Life is Like a Snowball
We have all heard about the snowball effect — a small ball of snow starts rolling down the mountain and as it gathers speed it gathers more and more snow and other particles and keeps growing in size till it reaches a point of significance, and it could potentially become dangerous but could also be beneficial instead. Simply put it is something which increases in size or importance at a faster and faster rate. This concept has been applied to many things and it is also applicable to spirituality.
Very early in life we set the snowball rolling in the direction we want our life to take. If we begin traveling in a certain direction — whether toward or away from spirituality — we will create a momentum that is difficult to stop. Most of us do not think about spirituality early in life — we are more concerned or interested in having a good life, earning income and creating wealth for a good and comfortable life-style. Absolutely nothing wrong with that! The problem comes when we adopt means which are not ethically or morally correct to satisfy our desires — that is the crossroad of life at which we need to stop and think — should we take the easy path or the tough one; that will indicate the kind of spiritual spine that you have! The easy path leads you to quick wealth and bad health and worse legal complications at some point in life, money earned through shady means always has hazardous consequences. The tough path will initially slow you down, but its impact and snowball effect after the critical mass has been gathered will give you lasting benefits.
So, when it comes to investing — whether it is your money or in your spiritual inclinations — it is best to begin early. The earlier you begin the better it is — that is because the power of compounding comes into play. Simple math indicates that you need to invest over a period of 25 years for the real benefit to occur. It is the same with spirituality — like Swamiji says, the youth have the power of age on their side — the more time one has to pursue one’s spiritual practice, the better it is to achieve that state of void which one is seeking. Whether it is finance or spirituality — the snowball effect is extremely important for you to gather that critical mass to fulfilling your financial or spiritual goals!
Compound interest is elementary math and the best part is that it works not just on money, but on most things in life, including habits and relationships. Start early, start small and let time work its magic — whether it is for your financial well-being or spiritual or both. That’s for you to decide!
