Desires are the motivating factors in life, and desires as such are never bad. It is how you understand them and how you make use of them in your life that determines the positive or the negative aspect of desire.
Desire of acquisition, desire to have, desire to possess is an inherent thought in everybody's mind and life. A sannyasin has desires. Without desire there is no motivation. Desire is the inspiration of life. However, this desire has to be combined with viveka and not with aviveka.
Your desires and your needs are real and known to you. When you are able to discriminate between the actual need and a perceived desire, you are in a better position to integrate your karma with your desire.
Desires are a must, yet desires have to be identified: what is a need and what is an expectation. Is that expectation an actual need or does the expectation only give a personal sense of satisfaction?
Besides, the desire has to be always positive, even if you want to earn money, the desire has to be positive and constructive. If you have to progress in your professional and material life, the desire should not be tainted by your negativity.
Desire should be propelled by your creativity and if the desire is propelled and given the force of your creativity it will become positive. If the desire is only a means for your gratification in life then you will never be able to give the required positive power for the fulfillment of the desire.
My desire is to excel in everything that I do. In me, the desire is a positive one and there is no disturbance due to my desire. My desire does not create any disturbance in my life. If your desire creates disturbance in your life, then you have to look at it again –the relevance of it and the value of it in relation to your needs and requirements in life.
When God created desire he only meant it to be used for attainment and achievement in life and not to create distress, to disturb and give anxiety to your uncontrolled passions and lust. Today desires are being used to give vent to the uncontrolled behaviour of the individual, and that is where desires lead to destruction. Therefore, try to give a positive twist and a positive understanding to your desire and you will notice that your actions are better due to the force of your intention and desire.
To become a more positive human being you only need to remain connected with positivity at all times. That is the only change you have to bring into your life. You identify with the conditions that limit and restrict you; they are prominent in your mind and you focus on them. When you are looking at those limiting and debilitating conditions, you are not able to connect with your positive nature.
In yoga darshan there is the concept and idea of cultivating the opposite condition to what you are facing; it is known as pratipaksha bhavana, which means that you cultivate an opposite positive understanding of the negativity that you are feeling.
If you are feeling negative towards somebody do not ask yourself, "Why am I feeling negative towards that person?" Instead change that feeling into something positive without questioning yourself. Why should you question yourself, "Why am I feeling negative?" You should ask yourself, "How can I express my positivity?" Then make the effort to express your positivity.
To attain peace, happiness, to change and modify your life in a simple manner, try to increase the amount of connection with your positive nature and positive state of mind. If today you can maintain your connection with the positive state of mind for half an hour, tomorrow make it thirty-five minutes, the day after tomorrow make it forty minutes, increase the span of positivity in your life five minutes every day or one minute every day.
Within one month, I can assure you, you will be all smiles and the frowns will disappear from your forehead and the anxiety will disappear from your mind. Your heart will be smiling, your lips will be smiling, your mind will be positive and that will be your greatest achievement in life.
30 July 2014, Netaji Subhash Stadium, Kolkata, India