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What's Really Important?

Life is a great adventure, full of complexity and a multitude of paths from which to choose. It can at times seem overwhelming. Should we pursue pure hedonism of the materialistic kind? Or sacrifice ourselves to the service of others? Or is there some altogether more meaningful purpose to our existence to be discovered?

From a Spiritual point of view we are all Spiritual entities temporarily occupying physical bodies for the duration of our incarnation. We have chosen to be born into this world, and furthermore we have chosen the lessons to be learned while we are here. Each of us comes with a different agenda, so it follows that what's really important is highly individual.

While encased in flesh our true Spiritual essence is hidden from us. Discovering what’s really important can take some effort. We need to silence all the external demands and distractions and rediscover the inner voice. Not easy, but well worth the effort.

Many of us spend a large proportion of our time and energy on relatively unimportant things. The obvious example is the extent to which many pursue climbing the corporate ladder. Of course we all need food and shelter, but does that extra promotion really matter? Adopting a corporate mentality really means subordinating our own interests and values for somebody else’s. Corporate culture is not wrong per se, provided it’s your own free choice and not just what parents, peers etc expect of you.

We could be forgiven for thinking material things are what's really important. After all, we are surrounded by subtle, and not so subtle, advertising telling us how great this or that new product is. If only we had an XYZ how much better our lives will be... But material possessions don't bring happiness. The best things in life really are free - or reasonably priced.

We are mortal beings; our existence in this form is finite. One day we shall all leave our bodies, and the material world. All we will carry with us is our experience and the lessons it has taught us. At this time our material achievements shall matter not one iota.

Alternatively, given our Spiritual nature, it might be assumed that hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake, is wrong - or at the very least un-Spiritual. But if pleasure had no purpose it would have no place in our world. That pleasure exists is justification enough for us to take advantage of it.

A life that consists only of pleasure without any achievement or fulfillment is ultimately (and pretty quickly) devoid of satisfaction, and even pleasure itself! In other words, pure hedonism quickly becomes a drag. The challenge is to balance the pursuit of pleasure with genuine productivity.

Obsession, ie singleness of purpose, is a major ingredient of success. There should be one (or at most two or three) thing(s) to which you devote the major part of your attention and energy. These should be easily identifiable as areas where your passion and aptitude overlap. We work best when we love what we're doing.

Fulfillment of purpose can be a hard road with numerous challenges to be faced and overcome. By rewarding ourselves with some material pleasure we strengthen our will to continue. Take breaks. Indulge yourself from time to time. Always make time for loved ones, they are extremely important. By maintaining balance we remain fresh and our productive periods are ultimately more productive.

Every day, every moment is precious and unique. There is no time for self-pity. If we feel things are wrong, or could be made better, it's up to us to do something about it. Anger, bitterness and frustration simply waste our precious energy and time. Taking positive action to resolve problems or improve the situation uses our efforts constructively, and brings a wonderful sense of satisfaction.

Problems and worries are often given a greater importance than they merit. By applying perspective we make them the appropriate size in the bigger picture. Life is not, and never can be, perfect. But by keeping its difficulties and imperfections in perspective we can focus on those areas in which we can be most productive. Just as problems often loom larger than they should be, so things that really matter can often be hidden in the background. Bring them to the fore.