Desire God First

The wakeful soul desires less and less, and finds his soul a sea of contentment. In noble desires, such as the desire to help others, however, the soul does not lose his peace, but rather finds his joy enlarged with the joys of those he has helped.

Do not squander your soul’s peace by constantly running after small desires. When the vast reservoir of inner peace is let out through the channels of little desires, those waters of contentment are lost on the soil of material perceptions.

Be sure that what you want is right for you to have, then use all the forces of your will power to accomplish your object, always keeping your mind on God. No other desire must be in your heart but to know God; then all things will come to you.

Do Not Lead a Stagnant Existence

Under all circumstances you must be calm and self-possessed. Even if storms of trials come, you must be able to calmly steer the ship of concentration to the shores of blessedness.

The ordinary person is influence by his environment. The man of concentration shapes his own life. He plans his day and, at the end of the day, finds his plans completed and himself nearer to God and his goal.

You must blame no one but yourself for your troubles. Every morning, make up your mind that you are going to be kind to your friends and enemies alike; to meditate more deeply than the day before; to read more good books, and so forth.

Analyze yourself and find out whether you have been progressing or not. You must not lead a stagnant existence. Every day, spur yourself on to greater achievements.

How to Create Dynamic Will Power

To create dynamic will power, determine to do all the things in life you thought you couldn’t do, and devote your entire will power to accomplishing one thing at a time. Be sure that you have made a good selection, then refuse to submit to failure.

Use your will power to perfect yourself in this life. You must depend more and more upon the mind, because mind is the creator of your body and your circumstances.

Excerpted from How to Awaken Your True Potential by Paramhansa Yogananda.