You can have it all!! - But what is True Success?

This is your cue to stop...

I often have to look around my house to remember that I live like a broke campus girl. This is because my energy does not reflect or resonate with what I see.

Cultivating this has taken some time, nay, a lot of time. I have always believed in the phrase, ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God, and the rest shall be added unto you’.

The true definition of ‘kingdom’ seemed to vary from person to person, so I set out to find my own meaning.

I was an avid TV-watcher as a kid. Books were more of a bother. As I watched and reviewed the ways of the world and the lives of the people, I noticed a pattern. They all seemed to have one thing in common. They got their epiphany about the meaning of life while on their death-beds. Despite having accumulated all material successes, they would be profoundly unhappy. Through the eyes of a 10-year-old, these people seemed to lack peace of mind, and the joy borne of true happiness.

I decided to live my life differently. I distinctly recall making a prayer, and sharing it with my grandma. I told her that I specifically asked God to give me material success – read money- when I was young enough to enjoy it, and if He had any plans to give it when I was in my 70s, He should keep it, I was not interested. We would also have words, when I went back to Him. My grandma laughed, but I also felt a subtle feeling of self-judgment or regret coming from her, and I immediately regretted speaking so brazenly. I have written about this before, but this truth keeps coming back to my mind. Mostly, to thank me for having chosen this route.

The Bhagavad Gita speaks of different types of happiness, one which begins like nectar, but ends up as bitter as poison, and another one that begins as poison, but ends up as sweet as nectar. I chose the latter. My pursuit of peace and lasting happiness has been difficult, but I have been sustained by a conviction that it will all be worth it.

Yesternight, I held a coaching session, and a chat ensued, which brought this conversation back up again. The discussion stemmed from the age-old dilemma between material success or peace of mind. My resolve is clear - I would never ever forsake peace of mind for anything. Knowing what I know now, and having had a taste of peace and joy, there was nothing that would make me give that up - particularly not anything material. Only one type of success is permanent. This world has socialized us to chase after impermanent things, then spend the rest of the time trying to safe-guard it from fleeing. In the end, there is little energy left derive joy from said things.

“So, you do not want money??” she quizzically retorted. “Ha! I like money, and money loves me: hear me out. One thing I desire to be, is an inspiration to others, and prove that it is possible to have it all. Peace of mind, happiness, good judgment and material success. We just need to be wise about the order. It never appealed to me the idea that, peace of mind had to come at the perceived expense of gaining material wealth. I do not want to be a monk. I wanted to be a true renunciate, moving among sense objects but remaining detached. (Bhagavad Gita C.2 Verse 58). In any case, we cannot all be monks. Therefore, there had to be a way to have both. at this point of my life, I have cultivated the ability to receive both. I know in my bones that attracting and sustaining material wealth is going to be easy – almost guaranteed, because now my mindset matches up to it.

“I feel like a hungry man who has to choose between picking fruits from a forest, and learning the art of growing and sustaining an orchard. The latter has painstakingly, but surely allowed me to cultivate certain values, and has also set me up for far more enjoyment of the fruits from my orchard. Attracting material success will feel easy and I will be in flow.

“But more than that, the values I cultivate will allow me to be happy and at peace, regardless of what happens to my orchard. I have awakened the inherent ability to attract again and again, while still remaining Zen. That is True Mastery. That to me is True success.

As with everything else, it is work in progress, but at least, I feel am on the right path.”

“What do you think keeps the majority of people on the other path?” She asked.

“My Spiritual Teacher says that the journey from the mind to the heart is the longest 40-centimeter journey we will ever take. The heart is representative of the source of our inner success. An uncontrolled mind is the source of all suffering.

“Using my own example, I often find it hard to spare even 5 minutes to stop, go inside and contemplate on the present moment. What to speak of a person with a billion things to manage, and sustain. (Cue the camel going through the eye of the needle story…)

“The effort required feels the same, but it is definitely harder to stop, when you accelerate.

“The reason why most materially successful people succumb to one tragedy after another, in my opinion, is to push them to stop.

“One prerequisite for cultivating inner success is to stop. Stop and be present. ?Our greatest potential, and ultimately, our greatest success lies in the present moment. This kind of success is not fleeting, it is permanent, and it also attracts all other kinds of successes. It is to be achieved when we stop.?

“I have been preparing my orchard for the last 9 years. It’s only now that I am beginning to see some fruits attempting to sprout. This brings me to the second aspect.

“The second prerequisite for cultivating inner success is TIME. It takes time.

“This notion helped me make sense of why at their death-beds, most people wished they had more time.

“In hindsight, I noticed that what I had been cultivating for those 9 years, was a mindset. With each brick I lay, I unlocked a level towards this uplifting mindset, and with it, I am building a fortress - formidable enough not to be shaken by the winds of material inconsistencies, and beautiful enough to attract them over and over again.”

Internal success, like a fortress cannot (is difficult) be brought down.

The qualities that make up internal success, are inside all of us. They lie dormant and await to be activated. Once they are awakened, they shine brightly and attract everything and everyone. This light cannot be taken away.

The values that awaken in the process, allow the person to treat their success as part of who they are. it becomes as natural as breathing. There is no chasing, clamoring nor fighting to keep or sustain. This success becomes part of you. This leads to healthy control, and ultimately, Mastery of both the self and of life.

Being in alignment with life allows for true joy and peace.

As I write this piece, I am everything but materially successful. However, I observed that I forget this a lot, and I have to be reminded of it. This is how mindset works. A positive mindset keeps you on a high vibrational frequency that allows for true joy, and peace as well as success – internal and external.

Cultivating a positive mindset – the orchard – is a continuous process. Living with a positive mindset is a lifestyle. ??It would be so easy to enjoy the fruits, but forget to go back and till the land for the next planting season. Mother nature is fair, she allows us to always reap what we sow.

I record this, not only because I want to remember this day, but also for it to be proof that everything I write here is the truth. It is possible to have it all. You can have it all!!

Ultimately, it boils down to one’s choices. What type of happiness would you rather? Nectar to poison, or poison to nectar.

Such is life. There is no arriving.

It is a journey - they say - and I choose to take the scenic route.

Thank you for reading.? ????

@Miriam-Rose Ndichu is a PQ???Mental Fitness & Mindset Coach

#success #self-mastery #Mastery #money #positivemindset #mindset #mentalfitness