Chapter 17: Energy Conservation
Visitor (Italian): How can I conserve my energy?
Swamiji: Your energy becomes less and less as you desire things more and more. Whoever wants things, loses energy; whoever is one with things, becomes filled with energy. One who is united with things has no desire for things; this is the way one becomes filled with energy.
When things stand outside us, they take away our energy; if they are one with us, they give us energy. This is the secret of Yoga. Nothing should stand outside us; everything should be one with us. You cannot be a friend of anybody when that person is outside you. A person has to be one with you in thought and being; then he is a real friend. This is how you can be a friend of all things, even God Himself.
When you become the very things that you want, all energy comes in. This the secret behind success. You have to intensely feel that you already have what you want. Then things will really come to you, without your asking for them. This is how energy increases. Yoga is the technique by which you do not run after things, but things, by themselves, will come to you. You have not only to know a thing but also be it.