When I was young, I had once asked my father what is India best known for in the world? He told me that although India is a poor country, yet it is known for being a happy country. I wondered how that was possible. My father told me that even though people are not very rich, they are content with what they have. They believe in doing their karma and strive to not fret too much about the results. 

Born in a middle class family, I was raised with similar values. I performed exceptionally well in my academics and created a fortune for myself. Today, I see a different India. People around me dream very big. They set big goals for themselves and then chase them. There is no rest nor peace till the goals are achieved. Some also associate contentment with laziness and believe that one should never be satisfied else our growth will be stopped. There is therefore no stopping. One goal replaces the other and life goes on. But what about happiness? 

Considering happiness is my priority, this was a very important question for me. Reflecting upon my own life I realised how temporary happiness is. This made me very curious about what contentment is. Being a spiritual person, I started referring to spiritual wisdom and observing Rajyogis around. Here are few things I realised:

I saw that all Rajyogis are working diligently towards the aim of world renewal. They see many successes and face a lot of setbacks in this journey. They celebrate success, learn from challenges and stay focused on their aim. They believe that whatever happens, happens for the best. 

Lesson 1: Being content does not mean not having an aim. It just means that we accept our highs and lows and strive towards a better future. 

In the materialistic world I see that conscientious people set goals and focus on them. Sometimes their focus is so deep that they neglect community needs, nature and even their family. When their one goal is achieved they set another goal and life goes on. They enjoy their achievements but they are often stressed out and not able to enjoy the small pleasures of life. I observed that unlike other people I saw around me, Rajyogis are not very worried about the future. They are able to focus on the present as they see qualities, look for potential in people and enjoy learning. More importantly, their goal energises them and they know they will create a better future. 

Lesson 2: A positive person who enjoys learning can be content in life. 

In the materialistic world I see that people are very insecure and they act out of fear or to avoid losses. In the world of Rajyogis I was intrigued to see how God is able to love all of them together and has become their No. 1 relative. This is so different from how people behave in a world of scarcity. Alas the goal of Rajyogis is so big that no one alone can accomplish it and everyone has an important role to play. 

Lesson 3: Manage yourself, energise others.

In the materialistic world the focus is on influencing and changing others. In the world of Rajyogis the focus is on changing yourself and others get influenced automatically by your change. Also it is important to remember that to achieve our aims in life, we need the support of others. Whether the support would come or not is dependent on the other person and their sanskars. We can only control our behaviour. 

Lesson 4: The bigger we aim the more content we can be 

In the materialistic world people are busy solving their own problems and realising their dreams. If we only aim for our personal growth we will always be stressed about the result. Rajyogis aim for world renewal by changing their own sanskars and sharing the knowledge they have received with others. The bigger our aim is in terms of how many people it will impact the more will our satisfaction be and the less materialistic we will be. 

These lessons have been extremely useful for me and I go back to them every time I find myself caught in a race.