Mental Contentment
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...” Before blowing out the candles on the cake, I was instructed to make a wish. I made my usual wish for my spiritual goal of perfect devotion. Then I looked around me. I was surrounded by friends and loved ones and was enjoying a birthday party in my honor.
So, I also wished that it were my birthday and that, surrounded by friends and loved ones, there was a birthday party in my honor. And in that moment I discovered one of the greatest secrets for mental peace. By wishing for what I already had, my wish came true, one-hundred percent.
Mental contentment is a practice, not an attainment. Most people fail to be content due to frustration over their problems in life or their unfulfilled desires; how can they be content until their problems are solved or they have attained this or that possession or accomplishment? But as long as you live and breathe you will have problems and there will always be something that you desire or need.
I am not advocating giving up goals or dreams. Without goals, people’s minds and lives tend to stagnate. And without dreams they lose their momentum. But, believe it or not, by practicing satisfaction with what you already have, your progress towards the attainment of your goals and dreams will be enhanced.
The practice of mental contentment is part of the successful practice of yoga.