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Three Step Rx for Contentment
As prescribed by my doctor just a few months ago...Thank you, Dr. Park. 1. Accept reality. Lower expectations.
Expectations can be some of the most powerful saboteurs of santosha. Expecting how a future experience will unfold is a recipe for disappointment: think Senior Prom or New Year’s Eve. Often our expectations of how an event will be and the reality of what is are on opposite sides of the spectrum. By setting expectations aside, we can actually be in the moment that is, not in some illusory notion of what should be. It’s a very cool and challenging practice and you just might notice yourself paying closer attention and seeing things you wouldn’t have noticed had you been looking for a fulfilled expectation.
2. Think the good thought.
Obviously we do not have control over everything, in fact, we have very little control over what happens around us. It has become a bit of a cliché, but I have to say it anyway, no matter how out of control of a situation we may be, we do have control of our thoughts. You control your thoughts. Your thoughts do not control you. Notice where your mind goes. How often do you actually stop to acknowledge what you are thinking about? Pay attention to what you think about and if you are just thinking about something because you are in the habit of thinking about it. If your thoughts aren’t nourishing you and nurturing you, change your mind. Think the good thought.
3. Be in the present moment.
When I am in the present moment, I am undoubtedly OK. Inevitably this moment will move into the next. No matter what this moment holds, it will change, it will ebb and it will flow. Everything is manageable in this present moment. It is all there really is, after all.
Published February 6, 2012 at 10:00 AM
