I have some good news: Your life is not going to get better.
“What!?” the chorus roars…
But here’s the thing. I say good news because that means you can stop struggling and fighting and waiting and praying for your life to finally line up with your agenda and get on with living it. Here and now.
You see, too many of us pin our wishes for happiness solely on the hope that the universe will sooner or later get its act together and start cooperating with our desires. As a result, we spend months, years, even decades railing against what is, pining for what could be, and participating in all manner of struggle and striving that dumps truckloads of optional misery onto the only thing we really have. Here and now.
It may help to remember that reality is a spontaneous and impersonal happening that will continue to do what it does: people will be born, people will die; the body will be healthy, then it will be sick; you'll have a week where everything seems a blessing, followed by one in which God himself seems to be plotting your demise.
This is simply the nature of the universe, and the idea that this is going to measurably change, well let’s just say it’s more than a bit unlikely.
So please don’t take this the wrong way. It’s offered not as some kind of cosmic wet blanket designed to snuff out your enthusiasm for life. Instead it’s a simple reminder of the truth of how things are. Ever changing. Impermanent.
It’s a fact, that if you let it, can liberate you from the joy-sapping weight of hope that keeps our eyes scanning the horizon for that magical “some day” when everything will be just right, all the while ignoring the important work of making the happiest most fulfilling lives we can out of what they are. Here and now.
About the Author
Eric Walrabenstein is a nationally-recognized speaker, teacher, and author and is one of the most sought-after authorities on the application of yogic technology for self healing and empowerment in the nation. As the founder of one of Arizona’s largest yoga centers, Eric has long been dedicated to making ancient wisdom and techniques practical and relevant for people from all walks of life.
In addition to his work in his wellness center in Phoenix, Arizona, he is the creator of BOOTSTRAP, a yoga-based program to help troops and veterans heal from post traumatic stress as well as BetterBox, a subscription box revolutionizing the self-improvement industry. An ordained Yogacharya (preceptor of yoga), Eric is currently finishing a book on the Science of Happiness.