We plan to do many services during vacations but end up in doing nothing – what to do?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna.
So, the nature of the mind is, it will always keep us dissatisfied with the present. That is the nature of the mind. That, it means, oh, you can’t serve Krishna right now, because you don’t have facility.
In future, when you have facility, you will be able to serve. But when you have the facility, the mind will think of some other excuse. It will make us do something else.
So, yes, it is good to make plans for Krishna, but plans about future service to Krishna should not be at the expense of our present service to Krishna. Let me serve Krishna to the best that I can in my situation, and if I do that, then in the future, Krishna will guide me how to use that time. The mind is always looking for some excuse to get us to stop serving Krishna.
It is, oh, you don’t have time now. In future, when you have time, you will do a lot. But, okay, let me start right now.
I was recently very inspired by one devotee. I have many, many book plans to write, but somehow I just get caught in other things, various things. So, one devotee told me that he has decided that every day he will write 50 words.
Now, I said, 50 words is nothing. But he said, yeah, 50 words seems like nothing, but if you write it for 10 days, it becomes 5000 words. It becomes, yeah, it becomes 500 words.
You write for, and sometimes you write 50 words, it just grows up. So, it is a small thing. And I say, oh, when I have time, I will read the full Bhagavatam in the vacations.
Okay, read one word right now. One word doesn’t take, one word, what is going to happen by that? No, at least one word you can read. So, start with something.
So, yes, we can do more when we have time, but let’s do something right now. And then when we have more time, we will do more things also. So, if future planning is a substitute for present doing, then it will always stay as future planning.
It will never be done. But if the future planning is accompanied by present doing, something, even if it is a small thing, do it. Then what will happen? Sometimes we may not be able to do exactly the same thing.
Maybe some other, something related also. But we keep doing something. Then in the future we will be able to do it much more.
So, doing something in the present is important. Second thing is, in general, we have to, we have to get our ego to assist us in our devotional service. How do you do that? Tell some people that I am going to do this.
And don’t tell hundred things, because then we are not going to do anything. Out of hundred things which you want to do, decide one or two things that are most important, and then just tell someone. And it’s best if they also plan to do it.
If I decide I am going to read Bhagavatam, and they also say I am going to read Bhagavatam. Not read the same thing, but okay, in this vacation I am going to read one canto of Bhagavatam. I am also going to read one canto of Bhagavatam.
Now with technology we can stay in touch with each other. Just every day, every once in three days, every once a week, just call them. They call you.
How much have you read? How much have you read? Just thinking that, oh, I have to tell them. That will make us do it. So, this is basically getting the power of association to work for us.
A provocative way of saying is using the ego in our service, but just getting the power of association to work for us. And third thing could be that when we are inspired to do something, at that time we need to, it’s good if we note down why I want to do it. Because the nature of the mind is it doesn’t allow our inspiration to last.
Right now I feel very inspired. I have to study this. We had a very illuminating class on the Bhagavatam.
I didn’t know all this was there in the Bhagavatam. I want to study. I want to read the Bhagavatam.
But, say two months later when I had the time, oh, there are so many books to read. Why Bhagavatam? I will read some other book now. So, if something inspires us, don’t just make a resolution.
Also, write with the resolution the reasons for that resolution. That which gives us conviction for that resolution. And then, when the inspiration goes away, at least the conviction will go away.
The mind’s feeling will always go up and down. When I feel like doing it, sometimes I don’t feel like doing it. But the intelligence, conviction can stay much more steady for a longer period of time.