A questioner states that she is very image-conscious. Since childhood, she has received praise for her achievements, which has inflated her ego. Now, even a small comment hurts her. She feels bad, fears being insulted, and craves respect. She feels that while she is a free person on the surface, her mind is not free, preventing her from living a quality life and being as productive as her capabilities allow. She asks how to attain self-knowledge. Acharya Prashant explains that when you give someone the authority to praise you and make you feel good, you simultaneously grant them the authority to hurt you with criticism. When someone praises you, it feels good, and you don't realize this dynamic. However, when they say something bad, you get hurt. This hurt doesn't come from nowhere; it arises because you first gave them the power to give you pleasure. Your suffering is your choice. You choose suffering by choosing pleasure. You choose to be hurt by choosing to be praised. He advises being very careful about who you allow to become your master, meaning who can cause a stir in your inner world. There is only one true master, which is Truth. Therefore, you should only listen to the praise or criticism of someone who is worthy, someone who is close to the Truth. Most people are not qualified to praise or criticize because they are like distorted mirrors, full of their own biases, desires, and conditioning. They will show you a distorted image of yourself. The reason we seek validation from others is a lack of self-knowledge. Because we don't know ourselves, we look into the eyes of others to see who we are, but their eyes are also filled with their own conditioning. This lack of self-knowledge creates a hollowness within, leading to a dependency on others for approval. The solution is to know the difference between the Self (Atma) and the non-self (Anatma). The Self is what you truly are, while the non-self is what you are not but what the world and illusion (Maya) make you believe you are. Spirituality is the science of treating the mind; it's not just about knowing but about healing. He concludes by saying that your life is determined by whom you listen to and whom you don't. It is crucial to listen only to those who are worthy.