Achieving true and lasting success in life requires more than ambition or talent. It demands a fundamental shift in how we view and interact with others. As Geshe Michael Roach explains, it all starts with planting the right seeds — and doing it the right way.
To plant a seed properly, you must be extremely intentional and clear about your goal. It’s not enough to casually wish for success; there must be a specific plan in place. For example, you might decide to take someone struggling financially out for coffee every Friday at a specific location, giving them a dedicated 45 minutes of your time to listen, support, and help.
In this system, consistency is key. Success achieved without understanding its true cause is fleeting. Many talented individuals — musicians, actors, businesspeople — experience sudden success and then inexplicable decline. Why? Because the original seeds that created their success were planted long ago, often unknowingly, and once those seeds ran out, so did the success.
The solution is to consciously and regularly plant new seeds. In the case of actors, Geshe Michael suggests helping three other people audition for the same role, even recommending them to the director. By supporting others, you create powerful positive seeds for your own future opportunities.
Success, therefore, must be built upon a regular habit of helping others. Doing something kind once is like throwing a watermelon seed onto concrete — it won’t grow. To truly transform your finances, relationships, or career, you must make helping others a regular part of your life.
This practice must become instinctual. Currently, most of us operate under an instinct to compete: “What I want, I must take from others.” But to truly change, we must develop a new instinct: “What I want, I must give to others.” This shift is difficult, as it challenges deeply ingrained habits, but it is essential.
Imagine a world where this instinct is common. Those who don’t want to be yelled at will instinctively stop yelling at others. People will act differently, relationships will improve, and communities will transform. If enough people make this internal change, the entire world will change with them.
About the Teaching
This teaching is excerpted from a lecture by Geshe Michael Roach in Phoenix, Arizona, focused on achieving success in every aspect of life: financial prosperity, energy, fulfilling relationships, inner calm, and a better world.
The Knowledge Base (https://www.theknowledgebase.com) preserves and shares Geshe Michael’s life work, offering over 10,000 hours of teachings and more than 12,000 pages of original translations, books, and course materials.
Geshe Michael Roach is the first American awarded the title of Geshe, a Master of Buddhism, after more than 20 years of study in Tibetan monasteries. Today, he is an international teacher, businessman, philanthropist, author, educator, and speaker, sharing wisdom on creating success through kindness and service to others.
