Question: I am looking for more joy in my life, but I don't feel confident about jumping into meditation to get it.
Sri Chinmoy: When life is not giving you joy but you feel that you want joy, that means you are hungry. In the spiritual life, when you are hungry, you will eat spiritual food. When you are not hungry, you will not eat. For fifteen or twenty years you did not sincerely and intensely care for the spiritual life. Since you have not meditated intensely for so many years, if you jump all at once into the sea of spirituality you won’t be able to swim. You cannot change your nature overnight. It has to be done slowly, steadily, gradually. First move around in the water; then gradually you will learn how to swim. Then there will come a time when you will be able to swim well. But since you have inner hunger, that means you are ready to start swimming.
Sri Chinmoy, Beyond Within — A collection of writings 1964-1974, Agni Press, 1975