Webster defines vibrant as "pulsating with life, vigour or activity". It can also mean scintillating, shining, or sparkling.

When do we scintillate? When we are enthusiastic and what is enthusiasm? It means " en-theos " ( God possessed). It is the god that is within us that is expressing through us that makes us visible and scintillating. Jesus said "Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel" (Mathew 5:15) When we are enthusiastic, we become a shining light for the whole world to see.

The brightest star in the sky is Sirius. We see it in spite of it being 8.8 light years away. It scintillates. Astronomers tells us that the quantity of scintillation is due to the moisture in its atmosphere. Moisture is the essential component for growth. If we have to sparkle, we should have within us this element of growth. This growth should be all encompassing and in all directions. We should be whole.

Most human beings grow only to a very limited extent of their full potential. It is only a few people who manage to develop their potentials in many different disciplines. Leonardo da Vinci developed his talent as painter, sculptor, anatomist, engineer, botanist, geologist and in many other intellectual and cultural endeavours. Pasteur was a chemist, a bacteriologist, an epidemiologist, a debater and a PR man. Einstein was a musician, yachtsman, mathematician, and one of the greatest physicists.

It is not possible for every one of us to be Einsteins or da Vincis but each one of us will be able to develop one faculty for which we have an inherent propensity. The trouble is that we do not try to find out what that special capacity with which each of us is endowed. If someone were to ask us what our weakest point is or what we are incapable of, I am sure we will be able to give an answer immediately. But if we are asked in what subject we are most capable of or what our forte is, we will have to think about it. Even if we mention one, we will be still doubtful if we have a special potential in that field.

It is very important for us to know our strong points. This is the first step towards achieving a vibrant life. For without knowing our special abilities we cannot develop them to their fullest extent. The demand on each one of us for developing this special talent is exacting, but it is worth the struggle.

Many of us are employed in vocations alien to our propensities. It's difficult to find a job which we want to do and be paid for it. Very few people are fortunate to that extent but no one can prevent us from getting to like what we do. This is the next best to having a job which we love to do.

Sometimes, the job we do can appear very monotonous. It may be counting nuts and bolts and putting them into plastic envelopes but nobody can prevent us from making that job an experiment. We can challenge ourselves to see how we can break our own record by counting faster and assembling more by every hour. Start counting two by two and then three by three and maybe five at a time in each hand until we can recognize the numbers at one glance and develop the ability to pick five nuts and five bolts with one grab. If we do that, that is, if we try to excel in whatever work we are doing, it is the rule of nature that other ways more productive will become open to us.

Life itself is an experiment and we should challenge ourselves at every opportunity. Without their knowledge, we can make guinea pigs out of all those with whom we come in contact. We can test them by our reactions towards them. Find out how they behave. On every Monday, test your clientele by greeting them with a smile. On Tuesdays, greet them with a mental statement "I love You"the next day, greet them with indifference and the next day with enthusiasm. Note down the results of our experiment, how we influenced their behaviour to us and others. We will be surprised how much we can influence their behaviour pattern. We influence their behaviour pattern not only for the short period they were under your observation but in certain cases, for the rest of the day. It is true, though unbelievable, that when a drop of rain falls into the vast ocean, the level of the sea rises. Similarly, our behaviour towards those whom we meet not only influences them but, through them, numerous others with whom they come in contact.

Gaston Berger said, "I shall miss of earthly life neither power, which is displaceable, nor pleasures which are frail. Only shall I miss my fellow beings. Two things are precious, the first is love and the second, far behind, is intelligence. Furthermore, love and intelligence are very close to him who understands." He lives indeed a vibrant life.

Dr. Pullikattil Simon
http://simonsecret.org