Karma yoga and positive psychology both emphasize focusing on the work or action itself rather than the desired results or fruits of the action. Karma yoga teaches detachment from outcomes while maintaining excellence and full engagement in any task. Practicing karma yoga can enhance happiness and well-being by cultivating intrinsic motivation and flow states through dedicated, selfless service and surrender to God's will in all actions. Nine keys are outlined for achieving excellence in karma yoga, such as offering all work to God, acting selflessly while doing one's best, and maintaining focus, effort, and enjoyment in any task.

1. KARMA YOGA & EXCELLENCE
INTRODUCTION
Bhagavad Gita is probably the first recorded evidence of crisis intervention
psychotherapy. It describes the various forms of yoga relating to spirituality.
It has been suggested that spirituality also leads to finding purpose and
meaning in life.(1)
The following lines are taken from the book “Karma Yoga,” written by
Vivekananda. The word Karma is derived from the Sanskrit word “Kri” meaning
to do; all actions are Karma. This word also means the effects of actions. ​The
cause of all the miseries we have in the world is that men foolishly think
pleasure to be the ideal to strive for ​. Our Karma determines what we deserve
and what we can assimilate. With regard to Karma-Yoga, the Gita says that it is
doing work with cleverness and as a science; by knowing how to work, one can
obtain the greatest results. Man works with various motives. Some people want to
get fame, and they work for fame, money, power, etc. We read in the Bhagavad
Gita again and again that we must all work incessantly. All work is by nature
composed of good and evil. ​The Gita teaches us about detachment from the
result of work. If working like slaves results in selfishness and attachment,
working as master of our own mind gives rise to the bliss of non-attachment.

2. S​WAMI SIVANANDA USED TO PRAISE THE EXAMPLE OF GANDHI​, “He never
made any difference between menial service and dignified work. Scavenging
and cleaning of the latrine was the highest yoga for him. This was the highest
puja for him. He himself did the cleaning of latrines. He annihilated the illusory
little ‘I’ through service of various sorts.”
Performing menial tasks is an effective way to reduce pride and increase
humility. Opportunities for such humble service are readily available at ashrams
and temples all over the world—washing dishes, washing clothes, cleaning the
kitchens and bathrooms, working in the gardens, polishing brass, chopping the
vegetables, sweeping the paths—without seeking praise or approval.(4)

3. T​AKEN IN ITS HIGHEST AND TRADITIONAL sense, karma yoga is the constant
effort to surrender to God’s will, to see Her/Him in everything and everyone and
to perform every action as a divine offering, in a spirit of love and detachment.
In his translation of the ​Bhagavad Gita, Christopher Isherwood commented
on acting without attachment: “In general, mankind always acts with
attachment; that is to say with fear and desire. Desire for a certain result and the
fear that this result will not be obtained.…The doer of non-attached action, on
the other hand, is the most conscientious of men. He does not run away from
life; he accepts it much more completely than those whose pleasures are tinged
with anxiety and whose defeats are embittered by regret. No matter whether he
is sweeping a room or calculating the position of a star, or taking the chair of a
meeting, he does it to the utmost limit of his powers—​so carefully, so
devotedly, so wholeheartedly, that the dividing line between the chosen
activity and the necessary chore disappears. All work becomes equal and
vitally important. It is only towards the results of the works that he remains
indifferent​.” (4)
Satguru Yogaswami advised devotees, “Whatever work you have to do, do it
well. That in itself is yoga.”
Swami Chinmayananda taught in his book ​We Must: Twenty-Two Notes on
Self Perfection, “Let our work speak for itself. No covering it with an excuse.
Excuses are just the expressions of our weakness in the field of action.
Reveling in our tiredness; joyous in our exhaustion, blissful with our fatigue, we
shall still work on inspiredly in our endless love for Him who is thrilling us into
performance from within.…​While thus working, we must cultivate in
ourselves a special brand of independence—a spirit which shall sustain us,
both in the busy marketplace and in the meditation seat. In the midst of the
contending crowd or in the peaceful solitude, this daring spirit of freedom and
fearlessness alone should spring forth from our consciousness that we are
upright and pure, diligent and clean, both in our thoughts and actions.” (4)

4. When the action performed tends to arouse soul consciousness it may be called
proper action. All activities that lead the mind of the doer away from sense
enslavement to soul enjoyment are proper actions. All actions that bring about the
union of the ego with the soul and of the soul with God are proper actions ...
Actions in themselves have no meaning; the discriminative intention and
self-control behind them determines whether they lead to liberation or to karmic
slavery. Therefore the spiritual man must not be blamed for the similarity between,
for instance, his act of eating and that of the greedy man. The man of self-control
eats and strengthens his body while performing right action; but the greedy man
overeats and follows an improper diet pleasing to his sense of taste, and thereby
acts wrongly and harms his body. (5)
Similarly, if harmonious music and sweet words can be converted into soul
awakening, they are contributing to the cause of one’s liberation; but he who
becomes a slave to music or sweet words of flattery unbalances his life and
entangles himself in egotism. By using the sense of hearing wrongly, he is failing
to heed the law of right action. If a piece of music has no high or holy vibrations, it
arouses frivolous, nervous, or even base emotions. Spiritual music, such as
hymns and devotional chants, raises the listener’s consciousness, dispelling
coarser vibrations​. In the same way, the senses of sight and touch and smell can
be converted into sources of soul awakening by right action; but careless
indulgence gives rise to grave troubles. The wise man sees all beauty as
expressions of the Divine; he converts the sense of touch into the thrill of joy that
permeates every cell of his body during ecstatic communion with God. He uses all
of his senses only for divine enjoyment, harnessing these wild stallions to lead the
car of his life to spiritual freedom….​ (5)

5. WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Positive psychology is concerned with the enhancement of happiness and
well-being, involving the scientific study of the role of personal strengths and
positive social systems in the promotion of optimal well-being. The central themes
of positive psychology include happiness, hope, creativity and wisdom.
Understanding and facilitating happiness and subjective well-being is the central
objective of positive psychology.Identifying factors that contribute to happiness is
not a simple matter. Psychological well-being refers to the achievement of one's
full psychological potential. Both psychological and subjective well-being increase
with age, education, emotional stability, extraversion and conscientiousness.
A distinction may be made between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. With
extrinsic motivation, we do things because the outcomes of these activities will
bring about situations that we like or which allow us to avoid unpleasant emotions.
With intrinsic motivation, we do things because we like the activities themselves.
We develop intrinsic motivation to do activities that are: Moderately challenging,
that we feel we can do well; and that give us satisfaction.
Flow experiences occur when we become engaged in controllable but challenging
tasks or activities that require considerable skill and which are intrinsically
motivating. To experience a flow, a deep level of concentration on the task is
essential. This results in a loss of awareness of the self.(1)

6. KARMA YOGA TO POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
“Don’t hanker after the fruit”, says the Gita. However, it also insists that you
should act with full energy and skill. The action of the person who acts without
desire should be much better than that of the person who acts with desire. The
latter is attracted to the fruit, and a part, much or little, of his time and attention
will, of course, be spent on thought and dreams of the fruit.
Vinova Bhave, Krishna said that only work come in your jurisdiction and not the
result (Karmanyevadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana). At the same time, it is
evident that no work remains fruitless. It will give either positive result or negative.
It is the positive psychology by which we learn to be happy. By focusing on only
work we can give 100% of our concentration. It is the desire of a result that comes
in the way causing anxiety. Whenever emotions are intense, it causes distraction
and work is hampered. Krishna also emphasizes to focus on the present not on past
or tomorrow. It is the similar to give up the desire and result. Expectation of a
result is future of the work done in the present. We should not forget to plan for
future because planning is present. Work is worship-the statement is perfect in its
meaning when we do not think that which work is great and which is not. Flow of
work as explained in positive psychology can be only understood by understanding
karma yoga when we become indulged in the given work. It is intrinsic motivation
secondary to the pleasure we gain by just doing work, which is higher state of
concentration. Attainment of yoga leads to salvation. Although, meaning of
salvation does not matter, but it matters if we get a taste of flow in work
NINE KEYS FOR ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE IN KARMA YOGA
P​RACTICING KARMA YOGA CAN SOUND COMPLICATED​, abstract and
difficult. Here are nine keys to help bring it down to earth, ideals for practicing
the yoga of doing—whether in a formal seva program, helping out at the temple,
performing daily household chores or tackling tasks at your place of work. Is it
practical to impose such a system without hindering one’s concentration on the
task at hand? Yes. It is actually normal for our awareness to shift between five,

7. six or more areas of concern through the day, like a bee flitting from one flower
to another. Look at this set of keys as a new mental overlay of conceptual points
for awareness to touch upon as you work, enjoy a meal, attend a class, or put on
your shoes. No matter how well you fulfill them, they will be of benefit. Karma
yoga can become a vital part of your daily life, making everything you do more
selfless, effective and enjoyable.
Offer all work to God. A mantra may be chanted, verbally or mentally,
before beginning.
Let Lord Krishna guide your karma yoga. He rules over all karmas, their
fruition and their transcendence.
Act selflessly, detached from the results. Focus on serving, helping,
giving and surrendering egotistical urges.
Do your best. Make the work a worthy offering, completing it as
perfectly as you can. Then stop, review what you did, and make it even better.
Be industrious. Stretch your capacities to overcome lethargy, fatigue,
confusion and doubt. Remember to breathe.
Stay above the fray. Refrain from disagreements, criticism of others,
cynicism, blame and other base emotions.
Stay focused. Be centered in the now, not thinking of other concerns.
Pause between tasks and renew your yoga.

8. Align your will with the divine will. Be rooted in an awareness of the
divine presence within and around you. See the world as perfect.
Enjoy the effort. Be positive, free of worry. Relax; take your time. Be
happy and radiate blessings to the world.
References
1.​https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705674/
2. Bhave V. Talks on the Gita by Vinoba Bhave–Synopsis. [Last retrieved 2010 Mar 08].
Available from:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23239897/Talks-on-the-Gita-by-Vinoba-Bhave​ .
3. Ramsukhdas S. Geeta Prabodhini. 20th reprint. India: Geeta Press; [​Google Scholar​]
4.​https://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5648
5.http://yogananda.com.au/gita/gita0417.html