u/Vast_Sink_2926

I recently watched two films whose main characters were athletes. Both of them faced incredible hardships. People around them constantly tried to pull them down through conspiracies, manipulation, and unfair obstacles to make sure they wouldn't succeed.

What stood out to me wasn't just their determination, but their attitude toward adversity.

In one of the films, a person had their leg deliberately broken so they could never compete in their sport again. Most people would understandably spend the rest of their lives consumed by anger, revenge, or grief. Instead, this person chose a different path. They adapted, entered another sport, learned to run with a prosthetic leg, and eventually achieved first place. In doing so, they fulfilled their dream of representing their village to the world.

That story reminded me of something my guru once said: if someone breaks your leg and you spend your life chasing them for revenge, you are wasting the life that still remains to you. In trying to punish them, you often end up punishing yourself by giving your time, energy, and attention to someone who has already hurt you.

I understand the argument for revenge. Sometimes people do genuinely terrible things. The hurt is real, and the loss can be significant.

I've experienced something similar myself. One of my closest friends betrayed my trust. I felt deeply hurt and angry. For a long time, I wanted to expose them, call out the things they had said behind my back, and make others see how they had damaged my reputation. I felt a strong desire to bring them down in the same way I felt they had brought me down.

But watching this film made me reflect on that mindset.

The athlete in the story stayed focused on their purpose instead of their enemies. Combined with my guru's words, it made me realize that revenge is often a reaction. It keeps us tied to the people who hurt us. It gives them more of our time and attention than they deserve.

What if, instead, I accept responsibility for how I move forward? Not responsibility for what happened, but responsibility for what I choose to do next.

The truth is that wishing bad things on someone, plotting against them, or trying to hurt them back doesn't improve my life. It doesn't help me grow. It doesn't bring me closer to my goals. It only keeps me stuck in the same pain.

What I've come to understand is that the most meaningful response to betrayal is not revenge. It's continuing to move forward with purpose and building a life so fulfilling that the desire for revenge eventually loses its hold on you.

I am a software engineer by profession, but honestly, the main reason I got into this field was to earn money. Sometimes I feel anxious about not doing my work properly and receiving negative feedback that could affect my salary hike or career growth.

Lately, I have been wondering how I can become more involved in my work and develop a genuine interest in what I do. I really like the feeling of doing something well and knowing that I have done a good job. However, many times I have to do things that I don't particularly enjoy, even simple tasks like sweeping the floor. In those situations, I often feel irritated and resistant, and that has been bothering me.

Recently, I had a different thought. Whenever I choose to spend my time on a particular activity, person, or task, I am giving a part of my life to it. My time is one of the most valuable things I have. So if I have already decided to spend my time on something, why not fully involve myself in it and give it my best attention?

This attitude seems to encourage me. It helps me become more engaged in whatever I am doing, whether I enjoy it or not. I also feel that it is a great way to train the mind to stay focused when I want it to. Over time, it seems to strengthen my ability to use my mind consciously instead of being controlled by my likes and dislikes.

What do you think?

I have been practicing yoga for five years now. Looking back, I can see a drastic change in my physical body, the way I think, and how I experience life. This shift didn’t happen overnight, it was a daily, living process.

It wasn’t always a joyful or easy ride. Initially, just getting onto the mat was a struggle, but I’m so grateful to myself now because my body feels light and my menstrual cycles are regular popping a pill. Honestly, if someone had told me four years ago that I would eventually stop eating meat, I definitely wouldn’t have started yoga! 😂

I remember the person I used to be someone who flared up easily. Back then, I genuinely thought my anger was always someone else's fault. Now, when unpleasant emotions arise, I recognize them. I used to blow up and realize afterward that I’d missed the mark, but yoga has helped me realize that whatever I feel is my responsibility. As humans, we have the freedom to think and feel however we choose. The way we think is how we feel, and vice versa.

I would love to know, what has your journey been like?

Happy International Day of Yoga!!

I have been practicing yoga for five years now. Looking back, I can see a drastic change in my physical body, the way I think, and how I experience life. This shift didn’t happen overnight, it was a daily, living process.

