Life lesson from Sadhguru: 'Just spend a minute to identify at least one thing in your life that is not...'; spiritual leader's inspiring quote shares timeless lesson on how to remove negativity from your life, and embrace mindfulness, acceptance and optimism

Indian spiritual guru Sadhguru turned 68 on September 3. On his personal blog, Sadhguru shared not one but seven life lessons you should never forget. The first lesson is to declutter your life.

‘Kill’ What’s Unnecessary

You should make your life simpler by “killing” or removing unnecessary elements.

No matter what, pick one particular small item that you will no longer do. "I will not be angry" would be a lie because you have no control over this at this point. Instead, you may say something like, "I will not speak angry words."


Decide on what you can and will do. This is how you may change your life by making tiny changes. However, you should really do it so that it doesn't reappear. Anything that is killed ought to be dead. Reducing your investment in the untrue is necessary if you wish to advance toward the reality of life. You have to gradually lessen it, even if it might not go away right away.

Break The Status Quo

Do not cry about the things in your life that cannot be changed, as that way lies sureshot depression. At least once a month, one every full moon day, consider one small thing you would love to change about yourself. This can be a new habit – not wasting food on your plate or practising gratitude. These small habits will add meaning and organisation to your life.

We Are All Mortal

Once you remember your time on earth is finite and can end anytime soon, you will be more open to removing toxicity and negativity from your life and focus on what really matters. “If you were immortal, you could enjoy a hundred years each of depression, anxiety, madness and misery and then on the 500th anniversary, you could become joyful. But that is not the case. You are mortal, and it is ticking away. So there is no time for frustration, depression, anxiety, anger or for any unpleasantness in this life…” Sadhguru explained.

Live Life Intelligently

Is it more enjoyable for you to be loving or to be furious, hateful, and envious? Which manner of life is more intelligent? Isn't it loving? I'm just asking that you live a wise life. This is not for the benefit of another person. For you, it is lovely and nice. Making the world a loving place is not something you do for other people. It's a clever way to live.

Every action you take throughout your life has the potential to create a loving world. It is not necessary to do more or less in order to create a loving world. If you spent your life only thinking about what you want, it will definitely happen in your immediate environment and start to manifest in

Determine The Quality Of Your Life

Of course, we all want a comfortable life and to be financially prosperous, but you should not prioritise financial success or getting wealthy to such an extent that it starts affecting your peace of mind. Our ability to live well does not depend on the price of the car we are driving or the size of the house we live in.

Choose Humility

True wisdom begins when a person recognises the limits of their own understanding. Instead of assuming that knowledge makes us superior, we should realize that even the simplest things around us—the grass, a tree, a grain of sand, or our own body—contain mysteries we cannot completely comprehend. Recognising our ignorance, therefore, is not weakness; it is a sign of deeper awareness.

The passage also encourages us to move through life with reverence, gentleness, and gratitude. When we acknowledge how dependent we are on nature, people, food, water, air, and countless unseen forces, arrogance naturally gives way to respect. This attitude itself becomes a spiritual practice. Rather than requiring elaborate teachings or rituals, spirituality can emerge through simply living with wonder and appreciation.

Ultimately, the message is that humility changes the way we experience existence. When we stop believing that we understand everything, we become more receptive, compassionate, and attentive. We begin to treat life itself as something sacred, and this reverence can bring greater meaning and harmony to everything we undertake.

There’s No Good Or Bad

Sadhguru emphasised that our inner world should be a reflection of whatever our environment is. The guru rejected the idea that the inner and outer/material world should be polar opposites. “You look at one thing as good, something else as bad. You get attached to what you consider as good. You desperately try to avoid what you consider bad, and of course that will rule you from inside. This is not the way to be. Seeing everything just the way it is – that is the way to be within. If you see something other than what is there, it means you are contaminating the world with your opinions and prejudices…” he wrote on his blog.

The world exists outside of our preconceived notions of right and wrong. If you see everything the way it is, not what it should be to fit an abstract, idealistic way – namely your own utopia- you would be more at peace.

Sadhguru is an Indian guru who founded the Coimbatore, India-based Isha Foundation. The charity was founded in 1992 and runs a yoga centre and ashram that engage in spiritual and educational activities. Since 1982, Sadhguru has taught yoga. He frequently speaks at venues worldwide and is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy and Karma: A Yogi's Guide to Crafting Your Destiny.