Just DO YOU

Remind yourself that you do not have to do what everyone else is doing.  You do not have to have permission to do it differently either.  Your time on this planet is precious.  Use your time wisely and enjoyably.  If you do not enjoy what you do do, if you do not live from your heart you will never find contentment.  Contentment or Santosha the second of the Niyamas of Pantajali's Eight Limbs of Yoga.  The Niyamas lead us towards a more positive relationship with ourselves. We cannot find an authentic and sustainable relationship with others until the connection with ourselves is strong.  Santosha or "contentment" does not mean idly sitting back and not doing anything. It simply means acceptance and appreciation for what we do have and what we are already moving forward towards.  Santosha is internal.  It is self love and acceptance wherever we are on our journey of change.  It brings freedom to our lives through the release of reliance on the external joy, desire and happiness to feel successful.  It may be difficult to accept ourselves as we are if we are not yet where we want to be, but that acceptance is key to sustainable and authentic transformation.  When we work from a place of fear or loathing we work from a rigid defensive place.  Once we realize this we can become fluid in our lives and flexible.  And that is true transformative power. It is the metamorphosis of the whole being.  That is sustainability.  That is true life change.