7 Divine Laws to Awaken Your Best Self

1. Awaken Your Infinite Potential as a Divine Soul

Our soul is destined for perfection, and hence, it keeps prodding us to progress further.

Your divine nature. The yearning for growth is inherent because we are eternal fragmental parts of God, who is perfect. Our soul, being divine, possesses infinite potential for growth, regardless of our current state, much like a tiny spark has the potential to ignite a forest. This understanding liberates us from the fixed mindset, which believes abilities are predetermined, and fosters a growth mindset, recognizing unlimited scope for improvement through effort.

Beyond the material body. Our biggest mistake is identifying with the perishable material body, which limits our perception of potential. Realizing our nature as divine souls unfetters consciousness from matter, connecting us to infinite possibilities. This is the first lesson of the Bhagavad Gita: the soul is indestructible and eternal, urging us to reject limiting thoughts and fulfill our glorious destiny.

God desires your growth. The definition of Brahman (God) includes not only being infinitely big but also making others big. Therefore, our desire to awaken our best self is not egoistic but aligns with God's desire for His parts to grow in divine virtues and become perfect like Himself. This divine law assures us that infinite potential resides within, waiting to be manifested.

2. Achieve Mastery Through Consistent Incremental Growth

Personal excellence and life mastery can only be achieved by consistent small steps of incremental improvement.

Give up lottery thinking. Success is not a sudden event but a journey built step-by-step through dedicated hard work over time. The idea of "overnight success" is often a myth; closer inspection reveals years of consistent effort, like Bill Gates' thousands of hours programming before Microsoft. Relying on luck is gambling a precious human life on near-zero odds.

Choices shape destiny. Between birth and death lie the choices we make daily. Each choice, however small, subtly steers our life trajectory. Consistently choosing growth over pleasure, or meaningful work over frivolous enjoyment, accumulates over years to create vastly different outcomes, as seen in the comparison of Satya Nadella and his less successful classmate.

Leverage behavioral momentum. The initial phase of change is the hardest, but consistent repetition builds behavioral momentum. The brain creates neural pathways that automate repeated tasks, making them easier over time, similar to how pushing a car is hardest at first but gains speed. This momentum can work for or against us, highlighting the importance of consistently making good choices to build positive impetus.

3. Your Beliefs Determine the Trajectory of Your Life

The trajectory of our life is determined by the beliefs we hold in our intellect.

Why-power surpasses willpower. While willpower helps control the mind, why-power, stemming from deep motivation and beliefs in the intellect, is far superior. The intellect is a faculty superior to the mind, and its convictions can authoritatively command the mind and subconscious. A strong belief, like poison in food, can instantly override strong desires.

Beliefs create reality. Our subconscious assumes our strong beliefs to be true, shaping our virtual reality regardless of facts. Incorrect convictions, like believing promotion is only due to politics, can sabotage our efforts more effectively than external obstacles. Conversely, believing in infinite potential empowers us for ascent.

Cultivate good beliefs. Avoid forming beliefs based on hearsay or repetition, which can be easily manipulated (like Goebbels' propaganda). To develop perfect beliefs (shraddha), seek knowledge from trustworthy sources free from human defects (limited senses, illusion, mistakes, propensity to cheat). The Vedas and God-realized saints are considered infallible sources, and associating with them (satsang) helps transform knowledge into firm faith.

4. True Happiness Comes from Growing Within, Not External Pursuits

True happiness comes by growing from within to become a better person.

Universal quest for joy. Everyone, regardless of their approach (saintly, ordinary, or wicked), is ultimately seeking happiness. This universal motive drives all actions, even if the methods seem contradictory or self-destructive. The paradox is that despite this relentless pursuit, lasting bliss remains elusive.

The illusion of external happiness. We mistakenly believe that accumulating material possessions, achieving positions, or gratifying senses will bring permanent joy. However, happiness derived from external objects is temporary, fades with repetition, and is limited, leaving the soul perpetually discontented. The chase for more becomes an ever-receding mirage, as seen in the dissatisfaction across different levels of wealth or location.

Grow from within. The infinite reservoir of bliss (sat-chit-anand - eternal, ever-fresh, infinite) resides within us, being the nature of God who is seated in our hearts. The path to true happiness is not external travel but internal purification and growth. By focusing on becoming a better person, we align with the soul's quest for divine bliss, realizing that inner growth is the foundation for genuine outer success and fulfillment.

5. Sublimate Your Mind's Energy by Dovetailing it Towards God

The sovereign recipe for purifying the mind and its thoughts is to dovetail it towards the Supreme through bhakti.

Mind determines state. Our level of consciousness and ultimate destination are determined by the state of our mind, not our physical location or external circumstances. An unconquered mind, filled with mundane or unwholesome thoughts (desire, anger, greed), acts as a weak link, anchoring us to lower states.

Suppression backfires. We naturally want to eliminate harmful thoughts, but trying to suppress them often leads to the ironic process effect, where the forbidden thought becomes more persistent. This makes direct mental suppression a difficult and often counterproductive spiritual practice.

Bhakti purifies the mind. Instead of trying to stop thinking, the path of bhakti (devotion) teaches us to divert the mind's energy towards God. By absorbing the mind in the all-pure Supreme, detrimental material desires and attachments are sublimated and purified, transforming lower impulses into noble, divine sentiments like yearning for service and sacrifice for God's pleasure.

6. Cultivate True Love by Giving, Not Doing Business

Our hearts can only be satisfied by true love, which is a deep and noble affection for the others’ happiness, without seeking personal benefit in return.

Expectations ruin connection. Relationships are vital but often fraught with anxiety and dissatisfaction due to unfulfilled expectations. We behave like demanding children, expecting others to cater to our desires, and become upset when they don't. This self-centered attitude, based on "What's in it for me?", is the root cause of relational friction.

Love vs. Lust vs. Business. True love (prem) is characterized by the desire to give and serve the other's happiness without seeking personal return. Lust (kam) is the self-seeking nature in a relationship, wanting to take. Business (vyapar) is transactional, based on give-and-take reciprocity. Most human relationships operate on the level of lust or business, not true love.

Serve God, then others. The foundation of true love is a service attitude, which stems from developing spiritual intelligence and realizing our inherent nature as tiny fragments of God meant to serve Him. By perfecting our selfless love for God, we naturally develop the desire to serve in all our dealings, transforming our relationships from transactional exchanges into expressions of divine love, done for God's pleasure.

7. Seek Guidance from a Genuine Spiritual Mentor

Unless one takes shelter of a guru, one cannot attain salvation.

Mentors accelerate growth. In any field, mentors provide invaluable guidance, saving years of struggle by sharing distilled knowledge, acting as role models, offering personalized coaching, providing encouragement, enforcing discipline, and helping set goals. This is true in professional life (statistics show significant benefits) and even more so in spiritual growth.

The indispensable guru. Spiritual scriptures emphasize the necessity of a guru (spiritual mentor) to dispel the soul's deep-seated ignorance (agyān) that persists despite academic learning. Our intellect is warped by five afflictions (avidyā, asmitā, rāg, dveṣh, abhiniveśh), making self-analysis insufficient for liberation. Even Lord Ram and Lord Krishna set the example by accepting gurus.

Recognizing a true saint. A genuine guru is not identified by external appearance, ability to grant material boons, or performing cheap miracles. The scriptures define a true guru as one who is both a knower of the scriptures (śhrotriya) and practically realized (brahmaniṣhṭh). Their words carry the power of realization, resolving doubts and inspiring detachment from the mundane and attachment to the divine. The most reliable test is the spiritual transformation you experience in their association.

Last updated: May 11, 2025