Question: How can one become more competent in fulfilling one's earthly duties?

Sri Chinmoy: One can become more competent in fulfilling one’s earthly duties by doing first one’s heavenly duties. Heavenly duties will never ask you to neglect your earthly duties. Only you have to do the first things first. Your heavenly duty is to remain in Light. If you are inundated with Light, then only can you enter into darkness and do what is needed there. Earthly duties are full of darkness. Heavenly duties are prayer, concentration, meditation, contemplation. If you do your heavenly duties first, you eventually embody Light. Then, with this Light, you can enter into the earthly duties. So first things first. With your heavenly duties — prayer, meditation, concentration — you will invoke Light; and once you are surcharged with Light, then you will attend to the earthly duties. Otherwise, you will never be able to acquire enough capacity to discharge your earthly duties.