Recently, my wife, our kids Mia and Noa, and I were sitting in our beloved family car, ready to head out to school and kindergarten. We were running a bit late, and I felt that familiar stress creeping in.
I started the car, drove a mere 5 meters, and thenโsilence. The engine died. I tried again… nothing. Not even a sputter.
We called a mechanic and waited about 30 minutes. “Itโs probably just the battery,” I thought. But when the mechanic arrived, his face told a different story. “This is a total engine failure,” he said. “It’s beyond repair. Unfortunately, this happens sometimes with cars over 100,000 km.”
Our beloved family car, which I thought would last another decade, was gone after just seven years.
In the past, I would have lost my coolโanger, frustration, a sour mood for the entire day. My negative energy would have spilled over to Mia, Noa, and the rest of the day.
But this time, it was different.
Thanks to my inner work, I stayed calm. I became an observer, standing on the sidelines, watching the situation unfold without letting it disturb my inner peace. It was a completely new experience, and it felt amazing.
It’s not about ignoring negative feelingsโthey’re important to acknowledge. But instead of lingering in them for hours or days, you can decide how you want to move forward.
Here’s what helped me handle the situation:
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that true happiness and freedom come from detaching ourselves from the transient aspects of life and connecting with our deeper nature.
Non-attachment to material things shifts your perspective, allowing you to find more joy in life’s ups and downs.
So, instead of a ruined day, we ended up having fun as a family and even got excited about the search for a new car.
One question
How would your life change if you could stay calm and unattached to outcomes in challenging situations?