It wasn’t always a joyful or easy ride. Initially, just getting onto the mat was a struggle, but I’m so grateful to myself now because my body feels light and my menstrual cycles are regular popping a pill. Honestly, if someone had told me four years ago that I would eventually stop eating meat, I definitely wouldn’t have started yoga! 😂

I remember the person I used to be someone who flared up easily. Back then, I genuinely thought my anger was always someone else's fault. Now, when unpleasant emotions arise, I recognize them. I used to blow up and realize afterward that I’d missed the mark, but yoga has helped me realize that whatever I feel is my responsibility. As humans, we have the freedom to think and feel however we choose. The way we think is how we feel, and vice versa.

I would love to know, what has your journey been like?

Happy International Day of Yoga!!

Recently, I’ve been feeling unexpectedly happy because I realized I don’t really know anything for sure, even the things I thought were “good” or “right” aren’t as clear as I once believed. My opinions aren’t all my own, a lot of them have come from my parents, friends, social media, and people around me.

For a long time, chasing goals and expected people to treat me in specific ways. But when I thought about it, I realized many of my desires weren’t mine, they were influenced by others and by comparing myself to them.

At first, this realization was confusing. It felt like I was losing my footing. But strangely, it gave me a sense of calm.

If I don’t know everything, maybe I don’t have to be so strict about my opinions. Maybe I don’t need to expect so much from others or chase every desire I have.

I’m still unsure about many things, but admitting that makes me feel free. For the first time in a while, not knowing feels more peaceful than knowing.

I’ve started writing dairy before bed every night, writing about how I felt during the day. It’s helped me notice patterns in my thoughts, spot problems that keep coming up, and understand my emotions. It also reminds me of the goals I want to work on. In some ways, writing makes me feel more organized and more aware of myself.

I’ve noticed that when I admit how I’m feeling, it brings some relief. The feeling might not go away right away, but it doesn’t feel so difficult to handle.

I recently read a quote from my guru: “It is best to keep account of your own growth every day. Are you getting better, more joyful, and more sensible?” This really touched me. We pay close attention to our money and savings because they matter. But now I’m realizing it’s just as important to pay attention to how we’re feeling inside.

After all, how we experience life depends a lot on how we feel within ourselves. Other goals matter too, but they seem easier to reach when we’re doing well inside.

Has anyone else found that writing helps them understand themselves better?

Today, I feel very thankful, especially for my mom and my guru. When I was a child, I used to be quite naughty and got sick almost every summer. My mom always took great care of me and made sure I was okay. I feel very lucky to have grown up with so much love from her.

I am also very grateful to my guru, Sadhguru. Being initiated by him and offering my heart, even for a short time, has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. He was the first person who made me feel that being human is full of possibilities, not just limits. This thought gave me a lot of strength.

I see how much work and effort my guru has put into sharing these teachings with people like me, and I am extremely thankful. More than anything, he helped me become more curious and committed to following this path.

Sadhguru often says that the spiritual path and the guru are the same, guru is the path and path is the guru.

Today, I just feel lucky and grateful that I can see and appreciate these blessings in my life.

Today, I feel very thankful, especially for my mom and my guru. When I was a child, I used to be quite naughty and got sick almost every summer. My mom always took great care of me and made sure I was okay. I feel very lucky to have grown up with so much love from her.

I am also very grateful to my guru. Being initiated by him and offering my heart, even for a short time, has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. He was the first person who made me feel that being human is full of possibilities, not just limits. This thought gave me a lot of strength.

I see how much work and effort my guru has put into sharing these teachings with people like me, and I am extremely thankful. More than anything, he helped me become more curious and committed to following this path.

My guru often says that the spiritual path and the guru are the same you can’t separate one from the other.

Today, I just feel lucky and grateful that I can see and appreciate these blessings in my life.

Recently, I’ve been feeling unexpectedly happy because I realized I don’t really know anything for sure, even the things I thought were “good” or “right” aren’t as clear as I once believed. My opinions aren’t all my own, a lot of them have come from my parents, friends, social media, and people around me.

For a long time, chasing goals and expected people to treat me in specific ways. But when I thought about it, I realized many of my desires weren’t mine, they were influenced by others and by comparing myself to them.

At first, this realization was confusing. It felt like I was losing my footing. But strangely, it gave me a sense of calm.

If I don’t know everything, maybe I don’t have to be so strict about my opinions. Maybe I don’t need to expect so much from others or chase every desire I have.

I’m still unsure about many things, but admitting that makes me feel free. For the first time in a while, not knowing feels more peaceful than knowing.

