You're Already Perfect

‘Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.’ ~Lao Tzu

A lot of people go to the library or local book store and pick up personal development self-help books because they want to improve something about themselves. They’re not satisfied with their lives, they’re unhappy with their bodies, in their mind, the way things are is never enough.

I know... because I was one of those people.

This desire to improve upon self and compare ourselves to others was one of the things that led to writing. I got sick and tired of trying to keep up, set trends, be relevant, see the latest movies and be involved in the latest reality tv shows. Blah, blah, blah. This fake reality soon became overplayed and highly stressful.

Suddenly, I had a powerful realization that has helped me is simply my life: You’re already good enough as you are, you already have more than what you need and you’re already perfect just the way you are.

Try saying that to yourself, as corny as that might sound, just to see if it sounds true. Does it resonate as something you already believe (in which case, you can probably stop reading now), or does it not feel right? Do you feel like there are things you still need to improve?

The thing I’ve learned, and it’s not some new truth but an old one that took me much too long to learn, is that if you learn to be content with who you are and where you are in life, it changes everything. All of a sudden, your life as you know it becomes actually enjoyable and you start living life passionately, instead of robotically. You become yourself (and what a breath of fresh air that is) and you start to throw opinions, standards and categories out the window. This makes room for not only overall improvement of the quality of your own life but it also translates into your relationships, aquaintances and even complete strangers. People will start to see you glowing (not physically of course but metaphysically) and want to know more about what it is that makes you enjoy being in your own skin, loving life, living out passions eloquently as a consequence of your choice of being.

Really take a moment to realize the depth of what I am saying here: You already have everything you need to be happy, right here, right now. One day you will wake up and understand this. Don't let it be on your death bed.

Let's put things into perspective here...

You already possess two eyes that have the ability to appreciate the beauty of the northern skies, the radiance of the sunlight beaming down on your face, the constellations revealing the divine masterpiece of our existence.

You already possess two ears that have the ability to appreciate the sound of your favorite music beating beautifully on the inner rhythm of your heart beat, the sound of rainfall (almost nightly if you live in Vancouver, so you better start appreciating it), the laughter of your friends and loved ones, a baby crying for it's mother understanding what it is to be loved and appreciated.

You already possess two nostrils that have the ability to smell the fresh-cut grass, coffee first thing in the morning, the fresh scent of ocean breeze on a hot mid summer night.

And you already possess two hands that have the ability to brush the face of the one you love most, understanding what it is to be loved and give love in it's dawning essence. Hands to hold, hands to shake a complete stranger and exchange kindness and radiance into each other's lives.

These blessings are a miracle that we take for granted.

Instead, we strive for more and more when we already have everything. We spend so much time and money on things that will "supposedly" improve our lives. We want nicer clothes, cooler gadgets, bigger muscles, bigger boobs, flatter stomachs, bigger houses, more cars with robotic voices that talk to you and command you where to go. Call me an old soul but I feel that we’ve kind of gone insane in this rapidly increasing want for more as an overall Western society.

The sane thing is to realize we don’t need any of that. We don’t need to improve our lives. We don’t need to improve ourselves, because we’re already perfect.

Once you accept this truth, it will free you.

You will now be free to do things you never before thought imaginable. Not because you want to be better than the next guy, but because you do what you love and you love what you do. The secret ingredient to this you ask? Do only what you are passionate about and gives you the most amount of joy. Find it, follow it, pursue it and become it. Don't wait for someday because John Fogerty once told me, "Someday never comes".