Spirituality

Happy Friday!

Greetings from India :) Welcome to this edition on “Spirituality” (#218).

The auspicious new year, Ugadi, according to the lunisolar calendar, was celebrated across many parts of India this past week, and I had the ultimate good fortune of spending the day at an Ashram with our family’s spiritual Guru. Our conversations ranged from economics, politics, charities, to finally spirituality. Here are a few excerpts from our conversation with the Guru and potential takeaways.

What often impedes achieving a healthy and happy life, despite the universal aspiration for it, can be manifold and complex. However, it largely boils down to the following.

Self-Awareness: An obstacle highlighted was the ignorance of our true selves. Many people live without a deeper understanding of their purpose or connection to something greater than themselves. This lack of self-awareness often leads to a sense of disconnection, restlessness, and unfulfillment.

Managing Emotions: We, as a society, are becoming intolerant of setbacks in life. People often choose extreme actions rather than handling rejections with grace. Our Guru recommends inculcating daily life practices such as yoga, meditation to develop emotional fortitude to handle setbacks.?

People Connection: In this day and age, the pursuit of happiness has largely been focused on career progression and material possessions. While there is nothing wrong with pursuing financial uplift, many compromise on relationships in the bargain. Instead of investing time and energy in building genuine and lasting relations, most operate at a transactional level.

?Spiritual Connection: Lastly, and perhaps most crucially, many individuals lack a strong spiritual connection or framework in their lives. Spirituality is often confused with religion. Spirituality provides a deeper sense of purpose, inner peace, and resilience in the face of life's challenges. Without this anchor, people may struggle to find enduring happiness.

It’s awe-inspiring to point out that our Guru's teachings from the age-old dharmic practices of the Indian subcontinent align exactly with what is prescribed as tools to nurture emotional intelligence by modern day psychology experts. Let me share this excerpt from Harvard Business School’s?article?on this topic. According to this article, emotional intelligence is typically broken down into four core competencies: Self-awareness, Self-management, Relationship management, and Social awareness.

Self-Awareness involves understanding not just your strengths and weaknesses, but also recognizing your emotions and their impact on both you and your team's performance. To bring out the best in others, you must first cultivate self-awareness within yourself.

Self-Management refers to the skill of handling your emotions, especially in stressful situations, and maintaining a positive mindset despite setbacks. Leaders who lack self-management tend to react impulsively, whereas those with high emotional intelligence can shift from reaction to thoughtful response. It's essential to pause, breathe, regroup, and employ strategies to manage your emotions effectively.

Relationship Management involves your skill in influencing, coaching, mentoring others, and adeptly resolving conflicts. For instance, imagine a project team encountering a disagreement about the project's direction. Instead of ignoring the issue or letting tensions escalate, a leader with strong relationship management skills would step in to facilitate a constructive discussion.??

Social Awareness entails recognizing the emotions of others and understanding the interpersonal dynamics within your organization. Leaders with strong social awareness demonstrate empathy by seeking to comprehend their colleagues' emotions and viewpoints.

In conclusion, the journey towards true happiness begins with introspection, self-discovery, and a commitment to nurturing our spiritual growth.?

I wish you all the very best in this new year.?Thank you and have a great weekend.