Acharya Prashant explains that expectations of a reward only arise when an action is incomplete or lacks depth. When one is completely immersed in an action, the action itself becomes its own reward, leaving no room for future expectations. He uses the example of playing a game, where the joy of playing is sufficient and one does not look for a result beyond the activity itself. Most human actions, however, are superficial and filled with expectations because there is a lack of contentment in the present moment. Expectation is essentially a product of dissatisfaction with the current state of being. He further clarifies that the world does not run on hope; hope is merely an imagination of the future. The mind wanders into the past or future—both of which are non-existent images—only because it refuses to be in the present. Whether it is a student looking toward life after campus or someone planning for the next stage of life, the focus is always on 'n+1' rather than the present reality. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that thinking about the future begins exactly when the present feels painful or confusing. To live in the future is to miss life entirely, as life exists only in the now, while the future is a mental construct that persists until death.
