What do you lack right now?
People who hunt for treasure are seldom satisfied. Why?
There’s a book on my shelf by Ronald B. Tobias called 20 Master Plots. As the title suggests, it outlines twenty plots that cover major traumatic experiences humans have and novelists gleefully write about.
The first plot in his list is the Quest:
The quest plot . . . is the protagonist’s search for a person, place or thing . . . The main character is . . . looking for something that she hopes or expects to find that will significantly change her life.
Ah, that sounds like me — and maybe you, too.
Maybe you’re on a quest to invent a torch that will shine darkness into a lighted room. Perhaps you’re searching for a Conus Gloriamaris seashell to complete your rare collection. Or possibly you’re on a mission to discover a fragment of Noah’s Ark to frame and hang in the hallway.
I’m on a quest for thicker eyebrows. My evening routine involves smothering castor oil over the area in which short, glossy, black hairs should form two perfect, visible arches above my eyes.
Once they're firmly established I'll probably be on a quest for something else - perhaps a more chiselled chin
You might be on a quest for more important things like a double degree, international fame or an ergonomic bed. But whatever it is, you know you won’t be complete, perfect or good enough until you’ve got a firm grip on what you’re pursuing.
Many of us are on a lifelong quest to find something we think we lack, something that will change our lives dramatically for the better once we’ve got it.
But once we’ve got whatever that is, something else we lack gains our attention, and off we go again, living out an endless cycle of pursuit, achievement, dissatisfaction, pursuit, achievement, dissatisfaction . . .
We’re never satisfied because we think we’re not enough just as we are.
It’s time to get off the tiring treadmill of that type of thinking.
Ask a Mindful Question
What do I lack right now?
Sit quietly with this question. Sink into it. Let it hover around your heart area, not your head.
What do you lack right now?
· A pain-free life?
· A clear career pathway?
· A friend?
· A more comfortable chair to sit on while you play with this question?
What if you were to tell yourself that you don’t lack what you think you do.
If it’s not in your life right now, you don’t need it right now. What you have is enough. You lack nothing,
Ask Another Mindful Question
What do I have right now?
· Pain.
· No clear career pathway.
· No friend.
· An uncomfortable chair.
What if you were to tell yourself that you don’t lack something. You have its opposite.
For some reason that may be beyond your comprehension, you have the opposite of what you think you lack.
And, believe it or not, what you have right now is what you need.
At least for this moment.
Things may change. (They always do.)
You Are Enough
You don’t need to go on a quest to escape your current life situation, to make yourself complete, to make yourself more worthy, or to justify your existence.
By all means go on a quest because it’s fun and challenging. But don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s going to complete or perfect you. You’re already perfect. And so is this moment.
Whatever situation you’re in, it’s perfect for you at this moment.
· Pain helps you focus on your body.
· No clear career pathway allows you to invest quality effort into what you are doing right now.
· Not having a friend opens doors for you to be friendly.
· An uncomfortable chair can teach you many things — if you listen to it.
You already have everything you need for this moment.
You lack nothing.
You are enough.
Just as you are.
With love, Marlane