There is no such thing as failure. Failure is an idea because success is also a stupid idea. Instead of trying to change the world, change the idea. If you just change that, everything is great. If you were a beggar on the street today, if you could walk into the restaurant and eat a masala dosa, this would be the height of success, isn't it so? So, you've gotten trapped in social situations and this idea of success is not even your idea, why am I crediting you with this? It is somebody else's idea of what success is, isn't it? Every idea, thought, emotion or value that you have is picked up from somewhere, and it rules you from within.
Your religion, your society and your culture have trained you to believe that this is it. Don't become a slave to somebody's idea; that is the first and foremost success. Success and failure are not in the volumes of money flowing into your life; success and failure are not dependent upon the recognition you find in the world. You are successful with life if you know how to walk with joy even through hell.
For one who is seeing this life as a stepping stone for a larger possibility, for him, there is no failure. For one who is looking at the simple events of this life itself as the goal of life, for him, there is failure and success. Various situations in your life can either be used to make yourself stronger and better, or you can sit and cry. This is the choice you have.
Everything — it doesn't matter what happens, even the most horrific event in your life can also be used for your growth and well-being. The small events of your life — your business, your marriage, your children, all these things are just a stepping stone. This is not new to you because, in this culture, they put this into you for millennia; they told you, 'Your life is about mukthi. Your marriage, your business, your social life — these are all just the means to get there. Either you go with it, or you go without it, but whether you are a sanyasi or you are in samsara, your only goal is mukthi.'
(Sadhguru is the founder of Isha Foundation, a yogi, mystic, visionary and a bestselling author)
