Enlightenment

Have you ever had a time when it seemed as though the world was crashing down upon you? Where everything seemed to be against you and nothing was going "right"? Where the weight of one bad thing built upon the weight of another and before you knew it you felt hopeless?

I have been there. It's not a fun place to be. When it happens, it's easy to get caught up in it and let it take you where it wants to. Which for some ends up being a bed or a bottle or a cigarette or food or ... pick your poison. Often times for me, I end up crying - balling - and wondering how much worse it can get and how sorry I am for myself for having put myself in the situation.

Thankfully I haven't visited that place in a long while now. But I had a bad week last week and that is what made me think of it. It was a bad week but at the same time it really wasn't so bad. It was just a matter of perspective. A perspective that I had lost sight of during the "bad" week.

During these times, it's easy to forget that they are meaningful. A friend reminded me of this just the other day. Everything in our lives is necessary. Every challenge positions us for the next big thing in our lives. That is if you choose to view it with that perspective. If you don't, then it probably leads to more "bad" weeks and more than likely, lots of poison.

I have been exploring podcasting off and on over the past few months. I discovered Zig Ziglar on iTunes and have been really enjoying his perspective. He's a motivational author and speaker. One of his podcasts was about a flight attendant he met on a golf trip who was having a bad day due to weather delays and the resultant customer backlash. When it was Zig's turn with the attendant, he energetically asked the man how he was. The man responded "Compared to who?" Zig's response (and I definitely am paraphrasing here) was "Compared to the starving child in Africa or the dying cancer patient at the local hospital or the poor man living on the street." The attendant responded "I am doing fantastic, thank you for reminding me."

I've written about Enlightenment in the past and what my definition of it was. I say was because it continues to evolve. Enlightenment is an ancient Eastern concept (whatever that means) that we Westerners (whatever that means) have begun to embrace to a degree. Well, at least I have. I don't really know what the Eastern definition is. I only have bits and pieces of that definition that I've picked up here and there. What I do know from those accurate and probably inaccurate bits and pieces has shaped a definition in my own mind that I believe is purely about perspective.

I imagine true Enlightenment to be a state of being where every experience is viewed with no fear, no judgment, no uncertainty, and only love and acceptance. It's the idea of being completely relaxed as you move through life no matter what may happen externally. It's a state of complete faith and complete gratitude. It's ultimately a state of viewing everything in life from a perspective of being completely grateful that you have a life with which to have a perspective.

To me, that is an unbelievable vision. When I imagine this state of being, I imagine expecting nothing and ultimately, I imagine THAT to be Enlightenment. Zero expectations. Expectations are what always cause struggle when struggles come. It makes me feel good to visualize myself already there (The Secret) and how it would feel. It would feel absolutely amazing, I know it. How could it not?

I don't think I know yet how to achieve Enlightenment or even if I believe it's possible. I think I have some ideas and I think regular yoga and meditation practices are a big part of it but ultimately I still have a lot to figure out when it comes to achieving it. One thing I do know without a doubt. I know that the rewards are in the journey and that keeping that perspective on it will never fail me.