We depend on food and shelter to survive. And to afford this security of food and shelter, we need to work and earn a living. Every moment of our waking lives, we earn the fruits of our actions.
We earn a livelihood, we earn experience, and we earn a reputation. We are never free from our actions. That is the law of karma. And the law of nature dictates that each of us behaves according to our inherent nature. So, in essence, we each should earn through actions that seem natural to us.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18 Shloka verse 47, Lord Krishna says:
śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt
svabhāva-niyataṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣham
It is better to do one’s dharma, even though imperfectly, than to do another’s dharma, even though perfectly. By doing one’s innate duties, a person does not incur sin.
We see perfection as something flawless in our world of comparisons and competition. If something is not perfect, then it is not worthy. We judge and ridicule and dismiss everything that is not perfect. But what is perfection, and what is the barometer of perfection?
No one on this earth has been sent empty. The divine has created us unique with our gifts and talents. For some, speaking and making connections come easy, while for others creating marvelous pieces of art flows easily. Some of us have the gift of imagination and the power to bring it to life through technology and innovation. For some of us, the divine fills our hearts with compassion to become the voice for the unspoken and invisible. For some, justice is all that matters and for some, perhaps, finding meaning in the ordinary and then stringing their experience through pearls of words into poetry that inspires millions. These innate qualities that flow naturally within us are our talents.
You see, the purpose of God was for each of us to shine our inner light of gifts for the wellbeing of everyone. But when we humans turn our attention to what’s around rather than what’s within, we begin to go astray. We go chasing the idea of perfection. We chase what is not ours.
And perfection is elusive. It breeds insanity. It takes us away from our purpose. It takes us away from who we are and who we are meant to be. For so many of us, this is the story of our lives. We live someone else’s dream and choose a career just because that is what others want from us.
Define your job. Now define your dream job. If what you do versus what you want to do holds a vast chasm between them, you need to ask yourself this question: are you honoring your talents? Are you living your true authentic self?
Take time to reflect on what makes you happy, and things will naturally reveal themselves to you. That is guidance and intuition speaking to you. If you pay heed, you will carve a path toward your destiny. Lord Krishna says that we need to honor our gifts and allow our gifts to guide our actions. These actions will then eventually become an act of devotion.
You living your authentic truth is perfection, just how the divine created you. Perfection is not flawless; perfection is rough at the edges, is messy; perfection is truth, your truth.
When you live your truth, every action breathes perfection and is filled with passion, not in pursuit of anything other than the pursuit of the act itself. And that act becomes your soul’s true prayer and tribute to the Divine. Honor your talents. Live your truth!