Overcoming the fear of failure

The cause-effect link in the Universe is beyond all pre-emptive calculation. To the extent, you can plan out, and try to make yourself safe and secure. That is the tendency of the mind, we must not blame it for that. But what if everything fails, would you collapse? Would you? And there would be so many times when everything fails. You must know that you are thinking, organising, planning and managing, yet, the outcome must never become too significant for you. If your planning succeeds, wonderful. You tried something; it worked, well. Your planning may often not work, which should be equally good.

Now, there is a little bit of a contradiction here. You would say if the failure of planning is as good as its success, then why plan at all? If you can realise this, then don’t plan. But the basic tendency of the mind is to seek security. So, you will find that it does think, organise, manage, execute, and let it do all of that. But don’t let the tricks, games and tendencies of the mind become too meaningful for you. When your plan succeeds, pat yourself on the back. When it doesn’t, shrug off the failure, it’s okay. It’s okay.

You have not been trying new stuff, remaining safe in your old and conventional ways. That’s how the entire self, the entire system has been built up over time, right? Now had this process of playing safe been any good, then this self, the person that you are today, must have been a courageous individual today. Given that you are so prone to fear, is that not itself proof of the failure of the process you have followed all along? Having followed the process that you have done, you have become a person afraid of newness and change. What does that prove? That only proves that the process you have been following has not been good for you. And if it has not been good for you, do you still want to carry on with it? If I am afraid of change, it only proves that the configuration of my mind is not healthy for me. So, do I act according to this configuration, or do I simply give this configuration up?

I am asking you—my mind has a certain structure, right?
I have tendencies and patterns. Those patterns are making me afraid of the new—Do I act according to those patterns? If I do, I continue them. It is contained in the pattern that the pattern keeps changing itself within its limits. But that change never breaches the limits, and the limit is where your pain lies. So, self-managed change will never take care of the fundamental problem. It simply means being a little less confident about one’s ways. It simply means, having the courage to live in uncertainty, at least for a while. Even if we try to act humble, most of us are extremely confident at least in the fundamentals. That confidence needs to be examined.

You may say you are not very sure about some technical matter. You may say you are not very sure of the policies of the central bank, or what will happen in the soccer match tomorrow. But there is nobody who would admit that he is not sure of what life is. There is nobody who would say, “I am unsure of what love is.” That is something we would not accept being challenged.

Our confidence is deep, and that does not change. And around that unchanging core, we make space for artificial or superficial change. The real things in life stay as they are. If that is so, then what is the point of pretending to change?
Your job sucks. What is the point of changing your uniform? What is the point of getting a new haircut for your work? What is the point of reaching your workplace in a changed vehicle? Don’t we do that? Your fat tummy, how will it help to buy new waist belts? But there are enough tricks available in the market to hide the real problem, right?
Let’s talk about the real. Let’s have the courage to look at the fundamentals.

Acharya Prashant is a Vedanta Teacher, Author, and Founder of the Prashant Advait Foundation

<br /> The cause-effect link in the Universe is beyond all pre-emptive calculation. To the extent, you can plan out, and try to make yourself safe and secure. That is the tendency of the mind, we must not blame it for that. But what if everything fails, would you collapse? Would you? And there would be so many times when everything fails. You must know that you are thinking, organising, planning and managing, yet, the outcome must never become too significant for you. If your planning succeeds, wonderful. You tried something; it worked, well. Your planning may often not work, which should be equally good.</p> <p>Now, there is a little bit of a contradiction here. You would say if the failure of planning is as good as its success, then why plan at all? If you can realise this, then don’t plan. But the basic tendency of the mind is to seek security. So, you will find that it does think, organise, manage, execute, and let it do all of that. But don’t let the tricks, games and tendencies of the mind become too meaningful for you. When your plan succeeds, pat yourself on the back. When it doesn’t, shrug off the failure, it’s okay. It’s okay.</p> <p>You have not been trying new stuff, remaining safe in your old and conventional ways. That’s how the entire self, the entire system has been built up over time, right? Now had this process of playing safe been any good, then this self, the person that you are today, must have been a courageous individual today. Given that you are so prone to fear, is that not itself proof of the failure of the process you have followed all along? Having followed the process that you have done, you have become a person afraid of newness and change. What does that prove? That only proves that the process you have been following has not been good for you. And if it has not been good for you, do you still want to carry on with it? If I am afraid of change, it only proves that the configuration of my mind is not healthy for me. So, do I act according to this configuration, or do I simply give this configuration up?googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });</p> <p>I am asking you—my mind has a certain structure, right?<br /> I have tendencies and patterns. Those patterns are making me afraid of the new—Do I act according to those patterns? If I do, I continue them. It is contained in the pattern that the pattern keeps changing itself within its limits. But that change never breaches the limits, and the limit is where your pain lies. So, self-managed change will never take care of the fundamental problem. It simply means being a little less confident about one’s ways. It simply means, having the courage to live in uncertainty, at least for a while. Even if we try to act humble, most of us are extremely confident at least in the fundamentals. That confidence needs to be examined.</p> <p>You may say you are not very sure about some technical matter. You may say you are not very sure of the policies of the central bank, or what will happen in the soccer match tomorrow. But there is nobody who would admit that he is not sure of what life is. There is nobody who would say, “I am unsure of what love is.” That is something we would not accept being challenged.</p> <p>Our confidence is deep, and that does not change. And around that unchanging core, we make space for artificial or superficial change. The real things in life stay as they are. If that is so, then what is the point of pretending to change?<br /> Your job sucks. What is the point of changing your uniform? What is the point of getting a new haircut for your work? What is the point of reaching your workplace in a changed vehicle? Don’t we do that? Your fat tummy, how will it help to buy new waist belts? But there are enough tricks available in the market to hide the real problem, right?<br /> Let’s talk about the real. Let’s have the courage to look at the fundamentals.</p> <p>Acharya Prashant is a Vedanta Teacher, Author, and Founder of the Prashant Advait Foundation<br />