In my last post, I shared how having a conversation with our own mind can help us face challenges with greater clarity and strength. Today, I want to take you into one such personal moment—one of the hardest decisions I had to make.

There was someone in my life who had been a true well-wisher—someone who had done many favours for me and stood by me during tough times. Naturally, I held a deep sense of gratitude. But over time, I began to feel trapped in this relationship. Slowly, I found myself compromising—doing things I wasn’t okay with, going against my own values, just to honour what they had done for me in the past.

I felt suffocated, but more than that, I felt torn. Torn between the gratitude I carried in my heart and the truth I owed to myself. It reached a point where I could no longer silence my inner voice. I had to speak up. But guilt weighed heavily on me, how could I go against someone who had once helped me so much?

And then, I remembered a powerful dialogue from the Tamil movie Velaikkaran that became my guiding light: “Velaikku thaan viswasam irukkanum, mudhalaliku illa.” (“Loyalty must be to the work we do, not necessarily to the person who gave us the job.”) That line stayed with me. I would repeat to myself:
“Velaikkuthaan viswasam irukkanum.”(Be true to the purpose, not the person.)

It helped me break free from guilt. I learned it’s possible to remain grateful and still stand your ground. To honour what someone has done for you, without surrendering your own truth. Gratitude is sacred. But so is self-respect.

If you’re in a similar situation, caught between gratitude and your own inner compass, please know that choosing what is right for you is not a betrayal. It is strength. Empower your mind. Stand tall for what matters to you. That’s self-respect. It is not a sin.

What does “being loyal” mean to you? Is it towards people, principles, or your purpose?