INSPIRED AND GUIDED LIVING
As long as you are living, as long as you are able, as long as your brain is active, and as long as you have thought, there will always be an acquisition of different and new knowledge, skills, powers and opportunities to accept and adapt creatively. Know this. Accept this. And daily live this, for you are effectively immortal, a spiritual being.
Age does not matter when it comes to understanding your divine qualities and journey as every divine journey gives you opportunities to go further. Therefore, aspire now to be spiritually enlightened. The time is never later, or tomorrow, or another time. It is never too late, or too early to do it. Make your commitment now. Right now, wherever you are.
By aspiring to be spiritually enlightened, there is always the possibility of attaining Self or God realization because you will have realized its existence in the process. The younger you are, the greater chances are that you will waste your divine time and energy on mundane activities. The younger you are when you start your spiritual journey, the quicker will be your attainment. By this I am not suggesting that older people have less spare time, but that younger persons are more attracted to non-useful activities than the elderly are.
Aspire also to acknowledge and fulfil your wholesome desires, especially if they relate to being spiritually enlightened. Remember who you really are: an individual divine unit of pure consciousness abiding in God. Upon fulfilment of wholesome requirements, the sense requirement to spiritual attainment is enhanced. This gives one more meaningful purpose to their life on this plane. Think about how happy and satisfied you are when your desires and needs are satisfied. Consider how much happier you would be if your spiritual wholeness was attained. By attaining anything, you become more energetic, optimistic, realistic and confident, striving for more spiritual consciousness and enhancement. This enlightenment will allow you to experience a sense of vivid aliveness and energy boosts that will be evident in all aspects of your life. You will live more effectively, be happier and with an increased understanding that there is no difference between the spiritual and material realms, but that they both exist to create a balance. You will become simple in action and thought, thereby having no ego and selfishness.
Together with what has been mentioned herein, question your growth spiritually. Take it upon yourself to understand your potential for spiritual development in this incarnation and to activate or actualise it. Make decisions by thinking rationally and in a mature manner, taking responsibility for all your thoughts, actions and words. Consciously nurture your growth. Study the scriptures in order to acquire knowledge to live positively, and effectively. Follow a wholesome diet. Do not speak harmfully to anyone, or harm anyone.
Swami Shankarananda