Self-Improvement Is Exhausting. Do this instead.
The approach of relentless self-improvement is exhausting. Headlines tell us, "Lose weight to feel better! Do this to be healthier now! Six simple hacks to sleep better!"
With all this self-improvement, it is easy to lose sight that the ground-source of our being is already whole, complete, and perfect; just as it is. The very fact of our existence is based upon just be-ing.
The quote above is from Sri Nisargadataa Maharaj, author of the classic I am That.
He was a shopkeeper from India and did not preach any particular religion or ideology. Yet thousands of seekers came to visit him in Mumbai as he had made it his mission to end suffering by helping us understand the timelessness of being. This quote inspired me and I wanted to share it with you!
To cling onto success keeps us bound to the treadmill of relentless “improvement.” Our temporary success soon fades and we need yet another “fix” of self-improvement strategies to boost our self-image. Even spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, or Hatha yoga (physical practice) can be another form of self-torture done in the name of self-improvement.
This is where a different approach helps.
Yoga—and many other traditions like Buddhism and Taoism—help us see that so much of our suffering comes when we think we are flawed, broken, or sinners. Instead, these wisdom traditions offer a roadmap of practices, ideas, and community where we can uncover our own ever-present spiritual unity. Rather than relentless self-improvement, we move towards a gradual realization that we already are that which we seek.
It takes time to do this type of work, and discipline to stick with the practices.
That’s where things like this calendar have really helped me.
“A Year of Zen Page-A-Day Calendar” gives a touchstone to counter the temptation of ego-driven self-improvement schemes. Each day there’s an uplifting or enlightening or even sometimes confusing quote. But they all give a little moment of pause at the start of the day. Rather than approaching the day like another “to do” list full of random stuff, it has pointed me towards looking at each day as an opportunity to embody the type of presence, compassion, and joy that drew me to the spiritual life.
May you have days full of the radiance of your own being!
Love,
Gita