The Elements of Living Lightly

Imagine a good thing that happened to you recently and a bad thing. Just imagine those recent incidents as just events, not good or bad in any way. When we stop judging, we are not burdened with emotions, and not chained to the world. Nothing is really good or bad, but in reality, is just our interpretation and perception.

Even big events are events that just happened. Festivals and wars keep happening. Death is always happening everywhere, let it be.

• We feel angry, frustrated or sad with our friends, loved ones and family members because they don’t live up to our expectations.
• If we don’t have any expectations in the first place, we would not judge them accordingly, and their actions or non-actions will not cause emotional reactions inside us.
• If we travel somewhere with great expectations, we are bound to be disappointed. If we just go somewhere without any expectations, we may be delighted and would enjoy whatever experience comes forth.

We need to stop judging and expecting because it stops our factual understanding. We have already come to a conclusion, our preferred way of something to be, and reality is bound to be different.

Expecting and judging will make us unhappy as reality is never what we expect it to be. We need to stop killing our happiness and start to live our lives instead.

1. Become more aware during the day, noticing more things around you.
2. Every time a judgement or expectation is made, just note down the moment and repeat this: No expectations, no good or bad.
3. Be curious as to why people behave or act in a certain way, removing your coloured glasses behind.
4. Take whatever comes in your life and experience it. You can only control your responses.
5. Accept circumstances and people as they are.
6. Understand that the present moment is a gift, containing infinite possibilities.