Daily writing prompt

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

View all responses

Successes and failures in life offer us invaluable lessons, provided we are open to learning. The insights gained from failures are particularly crucial, as they lay the groundwork for future successes. It’s essential not to be overwhelmed by failure or to harbor bitterness. Remember, blaming others for our setbacks leads us nowhere.

Conversely, successes might sometimes imbue us with a misleading sense of invincibility, fostering arrogance. However, encountering individuals who are more knowledgeable and accomplished brings a humbling realization of our limitations. This sentiment is eloquently captured in Sanskrit: यदा किञ्चित् किञ्चिद् बुधजनसकाशादवगतं तदा मूर्खोस्मीति ज्वर इव मदो मे व्यपगतः।(yadā kiñcit kiñcid budhajanasakāśādavagataṃ tadā mūrkhosmīti jvara iva mado me vyapagataḥ।) Essentially, when we acquire even a little wisdom from the learned, our arrogance dissipates as if it were a fever, revealing our own folly.

Thus, the most profound lesson life can impart is the importance of maintaining humility and staying grounded through both triumphs and tribulations. Also, never compare your life with others. Each person has a journey that is unique to them (perhaps based on Karma). The moment you cease this comparison, life improves. This philosophy has served as a calming mantra for me, although I cannot say I have always succeeded definitively. Nor am I certain of my achievements, but adhering to this principle has guided me through challenging times.