Since you already are where you are going, there is only one way to get there and that is through realisation. There is nothing you can get from the outside of you that will satisfy this desire because your ego is that very loop of desire and it does not want to die.
It does not matter what you desire; possessions, status, love, peace, enlightenment, etc. etc. etc.. Wanting is using the power of your consciousness to circle a tiny, personal orbit. Appreciating is when we live in a state of genuine gratitude, embraced by feelings of love and confidence in everyone and everything around us.
Do not use your powerful mind to create a world where you suffer for feeling incomplete materially, psychologically, or spiritually. Nothing needs to be added. Everything you need is right where you are. You are enlightened, you just think you’re not.
You are perpetually building the world in which you live by choosing to give your mental energy to certain narratives about what surrounds you. Millions of narratives are available to everyone. The pattern you choose is who you are. Pessimist, optimist, happy, angry, lucky, forlorn, amazed, victimised, bored etc. etc. etc. To recognise that choice is to realise what you really are. You are the chooser of thoughts.
You do not need to get anything from the outside of you to feel what you are seeking. You simply have to stop seeking. Stop thinking about you. Start listening with that energy instead.
Listen with your whole body. Taste your drinks, smell your food. Listen to your friends, or even truly listen to your music, (where you’re not thinking over top of it). Look at the world around you to see what you’re missing. Touch every surface like it might be the last time you ever do. Be alive. Be now.
Instead of wanting, be present. Quiet your discussions regarding what should be and simply allow what is. It’s that easy. It really is.
Now: Enjoy your day. 😉
peace. s
Scott McPherson is an Edmonton-based writer, public speaker, and mindfulness facilitator who works with individuals, companies and non-profit organisations locally and around the world.
A serious childhood brain injury lead Scott to spend his entire life meditating on the concepts of thought, consciousness, reality and identity. It made others as strange to him as he was to them. When he realized people were confused by their own over-thinking, Scott began teaching others to understand reality. He is currently CBC Radio Active’s Wellness Columnist, as well as a writer, speaker and mindfulness instructor based in Edmonton, AB where he still finds it strange to write about himself in the third person.
