Why Your Value Isn't Tied to Your Results — And What Krishna Said About It
Riya Kumari | Apr 11, 2025, 00:00 IST
Highlight of the story: Ever had one of those days where your entire self-worth is being held hostage by whether or not you answered that email before 4:59 PM? Or felt like a failure because your sourdough didn’t rise like that one influencer’s? (Yes, Priya, we saw your “accidentally perfect” loaf. Calm down.) Well, if you’ve ever spiraled into a productivity shame-hole, you’re not alone. Welcome to the club—there’s snacks, mild existential dread, and an ancient Indian god with surprisingly modern advice. His name’s Krishna. He’s kind of a big deal.
We all measure ourselves—quietly, constantly, and often cruelly. We measure our days by how much we got done. We measure our years by milestones hit. And we measure our self-worth by things that were never meant to carry that weight: job titles, salaries, followers, compliments, exam results, relationship statuses. We were taught that results equal worth. That if you're successful, you must be doing life right. And if you're not, something's wrong—with your choices, your mindset, maybe even with you. But what if that’s not just wrong… but entirely backwards?
1. You are entitled to action, but not the results of it
— Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 47 At first glance, it almost sounds unfair. Why wouldn’t we get to own the outcome of our effort? Why do the work if we can’t control the reward? But that’s the point Krishna is making. The Gita wasn’t written for easy days. It was spoken on a battlefield—to a man frozen by fear and overwhelmed by choices. Krishna’s words weren’t philosophical fluff. They were survival.
He told Arjuna: Do what you must. Give your full self to it. But don’t cling to what comes next. Because when you attach your sense of self to the result, you’ll always be at the mercy of things beyond your control—other people’s opinions, timing, luck, systems, seasons. And when the result doesn’t come? You’ll turn on yourself. Not because you did something wrong, but because you believed something wrong.
2. What Happens When You Tie Worth to Winning?
You become afraid to try things you might fail at. You become afraid to rest, because rest doesn’t give you proof of progress. You burn yourself out chasing a version of success that doesn’t even feel like you.
You stop being a person. You become a project. Always under review. Never enough. And slowly, without realizing it, you disconnect from the joy of the work itself—the trying, the learning, the becoming.
3. Let Effort Be Its Own Reward
Krishna’s message isn’t about detachment in a cold, uncaring way. It’s about clarity. It’s about remembering why you started in the first place. You didn’t love painting because it would sell. You didn’t help your friend because it made you look good.
You didn’t study because the world owes you a perfect score. You did it because it felt right. Because it was part of who you are. Because effort, done in sincerity, is a form of worship. And no external result can ever measure the internal growth that happens when you commit to something with your whole heart.
4. Success That Can’t Be Taken Away
Here’s the truth: the world will never stop tying your worth to what you produce. But you don’t have to buy into that. You can succeed in ways that aren't flashy but freeing: Choosing kindness even when you’re tired. Trying again after rejection. Letting go of things that weren’t for you. Being honest with yourself. No one gives you awards for that. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. In fact, it might be the only thing that does.
So, What If You Stopped Measuring?
What if today, you showed up—not for applause, not for approval, but because you’re committed to the kind of person you want to be? What if your worth wasn’t something to prove, but something to protect? What if you trusted that doing your part—fully, sincerely—is enough, whether or not the world sees it? Because sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is this: Keep showing up, with love in your heart and no guarantee of return. That’s what Krishna was saying.
And maybe, that's what we need to remember: You are not the outcome. You are the one who shows up. And that… that is everything.
1. You are entitled to action, but not the results of it
He told Arjuna: Do what you must. Give your full self to it. But don’t cling to what comes next. Because when you attach your sense of self to the result, you’ll always be at the mercy of things beyond your control—other people’s opinions, timing, luck, systems, seasons. And when the result doesn’t come? You’ll turn on yourself. Not because you did something wrong, but because you believed something wrong.
2. What Happens When You Tie Worth to Winning?
You stop being a person. You become a project. Always under review. Never enough. And slowly, without realizing it, you disconnect from the joy of the work itself—the trying, the learning, the becoming.
3. Let Effort Be Its Own Reward
You didn’t study because the world owes you a perfect score. You did it because it felt right. Because it was part of who you are. Because effort, done in sincerity, is a form of worship. And no external result can ever measure the internal growth that happens when you commit to something with your whole heart.
4. Success That Can’t Be Taken Away
So, What If You Stopped Measuring?
And maybe, that's what we need to remember: You are not the outcome. You are the one who shows up. And that… that is everything.