For most of my spiritual journey, I was in solitude, in the confines of my home. Then, my mentor encouraged me to jot down my life stories. In 2018–19, I began writing about my experiences.

To my shock, many people were jealous, while others began to fall at my feet. Both felt awkward, with the latter being more challenging to deal with. I was perplexed and even contemplated if I should quit writing.

That’s when my son, 11 years of age then, told me:

Don’t change anything you do; you are just facing the Survivor’s Guilt.

The Guilt of Success

Survivor’s guilt is a feeling people get when they escape a circumstance that wiped out many. For example, if only one person escaped a catastrophic natural disaster, they would feel this guilt.

However, survivor’s guilt is also common among successful people, who become the cause of envy for others. This is especially true if the successful person does not value their victory or regards it as something they are undeserving of.

According to psychologists, almost all successful leaders, celebrities, and sports persons have experienced this guilt at some point.

Dealing With Guilt

My situation in 2019 was traumatic, like the lone soldier amidst disasters in the featured image. Unfortunately, my spiritual attainments had made me feel the opposite of what I had expected.

I had hoped for inner peace and joy, which I found in solitude. Nonetheless, the world’s reactions made me feel like I had done something wrong. Instead of appreciating and valuing my spiritual accomplishments, I started to sulk and hide.

Suddenly, it all made sense when my son labeled my emotional response as the Survivor’s Guilt. That day, I went out alone and celebrated my success. After that, I began to ignore the unpleasant vibes, which helped me focus on my life and purpose.

Pride And Compassion

Per the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma (SD), everyone on this planet is divine. Yet, 99.99% of them don’t feel it. I’m amongst the 0.01% that perennially feels her divinity.

Today, I appreciate the value of what I got for my relentless toil. Whether the world and even my family appreciate it or not, I am immensely proud of myself for my attainments.

Having said that, I also feel compassion for the 99.99% still suffering. So, I trained myself to become a life coach and spiritual guru by dropping my Survivor’s Guilt.

Taking a cue from my life story, the next time you feel fragile, sad, or weird because you succeeded in something, ask yourself — Will you succumb to Survivor’s Guilt? Or would you rather be a beacon of hope and strength to others?

The choice is pretty straightforward in my mind.

Love,
Sri Devi Om