It’s common to believe that, in order to be enough, we have to keep doing more. The truth is that you are already enough, just as you are – without any doing. Let go of your attachment to the idea of “you” and be your True Self!
It’s common to believe that, in order to be enough, we have to keep doing more. The truth is that you are already enough, just as you are – without any doing. Let go of your attachment to the idea of “you” and be your True Self!Often, when I wake up, I start thinking about all the things I need to do. The “need” word (and “have-to”) looms large, and it creates a sense of tension and stress in my body. I feel the pressure of the to-do list, and I also feel the pressure of what is expected of me. There’s a sense that I must be something more today, something to live up to those expectations.
But then I take a deep breath, soften, and return to this present moment. I remember that, even though I have tasks to complete and goals I’m working towards, I’m already all that I need to be, right here and now.
Do-Do-Doing
How often do we pressure ourselves not only to keep do-do-doing, but to believe that we aren’t sufficient as we are and we need to become something more, something better?
This pattern of thought is the source of our stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. I must do more. I must be more. I must do more. I must be more. Over and over and over, until we feel like we’re constantly treading water, trying to breathe above the surface of all our self-imposed demands. It’s exhausting, stressful, and can lead to depression.
Not-Enoughness
Underneath those compulsive thoughts is the belief that we aren’t enough.
Not-enoughness leads to compulsive doing, and very little be-ing. But even our be-ing becomes questionable. If we’re not enough and have to do more, then we have to become more. There’s no resolution to this pattern of thought; if we want to change, we need to consider a new way of seeing ourselves.
We can step off the hamster wheel of not-enoughness and stand on the steady ground of being who we are in this moment.
Your Essence Isn’t What You Think It Is
Who you are is your essence within. This isn’t your ego or personality. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, we are presence and consciousness within. This beautiful and powerful presence that we are isn’t limited by any idea or thought we have of who we are. It’s not limited by our past or our perceived future, which is just in our imagination.
In this moment, your True Self is already full and complete. There is nothing more for you to be, for you are unfolding in infinite potential every moment. You can’t be more than you are in any moment – you can only continue to open, explore, and express whatever arises in you in the next moment.
I Am What I Am in This Moment
You’d think that this idea would be limiting – I can only be what I am in this moment. But the truth is that we are infinite possibilities in every moment. What limits us are our ideas about who we are in the moment. We step into the next breath, the next moment, having already decided we are thus and so. We believe it firmly, and therefore we experience ourselves that way.
But that isn’t our truth. Our Self within is beyond any thought. If we want to break out of who we have been – and be all of who we truly are – we need to consciously recognize the limiting thoughts and consciously choose to let them go. We then can open to new ways of being.
We can do whatever we choose to do in our lives and be unattached to it; and be whoever we are in any moment without clinging to it. Imagine standing firmly, but with an open heart, and declaring to the Universe, “I AM what I AM in this moment.” Try it out a few times – it’s liberating!
Non-Attachment and Your True Self
This relates to what the ancient yogis called the practice of Vairagya, or non-attachment. When we let go of our attachments to who we think we are – our thoughts, beliefs, perceptions – then we discover we are already enough; right here, right now. Likewise, when we release our ideas and perceptions of what life and the world are, they have the opportunity to unfold in new, magical ways.
It’s simple, but not always easy to let go of the attachment to our thoughts of who we are. You can begin right now. Start with being willing to question your thinking. Open to consider your unlimited essence. That is the first step in knowing that you’re already more than enough!
Are you ready to let go of your attachment to who you think you are, and discover your True Self? What gets in the way for you? What challenges do you face with this practice of non-attachment? Share here!
