“Enlightenment is eliminating mental confusion, eliminating hatred, jealousy, mental toxins, cravings. That’s very simple and straightforward. Whether you can do it or not is another matter.”

Matthieu Ricard

I think today was a day of realization, truth, admittance, acceptance or perhaps a much better term would be…birth.

On our way to the grocery store, my cellphone dings at exactly 8 a.m to notify me to read my bible verse for the day. It was from 2 Timothy 3:16. And I can tell you that the devotion hits me right where I needed it. As I was taking a break from my chores, I read through it again and I started tearing up and felt the need to pray. Have you ever prayed and cried at the same time? I bet you have. The circumstances might be different but that kind of prayer where you just bare your heart to Him is the best and most freeing. In response to my prayer, I came across an article that moved me to tears, again. Talked about instant reply!

You see, I have always been a very simple and laid back person. In my early years, this laid- backness and simplicity didn’t bother me one bit. I was happy in my own little world. Nothing changed much into my growing up years up to about a few years ago, before I was trapped into this thing called – social media. I started seeing all these posts of former classmates and relatives who I haven’t seen in years. Posts and articles about a lot of things that measures success based on someones accomplishments, successes, wealth, status in life, places they have been to, among other things. And this little, simple and laid back world of mine started looking different to me. Am I jealous? I am not. Suddenly, I felt like someone who had no desire to move up or step out of my comfort zone. I felt like a nobody. Why am I not going nowhere?

“It so happens that somebody says ‘change your life’ and you repaint your car rather than re-wire the engine.”

Pico Iyer

This article by TED Talk (I really think God is speaking to me here), talks about famous, accomplished, successful and wealthy people like, Pico Iyer and Matthieu Ricard, who at some point in their lives realized that happiness is not all about having these things. At some point in their lives, they realized that all they need is to be still and to learn to not go anywhere. I know, I know….our situations are different. But what I am saying is, here I am, fully content and happy in my own little world….wanting to be like them. And there they are, abandoning what they have to build them a little world void of things that we think will make us bigger and better and happier.

I guess my point here is, if you are happy in your own little world, no matter how void of material things, fame, accomplishments, excitements and successes it is, think of those famous and accomplished people who gave up their big world for a world like yours. I wished, I realized this sooner….maybe it would have saved me from a lot of things. But I know, God let things including doubts, feeling little or alone, temptations and wanting to prove oneself get the best of us, so we can be better, stronger and wiser.

“Every day there are moments when we have a choice: will we take in more stuff, or just clear our minds out for a bit?”

Pico Iyer

So next time, you compare yourself and life to others or the next time you measure your worth with the number of likes you have, step back from this crowded, noisy and constantly shifting big screen of our lives…for only in stepping back we can see what our screen is communicating.

You might be surprised at what you see…

xoxo,