Acharya Prashant explains that the very desire to evaluate oneself spiritually is proof of honesty and improvement. He states that a dishonest person who is wasting their life will not want to be evaluated, much like a truant kid who is afraid of class tests. Therefore, being keen to evaluate yourself is proof enough that you are improving. He clarifies that degradation can only happen in oblivion, which is a lack of self-knowledge. One falls because one does not know oneself. The process is not about first knowing and then acting to lift oneself up; rather, knowing itself is sufficient and uplifting. The evaluation one seeks is simply observation. If you keep an eye on yourself, that itself means you are doing well. Further signs of inner growth include seeing connections between things that previously seemed unrelated, and a common thread running through diverse phenomena. One also becomes less afraid and less covetous, as these two go together. You find that many of your desires start to look childish, and you outgrow them rather than suppressing them. For instance, you might question the childishness of running after a sweet dish. Acharya Prashant defines all spirituality as simply self-knowledge. If you know what is happening within your mind, you are on your way to liberation, and action will naturally follow. Your job is to know, to be vigilant about your impulses, instincts, and emotions. He gives special advice to women, stating that self-knowledge is even more important for them because life is "doubly harsh" on their gender. He advises them to be aware of where their emotions come from, as they often arise from a hormonal place. Without being careful, they are vulnerable to being "gobbled up" by institutions and society. Self-knowledge involves knowing your thoughts, emotions, likes, dislikes, and the very basis of your personality. It means investigating your reactions, fears, and commitments. When a stimulus causes a quick reaction, that is the moment to seize it and ask where it came from. He advises looking at yourself with detachment, as if you are a case study you are investigating. If you can be detached towards yourself, nobody can enslave you. Weaknesses, once realized, are set to disappear; they only linger when you do not know they exist.