One should practice meditation to develop spiritually. It is not an easy task for most of us petty humans. There are lots of books available on how to meditate. There are a few books written by Swami Vivekananda which I really love to read. However it is not possible to follow all the steps which are required for the perfect meditation in the current lifestyle that we lead. But I feel the essence is believing in the activity and trying to follow it earnestly. The first thing about any action is believing in the action. Believeing that what you are doing is right. It is fifty percent work done I believe. The other fifty percent is doing it. If you are not convinced then you cannot give your cent percent to it. And concentration and dedication are the primary pillars on which any great accomplishments reside.
Coming to meditation, if you donot find the time then no need to despair. For as Swami Vivekanda has said "Work is worship". If one executes his duties earnestly and with devotion then that is his greatest worship. It builds up his character. I like the statements very much
" Take care of your thought for they turn into actions
Actions turn into habits
Habits become your character
And it is your character that makes your destiny"
So the primary thing is controlling one's thought. And how best to control it than being engrossed in one's work and doing it with utmost devotion; for idle brain is devil's workshop.
Nowadays you find all young generation lads whiling away their time gossiping, watching tv or other wasteful activities. It is very difficult to concentrate on one's work in today's media age. I sometimes wonder how they can concentrate in their studies. Have a look at the TV channels and one may feel that Viswamitra's maneka would fade in comparison to what they present in the idiot box in the name of culture. Worse still our young generation is no Viswamitra. So what you find is our young generation doesn't have any foundation of any sort. you may argue that they are getting smarter, why take a look at what they are accomplishing in their life. Accomplishing they are yes it is true but materially. And that too due to the high dose of mixture syrups, the readymade formulae that all the coaching centres are presenting in exchange of money. But look at them from human values point of view. You seldom find a man of character or values. It is really sad that India being the epicentre of all the world's knowledge and spirituality is now struggling to keep its characters intact. We have started to look down at ourselves. But this is not our fault only. It is a fact that we have been made to believe since we were child. Historical data were maligned to create the impression that we were a cowardly race without any character and it is by good grace that the foreigners came to rule over us to guide us to the path of light. It is time now to revisit our history and set things right. I feel that moral studies and other thought developing courses should be made mandatory in all boards. Moreover they should teach Vivekananda's teachings for I find them to be very appropriate for the time. Nowadays you ask someone have you read Vivekananda and you will get a look that says " Come on, what do you expect me to be, a spriritual dumbhead?" People shy to talk about these subjects in public while they can gossip about "choli ke peechay" and other stuffs. Where have we arrived? I fail to find a single writing in this world that is more related to human values than Vivekananda's. It is an absolute must for a person, more if he is an Indian to go through them atleast once. A lot of life's problems could be solved thus.