Acharya Prashant: The question is, ‘There are two persons coming from the same background, same kind of upbringing. One succeeds and the other fails. What is the difference between the two? Why does one succeed and why does the other fail?’
There is absolutely no difference between the two, absolutely no difference. The one who believes that he has succeeded believes in the concept of failure. Can you be successful without believing in failure? If there is no failure, can there be success? Success and failure are two sides of the same coin. The one who does not believe in success can never fail. The one who does not believe in failure, cannot succeed.
You first have to believe in the concept of ‘success’ and ‘failure’ in order to succeed or fail. So, these two fellows are just the same. Both of them live in an imaginary world where words like ‘success’ and ‘failure’ exist.
Do you know who are these two? These two are the ones who are running a race. When you are running a race, either you will succeed or you will fail. These two are running. One of them will succeed and the other one will fail. And there is no great difference between the two because both of them are essentially running the race. It is a matter of time, chance, and circumstances that one succeeds in a race. And obviously, in a race, somebody has to succeed and somebody has to fail.
But there is a third person as well. There is a third possibility as well. There is a man outside this racing track who is not running a race. When these two fellows are busy running and trying to succeed, that fellow is dancing. We are concerned with that third fellow. We do not want to talk of these two. These two are worthless. I want to talk about the third fellow.
Look at the third fellow. He is the real man. He does not want to win the race. He can never fail because he does not want to succeed. He is just dancing. These two are worried and tensed that "What will happen to us!" These two keep thinking only about running, he is dancing joyfully. He says, "I am already home. I do not want to run. I don’t want to run any race. I don’t want to succeed. I am already successful as I am. I am good, complete. Why should I chase an imaginary success when I am already successful? Why should I say that I want to get something when I already have everything? Whatever that race can give me is small, insignificant, inconsequential in comparison to what I already have." He knows this and this knowing is really beautiful when these other two are really sweating out.
The one who is successful is also the one who is afraid of failure. When you are running a race, then the one who is winning is as afraid as the one who is losing. But when you are dancing, dancing for yourself, then you are not afraid, you are not comparing yourself with anybody. There is no question of losing. You do not bother about what the society will say. You are with yourself. Alright, innocent like a child, not competitive, not afraid, not nervous. Your query now will be, "How will the progress take place if we do not run?"
All that is valuable in life has never been brought about by those who were chasing success. Everything that is valuable, worthy and beautiful, is a creation of those who were not wanting to be successful, who were just busy dancing.
The scientist in the laboratory who says, "I am loving the experiment, I don’t even want to count what I am doing. I do not want to project how far success is. I am alright", the explorer who goes into the jungle not knowing what lies within, but he goes for the love for the jungle, because he wants to know, because he wants to roam about aimlessly, not wanting success, these are the people who really win the race.
It is quite strange that the race is always won by the one who does not run the race. The race is always won by the individual who does not participate in the race. The ones who participate in the race, always lose.
Do you want to be a real winner? Then forget about ‘success’ and ‘failure’. Look at what is false. Find out who you really are. Listen to the call of your heart. Only that can give you real success. Running a cheap rat race will take you nowhere.
One day you will find that you are very close to death and all you that have been doing is racing, racing and competing a millions of unknown faces, and unknown voices. And then you will say that "I have wasted my life!" Don’t race. Don’t compete.
Find out the call of your heart and give everything to it, that is the joy of living. Not in racing, not in comparing
