Sadhguru says that your attitude is the lens through which you view life. Change the lens, and you change your reality.
Article | November 3, 1988
Sadhguru: In the grand orchestra of life, the most significant instrument you play is yourself. You are the conductor of your thoughts, actions, and emotions, and whether you create harmony or discord depends largely on your attitude and intention. This article explores what it means to “do the right things with yourself” and how your attitude and intentions shape the quality of your life.
Understanding the Core of “Doing the Right Things”
At first glance, “doing the right things” may sound like an instruction toward morally correct or socially acceptable behaviour. While it often involves ethical principles, this phrase goes far beyond mere compliance with external rules. It is about aligning your internal self – your thoughts, emotions, and energy – with your authentic desires and values.
It involves conscious self-management, where you steer your life not just based on societal expectations but on the deep awareness of who you are and what you intend to bring into the world.
Doing the right things with yourself isn't about perfection—it's about consciously choosing growth over comfort.
The Role of Self-Reflection
To do the right things with yourself, self-reflection is indispensable. Taking the time to observe your actions, intentions, and patterns of thinking enables you to understand why you act the way you do. Are your actions driven by fear, a desire to conform, or a need for external validation? Or are they fueled by a genuine desire to grow, contribute, or connect? The answers to these questions shape your path.
Self-reflection creates a mirror, allowing you to see your deeper motives and identify where you may be off course. It enables you to differentiate between what you think you should be doing (based on external factors) and what you genuinely want to be doing (based on your inner calling).
When you shift your mindset from ‘Why is this happening to me?’ to ‘What can I learn from this?’ life transforms.
The Power of Attitude
Attitude is the lens through which you view life. It shapes your perceptions, your relationships, and ultimately, your reality. A positive, growth-oriented attitude can transform challenges into opportunities, while a negative or closed mindset can turn even the smallest obstacles into insurmountable barriers.
Shifting from Victimhood to Empowerment
One of the most crucial aspects of doing the right things with yourself is adopting an empowered attitude. People often fall into the trap of victimhood, where they see themselves as helpless against life’s circumstances. While external events may be beyond your control, your response to them is entirely within your power. When you shift your attitude from "Why is this happening to me?" to "What can I learn from this?" you transform challenges into moments of growth.
Your intentions shape your world—set them consciously, and let them lead you toward your highest potential.
Doing the right things with yourself means embracing an attitude of ownership. You take responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and emotions. This does not mean blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong but recognizing that you always have the power to choose your response.
Gratitude: The Catalyst for Change
A powerful tool in cultivating the right attitude is gratitude. Practising gratitude allows you to focus on what is going well in your life rather than what is lacking. It shifts your attention from scarcity to abundance. When you start appreciating the small things – a kind word, a warm meal, the beauty of nature – your entire outlook on life begins to change.
Gratitude fosters a sense of contentment and joy, which naturally leads to better decisions and actions. When you feel grateful, you are more likely to approach life with a sense of possibility and openness rather than fear and defensiveness.
Gratitude shifts your focus from scarcity to abundance, allowing joy to flourish in even the smallest moments.
Cultivating a Growth Mindset
Another crucial aspect of attitude is having a growth mindset, a term popularized by psychologist Carol Dweck. A growth mindset is the belief that you can develop your abilities through effort, learning, and perseverance. People with a fixed mindset, on the other hand, believe their talents and intelligence are static traits that cannot change.
When you adopt a growth mindset, you see failure as a stepping stone rather than a dead-end. You understand that the journey of personal development is ongoing, and each mistake is an opportunity to learn and grow. This mindset allows you to approach life with curiosity and resilience, which are essential qualities for doing the right things with yourself.
The Role of Intention
If attitude is the lens through which you view life, intention is the force that directs your actions. Intention is the conscious decision to act in a certain way. It is the "why" behind what you do. When you align your intentions with your values, you create a life of meaning and purpose.
Setting Clear Intentions
Living with intention means moving through life with clarity about what you want to achieve, feel, and experience. It involves making deliberate choices rather than allowing external forces to dictate your actions. Setting clear intentions creates a roadmap for your life, helping you stay focused on what truly matters to you.
