9 Buddha Quotes That Can Help Guide Your Solopreneur Journey
May we continue to stay true to our hearts and bless others through our businesses
I have always been an admirer of Lord Buddha. His quotes have a unique way of touching our hearts and talking about life truths in a simple, understandable manner. Therein lies the solution as well if we are willing to dwell deeper.
I also love painting Lord Buddha, and the entire artistic experience is very meditative and calming. With every stoke that comes alive on canvas, you feel that you are living the teachings of Buddha in some small way, whether it's enjoying the present moment or anchoring your thoughts to create something beautiful.
On the occasion of Vesak day, I would like to share his 9 Amazing teachings with you, which have been my guiding principles since I started my solopreneur journey last year.
#1 — “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”
Before starting anything, ask yourself these questions:
1. Are you passionate about this?
2. Are you willing to learn new things?
3. Do you believe in this and are ready to give your whole?
If the answer to the above 3 is yes, then go for it with your whole heart and give your 100%.
When I started writing, I had no experience, and the only thing I had written was office reports and proposals. This was different.
I was writing my stories and experiences now, and there was nothing right or wrong. One did not have to worry about whether it would “Sell” or not. I just wrote from my heart and waited anxiously for the reactions. They were overwhelming and encouraged me to write on what I believed in rather than the norm.
Now I share my stories of triumph, failures & change, whether it is in personal life as a parent or professional life as head of a function, without any qualms or guilt.
#2 — “Your own self is your master; who else could be? With yourself well controlled, you gain a master very hard to find.”
When you are working for yourself, there is no supervisor or subordinate. You set your own goals, your own deadlines, and your own benchmarks.
You need Self-discipline and Self-management capabilities to ensure you don’t sway from your path or get distracted.
Because Serious work is time-consuming, especially when you are starting new, Prioritise. I initially spent hours on my laptop working on the blog and the various social media handles. It was understandable, too, as I needed to set the base.
But it did take a toll on my personal and family time. Midway I decided I needed to slow down as I had taken up blogging as a pleasurable exercise and not to create stress. I recalibrated my priorities and am in a better space now.
#3 — ”Even as a solid rock is unshaken by the wind, so are the wise unshaken by praise or blame.”
Whenever you are starting something new, there will be both praises and brickbats coming your way.
Take feedback in your stride. Look at it this way- at least the person took time and effort to go through your work and then critique it.
Suppose the feedback is positive, good for you but don’t take it for granted. If feedback is negative, try to find the core issue rather than focus on the noise. But always respond to feedback.
#4 — “Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one — himself. Better to conquer yourself than others.”
I have a confession to make here. So many times, I have fallen prey to social comparison. This is when I start comparing my work with others and yearned for the same success as theirs.
This is the start point of self-deprecating talks, where we continuously belittle ourselves and our achievements. And social media has aggravated this situation further.
Social comparison is fair if it encourages or inspires you to improve your capabilities or adopt some good practices. But if it pushes you down the path of self-loathing or anxiety, then it needs to stop.
#5 — “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise, you will miss most of your life.”
Have you ever made a road trip for exploring a new place? Do you recollect how you get so lost in your google maps that you forget to enjoy the journey and the beautiful surroundings? What a pity, isn’t it?.
The same thing happens in life. Sometimes we are so focused on our goal that we forget to enjoy the little joys that come on the way. I am not saying that one should not work towards the goal; I am only reiterating that the journey is as important as the goal.
Therefore getting those page views and claps are important, but more important is the journey of creative satisfaction.
#6 — “What we are today comes from our thoughts of Yesterday, and Present thoughts build our life of Tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our own mind.”
Let’s be honest, what are the first thoughts that come to our mind regarding any issue, initiative, or task — Positive or Negative. I will be honest and say Negative.
This is perfectly normal for us humans and can be explained by the various chemical reactions inside our brain with a chemical called Cortisol. While doing my research, I came across multiple articles explaining this phenomenon.
It’s said that Humans were designed to be keenly aware of negative circumstances and consequences as it helped our ancestors survive. Our tendency to pay more attention to bad things and overlook good things is likely due to evolution. So that’s one way the brain tries to keep us safe.
So does it mean that we continue to live with the negative thoughts as they are “normal human behaviour”? The most obvious answer is no. It’s normal to get these thoughts, but it is not advisable to make a habit of dwelling on these thoughts for long.
As per the various studies available, the habit of prolonged negative thinking diminishes your brain’s ability to think, reason, and form memories. There is also a greater risk of dementia if this negative thinking leads to becoming cynical, as per the Journal of American Academy of Neurology.
Getting negative thoughts is natural, but letting those thoughts influence your actions is not healthy. It’s always good to have a balanced approach in life, whether for work or play.
#7 — "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
During your journey, you may encounter some people or incidents that were not pleasant or gave us some pain. We tend to hold on to them and refuse to move on.
Since life is not always smooth, it may mean holding grudges against some people who crosses our paths. Now, these may be for real or imagined wrong done to you by that person. We tend to remain bitter and start brewing negative emotions every time we think about that person or an incident. Is it really worth it?
That person is unaffected by your thoughts or feelings, and here you are, allowing your wounds to turn you into a person you are not. It hurts more to hold grudges than to forgive. The anger we hold inside damages us, nobody else. Think about it!
So let it go and not distract you from your purpose. Remember, your journey does not deserve this noise. It's a mere distraction.
#8 — "You can search throughout the entire universe for someone more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
How many of us are guilty of neglecting ourselves in this entire process of achieving something or proving ourselves? Our body & our mind is a reflection of our lifestyle. If we lead a healthy lifestyle, our body and mind will give out healthy signals.
Otherwise, they will start giving us hints that something needs to be corrected. In our daily hustle-bustle, we tend to ignore these hints and continue to stress ourselves. The results can vary from simple body aches and pains to severe breakdowns in some cases.
Therefore while continuing on your path of solopreneurship, don’t forget Self-care. You are needed the most for yourself.
#9 — "What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”
This is my favourite. I strongly believe in the law of attraction, and our thoughts have a way of guiding us to a path that deserves us. Thoughts are a form of energy, and positive energy attracts success in all areas of life, whether work, relationships or finances.
Therefore, it’s important to start imagining where we want to be as we embark on our journey and ensure our vibrations are attuned to positive thoughts about the destination.
Main Takeaway
I am sure you realise that these teachings ask us to uproot habits instilled deeply within us. Have I been successful in implementing all these teachings 100%? No, but I have my 5Rs that help me stay on course when I falter -
Realise
The most important step towards making a change is the realisation that I have a particular habit that needs to change. Once the realisation comes in, half the battle is won.
Resolve
Be committed to making the change.
React
Take appropriate action in the right direction.
Repeat
Repeat the action every time you face a similar situation. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat till it becomes your new habit.
Reinforce
You will see a change in your attitude towards life and people, reinforcing this new habit.
Have a wonderfully enlightening journey!!
