Despite a $45 million net worth, Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar still works tough, 16-hour days—he repeats this mantra when he’s overwhelmed

Multimillionaire Big Bang Theory star Rajesh Koothrappali breaks down his work-life balance routine—including 16-hour days on set with just 6 hours of sleep. The mantra that gets him through tough days? “Take a breath. Take a pause. Let’s just see what happens.”

Kunal Nayyar has a life most would describe as a dream. He landed his breakthrough role as Rajesh Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory at just 26, rose to global fame almost overnight, and went on to earn around $1 million per episode at the height of the show’s success—becoming one of the highest-paid actors on television ever. 

Today, the 45-year-old actor, producer, and entrepreneur has an estimated net worth of $45 million, a résumé spanning film, television, publishing, and tech. But none of that has insulated him from difficult days. 

When things start to unravel, Nayyar doesn’t reach for motivational podcasts or productivity hacks. He repeats one word to himself instead: Surrender.

“Sometimes, if I find myself really banging my head against something, and it’s just one of those days where everything’s going wrong, I just tell myself surrender,” Nayyar told Fortune. 

“Take a breath. Take a pause. Let’s just see what happens.”

The practice is more than simply having a mindful moment. He’s challenging his inner critic.

“Our minds work in such a way where on a difficult day, it keeps going to the worst-case scenario,” the actor explained, adding that the reality is rarely as bad as you imagine. And even in the very worst case, you always come out the other side. “So in those moments, you have to really just look at your mind and say, stop. Take a breath. Surrender to this moment and let’s see what happens.”

Nayyar admits he uses the mantra “quite often, to be honest.” Especially after auditions, in between waiting to hear how you did, and trawling the internet to see if someone else got the job—something........

© Fortune