Firstly, you should try accepting the reality and find the goodness in the present, rather than compare your present life to an ideal life. The comparison and the ideals can cause dissatisfaction. The reality isn’t so bad if we let go of the ideas and just see the present moment as it is. If you take the time to look at any moment, even uncomfortable ones, you will find that there is a lot to be curious about, a lot to appreciate, a lot to discover and love. I’m not suggesting you give up your ambitions and aspirations. It’s only difficult when we attach too tightly to them, and then we can become unhappy with the present. I’m suggesting you loosen the attachment to these ideas, turning to the present to appreciate it and that getting to know what’s in front of you is better.
Once you do this, and accept what’s in front of you, you reach a place of peace.
Either way, you take action towards your aspiration, but it can be either from a place of dissatisfaction (and wanting to change something crappy) … or a place of acceptance and peace and wanting to do something good for yourself (or others). As a high level, here is how you can take action in regards to this:
- Notice your dissatisfaction.
- Notice your ideas that you’re holding tightly to.
- Loosen your hold on these ideas, and turn to the present moment.
- Really see the present moment with curiosity, find something to appreciate.
- Accept the present moment completely, with love.
- From this place of peace, respond, take action. It might be an aspiration, or not, but it’s a response from a good place.
“However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. Where there’s life, there’s hope.” – Stephen Hawking