The moments we are currently within are perfectly aligned with what was always ours to begin with.
There are times in all of our lives when we undoubtedly expend our energy and light towards hoping or wishing for something else, something different than what we currently already have in our possession.
If we're not careful we can spiral into intense, continuous presumptions that we are not where we think we should be. We can find ourselves unceasingly hoping for something different in a world that caters to outlandish and fabricated examples of how we could be, if we just tried a little harder.
The age old example of the grass seemingly being a little greener on the other side.
Whether it is a longing for more adventures to keep our life more electric, an itch to quit our jobs in heated moments of continual frustration, or a desire for more passion than what our current relationship is offering, the list can go on and on if we let it.
While it is absolutely true that following our hearts can lead us to an epic path of greatness, perhaps there is beautiful truth in that so can fulling striving to live into what we have already been given.
"Finding and holding onto a feeling of gratitude for where we are are, if even for this brief period in time."
We have a choice of how we will react to our lives. We can choose happiness, it is there for us to grasp, if we are aware enough to do so.
Here is a list of six simple reminders that may help us in our quest for finding contentment in the here and now.
1. Be gentle with yourself when you sense these feelings of longing for something different coming up within your mind, they are universal. We all have found ourselves craving something other than what is standing in front of us. Awareness of these feelings are what give us the power to actively choose how to handle them, be gentle with yourself as you start to identify them within yourself.
2. Explore what discontentment feels like, attempt to observe your mind and how you are affected with a such emotions. It is something we don't always do, fully live into the feelings that are coming up within us. Feel them for what they are, first, before diving into what you wish you had or how you wish you felt.
3. Once you are aware of these palpable feelings, attempt to place no value on what you are feeling, these emotions are neither good nor bad, they just are. So often in life we immediately label an emotion, whether we know we are doing it or not, with an oversimplified label. Feelings within themselves are not inherently good or bad.
"Finding contentment in the present lies within the walls of deliberately letting go of the worries that we are not where we are supposed to be, but instead attempting to understand that where we actually are is part of our personal journey. By intentionally feeling the moments we are within we will start to fully be where we are, which in turn will organically get us to where we are already going regardless of agonizing. The perpetual, beautiful path of being present in a world that seems to be rapidly moving forward."
4. Understanding and embracing the impermanence of this life is the key to finding contentment right where we are standing. Everything is temporary... people, relationships, places, work, family.. everything. We do not own anything and nothing is guaranteed, therefore every moment is a gift.
5. Absorbing our impermanence will in turn provide us with the life altering perspective that every moment is fleeting and deserves our energy and light. When we fully embrace this knowledge and truly understand that everything will eventually end, we will inevitably start to find contentment in the present moments because we know that this is all we truly have. This moment right now, this is it. Whether we have what we think we want or not, this moment, this is where we are.
6. Finding contentment within the walls of now will get us to where we are eventually supposed to be. When we stop attempting to control the world to match what we believe we want, we can rest into the knowledge that every moment is worthy of our attention and appreciation that life is playing out the way that we are playing into it.
"Life is playing out the way that we are playing into it."
We have the ability to live a life that is full, no matter where are are currently sitting. When we start to live into the current moments we'll find ourselves organically growing into the beautiful, strong people we envision. The current moments getting the attention they deserve while tomorrow waiting just around the corner, holding new truths to meet us, if we are supposed to.
Mistakes and all.