Acharya Prashant addresses the question of reconciling honesty and success. He begins by stating that before one can ask how to have both, one must first honestly investigate and accept what success truly is. The question arises from observing that dishonesty and success often seem to go together, perhaps even more so than honesty and success. This leads to the question of how to be successful while being honest. He challenges the premise by asking if those who achieve success through dishonesty have truly achieved success. Honesty, he explains, is not just a moral concept but means truthfulness and the inclination to know the reality of any matter. Success is also a matter that requires honest investigation. It is easy to deceive oneself and the world into believing one is successful. However, an honest person, looking at the results of their actions without embellishment, will see that despite all efforts, they have not obtained what they truly wanted. If one has not achieved what one truly wanted, how can one be considered successful? Acharya Prashant warns against the danger of false ideals. Many socially successful people wear a mask of happiness and success, which deludes the common person into following a false path. These "successful" individuals are dishonest even with themselves and will not admit their lack of true success. The criteria for success should not be based on social recognition or the number of followers. One must see the truth for oneself. He concludes that success is not a future outcome of actions but is inherent in the center from which one lives. Honesty is not a means to success; honesty *is* success. A dishonest person must still wait for an uncertain result, whereas an honest person is free from the concern for outcomes. Honesty is to follow one's own nature (swadharma) and see with one's own eyes. This requires an awakened mind, which is the goal of all spirituality. Living from this inner truth, the Self (Atma), is both honesty and success.