The Bhagavad Gita says, "One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme, is unaffected by sinful action, just as the lotus is untouched by water." These are beautiful words and the most sound advice on detachment to the modern-day professional.
Detachment doesn't mean you should not aspire to reach the top in your career. Your journey must be suffused with a sound proportion of detachment. Being detached in no way means you should not pursue success. The real meaning of detachment is to realise that nothing is permanent.
Success, too, is not permanent. Don't successful people face ups and downs in their careers? A professional who practices detachment will take failure in his stride and when faced with success, he will not make a song and dance about it.
When you climb the ladder of success, remember that if you go beyond the last step without looking, you may fall flat on your face. As children, when we played the Snakes and Ladders game, didn't we fall to the lowest level from the top when the snake was there waiting for us just when we thought we had won?
Success is like that game. You may be on top at a point in time, but could reach rock bottom if you don't watch your step. If you have learnt the practice of detachment, the fall will not hit you hard and you'll recover your loss and regain your position at the top soon enough.
This is an excerpt from Vitasta's 'How to Create Miracles in Our Daily Life' by Oswald Pereira.
