Change and Conquer | Ishan Shivanand

If we are afraid of something, then what we are doing is we are changing the problem. We are introducing something into our ecosystem, something that we are not dealing with. And we are changing the situation. For example, let us assume I am afraid of my exams. Now, because I am afraid of my exams, the solution would be that I sit, I study, I become stronger, I gain confidence. But now I am afraid. So to get rid of that fear, I will watch some TV because I am so very afraid. Now I am watching so much of TV. Now watching the TV has become the problem. So I will again exchange this problem for some other problem. That now there is no more time, I am about to fail. So let me talk to a soothsayer on what he says, and the soothsayer is going to say that, you know, if you want to succeed, there is some planetary problem, so you have to sort that out. So now talking to that soothsayer, you have created another problem, and when you are creating another problem, some other soothsayer may say something else, and again you are being distracted from one situation to another situation, to another situation, where in the beginning, only if you have studied, you would have focused, things could have become so much better. And that is what fear does. Fear deviates us from a situation. Fear procrastinates our success. And that is why we must bring a change in in our lifestyle. And the change is very simple. The change is a mantra, a mantra that my father taught to me, a mantra that has helped me, and a mantra that has helped him. Basically, a mantra that is going to help you. And the mantra is very, very simple. It's in English, something you can practice. You have to do it 10 times a day. Trust me, brother, it's going to change your life. And the mantra is— listen to me, listen to me very carefully— the mantra is: Tum Chahte Kya Hoon? What do you want? Just this question. You know, we are not thinking before we are entering a situation. We are not Thinking what do we want out of it? Is it that we are stuck? Is it that we are confused in the brown rats and the possums and the snakes? And if only we take out a little bit of time to remind us of our situation, then we can be focused and we can command ourselves. It's as simple as that. There's a story in Ramayana that Lord Hanuman was flying from India to Sri Lanka to find Maa Sita. In between, this Sursa demon came, and the demon said, "Come fight with me. You have to come in my mouth." Now Lord Hanuman had all the power to fight with the demon, but Lord Hanuman reminded himself, "What do I want? What is my vision? What is my objective?" So he became small, went into her mouth, came out, avoided conflict, and and continued in his mission. Now, this is something that even we have to learn. You know, we will never win a fight if we go and fight a crocodile in water. It's as simple as that. If we don't stand for something, we are going to fall for everything. So we must remind ourselves Even before we are entering a situation, even before we are entering a conversation, even before we are starting a work, even before we are starting a conflict with our family, that what exactly do we want the outcome to be, so that if we don't see it going our way, then we know when to stop. Otherwise, every fight is going to be a gladiator death match. Every single conversation is going to be as if you are in the Colosseum. So we must bring a change. Every morning when we get up, what do we ask ourselves? Tum chahate kya ho? What do you want? When you see yourself in the face, in the mirror, Remind yourself, what do you want? When you are eating, when you are working, you're coming back home and you're sitting with your family, you remind yourself, what do you want? And trust me, if this you can do, then your mind is the one keeping you honest.