Live Positive Way - The 3Ps!
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
Karmanye Vadhika Raste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana
Ma Karma Phala He Tur Bhuh Ma Te Sangotsva Karmanye
You have only the right to work and never expect its fruits.
Let the fruits of action not be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
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I recently read about the "90–10 formula". Everywhere people talk about it in different ways. The 90/10 formula states that 10% of our life is made up of what "happens to us" and 90% of our life is determined by "our reaction to" what happened to us. But when I thought about it more, I felt something else.
Life always revolves around three things, at least for me - 'places, people and personal choices'. These three continue to resurface in my life.
Places change often in my life. "Where are you these days?" asks my friends who are well aware of me. To be honest, I dislike moving to a new location. In the beginning, I feel restless, uncomfortable, and even unhappy. But slowly that place grows on me. I get used to it, I start enjoying it, and finally I get attached to it. Then all of a sudden, life takes me away again. I am now familiar with the cycle, first I resist, then I settle, then I love it, and then I have to leave.
People are also like that. We get connected deeply with only a few, though we get acquainted with many. Out of those, some people who came into my life said 'they will always stay with me', ‘forever’? But except one, almost all have either gone far away or are no longer in touch. Some are only occasionally in touch, and some are completely out of my world. At first it felt heavy; I wondered why they left. But later I realised this is how life works. People come, people go. Nothing remains permanent.
Even personal choices change. I was once a person who loved being in the middle of a crowd. I enjoyed gatherings, the laughter, and the energy of so many people around. But today I prefer 'peace'. I love quiet moments, clean surroundings, and very few people near me. My own personality has gradually changed, and sometimes I wonder how and why. In actuality, we don't stay the same.
So why does all this keep happening? I now believe that we have no control over anything in this universe, not even 'our own thoughts'. We wish, we plan, we decide, but finally most of it does not happen the way we want it happen. I feel, 90 percent of life is determined by the Almighty, and only 10 percent is left to us. Be it getting a job, searching for a life partner, moving to a new city, or even raising a child—we are only playing our little part. We simply act as facilitators. The real 'doer' is above us.
Some may not agree with this idea. Atheists may say there is no god. But even then, you cannot deny that Nature takes over and controls the outcome. Circumstances, environment, timing—these things are stronger than our efforts. Therefore, 90% of the work is done by it/them, whether you refer to them as God or Nature and only 10 percent is in our hands.
What are we going to do with that ten percent? Well, we must give our 100 percent of our effort to that small portion of 10 percent. Whatever little is in our hands, we must do it with a full heart. Whether it is meeting new people, visiting new places, or even the smallest daily routines, do it sincerely. Be present, be true, be yourself.
And why do we claim so much credit when we only own 10%? Why do we constantly keep saying things like "I made that happen," "I did this," and "I helped you, so you must thank me"? We demand gratitude or rewards for even the smallest deeds. We must keep in mind that we are merely tools.
This is where Krishna’s words come back to us. He has already given the answer in the Bhagavad Gita:
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥
Karmanye Vadhika Raste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana
Ma Karma Phala He Tur Bhuh Ma Te Sangotsva Karmanye
You have only the right to work and never expect its fruits.
Let the fruits of action not be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
Do your karma. Don’t cling to the results. When I accept this, life looks very simple. No more holding onto people, no more crying over places, no more fear of change, no more stress about results. Everything becomes lighter. Change will keep coming, and we cannot stop it. If we accept it and embrace it, life becomes beautiful. Therefore, let us make the most of the ten percent that has been allotted to us. Do everything with love, do it honestly, and let the rest unfold on its own.
Stay happy and stay positive! - Suganthi Sankaran
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