(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 January 2013, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.30.50-51)
In Vedic culture, good self-esteem is very much part of society. It’s not artificial; it’s genuine because one naturally begins to feel good about himself if you know that you are doing a good thing. Devotees don’t have to artificially muster up some self-esteem. It automatically comes from doing the right thing.
If you tried the whole day to do the right thing then at night, you look back at the day and say, “We blew it a few times today but what to do!? At least we tried.” And if you add up the whole year, “I made some mistakes. I really blew it a few times this year but I can say I tried.”
Anyone who is in that consciousness of trying to do the right thing is automatically full of self-esteem. Because that kind of person can feel good about himself. The problem comes in when you are doing so many things of which you know that you should not really be doing. And then you know, “I am a looooser, I shouldn’t be doing this but I am…”
Devotees should know that in Krsna consciousness, you cannot be a loser! Nobody can lose, it’s not possible to lose in Krsna consciousness because devotional service is eternal and the benefit is eternal. So, whatever little service you do, you are making progress. Even if there are so many things that we cannot do right, it doesn’t matter because we are doing somethings right and that goes into our eternal bank.
We don’t have to ever feel like a loser, and like – I’m a terrible devotee, can’t do anything… NO! Then you are overlooking the eternal benefit you are getting. You must see it like this, “I am so fortunate because I am allowed to do some service. And all that service is to my eternal benefit. I am so fortunate.”