“Never Acknowledge Defeat”

Resurrect your soul from all dreams of frailties. Resurrect your soul in eternal wisdom. What is the method? It includes many things: self control, proper diet, fortitude, an undaunted mental attitude, and relaxation of the consciousness from body identification by faithful daily practice of scientific concentration and meditation principles. Refuse to be defeated. Do not acknowledge defeat; to acknowledge defeat is greater defeat. You have unlimited power; you must cultivate that power, that is all.

Meditation is the greatest way of resurrecting your soul from the bondage of the body and from the shackles of all your trials. Meditate at the feet of the Infinite. Learn to saturate yourself with the consciousness of God. Your trials may be heavy, may be great, but the greatest enemy of yourself is yourself. You are immortal; your trials are mortal. They are changeable; you are unchangeable. You can unleash infinite powers and shatter your finite trials.

Two frogs, one big and the other a small one, fell into a pail of milk. The sides of the pail were shiny and smooth, too slippery and steep for the frogs to climb out. They were battling to stay alive; but every time they lifted their mouths to catch a little oxygen, down they went. They paddled around and around. After a while, the big frog gave up and drowned. But the little frog said, “Life is too sweet. I don’t want to die. I will keep paddling no matter if my little feet fall off.” So it was battling for hours, when suddenly it found something solid under its feet – the milk was churned to butter! Out jumped the little frog! That is just how life is! After battling adversities insufficiently like the big frog, if you give up you deserve to succumb to your troubles; but if you keep on battling with determination, your difficulties will be overcome – some answer from the Infinite will emerge and you will hop out of your troubles. Be like the little frog. By all means keep battling. Determination! Resurrect yourself from weakness, disease, ignorance, consciousness of disease, and above all from the frailties of mortal habits that beset your life.

- Paramahansa Yogananda

(Page 344 – ‘Journey To Self-Realization’ – ParamahansaYogananda)