It is not straight-forward. There is no strength in it.”  

“One needs to be truthful in one’s life, one’s presence, one’s mind and one’s heart.” More important than the words are the intentions behind the words. Are your intentions straightforward and clear or is there a hidden agenda?

What is required today is intelligence and innocence together. One cannot trust an intelligent person who lacks innocence, as the person may be manipulative. Also an innocent person without intelligence cannot be relied on for important work.  An intelligent and innocent person can be fully trusted.

Without trust between people, no organization can succeed. Having a truthful presence is hence very much essential for succeeding in today’s organization.

3) Non-stealing

In the corporate context, credit is often the most stolen of things. Jealousy and lack of confidence are the reasons why people steal.

“People who steal remain poor.”

There is lack in their consciousness. One needs to have faith that whatever is due to them or whatever is theirs will come to them and will stay with them.

4) Being unattached to the body

“When you are sitting in deep meditation, you do not feel you are a body. You feel so light. You feel as though you are like a feather. The more joyful you are, the less do you feel the body.”

Being attached to the body makes us feel dull, weak, saps energy & enthusiasm and destroys our charm and magnetism. High energy and enthusiasm are key to success. Dispassion is the secret to maintain high energy and enthusiasm.

5) Non-accumulation

“When a person wants more and more, he just thinks of himself and is obsessed with fear.”

Non-accumulation means having confidence is one’s ability and also in nature. We accumulate when we are insecure and under confident. Even after accumulating a lot, the insecurity in us does not go away. 

When we meditate and are in touch with our true self, there is confidence and the need to accumulate unnecessary things drops.

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Note: This article is adapted from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s commentary on the Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Sentences in double quotes are verbatim from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. This article is copyrighted.