I have a good life. I am fortunate, privileged and grateful.

I certainly do not “have it all figured out,” though a lot of times, people seem to think that I do. It’s the yoga/mindfulness teacher pedestal syndrome, I suppose.

If I have learned anything, it is that I still have so much to learn. In fact, learning never stops.

There is no “Okay, I’m there, I’m done. I graduated. No more learning.” It is, at the very least, a lifelong process.

I am not perfect and never will be. (At the same time, I am perfectly imperfect and always will be.)

Nevertheless, I can share with you my “tricks” for staying sane, balanced and content in this crazy world. May they be of benefit!

Step One: I always look my best.

I am decidedly low-maintenance, but I do put effort into the look on my face, the condition of my hair and the color and style of the clothes and shoes that I wear.

Step Two: I check-in with myself and my breath.

Routinely, throughout the day, I pause. I notice my breath going in and my breath going out. I cultivate gratitude. I laugh with myself. This frequent, tiny, private ritual is truly a lifesaver.

Step Three: I quit comparing myself to others.

A line from one of my all-time favorite poems, Desiderata, says “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”

Of course, it is next to impossible to not compare ourselves to others and develop feelings of superiority and inferiority. It is possible. It takes approximately five tons of patience and 1.5 million years of practice.

Step Four: I learn from my experiences.

Have you noticed the way lessons keep appearing in our lives until we really accept, embrace and comprehend them? Reflect. Meditate. Write. Talk. Be quiet. Analyze your own experience and learn from it.

Don’t try to escape, because, ultimately, there is no escape.

See?

It’s as simple as that!

Follow these four steps and soon you’ll be hearing, “Wow, you really have it all figured out, huh?”

Just nod and smile.

 

 

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 Author: Michelle Margaret Fajkus 

Editor: Emily Bartran

Photo: Ky/Flickr