An intention can be as simple as wanting to show kindness to others or as complex as striving to fulfil your intended lifelong dream. What matters is that your intentions come from a place of authenticity and alignment with your values.
True strength lies in owning your choices and responses, no matter the circumstances.
Aligning Intentions with Actions
Many people set good intentions, but few align those intentions with their actions consistently. Doing the right things with yourself requires you to bridge the gap between what you intend and how you act. For instance, if you intend to be more compassionate, it’s not enough to simply think compassionate thoughts. You must act compassionately in your interactions with others – even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable.
Aligning intentions with actions means holding yourself accountable for the energy you put into the world. If your actions contradict your intentions, it creates internal conflict and dissonance. Over time, this dissonance erodes your sense of self-trust and integrity.
Building Healthy Habits
Doing the right things with yourself also requires developing habits that support your growth and well-being. Habits are the small, consistent actions that shape your life over time. They are the building blocks of your character and the foundation of your success.
The Power of Consistency
One of the key elements of habit formation is consistency. Even the smallest positive actions, when done regularly, can create profound changes in your life. Whether it's exercising, meditating, or journaling, the real power of a habit lies in its consistency rather than its intensity.
Consistency fosters self-discipline, which is essential for doing the right things with yourself. Self-discipline is not about rigidly controlling every aspect of your life, but about creating a structure that supports your goals and intentions.
Breaking Negative Habits
Equally important is the ability to recognize and break negative habits that no longer serve you. These may include habits of thought, such as negative self-talk or excessive worry, or physical habits, such as poor diet or lack of exercise. Negative habits drain your energy and prevent you from living in alignment with your intentions.
Breaking a negative habit requires awareness and intention. First, you must recognize the habit for what it is – an automatic behaviour that is not serving your growth. Then, you can set the intention to replace it with a more positive habit. For example, if you have a habit of procrastinating, you can set the intention to become more proactive and create a specific plan to break the cycle of delay.
Navigating Life’s Challenges
Even with the best attitude and intentions, life is not without its challenges. Doing the right things with yourself involves navigating these challenges with grace and resilience. How you respond to adversity often determines the trajectory of your growth and the quality of your life.
Accepting Impermanence
One of the most important lessons in life is accepting impermanence. Everything in life – success, failure, joy, pain – is temporary. When you accept this truth, you become less attached to outcomes and more focused on the present moment.
Doing the right things with yourself means learning to let go of control and embrace the flow of life. It means understanding that you cannot prevent change, but you can choose how to respond to it.
Building Emotional Resilience
Emotional resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. It is a vital skill for doing the right things with yourself because it allows you to stay grounded in the face of difficulties. When you are emotionally resilient, you don’t let setbacks derail your progress or undermine your sense of self-worth.
Building emotional resilience involves cultivating self-compassion, practising mindfulness, and developing a support network of people who uplift and inspire you. It also means recognizing that setbacks are a natural part of life and that failure is not a reflection of your worth.
Self-Compassion and Growth
Doing the right things with yourself also involves treating yourself with compassion and kindness. Many people are their harshest critics, constantly judging themselves for perceived flaws or failures. However, true growth comes not from self-judgment but from self-compassion.
Practicing Self-Compassion
Self-compassion means offering yourself the same kindness and understanding that you would offer to a close friend. It involves recognizing that everyone makes mistakes and that imperfection is part of the human experience. When you practice self-compassion, you create a supportive internal environment that fosters growth rather than shame.
Self-compassion is not the same as complacency. It doesn’t mean excusing harmful behaviour or avoiding responsibility. Instead, it means acknowledging your mistakes without harsh self-criticism and using them as opportunities for growth.
Self-compassion isn't about avoiding responsibility—it's about embracing imperfection and using it to grow.
Living Authentically
In the end, doing the right things with yourself is about living authentically. It is about aligning your attitude and intentions with your true self and making conscious choices that reflect your values. It means taking responsibility for your actions and cultivating habits that support your well-being and growth.
This journey is not always easy, but it is profoundly rewarding. When you do the right things with yourself, you create a life of meaning, purpose, and fulfilment. You become the master of your own destiny, guided by the clarity of your intentions and the strength of your attitude.
