How to Let Go . . .

We all live in a constant state of WANTING. Humans as a species are naturally conditioned to want more. More money. More power. More love. The cyclical nature of Wanting can be both a blessing and a curse. Once a level of satisfaction is attained, it is short-lived. A peaceful sense of fulfillment is momentary, almost fleeting. And a new sense of wanting for something else, arises.

What if that peaceful sense of fulfillment was more than fleeting? What if it could be with you, throughout each and every day, in each and every moment of your life? What if you just could BE, rather than WANT?\

What a wonderful world it would be!

Practicing mindfulness on a regular basis, can increase those levels of satisfaction in your life. Mindfulness is the "act of consciously focusing the mind in the present moment without judgment and without attachment to the moment" (Linehan, 2015).

If we were not attached to the outcome that a particular moment might have, and we practiced being non-judgmental of whatever was happening at that moment, imagine the possibilities! We could just be, observing and paying attention to what was happening inside and outside of us.

Our inner and outer worlds are in a constant state of flux. This state of constant change can be unsettling for some of us, who wish for everything to remain the same. Our brains are wired to 'protect us' from emerging 'disturbances' which may trigger or throw us off balance.

"Everything changes. . . . Therefore there's no end to disturbed equilibria as long as you live. But to help you survive, your brain keeps trying to stop the river, struggling to hold dynamic systems in place, to find fixed patterns in this variable world, and to construct permanent plans for changing conditions. Consequently, your brain is forever chasing after the moment that has just passed, trying to understand and control it" (Hanson and Mendius, 2009).

Mindfulness effectively eliminates the need to control the present moment. The idea of wanting is far-fetched. Instead, satisfaction arises in the state of being. No matter how boring, how uneventful the present moment is, focussed awareness and attention to what is, lessens the need for control and contortion. And as a result, we can all enjoy living each moment right now, free of wanting.