How do you stay true to yourself and your values?

The easiest way is the Akram way! So come, let’s understand it in some detail today... The Enlightened One says:rnThe opposite of truth, integrity and straightforwardness is deceit. Lies, tricks, exaggerated talk, etc. are all traits that walk in the opposite direction of straightforwardness, and therefore, they do not allow us to stay true to yourself and your values. (In the past), the personality has been so created. Therefore, right now one cannot help stop such behaviour of his; it just happens. Yes, if one maintains awareness over this, then gradually it shall come to a stop on its own.rnIt cannot be stopped egoistically (for doing so would only mean suppressing it, and not solving it). However, through the right knowledge, it can go! The ultimate truth to be known in this world is : Really, who am I?rnThrough Akram Vignan, we can attain Self-Realization very easily, in a matter of two hours only. This is because, here, the Enlightened One, with his divine spiritual powers, puts in a line of demarcation between our real Self (the Soul) and the relative self (John [you may insert your name here] and everything that John constitutes of – the body, name, ego, intellect, anger, pride, deceit, greed, etc.), and makes us realize that truly, ‘I am a Pure Soul.’ The internal craving and greed for fame, money, possessions, pleasures of five senses, etc. are the main reasons why we do not stay true to ourselves or our values. While these material pleasures, by their inherent nature, are temporary and insatiable; the Soul, our real Self, is eternal and so are its properties. For instance, money does bring comfort and happiness in one’s life, but it can never give anyone the ever-lasting happiness like Soul does. The main properties of the Soul are infinite knowledge, infinite vision, infinite strength and infinite bliss. For this reason, the essence of all scriptures and every spiritual discipline is just one: Get your Soul awakened! In other words, Attain Self-Realization! The function of the Soul is only to See and Know!rnThe Enlightened One further explains that the only way to get rid of all the deceit and crookedness, that doesn’t allow us to stay true to ourselves and our values today, is as follows: After Self-Realization, remaining in the awareness of the Self (the real Self i.e. the Soul),rnOne must know and see the deceit, every time it arises in thoughts, words or actions, and rnGet pratikraman done by the relative self (i.e. - the one responsible for creating a deceitful personality). As one practices this regularly, this characteristic of deceit shall peel off or wear off on its own. Today, you decide to get rid of deceit and it goes off right away, that will not happen. On the other hand, the prescribed method to come out of it is not to be misused either. This mechanism is for those who want to truly, sincerely and honestly come out of deceit and dishonesty. On this path, there’s no scope for misuse or idleness. If that’s the case, then this path is not meant for us, cause doing so we ourselves are to suffer. It’s not possible to get rid of it at once. Only in an exceptional case, it happens that the karma unfolds all at once, and one combats the karmic force with great power and flings it off. It’s very difficult, not all can do that. For most, this is the only way – we remain in the awareness of the Soul, our true Self, separate from the one in whom the deceit has arisen, and only see and know the karma of deceit as it unfolds. As much we are able to see and know equanimously in the awareness of the Soul, that many atoms of deceit wither away. Thus, this is the only way. And until you attain Self-Realization, the Enlightened One suggests what to do in the meanwhile:rnEvery time you are not able to remain true to yourself and your values, do pratikraman and decide, ‘I don’t want to do this. This should not happen.’ Pratikraman means we apologize and repent for our mistake before God with a vow not to repeat the mistake again:rnApology. I have done so and so mistakernRepentance. I ask for forgiveness for my mistake.rnPromise. I decide not to do this mistake again. Even after deciding so, the mistake may repeat because we are born in Kaliyug, where each mistake could have a hundred thousand layers; one peels off and the other layer appears, another peels off and the third layer of mistake surfaces. There are layers and layers of mistakes. Hence, maintain your firm decision and keep practicing pratikraman constantly. To know more: https://www.dadabhagwan.org/path-to-happiness/spiritual-science/pratikraman-asking-for-forgiveness/