Perfecting oneself first

Surely a big stride will have been taken when man will naturally turn to perfect himself instead of waiting to find perfection in others…. This reversal is the very basis of all true progress. The first human instinct: “It is the fault of circumstances, the fault of people, the fault… this one is like this, that one is like that, the other one…” And this goes on indefinitely. The first step, the very first step is to say: “If I were as I ought to be or if this body were as it ought to be, all would be perfectly all right for it.” If in order to progress, you were to wait for others to progress, you would have to wait indefinitely. That is the very first thing that is to be circulated everywhere. Never put the blame on others or on circumstances, because whatever the circumstances, even those that appear the worst, if you keep the true attitude and have the true consciousness, they will have no importance at all for your inner progress, no importance—I say this and I include even death.

Indeed, that seems to be the first lesson to learn.

Ref: Notes on the Way