“ How to Motivate Yourself ”

Practical Management Lessons From

The Bhagavad-Gita

•What is Motivation?

•Common Causes and Their Shortcomings

•Ideal Motivation

•Influence of Conditioning

•Unconditioned Motivation

•Entities of Action

•Changeless Core

•The Perfect Example

OUTLINE

WHAT IS MOTIVATION?

• A desire to act•For satisfaction

• What is strong motivation ?•Intense and Stable desire to act

•Self-driven

•Not Influenced by external conditions •Association

•Mental States

•Incentives

•Life Events

• Where does strong motivation come from ?

COMMON CAUSES

•Maslow’s analysis, “Hierarchy of needs”

•Security

•Wealth

•Esteem

•Self-Actualization

•Is Self-Actualization enough ?

Stephen Hawking **

•No guarantee of all-round success

•No guarantee of complete satisfaction

** Read a recent news article about the abuse he suffered from a former nurse

IDEAL MOTIVATION

• A Natural Act uninfluenced by external conditions and results and done despite self-satisfaction

• No perfect example in this world, but a few good examples

•Act done as a matter of duty

• Belief system

•Act done as loving service

• Mother serving child

•Act done spontaneously as a sport

•Is there a perfect example ?

We will come back to this at the end of this presentation!!!, Now what influences our actions??

INFLUENCE OF CONDITIONING

• Conditioning

• “We think What we see is What is”

• Conditioning influences perception

• Perception Affects Desires

• Desire influences motivation

“Material nature consists of the three modes--goodness, passion and ignorance. When the living entity comes in

contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these modes.”

- Bhagavad-Gita- 14.5

Based on how we are affected by the modes, we act in certain ways; For example, a person in ignorance is lazy, intoxicated etc.,; See 14th chapter of the Gita for a more

detailed explanation on the symptoms of the three modes

UNCONDITIONED MOTIVATION

• What is unconditioned state ?

• Perceive reality as it is

• Act with pure love

• Complete satisfaction at all stages of action

GUARANTEED!!!

• How to remove conditioning ?

Before we answer this question, we need to understand what are the different unseen entities that influence our actions!

Jiva/Soul

Krishna/God

World/Maya/Mat- erial Nature

Performs an act, suffers reactions, thinks himself their cause!!

Desires Material Pleasures; Wants to Enjoy Separately from God

Provides for the desires

Binds the soul - Suffers birth, death, old age and disease

ENTITIES OF ACTION

Creates

Untouched

Is there a way out from this bondage/conditioning?

ENTITIES OF ACTION

Jivatma

Krishna

World

Sacrifices Results to Krishna

Aligns with Krishna’s will

Reciprocates Creates

Untouched

No Reactions

Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed

on Me, you will attain Me without doubt. – Bhagavad-Gita, 8.7

SOLUTION: PRACTICE YOGA!!!

CHANGELESS CORE BASED ON ETERNAL PRINCIPLES – Key to Strong Motivation

Changeless

CoreWISDOM POWER

SECURITY

GUIDANCE

In order to develop a strong motivation, one’s life should be based on a CORE of eternal principles/values; What are these eternal principles?? Let’s look at the Gita…

avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam vinasam avyayasyasya na kascit kartum arhati

Know that which pervades the entire body is indestructible. No one is able to destroy the

imperishable soul. - Bhagavad-Gita 2.17

antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah anasino 'prameyasya

tasmad yudhyasva bharataOnly the material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is subject to destruction; therefore, fight, O descendant of

Bharata. – Bhagavad-Gita 2.18

ETERNAL TRUTHS

mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah

manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati

The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the

six senses, which include the mind. - Bhagavad-Gita 15.7

ETERNAL TRUTHS

This verse talks about the intrinsic/inherent relation between the part (soul) and the whole (Krishna); When the soul forgets this relation, he

suffers in this world; As soon as he recognizes this relation, his motivation to perform an act changes; He now acts solely and spontaneously for the

satisfaction of the Lord, enjoys complete bliss!!!

These acts are uninfluenced by external conditions and results!

karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana

ma karma-phala-hetur bhur ma te sango 'stv akarmani

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the cause

of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.

- Bhagavad-Gita, 2.47

THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE FOR OUR LIFE

Take-home message: Be Detached from Results!!!

ARJUNA, THE PERFECT EXAMPLEiti te jnanam akhyatam

guhyad guhyataram maya vimrsyaitad asesena

yathecchasi tatha kuru

Thus, I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.

arjuna uvaca nasto mohah smrtir labdha tvat-prasadan mayacyuta sthito 'smi gata-sandehah

karisye vacanam tava

Arjuna said, My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy, and I am now firm and free

from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.

The above verses appear at the end of the Gita; After understanding the eternal truths that Krishna explained in the earlier chapters, Arjuna here aligns his will to that of

Krishna’s, and thus, sets a perfect example for others!!

Krishna says,

Arjuna replies,

Chant,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

And Motivate Yourself

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!