Most of us keep passing through four different states of mind. We feel "stressed" when we have set certain targets and we are somehow unable to get the desired results. For example, when we have not completed the syllabus and exams are around the corner, or we have not been able to complete the assignment and the boss is going to take a review meeting, or our relationship with a friend is tense. That may be due to the competency gap i.e. our competency or skill is less than the requisite skill set. Or we may feel stressed because the situations are not supporting us. In such cases, there is a high level of reaction and restlessness.
Sometimes we feel "excited". It so happens when we achieve the targets we have set for ourselves. It may again happen since we have the competence required to achieve the goal, and the circumstances are favoring us. The level of reaction is high and we feel like celebrating or partying in such cases. This so happens when we get a good position in an examination, a good performance appraisal at the office, a promotion, or enjoy a dance.
Some of us do not get stressed or excited so soon and more often, we stay in a pensive mode. We think quite deeply and have an awareness of the greater goals. Yet, we feel "Sad" when we realize that we are going to miss on larger goals, or "joyful" when we feel that we are going to achieve the same. For example, a student may not get stressed or excited about the performance in a particular examination, however, may feel sad when he feels that he is going to miss the desired career path, and may feel joyful when he feels that he is going to make it to the desired career. Similarly, an entrepreneur may be sad or joyful due to the overall growth of his business. Sadness and joyfulness depend upon the achievement of the long-term targets we set for ourselves.
There would be more occasions to feel excited or stressed when we have a very short vision of life. It would make us more impulsive and reactive. On the other hand, if we are more aware of the greater goals, we will be more pensive and less impulsive. Still, we will keep facing the phases of sadness and joy. However, if we are aware of the purpose of life, we will keep growing constantly. We can see that happening in the lives of many such as Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Einstien, Sri Aurobindo, Richard Feynman, Paramhansa Yogananda, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, and so many other historical figures.
We can't realize the purpose of our lives unless we imbibe two qualities: Awareness and Truthfulness. Generally, we are not aware of our inner self and we carry so many desires in our unconscious mind that keep driving our life without us being aware of them. There is fear, jealousy, hatred, desire, affection, and so many more emotions lying deep in our unconscious mind that we are hardly aware of. For example, we may not want to meet a friend because that friend hurt a common friend long back and we carry that impression in the unconscious mind, and we may decide to give priority to some office meeting without ever knowing that this decision is not to meet the friend was taken by the unconscious mind. Our unconscious mind keeps driving our lives without us being aware of the same. That is the reason we need to examine the unconscious mind thoroughly and be aware of the same to avoid behaving like a horse with a blinder in its eyes.
The second and equally important element is truthfulness. We make so many decisions to pretend to be something. For example, we may be convinced to say no to a friend, and yet we may say yes because we like our self-image of being a good friend. We invest so much in our self-images and undertake so many pretensions to protect our self-image. Unless our self-image is a true reflection of what we are, we will keep making pretensions and can never dare to be truthful.
Awareness, truthfulness, and the purpose of life are mutually complementary. If we are not aware of our inner truths, we can never be truthful. If we are not aware or truthful, we can never understand the purpose of life. Similarly, if we do not understand that the purpose of life is to explore this world and not to accumulate, it will not be possible for us to be truthful and enquire deep into our inner being. On the other hand, if we make efforts to be aware of our inner truths, we will definitely be more truthful in our outer behavior and have a better understanding of the purpose of life. If we understand the large purpose of life, we will have more occasions to introspect and look at the deep layers of our unconscious. We will try to be truthful in our behavior and take responsibility for our decisions, rather than hiding behind the pretensions. Each one of us has a choice as to whether we want to remain ignorant and impulsive; or we want to gain awareness of our inner being, be truthful in our behavior by doing away with pretensions, understand a larger purpose of our lives, and grow constantly.
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