Take the pieces of your life and arrange them with gratitude into a thing of beauty...

Don't complain about the life you have. Take the pieces you've received and arrange them with gratitude into a thing of beauty...

Comforts and Luxuries are requirements of the Ego, they will not bring you Joy. "Acquiring," is an activity based on the belief that Happiness is "out there," that somehow possessing, owning enough, controlling enough will bring you happiness. It won't. There are millions of people, who have accumulated or inherited enough to support the lives of thousands (millions?), that dwell in the FEAR levels of Consciousness: shame, guilt, apathy, grief, desire, anger and pride. Their Ego "requirements" have not brought them Joy.

The Ego is constantly searching for opportunities to make itself relevant. The quick-fix solution is to attempt to obtainwhat it thinks will provide it with significance, with potency, with what will make it important. The Ego thinks that the accouterments of a possession will adhere to it and thus endow it with increased standing. When you buy the expensive leather coat, it is not for function. Function may be a value you receive with it, but function is a value your Ego will only use if somehow you are pushed into justfying the purchase. No, your Ego wants the impact on others, the pizzazz, the "statement," that you have class and taste and even more so, that you have the wherewithal above and beyond function. The purchase makes you special...

The problem with acquiring is the effect is very short lived. People may be impressed momentarily, they may even feel pangs of jealousy (which your Ego will so ravenously eat up), but it will pass quickly. And so you will have to acquire MORE, to re-capture the effect. You become engaged in a continuous, non-stop loop, requiring... acquiring. The Ego doesn't care if this short-lived "boost" must be sought continuously, it needs the "fix." It doesn't care if your actions and acquisitions only feed the lower levels of Consciousness, but the fact is, nobody is ever inspired by these acts. Buying a fancy new leather coat will never inspire someone to become a better person.

Let's talk about Joy. Joy is a state of unwavering happiness. It is when you KNOW you have enough and will be provided with whatever you need. You are intuitively connected to the Universe. The Joyful live in a world of synchronicity. You FLOW with the river of life in such a manner that all obstacles are merely options. No object or possession, or any lack thereof, could alter or shake your sense of well-BEing. This state will never be reached though accumulating requirements of the Ego. Nothing can be added, because you are already full. Where do you think the word fulfilled comes from?

How do we get there? For starters, take the pieces of your life and arrange them with gratitude into a thing of beauty. A wise man once said, "Behold the lilies of the field, they toil not, nor do they sow..." What is meant here, is that efforts to increase ones lot can never amount to or match what one already has. All that is needed to experience Joy, surrounds you already. It is only Man that doesn't see this. But ask a dying billionaire if they would trade all of their possessions for a few more weeks of sitting in a beautiful meadow filled with lilies...

Today, when you find yourself desiring something, ask yourself if it is for function. Whatever else the object might potentially provide, attributes that have you yearning for it, are Ego based. Know that the "boost" will be short-lived, because YOU are not actually attached to the impact the possession might or might not have on others. That stuff is all in your head. Real Joy is all around you. It is endless. Gratitude is all you need to tap into it.

Duffy