Acharya Prashant explains that real sacrifice is not a painful loss but an automatic process of understanding. He uses the analogy of dropping a worthless stone to pick up a diamond to illustrate that when one recognizes what is truly valuable, discarding the valueless is not a sacrifice but an enhancement of happiness. He argues that sacrifice should not be viewed as a struggle against one's own joy, but as a natural movement toward something more beautiful and meaningful. Regarding planning, Acharya Prashant distinguishes between necessary physical planning and psychological planning. While physical tasks like building a flyover require logistical coordination, psychological planning often stems from fear and an inability to face the present moment. He suggests that the mind plans as a compensation for its current inadequacy; for instance, one plans to study tomorrow because they are failing to study today. This constant preoccupation with the future makes simple actions feel heavy and laborious rather than spontaneous. He emphasizes that true spontaneity arises from intelligent attention rather than mindlessness or animalistic instinct. Using the example of a planned proposal versus a spontaneous expression, he shows how excessive planning leads to insecurity and paralysis. He concludes that a life lived with deep attention allows for a rare, intelligent spontaneity where actions are not protracted or burdened by the weight of the mind, but are as natural as breathing.
