u/Technolis

I've been writing articles like these for a while, just for myself as a sort of journaling exercise. Today I decided to start publishing them here. Please let me know what you think and I hope it will be of benefit to someone :)

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You always think the next thing will make you happy and complete. A relationship, more money, a new career, a new business, a new hobby, a new lifestyle, a trip, a new city. It's always the next thing that will finally be the pivotal moment, the moment after which everything will be downhill, roses and sunshine, every day. Happiness and joy all around.

But it's this exact thinking that keeps you feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. Because embedded in this belief is another belief: that you are incomplete and unable to be fulfilled right now. You're not allowing yourself (or rather, you think it's not possible) to enjoy your life as it is. Something is still lacking. The moment, and you, are not yet complete. The moment and you are really the same thing (we don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are). And so you keep telling yourself that until you find that last piece of the puzzle (the relationship, the morning routine, this new habit that’s going to change everything - whatever you're obsessed with at the time) you cannot fully sink into your life and enjoy what's actually here.

You will never find the missing piece. Because there is no piece missing.

There's nothing holding you back from enjoying your life right now. Life is going to be an unbroken stream of "nows," just like this one. Sure, there will be peak experiences, moments of absolute bliss and excitement, and there will be incredibly difficult, painful lows. But 99% of your life is going to look somewhat like this. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, pleasure, pain, confusion, boredom, small joys, minor frustrations.

What will change your life drastically is to stop living for the future. To stop feeling incomplete until you finally find the missing puzzle piece. To sink into your life right now. Because the only way you can be happy is right now. And if you're not happy right now, you never will be. So you have to learn how to be happy now, which is just a skill you can develop.

You have been misled, taught to believe that happiness and contentment lie in the future, when you finally have your life together, when you finally have that perfect relationship, the perfect job, the perfect lifestyle, perfect friends. You will never arrive at this moment. And if you do, it will only last a while. Everything in life, good or bad, brings new problems to solve. And above all: even when you finally do get the thing you were postponing your life for, you still won't have developed the skill to enjoy and fully experience life in the present moment, the only place where enjoyment actually happens.

This isn't bad news. It's good news.

Because once you realize this, you can finally let go of the entire project. You can learn how to be happy and content right now. You learn to enjoy and appreciate your experience as it is, the only thing that's actually real. You learn to enjoy your cup of tea, reading this text, the temperature of the room, the sensations in your body. Maybe you’re playing some music you like.

This is the skill you need to develop, in a world of uncertainty and a relentless chase for the next high. And as you practice, you'll start enjoying and appreciating your life more. You'll discover what you actually like and dislike doing. Then you'll start doing more of what you like, and less of what you don't. You'll slowly create a life filled with things, people, and activities that you genuinely enjoy, and you'll know how to appreciate them. You'll start inviting things and people into your life out of joy and love, instead of lack and craving.

Start today. Do one thing you like, even for just five minutes, that doesn't have any future benefit. Just enjoy the thing.

Good luck.

I've been writing articles like these for a while, just for myself as a sort of journaling exercise. Today I decided to start publishing them here. Please let me know what you think and I hope it will be of benefit to someone :)

-

You always think the next thing will make you happy and complete. A relationship, more money, a new career, a new business, a new hobby, a new lifestyle, a trip, a new city. It's always the next thing that will finally be the pivotal moment, the moment after which everything will be downhill, roses and sunshine, every day. Happiness and joy all around.

But it's this exact thinking that keeps you feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. Because embedded in this belief is another belief: that you are incomplete and unable to be fulfilled right now. You're not allowing yourself (or rather, you think it's not possible) to enjoy your life as it is. Something is still lacking. The moment, and you, are not yet complete. The moment and you are really the same thing (we don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are). And so you keep telling yourself that until you find that last piece of the puzzle (the relationship, the morning routine, this new habit that’s going to change everything - whatever you're obsessed with at the time) you cannot fully sink into your life and enjoy what's actually here.

You will never find the missing piece. Because there is no piece missing.

There's nothing holding you back from enjoying your life right now. Life is going to be an unbroken stream of "nows," just like this one. Sure, there will be peak experiences, moments of absolute bliss and excitement, and there will be incredibly difficult, painful lows. But 99% of your life is going to look somewhat like this. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, pleasure, pain, confusion, boredom, small joys, minor frustrations.