I think we often expect people to act a certain way towards us, instead of really trying to understand them. I used to feel lonely and thought no one would understand me. I was scared people would judge me. But one day, I talked to a close friend about what was bothering me. She listened to me kindly and made me feel much better. After that, our friendship grew stronger.

Later, I made an effort to understand others better, and I started feeling closer to them. When I treated people with care and love, they also felt connected to me. Sometimes, I noticed that I reacted to people based on how I thought they treated me, instead of thinking about what the right response was. Over time, I realized I wasn’t really choosing my actions or thinking carefully.

There have been times when I got scolded by parents or coworkers, and I felt scared to talk to them. But I believe there is enough love in people’s hearts. If we show others genuine care and kindness, maybe at first they won’t respond, but most people will be warm and caring in return.

What are other ways to overcome this feeling?

I think we often expect people to act a certain way towards us, instead of really trying to understand them. I used to feel lonely and thought no one would understand me. I was scared people would judge me. But one day, I talked to a close friend about what was bothering me. She listened to me kindly and made me feel much better. After that, our friendship grew stronger.

Later, I made an effort to understand others better, and I started feeling closer to them. When I treated people with care and love, they also felt connected to me. Sometimes, I noticed that I reacted to people based on how I thought they treated me, instead of thinking about what the right response was. Over time, I realized I wasn’t really choosing my actions or thinking carefully.

There have been times when I got scolded by parents or coworkers, and I felt scared to talk to them. But I believe there is enough love in people’s hearts. If we show others genuine care and kindness, maybe at first they won’t respond, but most people will be warm and caring in return.

What are other ways to overcome this feeling?

Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety and guilt even about small things. My inner critic has become so harsh that sometimes I feel like I can’t take it anymore.

I also realized I used to do something similar with people around me. If someone upset me, instead of just thinking about what they did, I would judge the whole person in my mind. Over time, doing this and being around people who did the same made me feel even more guilty. Now, sometimes all the angry things I’ve said to others come back to me, and I feel awful about it.

The hard part is, I can’t change what has already happened. Always criticizing myself just makes me feel worse.

I remember something my guru said:

“Why is there cruelty in this world? Because people are cruel to themselves first.”

That hit me deeply because hurting yourself internally is almost like hurting a helpless child. You can’t run away from yourself.

I’m starting to see that my mind makes things seem bigger than they are. A lot of these harsh thoughts aren’t true; they come from old habits and patterns.

Sometimes my mind feels like a beautiful garden, but other days, it feels like a painful desert. When I look more clearly, I realize that the unhappy version my mind shows me isn’t fully real. In the big picture, Earth is just a tiny place in the universe—and I’m even smaller. Most things work just fine, but my mind can still make me think everything is wrong.

How do you all deal with your inner critic when it becomes too strong?

Lately, I’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety and guilt even about small things. My inner critic has become so harsh that sometimes I feel like I can’t take it anymore.

I also realized I used to do something similar with people around me. If someone upset me, instead of just thinking about what they did, I would judge the whole person in my mind. Over time, doing this and being around people who did the same made me feel even more guilty. Now, sometimes all the angry things I’ve said to others come back to me, and I feel awful about it.

The hard part is, I can’t change what has already happened. Always criticizing myself just makes me feel worse.

I remember something my guru said:
“Why is there cruelty in this world? Because people are cruel to themselves first.”
That hit me deeply because hurting yourself internally is almost like hurting a helpless child. You can’t run away from yourself.

I’m starting to see that my mind makes things seem bigger than they are. A lot of these harsh thoughts aren’t true; they come from old habits and patterns.

Sometimes my mind feels like a beautiful garden, but other days, it feels like a painful desert. When I look more clearly, I realize that the unhappy version my mind shows me isn’t fully real. In the big picture, Earth is just a tiny place in the universe—and I’m even smaller. Most things work just fine, but my mind can still make me think everything is wrong.

How do you all deal with your inner critic when it becomes too strong?

I remember when I wanted to switch jobs, I became very focused and serious about it. I would wake up at 4 AM, keep preparing, do my regular work, apply for jobs every day, do yoga, and try to learn new things at the same time. I wanted a new job so much that, honestly, it didn’t even feel tiring until I finally got it.

But the funny thing is, as soon as I got the new job, I slowly started going back to waking up at 6 AM. 😂

What I really liked about that time was the person I became. I managed everything well, pushed myself, learned new things, worked hard, and kept up with yoga. I even enjoyed working hard and challenging myself.

