Rise with Grace

“Be nice to people on your way up, because you’ll meet them on your way down.”
— Wilson Mizner

I. The Staircase Behind the Temple

In the alley behind a Laxmi temple in Lucknow, there’s a cracked stone staircase.
Afternoon light slips through the neem branches above.
A vendor boils chai just below. A priest chants quietly. A young man in formals hurries past, phone pressed to his ear.

The sacred and the striving meet in this one frame —
unaware of each other, yet quietly interwoven.

Success often feels like this staircase — worn, winding, unpredictable.
We imagine we’re moving upward, one steady step at a time.
But the truth is more circular, more subtle.

In India, stories spiral. People return.
And the way you walk matters more than how fast you climb.

II. The Cast Behind Every Climb

No one truly climbs alone.

Behind every milestone — every title, every opportunity, every “overnight” success — is a quiet cast of characters:

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• The cousin who sent you ₹1000 when you didn’t ask.
• The chaiwala who remembered your face after rejection.
• The mentor who reviewed your work without billing you.
• The junior who stayed late while you took the credit.

In our culture, relationships are not just emotional — they are infrastructural.
The climb may look solo. But the scaffolding is communal.

And yet, the higher we rise, the easier it is to forget the scaffolding entirely.

III. Ego Forgets. Presence Remembers.

Ambition isn’t wrong.
But unaccompanied by presence, it becomes brittle.

You start measuring people by how “useful” they are to you.
You forget names that once mattered.
You speak only when it serves your progress.

The world may applaud your success —
but the soul knows when it’s hollow.

True presence means remembering:

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• Who stood by you before the metrics came.
• Who stayed quiet but showed up.
• Who doesn’t need to be impressed — just respected.

It is not how loud your voice has become,
but how gently you use it, that defines your ascent.

IV. What Indian Wisdom Teaches Us

We don’t often hear it in boardrooms, but our lineage whispers differently:

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• Vinaya — humility, not submission.
• Sahajta — naturalness over performance.
• Shraddha — heartfelt sincerity over shallow hustle.

Our ancestors understood that power without compassion is violence in disguise.
In the Mahabharata, even kings bowed to wisdom.
In the Gita, Krishna offers guidance with gentleness, not dominance.

In the Indian ethos, strength was never about domination —
it was about devotion.
To your work. To your people. To something larger than the self.

That’s the kind of success worth remembering.

V. A Quiet Practice for the Week

Before your next milestone —
pause.

Take a breath and ask:

“Who helped me reach here?”
“Have I acknowledged them — even silently?”
“Am I rising with grace, or just rushing upward?”

Send a message. Offer gratitude.
Or simply carry them in your intention today.

You may not control how high you rise.
But you can always choose how deeply you honour the climb.

Invitation

Have you received a kindness on your path that shaped who you’ve become?
Someone you now wish to thank?

Share it in the comments. Or better still — reach out to them today.
Because success is fleeting. But sincerity is forever.