Acharya Prashant addresses a question about the burden of unfulfilled expectations from oneself and others. He begins by stating that the questioner is being unrealistic. He explains that we are all the little opinion we have of ourselves, which is called the ego. The ego is not necessarily pride or vanity, but the image one carries of oneself. This image is a false one because we do not know the fact of our existence or who we really are. Consequently, we also do not know who others are, which connects the two parts of the question: expectations from oneself and from others. Using an analogy, he says that if one has a problem with their eyes, they cannot see themselves or the world properly. Acharya Prashant elaborates that we do not know ourselves rightly because we have a deep-seated memory of our real potential, which Vedanta says is infinite. Our nature is large, but our factual reality is small. The ego's mistake is to conflate this reality with our potential, leading to the belief that while remaining the limited person one is, one is capable of performing miracles. This creates a problem because while it's true that our potential is wonderful, our current reality is miserable, and one cannot be both simultaneously. The ego's error is to remain awful while pretending to be wonderful. He advises not to drop aspirations but to drop the limited self-concept. The speaker explains that the daily failure to meet targets stems from setting unrealistic goals for the current self. The solution is a process of serious self-improvement through discipline, discretion, right company, thoughtfulness, right literature, and right livelihood. Excellence requires clarity, not just effort. He recommends Vedanta to young people because the self or ego is as ancient as the methods proposed to deal with it. Once one admits their miserable current condition, the process of victory can begin. As one develops self-clarity, the world around them changes. By looking at oneself more realistically, one can set the right targets in the right direction. Then, one will find themselves incapable of missing the target because they have fallen in love with it.
