Mary O’Malley – This moment is enough. Take a moment and let that in. This moment is enough.
Your mind may argue with this because it is not how we have been conditioned to live. We are always seeking for more: more things, more money, more adventure, a more beautiful body, more peace, better sex, better relationships, better meditations, and on and on and on.
Researchers call this the hedonistic treadmill. Like hamsters on a wheel we are always running after new, more and better. (One of the places you can see this clearly is in spirituality, for most people see it as a search for better states of mind.)
Rarely, except for brief moments, are we satisfied with the life we already have. We are told through advertising and social media that, if we just get a little more of this and a little less of that, then we will reach the elusive happiness we long for.
There is nothing wrong with searching for ‘more’, but If you watch closely you will see that the more your mind wants your life to be better or different than what it is, the more you experience dissatisfaction. I’m not asking you to believe this. Rather, the invitation is to watch your endless wanting and see if it brings lasting satisfaction.
It is important to recognize that no amount of things, money, accomplishments or awards will ever fill you as much as relaxing into the truth that this moment is enough. Or as Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now says, “The more expectations you have of how your life should unfold, the more you are in your mind instead of being present.” What you miss in endlessly seeking and searching is that everything you long for is already with you, right here, right now – no matter what is happening in your life!
The key to unhooking from the incessant need for more, better or different is to see and acknowledge your particular addiction to more… (refer to the list in the first paragraph). As you begin to see it rather than following its siren call, you can begin to add moments into your life where you relax into your life as it is, reconnecting with the truth that this moment is enough.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the beloved Buddhist monk and author, recognized our addiction to more when he coined a turn of phrase: “Rather than saying ‘Don’t sit there, do something,’ say, ‘Don’t do something, sit there!’” In this world where doing seems to be the main thing that is valued, for this moment, allow a long slow out breath and quietly say to yourself this moment is enough.
Of course, a mind that is used to searching for more or better will reassert itself, catching you again in its web of thoughts. If you watch carefully, however, you will see that it is actually afraid of simply being. Know that a moment here and a moment there when you sink into the truth that this moment is enough can help you to unhook from the addiction to more so you can know the joy of being, the joy of recognizing that this moment is enough.
SF Source Mary O’Malley Aug 2018