What do you want?

I am currently teaching an online course on Major Religions of the World. One of the questions I pose to my students in their weekly blog is "What ultimately do you want in life," as this is a central question and quest in Hinduism. It really is a question that we should all ask ourselves or remind ourselves constantly, regardless of our religious beliefs. When we are tearing our hair out (if you still have hair to tear) over some family or work problem, it is best to take a step back and think about what we want - what is really important. I say this knowing darn well that I will not heed my own advice. I will really, really try but will likely still "blow my top" the next time the computer crashes or I am overwhelmed with several deadlines.

So, what is our ultimate goal? Is it to have more time to spend with family? Is it to have more time to spend with your partner? More time to golf? Paint? What is it? Once you have figured that out, place the momentary "train wreck" on the bigger track of life and realise you are still chugging along. The trick is diffusing those tense situations and realising that the path to any goal meanders a bit.