Archive for May, 2009

How can we stop feeling entitled to have whatever we want whenever we want it? We don’t seem content any longer with just sufficiency. We get caught up in “more is better.”

Think for a moment: How many changes of clothing do you have? How much extra bedding? I know I have much more than I actually need. I’m not suggesting that we pare back to the bare minimum. But I am suggesting that we become mindful of what we assume we need.

Try this for a week: Whenever you are about to say “need,” substitute “want” (unless it actually is a need). So instead of saying, “I need a new coat,” say “I want a new coat.” See how you feel.

Any other ideas for how we can shift from “more is better” to contentment?

When you hear “harmless,” do you think of something dynamic and positive? Or do you imagine a kind of wimpy inoffensiveness? Most spiritual traditions have harmlessness as a positive virtue, and yet most of us view it as an absence (of harm), a lack (of having any impact).

In actuality, living in a harmless manner can be very challenging, especially if we accept that we are all part of an interconnected energy field. So whatever we do or say or feel affects others.

Try this for a week: Each day notice one time when you chose to be harmless rather than harmful. What helped you make that choice? What difference did that choice make in you?