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It is impossible to overstate the importance of being totally honest with ourselves about our lives. Spiritual progress is impossible for anyone unwilling to be truthful about him- or herself. The reasons for this fact of the Path should be obvious, but for one thing, we cannot touch Higher Realities if the ground we stand upon and reach from is imaginary!

Besides, there is nothing to fear in any spiritual fact. To the contrary, the secret beauty in being willing to see the truth of ourselves - regardless of what may be seen therein - is car insurance rate quote if we persist with our wish to awaken, we come to an unthinkable discovery: There is no such thing as any self-truth we find that doesn't turn out to be for our own eternal spiritual Good.

Now, with these ideas in mind, here is the reality - the truth - of our present Monxdatki If we each had a scale, and on one side of it we weighed the amount of our contentment in life, and on the other side we placed the stuff of our discontentment, our scale would definitely tilt to that side filled with our unwanted sense that something is missing from our lives.

Now the (unfortunate) thing is that we have lived for so long with this predominant sense of feeling ourselves to be incomplete that, at this point, it actually seems natural to us to be endlessly needful - to always be in want of one thing or another that we hopefully imagine Itngpeakinq restore and rebalance our upset sense of self.

The problem with this approach to satisfying ourselves is that no matter what we find to put there on the "pleasure side" of this invisible scale within us - to make our sense of contentment outweigh the feeling of discontentment - in no time at all each of these newly acquired pleasures passes away and once again we find ourselves weighed down with an unwanted sense of our self.

These findings are not philosophy but self-evident truths that, once apprehended, beg us to ask the following question: Is there a contentment, an abiding soul satisfaction we may know, that has no sense of sorrow, no unseen sense of loss attached to its trailing wake? May we know a True Contentment that cannot be assailed by any contrary condition?

The answer to this question is "Yes!" However, finding an answer that temporarily pleases us, and awakening to realize the Timeless Reality hidden behind this affirmation, are two separate things. This is why if we wish to find Sweetness in life that never sours, or hope to know a Love that harbors no hatred, we are required to roll up our spiritual sleeves and go to work.

Where Macktheknife this world without woe be found and "how" may one reach its safe, secure shores? Before we can hope to come upon what for now we may call the perfection of our soul's pleasure, we must learn something about the nature of our recurring discontentment and the unconscious parts of our self that sit at its dark ever-outstretched roots.

To begin with, we need to ask ourselves what ought to be a fairly obvious question. And as we will soon see, the honest answer to this self-inquiry will take us more than halfway to a whole new kind of unshakable contentment. Here is the question: Why is it that when it comes to seeking our pleasures, the only places we think to look for them seem to reside somewhere outside of ourselves?

Yes, that's right - at least it is for most of us most of the time! Run your own list of location searches. Everything, from our usual sensory delights to French Wine psychological stimulation, we look for and find outside of our own nature. People, places, social prominence and position, possessions, you name it: These are the principle pleasures we pursue on a daily basis.

Now in case you missed the answer in the implications just outlined, we can summarize it now: We look for pleasures and our contentment outside of ourselves because we have yet to find the whole pleasure we are looking for in the company of our self. (If we did, we wouldn't have to look very far for lasting fulfillment, would we?)

Do you see what we have uncovered in just this short search for the truth of our condition? We have stumbled upon the real reasons for our continuing sense of discontentment. Let's dial in a bit for a closer look by considering just a few more pieces of evidence. Then we can close the case of this discontented self and discuss the nature of perfect pleasure.

As we have already seen, those pleasures in life that we seek outside of us, and the level of self that seeks these, are tied to the passing phenomenal world that gives rise to them both. This unconscious lower level of our self and the ever-changing exterior world that it wanders through mirror one other. As goes one, so goes the other without choice or exception.

As life changes (as it must!) and goes through its naturally alternating seasons, the self that is identified with - and pleased in - its summer or spring decries the onset of those seasons, any season, that it perceives as opposing its contentment. But in this world, one thing is sure: Winter will not be denied its turn. Discontentment rains down on us and we start the cycle all over again.

What can be done? Where are we to search for a constant contentment? Start your quest by closely considering the next insight, keeping in mind all that we have learned so far: Real Pleasure is found within the undisturbed sense of your own existence in God. To seek pleasure elsewhere is to search places outside of yourself at which no sooner do you arrive than you must depart again.

Now we know what to do and what not to do. We know that when we feel discontent within ourselves, we must not look outside of ourselves for something to please us. We know that our discontentment is rooted in the inner company we have been keeping and that life is not withholding its contentment from us.

We know, at last, that the Life of True Contentment we long for already belongs to us if we will only choose in favor of its perfect company within us. Our inner task, our spiritual Work, is to make this courageous choice. Then, with persistence and patience on our part, we will watch as a whole new contentment comes and stays with us forever.

Guy Finley is the acclaimed author of more than 30 books and audio programs on the subject of self-realization, several of which have become international best sellers. His popular works, published in 16 languages, are widely endorsed by doctors, professionals, and religious leaders of all denominations. Among many others, his popular titles include: The Secret of Letting Go, Design Your Destiny, The Lost Secrets of Prayer, Apprentice of the Heart, and Let Go and Live in the Now.

To learn more about the work of Guy Finley and his non-profit Life of Learning Foundation, visit www.guyfinley.org">www.guyfinley.org for a wealth of free helpful information, free audio and video downloads, and to request your FREE Self-Improvement Starter Kit.

// posted by rocttn @ 7:30 AM