Suppose two batsmen are batting in two different matches on two different pitches, with one pitch being a batsman’s paradise and the other a batsman’s nightmare. A half-century on a difficult pitch might be more credible than a double century on an easy pitch. Their performance needs to be evaluated not by mutual comparison but by consideration of what was realistically possible on their pitch and what they achieved in comparison with that.

We all are playing on different pitches with our own body-mind mechanism being our pitch. Accordingly, we are good at some things, average at some things and poor at some things. And this ability-inability spectrum varies from person to person. The Bhagavad-gita (03.35) states that we all have our natures, and we need to stick to contributing according to our own nature. This requires that we focus on understanding our own strengths and tapping them best in our situations. If instead, we compare ourselves with others, we feel superior if we are better than them or inferior if they are better.

Of course, the world may not recognize that the pitch we are playing on is different from that of others. So, it may subject us to unflattering or unfair comparisons. To prevent such comparisons from demoralizing us, we need to focus not on how the world sees us, but on how Krishna sees us. He sees where we are, where we can be and how much we are trying to get there.

When we take our eyes off the world and fix them on ourselves, as we truly are, in relationship with our Lord, we rise from worldly insecurity to spiritual security. With this self-assurance, we can cherish the opportunity to bring our own uniqueness to bear in our particular situations, thereby maximizing our distinctive contributions.

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