The Trouble with Wanting

We all live under the influence of many things.

Influences all have one thing in common, instant gratification. If it wasn't for instant gratification we'd be happy to simply be here and receive whatever was being presented to us. Unfortunately, it takes time and patience to rid ourselves of desire and be content to be here now.

Influences get us weighing pros and cons, ups and downs, and predicting what one choice will give us over another. These influences have a great, albeit sinister, strategy of getting us to believe life is easier as long as they are doing our thinking for us.

This quote by Andee Scarantino, host of the Get the Fuck Off podcast, sums up what happens when we give in to instant gratification, namely, we become a piece of shit. The question "What am I going to get?" is one that presupposes it can be answered. However, it cannot, your life, and the choices you make are not quantifiable like some math problem.

What you are going to get from everything, and anything, you do, depends on you. If you want something, like to lose weight, or to have a better relationship, or job, or anything tangible like that, you are stuck focusing on suppressing symptoms. Each one of those "problems" in your life is really just a symptom to the real problem and if you can grow beyond those symptoms you'll have to recover yourself. It will not be instantly gratifying but it will be both satisfying and sustainable, unlike symptom suppression.

You don't work with me, or Andee, because you are looking for answers or a list of things to do to suppress your symptoms, you work with us because you're looking to get out from under the influence and live an extraordinary life.

If you're interested in no longer being a piece of shit, the Recover Yourself workshop will get you started in that direction.