Are You Too Busy ‘Doing’, To Make A Difference?
A few days ago, I came across Narayanan Krishnan.
He is an unassuming chef from India and, during the 2 minutes and 47 seconds of this video, he changed my life.
Now, that’s saying something. Believe me, over the years I have “been there” and “done that” with pretty much every course, training programme and “shake your life up” book you can imagine.
And I thought I was pretty much on track.
But no.
Narayanan showed me, with painful clarity, how much time I spend “doing stuff” to make a difference, but how unimportant most of those actions are; how little impact they have.
It’s like this short video gave me the coldest shower I have ever had; the loudest wake-up call; the biggest kick up the butt to fundamentally review everything I do.
How?
Because he followed his calling – his dream – to make a tangible difference to the lives of those most in need, through his every action.
He was working as a chef in a hotel, feeding his customers, while people living in the streets around the hotel were eating their own human waste, to avoid dying of starvation.
He took action.
He quit his job. He made it his mission in life – his dharma – to feed and nurture those who society has rejected.
He was scorned by his community, but he kept going.
There often aren’t enough funds to cover the cost of the food, but he keeps going.
And he does it with humility and joy.
So many of us “in the West” think we’re on a mission to help and serve others. But whilst our focus remains stuck on “how can I best market my product” or “how is my website looking”, then we’re not really helping.
An old mentor of mine used to tell me, whenever I asked him what he thought I should do next:
“Do what you do best and do it well.”
He knew the secret that, by following your calling and only taking actions that add to that, the Universe will sort the rest out. It falls into place. You’ll get the nudges you need. Your job is simply to keep doing what you do best – and doing it well.
By doing what we love – what makes our heart sing – we attract to us all the resources we need, to allow the dream to unfold and become true.
And the secret that no one tells us is that this dream grows bigger, the more we focus on how our thoughts, words and actions can serve others, rather than ourselves. It magnetises those who have been looking for our help. It creates the space for the miracles – large and small – that allow the impossible to happen. It sends a signal out to the Universe, to support our work. It transforms our life, without us even trying.
So many of us feel a deep calling; a calling which grows louder with every day that it is ignored. So often I see the physical, psychological and emotional impact of this in people – including myself.
My invitation to you today is:
Watch this video. Allow Narayan Krishnan to give you goose bumps, move you to tears, fill you with humility and awe.
Then, get off your backside ( 😉 ) and do something about your deeper calling.
Take action. Stand for something. Take the first step – even if it’s tiny.
It’s time for you to live your soul’s purpose.
With love, Namaste,
Clare x
To donate to Narayan Krishnan’s work, go to http://www.akshayatrust.org/index.php. There’s a “donate via PayPal” button in the bottom left hand corner of each page.
