Once a wise master had four students who exceeded all others in ability. One day the five gathered, and the master spoke to the first student, “Tell me what you see when you look into the world.”

“I see savagery. The planet is raped. The world hides from the truth. Contaminating material is released everywhere. There is particulate matter in the heavens and acid rain. The rain forests are being destroyed, and so is the ozone. There is such ignorance and selfishness. The world needs so much correction.”

The master replied, “You are right, and I shall call you Correction, for you by your vision have committed to a world of need.”

Your Holiness, how important is religion in the modern world? Do we really need it?

HH: Religious influence is mainly at the individual level. Irrespective of one’s faith or philosophy, transformation takes place within. In a way, that should give us hope. Materially, many have lost hope. However, at a deeper level, faith will sustain hope.

Hope is a contributing factor for religion today. Once hope is lost, one becomes mad, commits acts of violence, participates in destructive behavior, or ultimately commits suicide.

Society is made up of individuals. Because of individuals who have lost hope and behave negatively, there is more and more madness in society today. If their numbers increase, all of society will suffer. If we utilize and understand religious traditions properly, individuals benefit, and so can society as a whole.

In previous editions of Success Strategies, we’ve talked about how in order to be successful, we must first define what success means to us, and that means getting CLEAR about what you want, writing it down, and thinking BIG!

Success Begins with Believing. If you are going to be successful in spite of a recession and create the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen. You have to believe you have the right stuff, that you are able to pull it off.

You have to believe in yourself. Whether you call it self-esteem, self-confidence, or self-assurance, it is a deep-seeded belief that you have what it takes – the abilities, inner resources, talents, and skills to create your desired results.

We are all creatures of habit. Everything we repeatedly do, say and think is as a direct result of our entrenched habits. Habits are those actions or reactions which are on auto-pilot, which we do without consciously having to think about them. The success you enjoy in your life, or the lack thereof, is directly related to the nature of your habits while your habits are the product of your beliefs. To enjoy permanent, positive change in your life, you must change your negative beliefs and their associated habits.