November 21, 2022

No effort on the path is ever wasted…

One of the classic yogic texts is the Bhagavad Gita. At the most basic level, it is a conversation between a charioteer (Krishna) and a warrior (Arjuna) prior to entering the battlefield. It is packed with insights about life, the development of values and virtues, and living your own life of purpose (and more). In it, there is a moment where Krishna is advising the warrior, Arjuna that “no effort on the path is ever wasted”.

I share this with you as a reminder and a place of inquiry. Life is full of uncertainties and we often like to project our stories and write the script of what’s to come, when in reality, we have no idea.

In this fast-paced world of immediate gratification, there are great gifts from the practice of patience, sitting with “not knowing” and “discomfort” without fixing. Gifts which come from doing the hard things, having difficult conversations, and challenging ourselves while being open and unattached to a particular outcome.

Here are a few considerations and journal prompts on the topic:

• What would your practice or some part of your life look like if you trusted your efforts would lead you right where you need to be?

• In what domain of your life might it serve you to loosen your grip on some attachment you might have to a particular outcome?

• What would it be like to apply the same level of effort in any given scenario knowing the outcome is uncertain?

And remember, “no effort on the path is ever wasted.”