By: BK Sheilu
Source: The Daily Guardian 
Dated: June 7th, 2025

Racehorses wear blinkers to help them focus during a race. The blinkers restrict the horses’ peripheral vision, limiting their ability to see competing horses, people, or other elements on the racetrack that might distract them. This helps the horses maintain their concentration on the track ahead and the task at hand — running forward at top speed.

Those who have set off on the path of self-improvement are also advised to put on blinkers of sorts - they are cautioned not to dwell on the faults of others, as that can hinder their own journey. Self-reflection, they say, leads to progress, while looking at others - particularly their defects - brings about our downfall. When we focus on other people’s mistakes or shortcomings, we divert our attention from our own growth. Instead of looking inward to identify areas where we need improvement, we become preoccupied with what others are doing wrong. This shift in focus prevents us from taking full responsibility for our actions and personal development.

Criticizing or judging others often stems from negativity or insecurity. This can lead to feelings of resentment, frustration, or superiority. These negative emotions can skew our judgment and make it harder to engage in constructive introspection.

When we focus too much on the faults of others, we may also lose sight of the fact that everyone has their own struggles and journeys. Sometimes we note that someone has a weakness that we may not have, and on that basis we mentally label them as a bad or undesirable person. We overlook the possibility that we may have flaws that the other person does not have. Consequently, instead of being compassionate and understanding, we develop a mindset that ends up isolating us from others. This prevents us from learning from other people.

Comparing our strengths to the weaknesses of others can also feed our ego. We may feel better about ourselves by doing so, but this is a deception, and creates a false sense of progress. True self-improvement comes from confronting our own weaknesses and striving to be better, not just feeling better by comparison.

Self-improvement is about being present and focusing on what we can do today to move forward. When we spend too much time on what others are doing wrong and where they need to improve, we can start to blame external factors for our lack of progress, rather than taking accountability for our own actions and mindset.

Viewing others negatively also traps us in a fixed mindset, whereby we start thinking that people cannot change or grow, just like we might feel at times about our own limitations. However, believing that we and others can improve through effort is key to self-improvement.

In fact, dwelling on other people’s defects seriously sabotages our efforts at self-improvement. When we repeatedly focus on the worst aspects of someone’s character or behaviour, we are actually absorbing those weaknesses. Where attention goes, energy flows, and manifestation occurs. We attract whatever is most often and most powerfully on our mind and in our heart. Real progress occurs when we direct our energy toward recognising our own areas for growth and using what we observe in others to inspire, rather than detract from, our journey. It is about being aware of the balance between self-reflection and the acknowledgement of others' experiences, without letting it hinder our own forward movement.

BK Sheilu is a Rajyoga teacher
at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.