NOTHING IS MISSING
“Contentment is falling in love with your life” – Swami Rama
Would you rather be free in contement or imprisoned in lack?
There are things that I really want in my life.
Over the past few months I found myself really obsessing over not having those things. To be fully transparent I want a life partner, and a family. I was so focused on what I didn’t have and thinking about what I needed to do to attain them, that I realized I wasn’t happy with my present, not because there wasn’t joy there, but I couldn’t see it because I was so focused on my future joy.
That’s been a pattern for me. I set my eye on something I want, and then I hyper focus until I get it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy once I achieve my goal, but what if I could’ve been happy throughout the entire process?
I feel like there’s this idea that if you are content, then you aren’t growing. Kind of like contentment with your present is equivalent to lack of motivation for your future.
But is that true? Contentment and complacency are not the same thing.
Can you be happy with where you are in life today and still have goals for where you want to be tomorrow or the next day?
Yes. You can.
Santosha- is a Niyama or observance that means Contentment.
Keep reading for some guided journal prompts in the practice of Santosha.
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH WHERE YOU ARE IN LIFE?
If you aren’t happy do you feel like fear of missing out or the grass being greener on the other side are affecting how you feel about your current situation?
HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED THAT YOU CAN BE HAPPY WITH WHERE YOU ARE NOW AND HAPPY WHEN YOU ATTAIN THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU NEED TO MAKE YOU HAPPY?
Try identifying non-external sources of happiness. These are things that you can actually control. Take control of your happiness by directing it in inwards vs. outwards.
WHEN YOU SET YOUR WEEKLY OR MONTHLY OR EVEN YEARLY INTENTIONS, DO THEY ALLOW FOR SPACE TO BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR PRESENT?
Or is everything focused on the future?
If you are always thinking about the next move or the next step, how do you have time to enjoy the now?
Can you reframe your thinking so that you can prepare for the future and enjoy the present simultaneously?
Being content doesn’t negate aspirations, it creates space to enjoy, understand, and appreciate where you are. It provides the understanding that you don’t NEED any external sources to make you happy because happiness is an inside job. It eliminates the stress of FOMO and reinforces the ease of being present in the moment.
State this affirmation: NOTHING IS MISSING. I have everything I need. My life is complete, I am complete.