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Refrain From Pursuing Success

Let it come to you.

John Cousins
3 min readJan 25, 2023
Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

Success is like the Muse and must be courted obliquely and not directly.

Do not strive for success. The more you make it a target and shoot at it, the more likely you are to miss it.

Success, like pleasure, cannot be sought directly; it must come from one’s personal commitment to an objective bigger than themselves.

The Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s most sacred texts, is crystal clear. Krishna tells Arjuna:

“Desire for the fruits of work must never be your motive in working.”

Your desire to win deprives you of your power.

To be happy with yourself in the present moment while maintaining a dream of your future is an excellent recipe for manifestation. When you feel so whole that you no longer care whether “it” will happen, that’s when amazing things materialize before your eyes.

Success can come in many forms and can be measured in various ways, such as financial, career, personal, and societal.

Success should not be a primary focus or goal. Instead, success should be seen as a byproduct of pursuing something meaningful and vital.

When you dedicate yourself to a cause greater than yourself, you will naturally become more successful.

The reasoning behind this is that when a person is focused on achieving success for their own sake, they may become too preoccupied with achieving that goal and neglect other important aspects of their lives.

They may also become too narrowly focused on their own interests, rather than considering the needs and concerns of others.

On the other hand, when a person is dedicated to a cause greater than themselves, they become more motivated, productive, and fulfilled. They are more likely to collaborate, work with others, and positively impact the world.

It’s important to note that this concept does not mean that one should not strive for success but rather that success should not be the primary focus or goal.

Instead, success should be seen as a natural outcome of pursuing something meaningful and important…

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