What will change your life drastically is to stop living for the future. To stop feeling incomplete until you finally find the missing puzzle piece. To sink into your life right now. Because the only way you can be happy is right now. And if you're not happy right now, you never will be. So you have to learn how to be happy now, which is just a skill you can develop.

You have been misled, taught to believe that happiness and contentment lie in the future, when you finally have your life together, when you finally have that perfect relationship, the perfect job, the perfect lifestyle, perfect friends. You will never arrive at this moment. And if you do, it will only last a while. Everything in life, good or bad, brings new problems to solve. And above all: even when you finally do get the thing you were postponing your life for, you still won't have developed the skill to enjoy and fully experience life in the present moment, the only place where enjoyment actually happens.

This isn't bad news. It's good news.

Because once you realize this, you can finally let go of the entire project. You can learn how to be happy and content right now. You learn to enjoy and appreciate your experience as it is, the only thing that's actually real. You learn to enjoy your cup of tea, reading this text, the temperature of the room, the sensations in your body. Maybe you’re playing some music you like.

This is the skill you need to develop, in a world of uncertainty and a relentless chase for the next high. And as you practice, you'll start enjoying and appreciating your life more. You'll discover what you actually like and dislike doing. Then you'll start doing more of what you like, and less of what you don't. You'll slowly create a life filled with things, people, and activities that you genuinely enjoy, and you'll know how to appreciate them. You'll start inviting things and people into your life out of joy and love, instead of lack and craving.

Start today. Do one thing you like, even for just five minutes, that doesn't have any future benefit. Just enjoy the thing.

Good luck.

I've been writing articles like these for a while, just for myself as a sort of journaling exercise. Today I decided to start publishing them here. Please let me know what you think and I hope it will be of benefit to someone :)

-

You always think the next thing will make you happy and complete. A relationship, more money, a new career, a new business, a new hobby, a new lifestyle, a trip, a new city. It's always the next thing that will finally be the pivotal moment, the moment after which everything will be downhill, roses and sunshine, every day. Happiness and joy all around.

But it's this exact thinking that keeps you feeling unfulfilled and unhappy. Because embedded in this belief is another belief: that you are incomplete and unable to be fulfilled right now. You're not allowing yourself (or rather, you think it's not possible) to enjoy your life as it is. Something is still lacking. The moment, and you, are not yet complete. The moment and you are really the same thing (we don't see the world as it is, we see it as we are). And so you keep telling yourself that until you find that last piece of the puzzle (the relationship, the morning routine, this new habit that’s going to change everything - whatever you're obsessed with at the time) you cannot fully sink into your life and enjoy what's actually here.

You will never find the missing piece. Because there is no piece missing.

There's nothing holding you back from enjoying your life right now. Life is going to be an unbroken stream of "nows," just like this one. Sure, there will be peak experiences, moments of absolute bliss and excitement, and there will be incredibly difficult, painful lows. But 99% of your life is going to look somewhat like this. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, pleasure, pain, confusion, boredom, small joys, minor frustrations.

What will change your life drastically is to stop living for the future. To stop feeling incomplete until you finally find the missing puzzle piece. To sink into your life right now. Because the only way you can be happy is right now. And if you're not happy right now, you never will be. So you have to learn how to be happy now, which is just a skill you can develop.

You have been misled, taught to believe that happiness and contentment lie in the future, when you finally have your life together, when you finally have that perfect relationship, the perfect job, the perfect lifestyle, perfect friends. You will never arrive at this moment. And if you do, it will only last a while. Everything in life, good or bad, brings new problems to solve. And above all: even when you finally do get the thing you were postponing your life for, you still won't have developed the skill to enjoy and fully experience life in the present moment, the only place where enjoyment actually happens.

This isn't bad news. It's good news.

Because once you realize this, you can finally let go of the entire project. You can learn how to be happy and content right now. You learn to enjoy and appreciate your experience as it is, the only thing that's actually real. You learn to enjoy your cup of tea, reading this text, the temperature of the room, the sensations in your body. Maybe you’re playing some music you like.

This is the skill you need to develop, in a world of uncertainty and a relentless chase for the next high. And as you practice, you'll start enjoying and appreciating your life more. You'll discover what you actually like and dislike doing. Then you'll start doing more of what you like, and less of what you don't. You'll slowly create a life filled with things, people, and activities that you genuinely enjoy, and you'll know how to appreciate them. You'll start inviting things and people into your life out of joy and love, instead of lack and craving.

Start today. Do one thing you like, even for just five minutes, that doesn't have any future benefit. Just enjoy the thing.

Good luck.