A questioner expresses her distress, feeling that she has been living within the four walls of her house and is unable to make progress despite trying to learn new things, which makes her feel like a failure. Acharya Prashant responds by telling her that even these tears are an improvement. He advises her not to underestimate her odds, as she is up against centuries of history and millions of years of the evolution of the human body, specifically the female body. He explains that this is the challenge she is facing. In this context, he says, even a stalemate is a victory. He encourages her to continue, stating that even if she continues to lose, she is still victorious provided she has not quit. He emphasizes the dignity in the right struggle, which he calls 'Nishkam Karma'. He advises her to be disdainful of the results, as they will almost always be against her and will try to break her faith. He says that mere indifference will not suffice; one needs to be contemptuous of the results. He tells her not to measure her success or failure by worldly yardsticks, as the world glorifies winners in cheap battles. Her battle, he implies, is a noble one, like climbing Mount Everest, where progress will be slow. He concludes by saying that her victory lies in the attempt itself. He encourages her to have self-esteem, be proud of her struggle, and have a thick skin. He advises her to be honest and loving in her attempts and to forget the results. He says that it is sufficient that she exists as she must and that she is not quitting.
