What Do You Really Want?
Author: Gregory Spohr

WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT?

Everyone, without exception,
is searching for happiness.
— Blaise Pascal

Oh yes, the seemingly ellusive, often fleeting "happiness." Is that what you really want? If so, what do you believe will make you happy? Right now, take a moment to write down a few things that you believe will bring you happiness.

What do you believe is most important to you? What do you truly desire?

Unfortunately, most of us tend to spend precious little of our time consciously considering these questions. If you just wrote down a list of things (or circumstances or people) do you truly believe they will result in your happiness if you had them? Or if you think you don't actually know what it is that you really want, is it any surprise you don't seem to be getting it, or at least that you don't seem to be getting it much of the time?

It's as if most people take their personal journeys through their lives without any "destination" in mind. They may think they're going somewhere, but they have no conscious idea about "where" that is. Many of us are very clear in our own minds that where we are isn't where we wish we were, but we have great difficulty figuring out what it is, exactly, that we think we are "lacking."

Many people will tell you they are not as happy as they would like, or they wish they had this or that, but they don't have much clarity about why they are unhappy or what to do about it. Most of us continue to look "out there" for things, or people, or circumstances that we think might result in our happiness. And then we soon discover that once we get what we think was going to make everything "better," the hollow, empty feeling returns once again. We're back on the same old, worn path, looking "out there" for the solutions to our "problems."

With a little thought and some deep introspection, we really can clearly identify what it is we truly desire. We can find out "why" we thought we wanted this or that. We can discover within ourselves exactly what it is that we truly desire.

To live as fully, as completely as possible,
to be happy ... is the true aim and end to life.
— Llewelyn Powers

I am absolutely certain that I know what you REALLY want, although I may have never even met you. The reason, of course, is because we all - every single one of us - ultimately want exactly the same thing. Most of us would say we want to be "happy." And if each and every day of our lives was another joy-filled experience, imbued with a profound sense of peace and contentment, then I believe we would, in fact, be "happy."

Think about it. Anything else you might put on your list about "what you REALLY want" is there simply because you think it would make you happy if you had it. If you were completely content and at peace, it would be because you had everything you could imagine that you wanted or desired, and you felt threatened by nothing. You would feel completely secure since you would realize that nothing could "take away" your peace and joy.

The perceived difficulty we face, of course, is that we often try to attach our happiness to other people or to things. Whenever you believe that someone else or something else holds the key to your joy and contentment, then you can become fearful that he or she might leave you or somehow hurt you, or some "thing" you possess could be taken from you.

Eventually, you will come to fully realize that it is YOU (and not someone or something else) that always holds the key to your own peace, contentment and joy. While it can seem extremely difficult to reach such a realization and fully integrate it into your life, it is NOT impossible. You CAN do it. And you can begin by consciously realizing that what you really want is peace and joy. Having had that realization, you can then begin to adjust your perspective and expand your perceived context (altering, if necessary, certain beliefs you have - some of which you might have had for a very long time) in order to "achieve" the peace and joy you REALLY want.

You can begin to consciously make choices that will support your most deeply held desire. And believe me, your most deeply held desire (regardless of what you might now think) is not that you get a new car, or have a big house, or find a new boyfriend or girlfriend, or that your parents express their approval about what you have (or haven't) done....

You really want peace, contentment and joy. Why not start now to make conscious choices that support, rather than suppress, that goal? Why not begin to dismiss anything that you know will result in turmoil, resentment or anger? Why not let go of that which is not working in your life, and choose something else?

It's your life. And each moment of every day, you WILL make a choice. Decide now to choose wisely. Decide now to choose peace rather than conflict. Decide now to choose love rather than fear. Choose to BE that which you truly desire.







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Gregory Spohr (author of the books How Life Really Works, Living With Intention and Our Joy Is Within) has been writing about the beneficial value of living with intention for the past six years. You can visit the Living With Intention website at http://www.LivingWithIntention.org or contact Greg by email at GregSpohr@LivingWithIntention.org. LWI Press -- Dedicated to supporting personal growth and Spiritual development.

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