My guru once said that the most special times in life are when you happily push past your own limits, and that’s exactly how that time felt for me.

Now, I find it hard to do all those things with the same energy. I realized that my drive came from wanting a new job. When I got the job, my motivation faded.

So now, I’m wondering: How can you keep that same energy and excitement for life even when you don’t have a big goal? How do you keep pushing yourself when there’s nothing urgent you’re working toward?

When I wanted to change jobs, I became very focused. I would wake up at 4 AM, prepare every day, do my regular work, apply for jobs, and find time for yoga and learning new things. I wanted the new job so much that I didn’t even feel tired until I finally got it.

But the funny thing is, as soon as I got the job, I went back to waking up at 6 AM the next day 😂. Still, I really liked the person I was during that time. I was managing everything well, pushing myself, learning, working, doing yoga, and I actually enjoyed the process.

Now, it’s hard for me to do all of that with the same energy. I realized that the reason I was so intense was because I had a big goal. Once I reached it, that energy faded away too.

So, now I wonder:
How can you keep that same energy and drive even when you don’t have a big goal?
How do you stay motivated and keep improving, without needing outside pressure?

When I wanted to change jobs, I became very focused. I would wake up at 4 AM, prepare every day, do my regular work, apply for jobs, and find time for yoga and learning new things. I wanted the new job so much that I didn’t even feel tired until I finally got it.

But the funny thing is, as soon as I got the job, I went back to waking up at 6 AM the next day 😂. Still, I really liked the person I was during that time. I was managing everything well, pushing myself, learning, working, doing yoga, and I actually enjoyed the process.

Now, it’s hard for me to do all of that with the same energy. I realized that the reason I was so intense was because I had a big goal. Once I reached it, that energy faded away too.

So, now I wonder:
How can you keep that same energy and drive even when you don’t have a big goal?
How do you stay motivated and keep improving, without needing outside pressure?

I think many of us have our own opinions and expectations about how people should respond to us or behave with us, instead of really trying to understand them.

I also used to feel lonely and thought nobody would understand me. I was afraid of being judged, but one day I opened up to a close friend about the things that were bothering me. She handled my emotional struggles in such a warm and caring way that I felt deeply relieved. After that, our bond became much closer.

Later, when I started trying to understand people better, I began feeling closer to them too. And when I treated them with care and love, they also felt more connected with me.

Still, I noticed I often behaved with people based on how I thought they were with me, instead of asking myself whether my response was actually the right or appropriate thing to do.

Over time, I realized that in ths way, I wasn’t really exercising my own choice or using my intelligence consciously.

Yes, there have been situations where I was scolded by parents or coworkers, and that made me afraid to talk to them. But I also feel there is enough love in people’s hearts. If we approach others with genuine care and love, maybe one or two times they may not respond, but most people eventually respond with warmth too...

I’m not sure if this is strange, but I feel happy and relaxed when I realize that I don’t really know everything. No matter how much I try, I can only understand a little part of anything, not the whole thing. It took me a while to accept this because I always tried to make conclusions about people or situations. I wanted to give everything a label and then wondered why things went wrong.

But now, I see that things are not always as I think. Something may seem true right now, but my mind can sometimes twist things. Letting go of the need to make conclusions and labels, and accepting that I don’t know everything, has made me feel peaceful and humble.

Before, when people corrected me, I would argue with them. Now, I don’t fight as much, and I have fewer conflicts. Maybe I’m happy realising that my wrong, negative conclusions aren’t actually true. 😂

I have been practicing yoga for five years now. Looking back, I can see a drastic change in my physical body, the way I think, and how I experience life. This shift didn’t happen overnight, it was a daily, living process.

It wasn’t always a joyful or easy ride. Initially, just getting onto the mat was a struggle, but I’m so grateful to myself now because my body feels light and my periods without popping a pile. Honestly, if someone had told me four years ago that I would eventually stop eating meat, I definitely wouldn’t have started yoga! 😂

I remember the person I used to be someone who flared up easily. Back then, I genuinely thought my anger was always someone else's fault. Now, when unpleasant emotions arise, I recognize them. I used to blow up and realize afterward that I’d missed the mark, but yoga has helped me realize that whatever I feel is my responsibility. As humans, we have the freedom to think and feel however we choose. The way we think is how we feel, and vice versa.

I would love to know, what has your journey been like? What practices do you do, and how have they helped you?