The kind of mindset that we possess is largely responsible for shaping our life, our temperament, and our habits too. An open mindset leads to a positive approach to life and it helps us to come out of any given problem with ease, whereas a narrow mindset makes us stagnant and inactive, hovering around a set of fixed beliefs, that does not allow us to come out of any given situation in our life; rather it entangles the situation further.
The great spiritual scientist Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan explains how an open mindset is a positive attribute for overcoming addiction . He suggests, “You should keep your mind open. You should listen to anyone at least once. After listening, if you don’t want to accept it, then you can remove it. If you have liked five sentences of a person, then you can note down his sixth one, which is unacceptable, and keep it pending. You should have at least some faith .”
With a narrow mindset, we just settle with the idea that a given addiction is ingrained within us, and as a result coming out of the addiction is really very hard. This leads to negative beliefs that start getting reinforced within us stating that it’s impossible to get rid of that addiction. And therefore, we sink more and more into the deep well of addiction, closing all our ways to come out of it. Our behavior too results in being one with that addiction and it’s unlikely for us to come out of it. As a consequence, it hinders our constructive energies.
So, let us, with an open mindset, understand the following 4-step strategy to overcome any addiction:–
1) Acknowledgement
Knowing the addiction as a mistake is the greatest thing ever known as it proves that you are against it and therefore eventually, it will certainly part ways from you.
2) Learning
Making a list of how this addiction is wrong for your own self and what are its negative effects on you and others can yield many surprising facts about the destructive nature of this addiction. This further motivates us to stand, even more strongly now, against addiction.
3) Seeking Forgiveness
This is a weapon that helps us get rid of our addiction in a better way. It is all about seeking heartfelt forgiveness from the Lord within us. This helps us speedily wash out the past opinions given by us in favor of addiction and inspires us to start afresh. This process is called Pratikraman, which when followed by a strong determination to not fall for that bad habit again, is the key to the start of a peaceful endeavor. A strong determination to come out of any mistake is equally necessary as knowing the fault as one.
4) No defence
If someone points a finger at your addiction, do not cover it or defend it. Accept it as your weakness! This is one of the major keys, as emphasized by Pujya Deepakbhai Desai, in order to get over any addiction or fault. When we don’t defend our faults, they automatically weaken and finally leave us too!
Eventually, having an open mindset of being a constant learner to overcome our weaknesses energizes us to progress in life. It will not allow us to get depressed about our bad habits ; rather it keeps us inspired to get up and fight against it till we get over it. And this indeed is the master quality required to achieve success in overcoming any addiction!
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Ambalal M. Patel was a civil contractor by profession. In June 1958, spontaneous Self-Realization occurred within Ambalal M. Patel. From this point on, Ambalal became a Gnani Purush, and the Lord that manifested within him became known as Dada Bhagwan. A Gnani Purush is One who has realized the Self and is able to help others do the same. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan used to go from town to town and country-to-country to give satsang (spiritual discourse) and impart the knowledge of the Self, as well as knowledge of harmonious worldly interactions to everyone who came to meet him. This spiritual science, known as Akram Vignan, is the step-less path to Self-realization.