Acharya Prashant addresses the question of how to live a life without expectations by first distinguishing between desire and purpose. He explains that the desire to change oneself, to become better or feel better, is a common human experience. There are two ways to approach this change: the way of desire and the way of purpose. The way of desire is the more common and obvious path, where one wants to become bigger, better, more prosperous, or successful. The problem with desire, he states, is that it doesn't know what truly needs to be changed. It operates on guesswork; because one does not feel well, one guesses that things like money, a big car, prestige, or a partner will bring well-being. He elaborates that we are born feeling uneasy and like misfits in the world, which is the fundamental human condition. Since we don't know what is truly wrong, we resort to guesswork, and this guesswork is desire. Expectations are another name for desire. They arise from this state of not knowing, where we expect great things to happen without understanding why we want them or what greatness truly is. Desire is not ill-intentioned, as nobody desires bad things for themselves; however, it is not aware. It has the right intention but very little awareness. In contrast, purpose comes from seeing and understanding what is wrong. The purpose of life is to take care of the ailment that one suffers from. This requires knowing oneself, one's hurts, grievances, and true aspirations. A young person should have a purpose in life, not just expectations, which are small things. Purpose is connected to something inner, whereas expectations are related to the external world. Desires can remain unmet because the external world is not obliged to fulfill them, and even when fulfilled, they may not bring the satisfaction sought, leaving one restless. A life of purpose, however, is an unending project that can never be defeated. It is a life of devotion, which requires understanding. The greatest failure in life is to live without ever knowing what life is, which means not knowing the right purpose of life.