Ven Aggacitta continues with his sermon on blessings based on the Mangala Sutta
Today’s talk is on the blessing of being successful in organising one’s work. There are 5 aspects of organised work:
Good time management. Work should be properly scheduled such that work progresses smoothly and is completed on time. This is important especially in business. You have to win the trust of your clients and business associates so that you can be successful in your business.
Suitability of time and place. Tasks have to be scheduled such that they are carried out at the proper time and place. If work is carried out haphazardly without proper planning, then at the end of the day, nothing much is achieved. Some businessmen are successful because they plan carefully what to buy or sell at the proper time and place.
Not being lazy. Lazy people will always come up with excuses not to do something. No condition or situation is conducive for them to work in. They are either too full or hungry to work; the weather is too hot or cold; etc. As such they do not get any blessings.
Diligence. Some people may not be lazy, but they will only do things in which they are interested as opposed to doing things that need to be done. For instance, a person could be very industrious keeping tabs on the stock market instead of spending time on the job he’s paid to do. So, in order for diligence to qualify as a high blessing, it must be directed towards the right goal.
Non-destructive effort. We should put effort into activities that do not harm us or cause us loss. A person who does not budget properly and ends up spending more than he earns is causing harm to himself. Often money is spent on non-profitable activities such as gambling. A homemaker who works haphazardly will find that she has not accomplished much at the end of the day.
There are 4 ways to accomplish organised work:
Be industrious
Know how to look after one’s possessions
Cultivate good friends. Have friends who are practitioners of the Dhamma. In business, have trustworthy, competent friends.
Have a balanced livelihood. To be balanced, half of what one earns should be used to generate future income, a quarter should be put aside for emergencies and a quarter to be spent, including doing dana.