We all know that distressed feeling when things don’t go our way. Whether it’s a bad grade, a rejected job application, or a business idea that flopped, the fear of failure is something we all carry. We often hear our seniors and mentors tell us, ‘Don’t get disheartened’ or ‘Just pick yourself up and try again.’ But how do we actually do that when it feels like the world is crashing down?
In a recent conversation with spiritual leader Sadhguru at Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) Chennai Plus, a program titled In Conversation With The Mystic had Alia Bhatt and spiritual leader Sadhguru talk about exactly this.
Alia shared how, even as kids, we are taught to be obsessed with winning. She mentioned how her own daughter, Raha, hates coming in second. We’ve been programmed to think that if we aren’t ‘Number 1,’ we’ve failed.
Fixing your ‘internal weather’
Sadhguru’s advice was simple: stop worrying so much about the result and start looking at how you feel inside. He shared that when he was 25, he discovered that he could feel completely joyful and ‘blissful’ just by sitting still.
He explained that if you are happy on the inside, the ‘success’ or ‘failure’ of a project doesn’t break you. You do your best because you want to, not because you’re terrified of losing.
“If you are blissful within you, what is working and what is not working is not a concern. You will just do everything to your best,” he said.
What is a ‘blissful failure?’
To prove his point, Sadhguru shared his own story. Decades ago, he set a goal to make the whole world peaceful and happy in just two and a half years. Well, it’s been over 40 years, and he’s still working on it!
Even though he hasn’t reached every single person on earth yet, he isn’t stressed or sad about it. He told Alia, “I know I will die a failure, but I am a blissful failure. This is my blessing to everybody. May you be a blissful failure.”
Why ‘small success’ is overrated
The most eye-opening part of their chat was when Sadhguru said that if you reach all your goals easily, your goals are probably too small. If you only do things you know you can finish, you aren’t really testing your potential.
He encouraged the youth to aim for things so big that they might not even be finished in one lifetime. If you take the first few steps, the next generation will pick up where you left off.
So, the next time you feel like you’ve failed, remember this conversation. Failure isn’t a sign to stop; it’s often a sign that you dared to dream big.
As Alia lastly said, the goal shouldn’t be to just ‘win’ at small things, but to be happy no matter what. ‘May we all be blissful failures,’ she said. If you can stay happy while chasing your dreams, then you haven’t really failed at all; you’ve mastered the most important part of being human.
Disclaimer: This article is for information purpose only. If you or someone you know is in distress or struggling with mental health, please seek help immediately.