I don’t know why, but I feel drawn toward Bhagwan Vishnu.
When I researched about him, I found out that the Shri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram is considered the epitome of worshipping Vishnu.
Also, one of my fellow voice-over artists swore by it whenever we discussed spirituality and Sanatan Dharma.
So, I decided to do the chanting every Thursday. I started and kept doing it for some time, but then somehow I lost the motivation, and it dropped on its own.
That fellow voice artist had warned me about the devastating effects the Shri Vishnu Sahasranama can have on one’s life if the person doing the chanting keeps consuming non-vegetarian food and alcohol.
He said, “Avdhesh bhai, this is a very powerful stotram to uplift yourself spiritually and materially. But it can also cause havoc if you don’t follow the rules. You can’t just keep chanting it and also keep consuming non-vegetarian food and intoxicants.”
I Decided to Do It My Way
Well, I listened to him, and I thought to myself, “Oh, what the hell. It doesn’t matter. I shall chant and shall also continue eating and drinking whatever I want.”
Fast forward a year. I happened to watch a video about how to strengthen “Guru” (Jupiter) for a successful and prosperous career. And the learned gentleman in the video also advised the same. “You could chant Shri Vishnu Sahasranama, but make sure you follow the rules,” he said.
And I realized what an asshole I had been all this time: I was trying to raise my vibration on the one hand, and on the other, I was not willing to give up the “taste.”
It dawned upon me that I was trying to chase two rabbits at the same time. And in doing so, I made sure (though unconsciously) that I would catch none.
Or you can say I split my energy into two different directions, wasted it, and reached nowhere.
But was this the first mistake of its kind that I made? Not at all.
I once read an article by Jon Morrow in which he said that to drown out the negative and to program your mind for success, you need to feed it with positive ideas. “Reconstruct reality,” he said. And so I did.
I started listening to motivational speakers on YouTube such as Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, Earl Nightingale, Seth Godin, Les Brown, and many others. But I didn’t put all of my energy into it. I kept listening to motivational stuff and never stopped hanging out with negative people.
Let me say this again, this time in quotes: “I kept listening to the motivational stuff and never stopped hanging out with negative people.”
I figured it would be rude to disconnect from the so-called “negative people” just because I wanted to be successful. After all, those nagging people had been there in my life for fifteen or twenty years or so. I kept hanging out with them.
And you’ve guessed it right. I tried riding two boats at the same time and almost drowned. 🙁
The Man Who Chases Two Rabbits Catches Neither
The logic is pretty simple: your life energy can only move in one direction with total intensity.
You can’t expect yourself to move a step toward the east and then also move a step toward the west. If you want to go east, then go east. And if you want to go west, then go west. Because you can’t go east and west at the same time. Try, and you’ll only be making a fool of yourself.
My point?
Life is all about focus.
Decide the direction you want to move in, and then forget everything else.
Gather information. Weigh the pros and cons. Decide what you want to do with your life.
Once you’ve decided, pour all your energy into that direction. Anything less than that won’t cut it.
Look into your life and see if you are trying to uplift yourself and, at the same time, keep mingling with the same people you always have. If that’s the case, then you need to change it.
I know leaving your long-time friends just like that seems impolite and heartless. But is this about being “sensitive” to the feelings of people who have been dragging you down (consciously or unconsciously)?
Or is it about taking a stand?
You decide.
Because, you see, you cannot move in two directions at the same time. You cannot chase two rabbits simultaneously. And you cannot ride with your feet in two boats.
It doesn’t work that way.