Exceptional People Exceptionally Themselves

In response to Hugh's post, Seek Out the Exceptional Minds, I realized my comment played into a post I've been writing in my head for this past Awareness Monday. (Yes, it's Wednesday. Crazy busy with work and friend stuff.) I'm way summarizing here, but basically his gist is: "Life is Short. Seek out the exceptional minds, avoid everyone else." My comment was:

Lord Krishna says to his pupil Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita, "Better one's own dharma [path, aim in life], however imperfect, than the dharma of another perfectly performed."

So I'm not sure what is "exceptional" as it's quite subjective, but as long as one is committed to becoming or being exceptionally themselves you're probably going to resonate with me.

There's absolutely no need to reject or even avoid people. There's a self-selection process in play. In my experience, as you become more exceptionally yourself, there's almost a magnetic energy field (not literally, it's a metaphor) created that naturally draws in ALIGNED people...and everyone else runs away as fast as they can ;-)

Michael Ray, a Stanford business school professor that I had the pleasure of meeting several times, has just released his new book, The Highest Goal. It's disguised as a business book and it's based on his well-known Personal Creativity in Business course. I say "disguised" because it's really a book about life, not just business. Yet another book in the personal innovation category.

[A]s Carl Jung said, we make the mistake of going outside to find direction:

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks within, awakens.

The highest goal is part of the human quest. Eastern traditions call life purpose "dharma", or right livelihood. India's The Bhagavad-Gita, for example, focuses almost entirely on dharma and the search for it. In it Lord Krishna says to his pupil Arjuna, "Better one's own dharma [path, aim in life], however imperfect, than the dharma of another perfectly performed."

In this society we almost never follow Krishna's advice. Too often, our parents, teachers and the media train us to define happiness in terms of external rewards. - The Highest Goal

The highest goal is more or less your purpose in life. And if you have no idea?

"...take comfort in knowing that this highest goal pursues you. In fact, when you experience discomfort and aimlessness in your life, you are resisting the pull to live for the highest goal." - The Highest Goal

Speaking of Jung's awakened state, I received this quote today in my daily zaadz email newsletter:

"A nice definition of an awakened person: a person who no longer marches to the drums of society, a person who dances to the tune of the music that springs up from within." -- Anthony De Mello, Awareness

Of course, that leads to the next question(s) and the next post: Uh, what tune is that - why don't I hear squat? Or, ah that tune, you mean that little ditty matters?

Comments

[hugh macleod]

Yeah, but "wee voice" has fewer syllables than "authentic voice" nayaaah nyaaaah nyaaaaah....

;-)

[Zane Safrit]

" He whose happiness is within, whose contentment is within, whose light is all within, that yogi, being one with Brahman, attains eternal freedom in divine consciousness." - Chapter 5, v. 24, Bhagavad-Gita (Song of God).