Actions are flowing out from every living man until he dies – how can they be organized, altered or disciplined in order that these actions, necessarily and inevitably bring about happiness all around in the community and a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction to himself in his own bosom? This is what is called ‘the art of action’.

When we act, the glory of action is dependent upon, not the environment, not where you work and how you work, but it is the intention or motive behind the work that lends enchantment to the very work. The work is glorified, it gathers momentum, because of the ardour and sincerity, the intention, the great motive or ideal that has inspired our heart when we are at work. Look at the sculptures in temples or churches. The sculptor here not only did the form, but his heart had a great love and reverence for the theme that he was working on. Such sculptured pieces become immortal in the world. It is no more a stone, chiseled by iron bits. The pieces start talking. The individual seems to have poured out his personality and beauty of heart into pieces of stone. They are not mere silicon dioxide or mere rock pieces, but they seem to give the immortal message of the heart of the sculptor.

All depends upon the type of ideas in our mind. The way in which we behave in the world is altered, controlled, regulated, and commanded , by the type of ideals that inspire us in our actions in the world. The quality of action is improved by the ideals, which illumine and inspire the individual worker in the world outside. Thus, the nobler the ideal , the greater the shine and beauty of action, and such ideals that inspire me at all times to bring out of myself a better efficiency , and beauty of action are called noble ideals or moral ideals. Ideals that bring me to a dispirited and dejected attitude to such an extent that my actions, however efficient they are, ultimately tumble down to doom and sorrow and failure at all times, such ideals are false or immoral.

So the ideals that inspire me positively and chasten the labour are called noble ideals. The spirit of freedom, the spirit of reverence for your country, the spirit of sacrifice for the sake of society- these are all inspiring ideals. Under such ideals, mighty men have done great, ennobling activity in the world and fruits of their actions are enjoyed by the future generations for many years. So the higher the ideal that inspires an individual, the nobler is the action that he does in the world outside.

The beauty of an action that you are doing becomes more and more when the ideal on which you are working is noble and great. A Mahatma Gandhi was only a Barrister-at- Law. He probably would have been a successful one if he had only looked after his wife and children. But, what would have been the total turnover of his work? On the other hand, the same individual, when he was inspired by the ideal of his country’s freedom, was a different person, a Mahatma, a great soul. It is because of the change in the moral vision of the country and of all the thinkers of the world that he brought about, and the quality-work that he turned out. The quality of it has been higher and nobler because of the high ideals that inspired him.

Discovering a goal or vision in life, a great ideal to inspire, surrendering oneself to that ideal, and working in the world outside seems to be the secret of discovering new dynamism in our activities. We thereby raise the very standard of activity in us and thus bring a greater happiness in the world outside. This goal each one will have to discover.

As we even discover a goal and surrender ourselves to that goal in life, we hit upon a new column- an unknown column of energy within ourselves.

The technique of self-mastery expounded in all the great books of true living advises us not to escape from life, but to maintain an intelligent way of living. This requires a diligent and alert attitude in meeting all the inner and outer situations in our lives. In every walk of life, at all moments, we must make use of the ever-changing patterns of challenges, and while consciously meeting them, we must learn to tame ourselves and the outer world. This diligent method of living consciously and vitally each moment of our lives is true religion and it can elevate even a base man to the joys and perfection of a saint.

Whatever be the field in which we are working today, we must use it as an opportunity to polish our inner character. All work is noble when undertaken in the right spirit of selflessness and detachment. And all such noble work, slowly but surely leads the worker into new realms of joy, fulfillment and perfection – a living monument to the efficacy of dedicated selfless service.

The author, Swami Chinmayananda is the Founder of Chinmaya Mission