How much is enough?
How much of the things you desire need to manifest for you to be satisfied and content?
How much success,
Achievement,
Status,
Money?
How much is enough?
Hey there conscious creators,
Thanks for being here right now with me and for hitting play today.
My name is Anthony and welcome to another edition of the You Are A Conscious Creator podcast where I hope this message can provide you with some inspiration and guidance to help you consciously create a life of meaning,
Purpose,
And one that you absolutely love.
A while back I was fascinated by this reflection that came to me during meditation one day.
What if the way you are right now is as good as you'll ever be?
At first it shook me.
If this is as good as my life will ever be,
Then that would make all my aspirations and dreams for the future meaningless.
And that seemed a bit frightening and distressing.
What would make of my life?
A feeling of pointlessness came over me and disappointment,
Like I failed.
But then again,
There was a strange kind of peace and liberation in this idea,
As if a giant weight would be removed from my shoulders.
My reaction here opened my eyes to how much our desires can often become the very source of our inner turmoil.
Let's face it,
No matter how grand life feels,
We always crave more.
There's always another peak to conquer.
Another dragon to slay.
Another area of our life that needs fixing.
A fundamental teaching in many traditions and philosophies suggests that most suffering in life is caused through the act of desire.
It's that nagging feeling of,
I want something really bad,
And I don't have it.
I want something to happen,
And it's not happening.
I wished this person didn't act this way or was different,
And they're not.
These unfulfilled desires drain our minds and hearts,
Keeping us in a constant loop of anxiety,
Overwhelmed,
And feeling like we're not whole yet.
So think about what's causing you stress right now.
Is it your job,
A relationship in your life,
Or maybe your financial situation?
Odds are there's something in your life you're yearning for that you're not getting.
This unmet desire creates a constant state of anxiety.
Take my experience from six years ago.
I was trapped in a dead-end job,
Desperate for a change.
My days were consumed with hunting for my next great opportunity.
But the universe wasn't playing along with me.
I felt stressed,
Frustrated,
And that life wasn't going my way.
But that stress and frustration I was experiencing really wasn't from my job itself or my career situation.
They were from my unmet desire for wanting my life to be different than it was.
This point may seem obvious and trivial,
But there's real wisdom here.
And it starts by recognizing how much of your mental and emotional energy is gobbled up by the things you crave.
Here's a little thought experiment to consider.
It comes from author and professor Shrikumar Rao,
Which was one of my favorite teachers when it comes to this idea of pursuing goals from a place of contentment and being detached from the outcome.
First,
He suggests to look back at your life and recall something you desperately wanted.
Maybe it was a particular job,
A relationship,
Or even a material possession.
Now how do you feel about it today?
Chances are you might find that these goals that once seemed crucial are now irrelevant.
The point here is that our current desires eventually lose their luster over time.
What we long for today will eventually tumble from its pedestal,
Often without us even realizing it.
The next part of the experiment is to think of some unmet desire in your life.
Now,
Again,
Call to mind that time in your life when you wanted something badly,
But now you are indifferent to it.
Ask yourself,
Would you rather get the desire you want right now,
Or outgrow your need for it?
It's a powerful question.
Would you rather get what you want right now,
Or outgrow your need for it?
Getting what you want might make you feel good in the moment and provide temporary relief,
But we know how the rest of that story goes.
Before the feeling of success even wears off,
We set our sights on the next mountain to climb or the next problem to solve.
However,
What would happen if you were to outgrow your need for that desire?
How would you feel?
Would you see your reality differently?
Would your life be more stable and content?
After reflecting on this,
I wanted to take this thought experiment a step further.
Imagine you have a magic wand that grants you one of two outcomes.
Outcome number one.
At some point,
Your deepest desire will come true.
You'll get what you've been longing for.
Maybe tomorrow,
Maybe a year from now,
Or even ten years down the line.
You don't know when or how,
But eventually your efforts will pay off and it will happen.
Or outcome number two.
With the flick of the wand,
That desire vanishes completely from your life.
You no longer yearn for it,
Think about it,
Or care about it.
It's like it never existed.
Which would you choose?
The point here though is not to rid ourselves of all our goals and desires.
We are human after all.
And certain desires,
Like the desire to help others or improve ourselves,
Can be positive forces in our lives.
Instead,
We can strive for what Buddhist philosophy calls the middle way,
A path between over-indulgence in our desires and complete denial of them.
This involves learning to mindfully engage with our desires and goals without being controlled by them.
And it starts by getting brutally honest with yourself and reflecting on the role your desires play in your life.
So simply ask yourself.
Are my desires overwhelming me?
Does it feel like there is never enough time in the day?
Does ambition dominate my life?
Are my goals causing me to neglect other aspects of my life?
Does my life feel like one giant rat race to the top?
Are my desires making me more or less conscious and awake from my life?
If you answered yes to any of these,
Maybe it's time to take a step back and reflect.
Perhaps the real prize isn't in the desires themselves,
But savoring the wisdom found in letting go and being okay with needing less.
Again,
The goal here isn't to eliminate all desire.
It's about recognizing how much our desires and unmet wants actually play in the dissatisfaction we experience in our lives.
That alone could be the first step to a more peaceful,
Contented existence.
So as I wrap up this message,
Here's one more thing to consider.
I often compare being a human in the modern world where practically every one of our urges can be gratified to like a child throwing a tantrum over a toy they desperately want.
The child gets the toy,
But as they grow older,
The toy inevitably loses its charm.
The same principle applies to us.
We are like impetuous children carrying on with all our desires and unmet wants.
Makes me wonder though,
Is all this carrying on just adding more noise to our lives?
I'm curious to know what you think.
Send me a message here or drop me a note in the comments.
Thanks for listening today.
And as always,
Have a wonderful,
Beautiful and highly conscious day.
Much love.
