I'm not asking for much. I want to feel "right." I want to be okay. Not the usual crazy, overwhelmed feeling. Don't we want to feel "right" within ourselves? When was the last time you felt like you were operating on all cylinders - like everything was clicking?

I heard a podcast with Michael Singer today, and it hit just the right nerve. He spoke about the cause behind the stress that many of us feel. It is not due to living in a technologically-based society nor our polarizing politics. Instead, it all has to do with our expectations - what we want and what we don't want. Instead of seeing the reality in front of us, we constantly dream up what we want for ourselves (or don't want) and try to manipulate the world to make that happen. As a result, we spend most of our energy fighting for what we think is "right for us" instead of living the reality of "what is."

I took a class earlier this spring that also emphasized this point of not having an opinion. The class leader kept saying that what others do/say/don't do is none of our business. We get ourselves into emotional, spiritual, and physical trouble when we spend our energy on things out of our control. By judging others or forming and expressing opinions, we are not accepting life as it is and live instead in discontent. We are left feeling slighted because things aren't going how we want them to. If we choose not to engage our minds in creating all of our wants and not-wants, we might enjoy life a lot more because it won't be disappointing.

Shutting off our desires in life feels rather tricky, but I realize the trade-off is gratitude and a feeling of wholeness. We are complete just as we are. We don't need anything more or less than what we have. Michael Singer encouraged listeners to recognize our mind at work and relax the body when we start conjuring up our wants. By making this first shift, we can see how much our mind wants to control life. I feel I will be in this discovery stage for a while, but I'm willing to work at it. Peace of mind and heart are at stake.

What do you think about living your life without wants or not-wants? Would that bring more contentment to your life?​ #wellbeing