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Day 42 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. I love this book! My mum gave this little masterpiece to me around 15 years ago and I have re-read it many times since. Alongside ‘Synchrodestiny’ it’s my favourite book by Deepak. So it is with complete exhilaration that I give you his Seven Spiritual Laws of Success.

1. The Law of Pure Potentiality – know that you have the potential and ability to do whatever you want. If you have the will, there is a way to reach your goals. Deepak says, “when you discover your essential nature and know who you really are, in that knowing itself is the ability to fulfill any dream you have…and the more you experience your true nature, the closer you are to the field of pure potentiality.” He talks about the connectedness to your inner source and in this place there is an absence of fear and immunity from criticism. Lovely!
2. The Law of Giving – Simply put, give to others and you will receive it back. Give selflessly with joy and with no expectations of results. “The easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want.” If you want more of something, love, appreciation, good friendships, then be it, give it, allow it to flow. It is all energy, don’t allow it to stagnate.
3. The Law of Karma – “The best way to understand and maximise the use of karmic law is to become consciously aware of the choices we make in every moment.” Be aware of what you say, your actions and the choices you make, be careful of negative, conditioned responses and be mindful of your interaction.
4. The Law of Least Effort – There are 3 parts to this law. Firstly, acceptance, accept what is, if it is outwith your control. Accept someone for who they are, no sense in trying to fight what is. Secondly, responsibility, change what you can change, don’t be a victim, take responsibility and be constructive. Finally, defencelessness, no need to react and be defensive about things, stop reacting! You don’t need to prove anything to anyone.
5. The Law of Intention and Desire – I love how Deepak distinguishes between these two things in that desire has attachment to it and intention has not. It is possible to harness the power of pure intention, independent of the outcome. He says, “intention is that quality of attention that is unbending in it’s fixity of purpose…you are able to maintain an unshakable serenity while being committed to your goal with intense passion.”
6. The Law of Detachment – Do not get attached to the outcome so much that everything depends on it or you feel that your life will be lacking if you don’t achieve it. Focus only on what you need to do next, feel the joy of the process.
7. The Law of Dharma – “Everyone has a purpose in life…a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of goals.”

So what is your purpose? If you don’t know then perhaps it’s a good idea to take some stillness time to reflect on it. If you do know and you are not doing it, maybe you need to consider making some changes in that direction.

Day 38 of 50 ideas in 50 days is The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire by Deepak Chopra. If it’s thanks to my father for introducing me to Chogyam Trungpa and as a result, Pema Chodron then it’s thanks to my mother for introducing me to the work of Deepak Chopra. He is an amazingly talented teacher, healer and writer who has a tremendously straight-forward yet profound writing style and his wisdom shines through his words.

I love Deepak’s idea of ‘living from your soul,’ it’s the place of intuition and creativity, it calls you and directs you to fulfil your purpose. He says, “if we could learn to live from the level of the soul, we would see that the best, most luminous part of ourselves is connected to all the rhythms of the universe. We would truly know ourselves as the miracle makers we are capable of being.” Living from the soul means moving past the limitations of the conscious mind, the fear, the hesitation, the disbelief, because it stops us from living truly and on purpose. Those conscious mind limitations come from a place of conditioning, of being told what is true and accepting it. It is important to trust that part of ourselves that is connected to something greater.

“If we were able to live at the level of the soul all the time, there would be no need for hindsight to appreciate the great truths of life.” It’s quite amazing when you have hindsight about an experience that felt so difficult at the time, yet when looking back, you can see things objectively and understand the lesson from it, how it has made you grow. When living from the soul, it’s possible to appreciate the lesson as it is at the time without getting absorbed in the illusion of what is happening. It’s important to ask yourself, “what is the message here? What’s the significance of this?” A shift in perspective can make such a profound difference in your well being. Deepak says that asking this question is one of the major ways to, “consciously participate in the creation of our lives by understanding the world that is beyond the senses.” In this way, such questions lead to greater knowledge of self and life experiences. As a result, it ensures that you are a participant in the creation of your life and not a result of the conditioning of others.