If it sounds strange to pair the two words “blissful” and “career,” the reason is easy to find: In modern life personal satisfaction is not a high priority when it comes to the workplace. Pollsters find that most people like their jobs, but that doesn’t place the bar high. Typically, a modern work week consists of long hours, taking work home, putting up with interpersonal difficulties on the job, and confronting repeated stress.
Despite the good face they put on it, most people are in fact afraid of making waves and doing anything beyond going along to get along. Being jobless is a leading cause of depression, and the prospect alone arouses anxiety. The reality is that only a minority of people in the wealthiest societies can say that they are thriving, so let’s see what can be done to improve things, with the aim of making “blissful” and “career” go together.
Career and success have become a single-minded focus for countless people in modern life. This leaves two huge gaps that no career can fill: your vision of life and your understanding of consciousness. In the Vedic tradition, the source of everything in creation is the field of infinite, pure awareness. From this field infinite possibilities arise, and they flow into the physical world as a stream of creative intelligence.
What this means is revolutionary by Western standards. An invisible force, known as Dharma, silently upholds the best choice you can make in any situation. “Best” here is personal. It means the best personal choice, and what makes this viable is that Dharma is creative and intelligent. It contains the organizing power of pure consciousness. In other words, the beginning, middle, and end of any activity is known and organized in advance.
The secret to a blissful career, then, is inexorably tied to this view of consciousness. If you do not find that your work is blissful, you are disconnected from your dharma. Obstacles, resistance, stress, struggle, and unhappiness are the dominant symptoms that something is going right. You can attempt to resolve each symptom one at a time, and of course progress can be achieved—being in your Dharma isn’t a passive activity of waiting for the universe to supply everything you need the way that open-mouthed fledglings in the next await their next meal.
The single aim that resolves all the obstacles, stress, resistance, and struggle lies in consciousness—there is no other place it could be found, not as a holistic solution. Your consciousness needs to be as close to the source as possible, and the way needs to be cleared for the flow of creative intelligence.
Such a transformation doesn’t happen in a day. It’s process. The mechanics of the process is simple: you pay attention to the feedback you receive from the choices you make.
Choices that are supported by Dharma include:
This isn’t a fairy-tale rendition of real life. It’s a vision based on the deepest understanding of consciousness, one that goes back thousands of years. I don’t attach the word “spiritual” to this vision, although many writers and teachers have. Spirituality in Vedic terms is an expansion of awareness, which means that awareness comes first.
The expansion of awareness is accomplished by a two-step process. The first step is to align yourself with the vision held out by Dharma, and to favor choices that give you the experiences I’ve just listed. They are the true measure of success, and the ultimate success—to live in bliss consciousness all the time—is what the human nervous system is designed for. It isn’t a mystical, otherworldly idea.
The second step is to confront and resolve the resistance, obstacles, stress, and discomfort you presently feel. Increasingly this becomes an automatic process as Dharma clears the way. But for practical purposes everyone’s life has negative influences that are being avoided or denied. Awareness cannot help you until you open the way. Being open, alert, and optimistic is the right attitude for igniting the process. There are changes, small ones at first, that can make your life easier if only you face up to them.
One of the greatest causes of unhappiness in human life is low expectations, which quickly turns into constricted awareness. The vision of Dharma raises your expectations automatically. Nothing is more important than knowing that the flow of creative intelligence exists in you, embracing the two worlds “in here” and “out there.” Adopting this vision makes a blissful career possible as a natural extension of a blissful life.
Discover how to connect with your true self and cultivate bliss in all aspects of life in a special conversation with Deepak Chopra, available now in the Chopra App.
Despite the good face they put on it, most people are in fact afraid of making waves and doing anything beyond going along to get along. Being jobless is a leading cause of depression, and the prospect alone arouses anxiety. The reality is that only a minority of people in the wealthiest societies can say that they are thriving, so let’s see what can be done to improve things, with the aim of making “blissful” and “career” go together.
Finding Bliss in Work
Career and success have become a single-minded focus for countless people in modern life. This leaves two huge gaps that no career can fill: your vision of life and your understanding of consciousness. In the Vedic tradition, the source of everything in creation is the field of infinite, pure awareness. From this field infinite possibilities arise, and they flow into the physical world as a stream of creative intelligence.
What this means is revolutionary by Western standards. An invisible force, known as Dharma, silently upholds the best choice you can make in any situation. “Best” here is personal. It means the best personal choice, and what makes this viable is that Dharma is creative and intelligent. It contains the organizing power of pure consciousness. In other words, the beginning, middle, and end of any activity is known and organized in advance.
The Consciousness Connection
The secret to a blissful career, then, is inexorably tied to this view of consciousness. If you do not find that your work is blissful, you are disconnected from your dharma. Obstacles, resistance, stress, struggle, and unhappiness are the dominant symptoms that something is going right. You can attempt to resolve each symptom one at a time, and of course progress can be achieved—being in your Dharma isn’t a passive activity of waiting for the universe to supply everything you need the way that open-mouthed fledglings in the next await their next meal.
The single aim that resolves all the obstacles, stress, resistance, and struggle lies in consciousness—there is no other place it could be found, not as a holistic solution. Your consciousness needs to be as close to the source as possible, and the way needs to be cleared for the flow of creative intelligence.
Such a transformation doesn’t happen in a day. It’s process. The mechanics of the process is simple: you pay attention to the feedback you receive from the choices you make.
Choices that are supported by Dharma include:
- Knowing that your work has purpose and meaning
- Enjoying the creative challenges that come your way
- Finding that your intentions are realized without much resistance
- Experiencing that the right answers and solutions come to mind spontaneously
- Feeling that your work is allowing you to grow personally
- Suffering less and less from any kind of stress
- Experiencing inner satisfaction that often blossoms into bliss and joy
This isn’t a fairy-tale rendition of real life. It’s a vision based on the deepest understanding of consciousness, one that goes back thousands of years. I don’t attach the word “spiritual” to this vision, although many writers and teachers have. Spirituality in Vedic terms is an expansion of awareness, which means that awareness comes first.
Expanding Awareness
The expansion of awareness is accomplished by a two-step process. The first step is to align yourself with the vision held out by Dharma, and to favor choices that give you the experiences I’ve just listed. They are the true measure of success, and the ultimate success—to live in bliss consciousness all the time—is what the human nervous system is designed for. It isn’t a mystical, otherworldly idea.
The second step is to confront and resolve the resistance, obstacles, stress, and discomfort you presently feel. Increasingly this becomes an automatic process as Dharma clears the way. But for practical purposes everyone’s life has negative influences that are being avoided or denied. Awareness cannot help you until you open the way. Being open, alert, and optimistic is the right attitude for igniting the process. There are changes, small ones at first, that can make your life easier if only you face up to them.
One of the greatest causes of unhappiness in human life is low expectations, which quickly turns into constricted awareness. The vision of Dharma raises your expectations automatically. Nothing is more important than knowing that the flow of creative intelligence exists in you, embracing the two worlds “in here” and “out there.” Adopting this vision makes a blissful career possible as a natural extension of a blissful life.
Discover how to connect with your true self and cultivate bliss in all aspects of life in a special conversation with Deepak Chopra, available now in the Chopra App.
