Sthairyam - Steadfastness

What is Steadfastness?

• Ability to keep pursuing the goal in spite of obstacles and failures
• Enthusiasm to never give up on matter

Why is Steadfastness important?

• Failures and setbacks are inevitable in everyone's life
• Only those who believe in defeat, are defeated
• Even in the toughest times, there is always a way to move ahead and succeed
• To work hard, one needs the fuel of enthusiasm and commitment

Why do people find it difficult to remain steadfast?

• Because their goal is not really inspiring to them. Higher the goal, Greater the inspiration
• Because they don't love what they do. Do what you love and love what you do.
• Because they have weak minds. Strong minds see opportunities even where weak minds see problems.

Practical Ways to Remain Steadfast

• Set a High Goal. If all you want is to top the class or win a competition, after some time, you will lose the interest. That's why we see that the performance of even the best of students slowly becomes lesser and lesser. But, people like Bhagat Singh, who had goal to make their country free, never gave up. Swami Chinmayananda had Truth as the goal and nothing could deter him. Choose a high goal. God is the highest goal. Can you work hard for God?
• Ask "So What?. People either win or learn. There is nothing called failure. You can't fail unless you believe you have failed. Learn from every failure and look ahead always. In the face of failure, ask yourself "So What?"
• Believe in Yourself. If you don't believe in yourself, you can't achieve anything great. Know that we are all children of the Lord and thus we can't fail. The Lord is infallible and so are we! What would you do if you knew that you just can't fail? THINK!
• Maintain Your Inspiration. Read books or spend time with people who inspire you. Children who eat healthy and exercise daily, can recover from fever faster than children who are weak and unhealthy. Similarly, take care of your "Food for Thought". When you fill the mind with positive inspiration, it is easy for you to bounce back.
• Enjoy What You Do. If you are watching a Football game and the electricity goes off, you immediately call a friend and find out the score. If required, you even go to the friends's place and watch the game. Why don't you give up? Because you love Football and enjoy it. When we love whatever we are doing, we will never give up.

Quotes

"Successful people are they who build a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at them." - Swami Chinmayananda

" We can. We Must. We Will" - Swami Chinmayananda

"When we fall, let us not fall like a iron-ball and lie heavily on the ground. Instead, let us fall like a rubber-ball and bounce back right away!" - Swami Chinmayananda

"Do not let Success get into your head and Do not let Failure get into your heart."

Quiz: Guess Who?

1. He failed the sixth grade and was defeated in every single election for public office until he became Prime Minister at you age of 62.
2. He was home schooled and was later sent to England for formal schooling at 17, but couldn't manage to cope and complete his studies.
3. He did not speak until he was four years old, and couldn't read until he was seven. His parents thought he was "sun-normal". He was expelled from school and his teachers described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrip forever in foolish dreams."
4. He fled the courtroom due to stage fright in his first law case.
5. He was fired after his first performance at the Grand Ole Opry and told by the manager, "You ain't going nowhere son, you otta go back to driving a truck."
6. Enduring a rough and often abusive childhood, she faced numerous career setbacks including being fired from her first job because she was unfit for TV.
7. She was broke, living on welfare, severely depressed, divorced and a single mother while attending school and attempting to write her first novel. 12 publishers rejected her book and finally she worked and paid to be published.