The Pursuit Of Success
Christine Breese, D.D., Ph.D.

Many have gone crazy pursuing success. Success is like the carrot at the end of the stick that keeps the donkey moving forward. But we must ask ourselves what success really is, and what it really means. To most, success means financial prosperity. To others it means fame, influence and power. To others it means complete freedom from having to answer to anyone for anything. Success seems elusive, however, to almost everyone.

First let us ask ourselves where this wish for success comes from. Who is it that wants this success so badly? The answer to this is easy to find. It is the ego that wants to be recognized for its talents and strengths, achieve financial gains, and have influence over others and society. Almost everyone has had youthful dreams of being someone famous, a rock star, a movie star, or some other glamorous, successful, rich and powerful position in society. Most come to their senses in their 20s and realize that they must pursue a more practical goal. Others struggle for a longer period of time before they must give up on the dream of fame and riches. At this point they may feel quite disappointed in life, that they have done everything in vain, and that society simply does not recognize talent.

Perhaps this might be true, that society does not recognize talent, for many have become famous for talents that are definitely lacking, and many talented people remain undiscovered. Obviously, talent is not the determining factor in who becomes famous, powerful and rich. The determining factor is the plan that was adopted at birth, whatever that perfect plan is for each individual. If you are meant to become famous, it will find you. It will just happen. It will not happen because you made it happen. It is in your plan at birth. One might as well relax, for if it is meant to be, it will happen without even trying. Just being wide awake in life is enough.

The eternal self is not interested in material success, financial gains, or whether society recognizes this particular personality self or not. The eternal self is only interested in the experience of life itself, spiritual growth, and awakening within the dream of human life. It recognizes that everything in the universe is a thought in the mind of God. To the eternal self life is only a dream, much the way dreams of sleep are related to the human personality. When one awakes from the dream, even if it is a dream of great success and material gain, nothing remains but the memory of the experience. It is the same for the eternal self when it wakes up from a human life.

The drive behind this great desire for success is quite humanly based. It is driven by fear of scarcity, fear of being unlovable, narcissism, the need for approval, and self love based only on accomplishments rather than the realization that one is God self. There is no need to accomplish anything in a human life before one can love the self. However, most humans are trying as hard as they can to prove to themselves that they are lovable by accomplishing things.

This does not mean that success, fame, and power are unrighteous to experience for one who realizes the true identity of self. However, the eternal self is not obsessed with success the way the human is. More likely, success, fame and power happen quite by accident, or by divine flow. This happens because the eternal self has allowed these energies to flow into one’s life, rather than pursuing it relentlessly. An enlightened person actually gives up ego desires and surrenders to whatever Divine has in store. This means giving up all dreams of success, material gains, power, influence, and recognition. Strangely enough, by giving these things up it becomes more possible. When the human personality drives are out of the way, and the eternal self can flow freely inside form, magic is possible.

So What Do I Do?

Let go of all desires for recognition, success, financial gains, and other illusionary pursuits. These are only dream objects. Once attained, they will not make you happy, for you will still want more, and you will still feel empty, as if something is missing. Let yourself be satified, for a change, with being an ordinary person in an ordinary life, and find out who you are at a deeper level. This is the place to start. The thing that is missing for those who are successful and rich, yet commit suicide, is the realization of who one really is. This is what everyone is trying to find. Let go of earthly gains and surrender to whatever God wants to do with you, even if that means lack of material success.

Don’t push the river. Follow the flow of your life. The river will take you where you are supposed to go if you are awake and paying attention to the path of your life. Let your life unfold rather than unfolding it. Let yourself be carried rather than carrying. Let your life do you, rather than you doing life. If you could just relax, everything will come to you that is perfect for you in this lifetime.

If the ego still needs a pacifier, realize that you had plenty of lifetimes where success, riches, and fame were already experienced. If it is all one being having many lifetimes, every lifetime that is ever lived is yours, even the lives of people you wish you were or could be. They are all you!

Christine Breese is the founder of The University of Metaphysical Sciences, Starlight Journal and Wisdom Of The Heart Church.

Visit the Christine Breese website to read articles on consciousness and awakening, visit University of Metaphysical Sciences Video Satsangs to see talks on spiritual subjects. Read articles on Wisdom of the Heart Church. Visit Starlight Journal for blogs, newsletter, and forums on spiritual subjects. Visit Christine Breese's Metaphysical Sciences youtube channel to view free video satsangs.