Are You Ordinary or Special?

Are You Ordinary or Special?

Lately we were in discussions with Dadi Janki in London. She was trying to inspire us all not to be ordinary! This became a topic of many conversations… what does it mean to be special and not ordinary? Here are some jewels that emerged!

Listen to the Audio (Music by Deepak Ram)

When I am ordinary, I engage in the vices, I enjoy them! I become more and more familiar with them and they become my comfort zone, the same zone that many of us have been living in for a long time! To transcend the vices means to be special and elevated. The vice of Anger is a need for power. As I become powerful, I can drop the anger. Lust is a need for love, as I love myself, I no longer need the support of lust. Attachment is a dependency on others, as I become strong in myself and autonomous, I no longer need attachment. Ego creates a false image of myself, as I become knowledgeable of the true self, I can drop the ego. Greed is a discontent. As I become content from seeing my treasures inside, I can let go of greed.

When I am ordinary, I act in the same manner as the other. So for example, if someone has defamed me, I defame them back. If I have had something taken from me, I take something of theirs. This does nothing to change the karmic dynamic. I need to go the extra mile to do something different and special, only then can I be awarded the special certificate!

The word ordinary in Greek is ‘Sinithia’ which means by habit or habitual. When something has become too much of a habit it becomes ordinary. Everything is a novelty at first, but if it is repeated again and again, it can become irritating, boring and routine! Hence to overcome the ordinariness, we need to bring newness to everything we do in whatever lighthearted way we are able to.

That is why, when I am doing the same thing over and over again, there is no sense of progress.  Life can be likened to climbing the rungs of a ladder.  Every day, every week, there should be a sense of having moved a notch higher to my purpose and destination. Otherwise again, everything feels ordinary and mundane!  Yet, who is responsible for this feeling? Only I!

Let’s face it; no one wants to be ordinary. If you tell someone they are ordinary, you are likely to be deleted from their contact list! Yet no one can make you special. You have to become it yourself. Everyone wants to feel they are unique and special. So how do we do it?

As we do each deed no matter how mundane, we need to add the expression of our inner virtue to it. For example, as we wash our car, we should do it with care and attention (not as a chore). As we take our children to school, we need to with happiness. As we shop for fruits and veggies, we do it with love and respect for the self. This is the reason why, when many people see yogis cleaning floors, their vision does not fall on their buckets and mops, but the contentment and peace on their faces.

There is a story of a shoe-shine boy, whose attitude was far greater than his job would suggest; positive, powerful and cheerful. People passed by him everyday just to brush off some of his attitude, and not just their shoes!

To be elevated may mean having to walk the extra mile, but it is worth it. There are huge dividends as we do so. We feel good inside, that is the first thing. Secondly, we are creating a positive vibe all around, we are creating good karmas for ourselves and settling old unwanted ones. Our lives feel purposeful and meaningful as we add some light to the dark world.

To be elevated means to really understand the self. To know that I do not belong to this old world; my consciousness is beyond, it’s a non-worldly consciousness. As I heighten my awareness of myself as an eternal being, a soul full of all positive qualities, I will automatically feel elevated. That is extraordinary!

It’s Time… to realise how special you are!

 Take a few moments to do a short “SPECIAL” meditation! 🙂

(Music by Prem Joshua)

OM Shanti

© ‘It’s Time…’ by Aruna Ladva, BK Publications London, UK