Material journey - an end in itself or a means to an end...

Set a goal that excites you, that stretches you, that makes you lose your sleep. I had heard of all these and Platinum and Emerald were just such goals. But after that, Diamond started seeming so far, it just got lost. Meeting Naren, I met a man setting big goals for himself – breaking 2 Diamonds and 10 Emeralds and going EDC – building a 15000 sft house and buying a BMW – a man running after his dreams with passion and without a doubt, and in turn inspiring so many others to go for theirs and in the process discover who they are and what they are made up of. 

I never found a purpose in engineering – it never could really play the music inside me. But this business of achieving dreams and inspiring people to be a better them and in turn helping them achieve their dreams, had a profound impact deep inside. I found a purpose through this work – creating a better human being – money and dreams being the medium for the change. I think an inherent purpose all of us carry deep inside – whether we have realized or not – is to become a better “us”. There is an innate calling to move upwards – mentally, spiritually, socially, financially. 

If the foundation be based on principles, values, Godliness and goodness, the journey towards our material dreams can only serve as a vehicle for inner growth; for it is not possible without visualization, peace of mind and the use of an inner strength. And if the foundation is not based on the right principles, the same journey can lead to a spiraling downfall towards frustration and agony. 

Stillness of the mind, peace or its visualization are not what you can strive for after attaining your goals materially. The material goals have to become the means to an end and only then will it happen. A giving heart, acceptance, focus, sharing, hard work are the qualities required to get there. The journey is the reward. And new journeys will have to keep getting created to keep realizing more and more. 

Is the journey to your material goals undertaken in total peace?

Till we keep a distance between our deepest desires of achievement and our desire of a spiritual life, there will always be a struggle. It has to become one – there has to be a blending of the two. Material achievement should become the means to an end – the end being a spiritually developed nature. 

If you want to develop a driving that is the fastest, with the least noise, with the least fuel consumption, least wear and tear to the tires, it will surely require becoming one with the car; and it will require a lot of races to be run, improving upon the previous race each time. 

Just like it is easy to turn the steering of a moving car, very difficult to turn a stationary one so it is with life – each journey will make us a better traveler – for the goal is not reaching the destination, the goal is to become a better traveler. 

Till you understand that all you have will be left behind and will not go with you; what will go with you though, are your character traits and your thoughts with your subconscious – any journey will only be a means to refining your inner self – looking inside all the time as to what you are going through traveling the road and working continuously to change and improvise ourselves. 

But without goals…without aggressive goals, which will strain your inner self,  how do you ever realize more than what you already know?

A Platinum journey needs you to work on the qualities of hard work, a pleasing personality and some charisma, which attracts others.

An Emerald journey requires selflessness, thinking about others’ goals, even if it is ultimately for your own, but hopefully the journey makes you internalize it (and sometimes maybe not…but then the journey was wasted)

A Diamond journey would need consistent, persistent work, internalization of values, visualization, staying positive (keeping away from negative) and self discipline.

But a mega Diamond and CAM journey would require the ultimate “becoming” all ofthe above and not just “trying and practicing” all of it. 

When these journeys become the end we lost the purpose of our visit to this planet earth – they have to remain a means to an end, which is stillness of the mind and thus becoming one with the universal energy.