When They Got Everything You Prayed For: Gita Says Their Win Isn’t Your Loss
Riya Kumari | Jul 12, 2025, 23:49 IST
Highlight of the story: By the time you hit your mid-20s, you’ve either mastered the art of pretending you’re happy for others or you’ve at least become excellent at saying “So happy for you!!” with just the right amount of emoji sparkle. But let’s be honest: sometimes, someone else’s success feels less like inspiration and more like a personal attack.
There’s a special kind of silence that hits you when someone else gets what you were praying for. A friend posts about landing that dream role, the one you didn’t even get a callback for. A cousin announces their engagement, just when you’d convinced yourself maybe marriage wasn’t even your thing. Someone buys a house. Has a child. Hits a milestone. And suddenly, your own life feels... smaller. Like someone turned the volume down on your achievements. You clap. You comment. You say all the right things. But inside? There’s a quiet ache. The kind you don't tell anyone about because it sounds petty, or worse, ungrateful. Let’s not pretend it’s about wanting what they have. It’s about what you don’t. It’s about watching someone else cross a finish line you’ve been crawling toward, and wondering, not always kindly, Why them? Why not me?
The Gita Doesn’t Shame You For That Feeling
It just asks you to look at it differently. When Arjuna stood in the middle of the battlefield, overwhelmed, confused, questioning the point of it all, Krishna didn’t hand him a vision board or a 5-step manifestation guide. He gave him something harder. He said: “You have a right to your actions, but not to the fruits of your actions.” And suddenly, the ground beneath the ego shook a little. Because what does that mean, really?
It means: Do the work. Show up. Love, try, build, speak, give, but let go of the idea that the world owes you something in return. Stop measuring your journey in units of other people’s success. You weren’t robbed. You weren’t left out. You’re just not done yet.
Their Win Wasn’t Meant To Be Your Loss
We’re raised in systems that treat success like a limited resource. If someone else gets the part, the job, the love, that must mean there’s less left for us. But that’s not how life works. It’s just how we’ve been taught to think. Someone else’s moment isn’t proof of your failure.
It’s just proof that life is moving and that what’s possible for one person is possible, full stop. You didn’t lose. You learned what matters to you. You got clearer. You felt something real. That’s not nothing. That’s the soil something grows in.
And Sometimes, What You Wanted Would Have Wrecked You
This part hurts, but it’s true: not everything we pray for is actually good for us. Some doors stay shut not because we weren’t worthy, but because we were being protected. Some timelines stretch out not to test our patience, but to strengthen our preparation.
Krishna doesn’t say don’t want things. He just says, don’t tie your identity to the wanting. Don’t collapse your self-worth into a wishlist.
So, What Do You Do With the Jealousy?
You feel it. You don’t fake smile it away or drown it in spiritual jargon. You notice it. You name it. You let it sit. And then, you let it go. Not because you're a saint. But because carrying it doesn't get you any closer to the life you're meant to live.
When someone else gets what you were praying for, it’s okay to feel something. But don’t assume the Universe picked sides. Don’t turn someone else's moment into your measure of worth.
A Thought To Leave You With
You are not late. You are not less. You are simply becoming, on a timeline that has no need to compete. Let others rise. Let yourself feel. And then, when you’re ready, look ahead.
There’s still something beautiful coming with your name on it. And it’s not running out.
The Gita Doesn’t Shame You For That Feeling
Jealous
( Image credit : Unsplash )
It just asks you to look at it differently. When Arjuna stood in the middle of the battlefield, overwhelmed, confused, questioning the point of it all, Krishna didn’t hand him a vision board or a 5-step manifestation guide. He gave him something harder. He said: “You have a right to your actions, but not to the fruits of your actions.” And suddenly, the ground beneath the ego shook a little. Because what does that mean, really?
It means: Do the work. Show up. Love, try, build, speak, give, but let go of the idea that the world owes you something in return. Stop measuring your journey in units of other people’s success. You weren’t robbed. You weren’t left out. You’re just not done yet.
Their Win Wasn’t Meant To Be Your Loss
Winner
( Image credit : Unsplash )
We’re raised in systems that treat success like a limited resource. If someone else gets the part, the job, the love, that must mean there’s less left for us. But that’s not how life works. It’s just how we’ve been taught to think. Someone else’s moment isn’t proof of your failure.
It’s just proof that life is moving and that what’s possible for one person is possible, full stop. You didn’t lose. You learned what matters to you. You got clearer. You felt something real. That’s not nothing. That’s the soil something grows in.
And Sometimes, What You Wanted Would Have Wrecked You
Blessed
( Image credit : Unsplash )
This part hurts, but it’s true: not everything we pray for is actually good for us. Some doors stay shut not because we weren’t worthy, but because we were being protected. Some timelines stretch out not to test our patience, but to strengthen our preparation.
Krishna doesn’t say don’t want things. He just says, don’t tie your identity to the wanting. Don’t collapse your self-worth into a wishlist.
So, What Do You Do With the Jealousy?
Free
( Image credit : Unsplash )
You feel it. You don’t fake smile it away or drown it in spiritual jargon. You notice it. You name it. You let it sit. And then, you let it go. Not because you're a saint. But because carrying it doesn't get you any closer to the life you're meant to live.
When someone else gets what you were praying for, it’s okay to feel something. But don’t assume the Universe picked sides. Don’t turn someone else's moment into your measure of worth.
A Thought To Leave You With
There’s still something beautiful coming with your name on it. And it’s not running out.