how to become a karma yogi
Karma Yoga is a journey of dedicated work towards fulfilling our goals, but in this path, we focus on our actions and let go of our attachment to results and desired outcomes. Instead, the results are renounced as a spiritual offering rather than using them to boost our ego.
Becoming a Karma Yogi doesn’t mean that we should let go of our desires; it’s about focusing on our actions and the deliciousness of life rather than making our end goals a source of our happiness. Happiness is unconditional and is always within us.
We always work towards an end goal in our minds. We do certain actions because we want to feel happy or make others happy, and get a sense of accomplishment and pride that we have succeeded in spite of the obstacles we encountered. But even when we achieve our desired results, our perceived happiness is short-lived. There is a void within us that never gets filled, and we direct our minds toward fulfilling another bigger and more audacious goal. This cycle never ends. And in this perennial pursuit of happiness and achieving something all the time, our mind becomes restless.
The human nature is such that we are always expecting something in return. And when we do not get that gratification, we feel defeated and unfulfilled.
We should work towards reaching the outcome we want, but still be outcome-independent, not letting our achieving the outcome define us. In this age of instant gratification, we’re always expecting instant results, and thus, end up cultivating restlessness and become disappointed with our progress. This never does any good to either us or our well-being. If followed correctly, the path of Karma Yoga can give us a true sense of happiness and profound joy.
In a nutshell, a Karma Yogi is someone whose actions or karma are fueled by intent, not by desire. You are a Karma Yogi if you focus on doing your actions in a disciplined manner, work on learning and developing yourself, and let the chips fall wherever they may.
Becoming a Karma Yogi means choosing to become a better version of yourself every day! Once you decide to design a lifestyle based on the concept of Karma Yoga and become a Karma Yogi in true essence, life becomes effortless, and we find the much-needed peace within us.
A Karma Yogi relentlessly works on his personal growth and shares his wisdom with other people (primarily through his example). The path of a Karma Yogi is all about service and contribution and making this world a better place to live in.
