“You’re cribbing. You’re whining. For what?” asks Thrive Global India’s guest editor Sadhguru in response to our question on hope. “We [humanity] have more comforts than any generation ever before…our survival is so well organised today.” Of course, there is pain over inequity, he admits, but “for the first time in the history of humanity, we can move a large mass of population from one level of living to another through a democratic process”, he says, referring to the 200-million-plus population that moved out from below the poverty line in India over the last decade.

India’s famed yogi, mystic and best-selling author isn’t either a pessimist or an optimist, he tells Thrive Global India during the course of an interview that, as you will see and hear in the video above, couldn’t be conducted in the most noise-proof setting! However, Sadhguru’s calm and humour made for a riveting conversation on issues that concern all individuals.

Inspiration, for instance, often isn’t as easy to sustain as it is to find, we said to him. His answer was simple: “If everybody realizes the significance of what they are doing, and how it is impacting others, they will do that activity with great joy and involvement. They will not need anybody to set fire to them from the outside.”

This self-reliance for hope and motivation is an imperative, he says. That leaves no room to either look up to anyone or don’t down on them either. “…we have set up hierarchies in our lives,” he points out, that prevents us from seeing people for who they are and giving them the value they deserve.

Want to share your story of how you thrive? Write to us at [email protected]

More on Thrive Global India:

Start 2019 with Sadhguru: What You Could Not Even Dream of Should Happen in Your Life

How to Come Alive This Year: Be Conscious of the Universe and Exult in Your Presence

How to Harness the Power of the Mind

We Are Actually Living in a Better World

Inhale, Exhale, Zero in: How Jeev Milkha Singh Breathes Positivity into the Golf Course, And in His Life

Vishy Anand May Look Calm, But There’s a Battle Inside

What Do You Care What Other People Think?

Five Rules from Amitabh Kant’s Success Handbook

Author(s)

  • Founded in 2016 by Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global is the world’s largest well-being media platform. Since its launch in October 2018, Thrive Global India has received over 40 million visitors. Our media platform Our focus is on well-being and productivity, emphasising real experiences and unique storytelling. Through articles, videos, and podcasts featuring business leaders, scientists, athletes, entertainers and new role models of success, we add a new dimension to the global conversation of wellness. Our stories discuss daily challenges, people’s personal journeys of how they thrive, and recommend solutions to bring purpose and wonder into our worlds. We realise that the struggles of our everyday life—stress, burnout, exhaustion, apathy, technological addiction—can be intimidatingly broad and numerous. And it’s only through lived and shared experiences of people, combined with expert data and science-based solutions, that we can achieve actual, dramatic results that help us live and work well. Our enterprise solutions There is a pervasive belief that burnout is the price we must pay for success, but research has shown it is a delusion. As a matter of fact, by prioritising our well-being, we pave way for a healthier, productive life with enhanced efficiency, decision making and creativity. Through our assessments, corporate workshops, digital engagement solutions and more, we bring to you science-backed well-being and performance-enhancing strategies, proven to help individuals and teams thrive.