Sairam friends,
This morning, when I woke up, my Mom had severe pain in her leg as her nerves were twitching. I applied the Ayurvedic oil and also little Udi from Saibaba temple. I made her walk few steps and gradually she felt good after few minutes. I slept again and had a dream in which I saw one of the guy in our work. It was like, I show him lots of coins in the place of every key in the Keyboard.
My Father woke me up saying my phone is ringing. One of my friend asked me to join in some Matrimony expo as I can meet someone there.( God knows what on Earth they do and I think they have stalls of Wedding service providers like Catering,Photographers and my friend mistook it). I told him “Baba told me not to go such places”….he he…He convinced me as he’s a good friend of mine but I told him “May be something good will happen through you in my life but not this way.”
I have some restrictions and I follow my Sai. I can remain single but should not end up marrying someone in hurry. I wish to have born in some other country where Marriage at a certain age is not seen as a necessity. May be my life is different and Sai must be delaying for my own welfare. I just worry about my parents as me getting married means “Happiness” to them.
OK. Now lets come to the Topic I wish to express today.
Money: The reason why you fail in your career and business
Shirdi Saibaba used to ask for Dakshina (offerings) from people who come to have his Darshan in Dwarakamai. Once, two devotees came to see Saibaba.
Sai asked a devotee to offer Rs.15 as Dakshina. The devotee offered him and when the other devotee was about to offer some money, Sai refused. Shyama asked ” Baba, why do you ask money from a devotee and the other, even if he willingly gives you dakshina, you are not accepting”.
Baba replied “I do not need anyone’s money. The Masjidmai asks from who owes a debt. This devotee had prayed to Lord Dattatreya to be blessed with a good job. He prayed that he will be offering his first month Salary as an offering to Datta if he was blessed with a Job. The devotee got Job for a monthly salary of Rs.15. Later, he was gradually promoted and now earns a monthly salary of Rs.700 but he forgot about his vow to Lord Datta. He came here to me and I collected the money he owes to Lord Datta so that he becomes debt free”.
The devotee was happy to listen to this true incident of his life.
From the above leela, we can understand that Sai was never attached to money or what ever we offer him. Sai just wants us to be debt free. Similarly, when ever someone gives Dakshina to saints or does offering in temple, they are learning to “Be detached” from desire of Money.
Why should you be detached from Money?
Desire to earn money is alright but every moment of the day must not be spent thinking about it. What ever key decisions you take in life must not be based on your need to make more money. Money should be one of the result of your idea or work. Money shouldn’t be the only reason you do a work or launch a Business.
The reason why I wrote this article is because many Sai devotees decide to change their Job from one company to another just because they can earn better. Many are successfully finding the next Job exiting but some really don’t and they end up getting upset.
Ask yourself, if you really love your work and the environment. Even if you are not paid what you deserve, does this job helps you spend enough time with your family? Does this Job allows you to learn and grow ahead. Do you have good people around you?
If the answer is Yes, then consider continuing in the same job until you really get a better opportunity with similar comforts.
I have seen Men going abroad to earn better who write me saying they wanted to return back to India as they don’t like the new job and that they are missing their family members.
So when you take an importance decision for your Career, keep money as the last aspect.
Never Invest what you cannot afford to Loose:
People who wanted to start their independent Business must always plan how little to invest and not much to invest. Devotees mail me telling stories of how they failed in their business and have a huge loan to payback. I am not against borrowing money/loan but I am against a person going beyond a limit. Always think how you are going to bear the expenses for your family if your business doesn’t work well.
Yes. I speak negatively because people who take loans get into the habit easily. Life won’t be the same and hence at one stage they get stuck.
Apart from all the financial problems, the worst part will be the stress and the pain it creates in one’s life which spoils your happiness.
Never invest what you cannot afford to loose – “Your Happiness”.
Why people fail in Business due to their focus only on Money?
Think this way. Why should people/customers do business with you? Just because you desire to make more money? Never. People look for solutions for their problems.
Few days back, I saw someone presenting in a meeting about how a software can earn over a Million dollars. Excuse me. You can desire to earn million dollars but does your Software solve such a big problem.
To earn 50 Rupees profit, selling toys in the roadside, the shop keeper is solving a problem. He brings happiness to a child. “The happiness” of a child to a mother is worth a million dollar. So to make a profit of 50 Rs, the shop keepers desire to make money never has a role to play. Its the “Happiness” the toy can bring to child which makes him this profit.
So to make Million dollar selling a software, ask yourself if you are solving a billion dollar complicated problem of the customer.
Money can motivate you to do something. Money can certainly make you happy and desire for Money is the biggest reason we all do some kind of work or do business. Agreed.
But keep Money some where in the corner of your mind and focus on what you love to do. Keep learning, Work hard and take good decisions beyond Money. See how you can make others live happy by doing something creative.
My experience:
In 2003, I was trying to something online which is still remaining some where in the cyber space. Those days, I used to learn some stuff online trying to earn money sitting in Cybercafe. Yesterday, at work, I felt like searching if there are any footprints of my efforts before 12 years and surprisingly what I tried to do was really there.
I called my friends at work and showed them what I had wrote before years. In India, most of us in Middle class families have a problem. We struggle a lot without ability to fulfill our basic needs while in School or college. Hence we get into a mind set that making money is the most important reason to take up a career or business.
In my early days when I don’t even know what “Entrepreneurship” is, I had tried to do something but I had failed because my goal was only to earn money quick. I din’t really bothered about who’s problem I am solving and how I am going to bring peace to someone who’s going to pay me for the service I do.
My friends were laughing at how innocently I had tried to do some stuff online to earn my living…he he… I told them, I had failed because those days, I din’t had a way to earn. I also din’t had a formal education to develop what I wanted to do. I regret it to date and hence I always encourage people to keep learning.
Today youngsters has lots of ways to enhance their skills and knowledge. You just need passion to Learn. The more you learn, the better are chances for you to solve others problem and you deserve to earn better.
Everyone has money. Its just that they don’t get enough values from you to pay you. Think how you can add values to your customers and not how to make money from people doing things which they never find worthy.
This article is written to help Sai devotees be careful when they take any Career, Business or Financial decision. I don’t mostly reply mails related to these issues because I myself spend as I wish and not the right person to guide. All I have is humble prayers to you.
I don’t think this article is written to inspire you. I just don’t like a separate category for financial issues in StarSai. The inspiration here could be my effort to make you feel more human. More creative and less money minded.
I too like to make money. Sai taught me better ways to perceive Money. There’s more to life than ‘Money”.
We need good health, happiness and peace.
You can read other articles related to this issue…
Shirdi Sai Baba,my desire for Money and Sri Suktam
May Sai guide us all,
Venkat
Little Servant of Shirdi Sai baba
work for happiness,not money
One thing baba never make their devotees to search for food .,clothing and shelter………above all baba blessings …enough…..for a life time….to live peacefully..