All we have to do is figure out how they did it and do the same. If it does not work out, it’s because we messed up. And we have to find out where we went astray and fix it.

But what if we are wrong? What if there is an X-factor that our role models have that we do not? And, therefore we can never attain the success they did?

For more than four hundred years after it was painted the Mona Lisa was relatively unknown. And then it was stolen, recovered and targeted by vandals. It made headlines the world over and is today, arguably, the world’s most famous and valuable painting.

A perfect example of the X-factor at work.

So, if you try to become a business titan and fail, is it because you did not try hard enough or smart enough? Or is it because you just don’t have the X-factor?

The answer is: You will never know!

Because we labor under the illusion of control, we tend to beat ourselves up. It was all, somehow, our fault. Our miscalculation.

This is why the great Indian sage, Vidyaranya, gave us a different model. He said:

That which is not to happen will not happen.
If it has to happen, it will not be otherwise.

So the X-factor – call it God, destiny, luck, kismet or whatever – rules the roost. It determines that X will become CEO and Y will be forced out. It ordains that Player A will win the championship and Player B will be the runner up.

Can you prove that this is so? No, you cannot.

Can you prove that this is not true? No, you cannot.

So Vidyaranya gives you the tool you need. Try your level best, your absolute level best, to attain the goal you have set for yourself. If you don’t succeed, then know that you do not have that X-factor.

Don’t beat yourself up. Just know that, for this time, you came up short because that is the way it is.

Should you try again?

Absolutely. Sometimes the X-factor kicks in after multiple attempts. Sometimes it does not. You never know till after you have tried.

When you truly accept that you have no control over the results of your vast effort, you find a welcome peace come over you.

So why should you make any effort at all?

Because you do not know, till you try, whether the X-factor is with you or not. And, because it is the trying that enables you to grow.

The mistake we all make is thinking that the benefit of trying to reach a goal is reaching the goal.

Wrong!

The benefit of trying our best to reach a goal is the learning and growth that happen in us, and to us, as we make that attempt.

If we do reach the goal, that is a bonus, and we should be immensely grateful. If we do not, the learning and growth have occurred, so we are ahead of the game.

You cannot lose if you adopt this model.

Invest in the process. Do not invest in the outcome. The outcome is beyond your control.

The funny thing is that when you implement Sage Vidyaranya’s model, and detach from the outcome, you find joy creeping into your life. The effort you put in becomes pleasurable because you do not mix it with the expectation that events unfold in the way you would like them to.

Try it.

Peace!

This article and spiritual story is from Professor Srikumar S. Rao. You can learn directly from him during his free masterclass “A System To Totally Eradicate Stress & Anxiety.”

Click here to register for Professor Rao’s free masterclass

The post Why Aren’t I Rich? Lessons From Mona Lisa (Part 2) – A Spiritual Story By Srikumar Rao appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.

Since it was impossible for a boy to leap that far, the audience was always on the edge of their seats. But at the last second a trained eagle always rescued him, grabbing the harness with his talons and circling dramatically as the crowd cheered, eventually delivering the boy to the platform unharmed. This went on for ten years as both the boy and the eagle grew older. But while the boy was growing taller and stronger with each passing year, the eagle was growing weaker with age.

One night the boy was asleep in his wagon. He dreamed, or was it a dream, that the eagle came to speak to him about important matters. He explained why his wagon had no bars like those of the other animals, which was something the boy had always wondered about. “The other animals hate men and would go back to their old ways if they could,” the eagle began. “The elephant and zebra would wander and graze. The lion and tiger would hunt. The bear would sleep. The monkey would steal. But I admire the ways of men. It is my destiny to be among them and teach them to fly.”

“I have loved the part I've played in our drama, and would go on doing it forever if I could. But every day I grow weaker and one day soon I won't be able to bring you across the abyss of fire. Then I'll let go of your harness and as I do, I'll give you my power of flight. You will be transformed into an eagle, just as I was when I was a boy of 13. You will be able to save yourself and fly for many seasons. When you become old and weak, you must pass the gift on to someone else.”

“But what will become of you?” the boy asked, distressed, because he loved the eagle.

“I will dive to my death in the flames. In time you will do the same.”

“No, no!” the boy cried. “As soon as I am able to fly I will carry you with me to the other side. Even if you can't fly you can still travel with us in your wagon, offer me advice and observe the people.”

“Who wants to be a walking eagle?” he asked. “After the glories of seeing the panorama of the earth, flying up to observe and coming back to report to the Ringmaster what's around the bend. I have been respected here. I don't think I could adjust to being carted around like a clown.”

The eagle paused for a moment as the boy began to cry, but he knew he must disclose the rest of his instructions. “These mysterious ways are both a blessing and a curse. Soon after I am gone, they will bring you a young boy and they will teach him to make a great show of his wings. You will play my part rescuing him at every performance, and take on other duties involving your ability to be a messenger between the Ringmaster and Heaven. In time this day will come for you too, but don't be sad. My visit here has been a wonderful experience and I will never forget it. I know you will feel the same.”

“No,” the boy replied. “I'll just fly away. If I'm not here they won't steal another boy and this way of life will come to an end.”

“Is that what you really want?” asked the eagle. “Would you deny someone else the excitement of a life like yours? This boy they will steal … if you are gone he will live his life in the fields, plowing in the spring, harvesting in the fall. He will never learn to fly. And what of you? You can seek the company of eagles who did not start their lives as boys, but you will find them dull. You are not a child born of an egg, but you are a boy destined to become an eagle.”

When the boy woke the next morning, he went to the eagle's wagon. But he was just perched on his branch, silent, tilting his head and furling his wings like an ordinary bird. Where was the magical creature of his dream? The boy tried to put the whole experience out of his mind, but a few weeks later, everything came to pass, just as the eagle had predicted.

The boy who was now an eagle sat in the wagon without any bars, but felt like a prisoner. He spread his wings and circled above the wagons and the bonfire in the middle of the camp. He knew that soon they would choose a boy for him to rescue, learn to love, and that he must begin a new life of great responsibility. Suddenly, he felt unequal to the task and began climbing into the night sky. When he finally looked back, the campfire shone like a star from the dark landscape of the countryside. He rested on a stiff current of cold air and tried to decide what to do.

Would he go back to the circus and fulfill his destiny, or make a run for the flames of the Sun?

Marki Parker has written stories and poem since childhood and especially enjoys reading and writing about spiritual themes.

The post The Boy Who Became An Eagle – Spiritual Story by Marki Parker appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.