Get used - what are you saving yourself for???

This is going to be an anti-thesis to my post about not being extra nice and not being a doormat http://angelalpa.blogspot.in/2012/06/not-so-thin-line-between-being-nice-and.html.

 

This post comes for those who have been a pushover once in their life or seen others being one and swore never to be one again and went the other extreme and refused to help anyone without any personal interest. For all those who keep count of favours and IOU's and who sulk for days when someone takes advantage of them.

 

When i meet these people - i feel like shaking them and saying = "Get used - what are you saving yourself for?"

 

Its like you are a lovely bar of yummy chocolate, and you refuse to let anyone open your cover as you don't want to be eaten up.

But hey - if a chocolate is not eaten -its going to expire one day and the purpose and life of the chocolate is destroyed!!

 

Rather let someone who's really hungry or needs some cheering up, eat us or use us, it'll leave us with so much contentment and joy..

 

We are all God's never ending stock of chocolates - we can be used/eaten a million times and we'll still have more to give.

 

So why do we try and keep ourselves safe and unused, as comfortable as possible? Why are we so scared of being opened up?? Why do we fear to get out of our comfort zone so much??

 

We cant bear to be in a room without air conditioning, we cant bear to meet or listen to people we find irritating, we avoid some people and situations so much, give them so much power over us!! We cant bear delay, injustice, inconvenience ! Our tolerance and patience levels are at an all time low in this fast fast world!!

 

I'm not saying go out and get yourself inconvenient all the time - I'm saying do it sometime at least !! :) Stretch yourself.

 

Why expect convenience all the time??

 

Have you noticed-  we never grow when we are surrounded by convenience. You'll never feel an adrenalin rush in a comfortable/convenient environment. (Unless you're doing Sudarshan Kriya) You need to be doing something out of the ordinary to feel joy/contentment/excitement.

Don't we often hear of people who've had miracles in their life and we wonder why these things don't happen to us, albeit with a tinge of jealousy??

Dinesh Ghodke (you can follow him on @DineshGhodke on twitter) one of my Art Of Living Teachers, whom i love dearly and who has been extremely instrumental in making my spiritual journey so beautiful shared in an interview yesterday.....

Dinesh Ghodke - "When we are doing things that are IN our capacity - the Divine has no reason to intervene in our lives. Its only when we take on things/responsibilities that are WAY BEYOND our capacity, the Divine will feel a need to intervene to help you."
 

So go out there - do stuff for people even if its inconvenient for you...(AND DON'T KEEP COUNT)...Do it for yourself - for your growth for your happiness. (Nature always gives you back manifold, provided you are still not keeping count in that tiny corner of your brain)

 

If you want happiness for a day Eat good Food,

If you want happiness for  a month - travel the world

If you want happiness for a year - do a job,

If you want happiness for life - Serve Others - serve society!!

 

The kind of joy that you get when you serve others is so very fulfilling. Its almost intoxicating. Once you've experienced it - you cant do without it!!

 

When I'm involved in active volunteering for the Art of Living - life becomes so magical - all my needs get taken care of before they even arise in the most unique ways possible. It ensures I constantly have a reason to smile. Its miraculous. I've experienced this for many years. Now too I see this miracles around me everyday happening with me and friends around me.

 

Its great to give nature /the divine a chance to fulfil your needs. Nature does the job of fulfilling our needs/desires a trillion times better than we ever can.

 

Guruji often tells us - "You just go and serve others - and you'll never feel lack of anything in life....i assure you that"

 

And i have experienced it to be true for the past 12 years - there is so place for lack - life just overflows with gratitude...

 

So once again - Get used - Its the best thing that can happen to you!!

 

Love

Alpa