Once Mullah Naseeruddin met with an accident and was in a hospital with bandages all over him. One of his friends came to visit and asked, “Mullah, how are you?” He said,” I am fine. It only hurts when I laugh.” The friend said, “How can you laugh in this condition?” Mullah replied, “If I don’t laugh now, I have never laughed in my life.”
This undying enthusiasm is an aspect of being in perfect health. The word health in Sanskrit is ‘Swasthi’ which means an enlightened being, one who is established in the self. The first sign of being in the self is enthusiasm — one who can laugh and say, “today nothing worked.” To be able to say this you need a state of mind that is stress-free and tension proof.
Health is optimum life force. It is when your consciousness is alert, intellect is sharp, energy high and there is a willingness to learn more and more. If you are physically fit and mentally lethargic and depressed, then that is not health. We need to recognise this aspect of ourselves.
Half of our health we spend in gaining wealth and then we spend that wealth to gain back our health. This is not economical. When animals get wet or play in the dust, they shake their full body and get everything out of them. But we human beings hold onto everything. When you come to office, shake the home-related matters off your mind. When you go back home, shake the office off your back. For tackling stress, there are techniques of pranayama and meditation which also strengthen your nervous system and mind, release toxins from the body and enhance your performance and overall quality of life.
Never mind if some failure happens here and there; so what? Every failure is a big step for success. Increase your enthusiasm and avoid getting stressed.
