Feel Good Project day 102

Walking down the alley across the street from our home today (I call it ‘Lemon Alley’, and those of you who’ve read about recent posts will know why) I was hit with the most awesome experience.

I turned the corner at the end of the alley and I stopped, closed my eyes, breathed in the wild, warm wind and was 100% CONTENT.

I had not felt that particular way in what seemed like years. Fleeting moments of feeling content have graced me, but just as soon as I sense them they are already gone.

This whole day today it has stayed with me.

What makes today different than the past I wondered?

There is no way to know with complete certainty the answer to that question, but I can take a stab at it.

The first thing that comes to mind is I have been proactive in curbing and diminishing desires for material things to fulfill me. This process has not happened over night by any stretch, but there have been certain actions I have taken to help this process along.

The very first thing I did was cancel subscriptions to all home and beauty related magazines. Being a complete magazine junkie for probably the past 20 years I’d guess, I knew this would be no easy feat.

As much as I love looking through those publications, I have come to the conclusion (for ME) that looking leads to unfulfilled desire, which leads to buying, which in turn means either accumulating debt or having no money left to invest in proper purchases that actually aid in living a better an healthier existence.

Also of course, there is the short lived happiness of retail purchases and then buyers remorse or the burning desire to have MORE of that happy feeling, which is now only satiated by the buying of things.

So, like anything else that ends up becoming a new habit and actually sticking- I started out small.

I cancelled subscriptions one at a time.

I refused to pick up magazines at the stands a the market, UNLESS they were health or spiritual-related material, which actually facilitate change in my life and inspire me toward more inner journeying rather than outer materialism.

After ditching the old fashion subscriptions, I limited myself to 3 worthy ones (of the nature I spoke of above) and actually saved a boat load of money by subscribing instead of grabbing off the stand at Whole Foods.

The second big thing that I believe has helped in my contentment level is basking in the wonder of how it feels to have ACTUALLY taken the big leap and quit my job.

There was SUCH discontent swirling around in my brain for endless YEARS, that I lost sight of what contentment actually felt like. Constantly desiring a way out of my job and talking myself back into staying over and over again like a broken record will strip all joy and peace from your soul. At least it did in my case.

This glimpse of a more FREE living experience is changing EVERYTHING.

Between leaving my super toxic job and squelching unhealthy desires and patterns, I am seeing and feeling BIG changes.

This new state I find myself in is changing the way I: view money, work, wake up every morning, put the right food and beverages into my body, view debt and getting out of it, laugh and play, even how I process challenges and setbacks.

Contentment today is a GIANT gift and I stand in such a place of gratitude.

FEEL GOOD MOMENT OF THE DAY: Taking a half hour break from creating to lay on the patio in the HOT sun with Justin and Maggie. This February weather is absolutely unreal. Better than most Summer weather we get. BLESSED.