intensive should be the effort for substantial achievement, not extensive

read this story from chandamama 

AMBITION 

long long ago,there was a famous sculptor in Siang. Huan was very pious and often received blessings from the goddess he worshiped. one day he was invited by a wealthy person to make a statue. As Huan was being taken round the beautiful mansion,he was wonder struck by all that he saw there. He had never seen such a collection of artifacts any where else. 

Huan could not help wondering .''Why can't I,too,become rich and wealthy?'' He prayed to the goddess. In no time,his own little house was transformed in to a two storeyed house,full of glittering gold. He gave up his job as a sculptor. 

While Huan enjoyed his life as the wealthiest person of that place,there came a government official who attracted a lot of reverence and respect from the people. He,however,noticed that one person alone had kept himself away and did not pay obeisance to him. And that was the erstwhile sculptor. At the instance of the official,the police went and harassed Huan. Suddenly he had an idea. He prayed to the Goddess and told her that he would prefer to be a government official rather than a wealthy gentleman. Huan soon found himself to be a government official. 

In the course of his tours,Huan came upon some tribal women and he was attracted by them. Soon he was harassing them. Their cries brought their menfolk to the spot and they gave. Huan and his attendants a good thrashing .Huan was full of remorse that he had to bear all the insults only because he was a government official. 

Just as he was contemplating that he would better be a tribal woman,the goddess blessed him. Huan was now a comely tribal girl. but,then,she had to work in the fields like other tribal folk,and found it heard to be in the sun morning and afternoon. Huan's next wish was that he would better be a cool cloud 

. 

Cloud Huan cloud not rest even for a while as he was carried away hither and thither by a strong breeze. As there was no limit to Huan's ambition,wish next wish was to become a breeze. And he turned into a breeze,and began floating in the air. Suddenly he met with some hindrance and it was a rock. His next wish,too was granted. Huon was now a rock. Soon,sculptors like him were walking on it. As they chiseled the sides of the rock,Huan could not bear the hits from their hammers. He prayed to the goddess. Please save me,O goddess. It was foolhardy of me to have asked for several favors. I regret I was ambitious with out a purpose.'' 

''Yes Huan,''said the goddess,''you had too many ambitions in life,and still you were not happy with,yourself. You'd better be a sculptor.''She then disappeared once and for all. Sculptor Huan also had no occasion to seek any more favors from her 

Our tradition has been to know more and more about less and less.

applying limits, 

to know everything about nothing 

that is how india rose to gretest heights.

Innumerable are choices, ---tv channels, print media, net websites, books, e books seminars lectures debates, universities, colleges, courses, writers, poets, philosophers, godmen, gurus even gods----dress desins, food varieties furniture--------endless items, variety, quality, quantity.

we are limited in every resource--time, money, energy, .

where to begin where to end, perplexed ever, in the dilemma of choices like a donkey unable to decide from which heap or grass to eat, starves at last, amidst plenty 

Akkamahadevi, wisdom matured, in devotion to chennamallikarjuna, prefrred to live the most simple life. 

indicates ''nothing'' provides everything that one really needs.

i respect the west's achievements but i adore our indian sages'wisdom, of solving the unsolvable mystery of life, thru offering ways to samadhi, ie experience of nothing 

We cannot really do justice to any thing, though with best intentions

i realized that all is not meant to my alone use.

things are meant for all in the world

let me take what i need really

really we need very little, and infact ''nothing''

take that little and make the most of it, thoroughly experiencing, digesting ,enjoying and be done with.

leave the resources for that one thing, ''nothing''