With youth: Competition, Planning, Career

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Acharya Prashant (AP): Manoj asks, ‘Given that there is so much competition, how do I plan my career?’

Manoj, can I solve a problem if I do not understand it? Can I solve a problem if I do not understand it? You said that there is so much competition, so how to plan my career. Now, look at the three words that are involved in it. ‘Competition’, ‘plan’, and ‘career’. Do we really understand any of these three words?

Do we understand what is competition, and what is a competitive mind? What is a mind that is always competitive and that is always thinking in relation to the other? Such a mind is an afraid mind. Such a mind does not look at itself because it is so busy looking at the other, its life, all its activities. All its thoughts are determined by what is happening on the outside. So, if someone else is running at a particular speed, this mind might say that I have to run harder. If that fellow starts swimming, then this might say that I have to swim harder. This mind has nothing of its own. Somebody else dictates what it does? And it is always afraid. It is always afraid because its sense of accomplishment comes only in relation to others.