Peace, Joy and Fulfillment

I just watched the movie Revolutionary Road, and it paints a very pessimistic view of suburban family life and the lack of meaning and fulfillment it provides.  If they only lived somewhere else or had a different job, their life would have meaning and fulfillment. Perhaps that may be true, but irrespective of that detail, the biggest fundamental mistake the characters make is to think that life’s meaning and fulfillment is found externally.  I happen to think they would have found the same problems and discontent wherever they went because the problem to be solved came from within.  It would still be there in the next city or at the next job.

I had a job a few years ago that made me absolutely miserable.  I mean, crying in bed because I didn’t want to go to work and face the day.  I would drive to work thinking “I hate it.  I hate it.  I hate it.”  It’s no surprise I’d have a miserable day, right?  After a year, things started to get a bit better.  Nothing actually changed, though, except my attitude and acceptance.  I recognized what mattered most to me, and that I already had it in my personal relationships, health and general life comfort.  I chose to make the most of every moment, to focus on my own actions and to not fixate on the negative. 

My yoga practice and the book A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle, assisted me tremendously in making this mind shift.  It didn’t happen over night, but it did happen out of necessity.  Peace, joy and fulfillment are not things we can only find all alone or on a retreat in a foreign land.  They do not only exist when all external conditions are perfected and aligned.  They can be found in the midst of a horrid hip opener or a terrible work environment.  They can be found right now from within. 

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