Your are enough.
Your worth is not in what you do, what you own, or even in what you make. It’s in how you feel. You could grind away to “succeed” financially and materially, but if you are unable to feel joy or contentment in your day, then no amount of money, amount of possessions, or rank in your career could ever feel like “enough.”
This drive to constantly seek more without finding satisfaction is identified in yoga philosophy as a cause of suffering that prevents us from finding inner peace, harmony, and connection in our lives. To combat the suffering caused by feelings of inadequacy, yoga philosophy provides us with the concept of Santosha. Santosha is Sanskrit for “contentment” and “satisfaction.” Cultivating Santosha starts by simply recognizing that what you already have, who you already are is enough no matter the circumstances. Santosha builds from there to encourage joy and contentment in the present moment, no matter where you are on your journey.
My favorite parable that highlights the ideas of Santosha is about the fisherman and the banker, and it goes like this:
One day, a banker asked a local fisherman, “How long did it take you to catch these fish?”
The fisherman responds, “Only a little while.” And the banker asks, “Why didn’t you fish for longer?”
The fisherman says, “Because I have everything I need. I fish for awhile, I have lunch with my wife, I go into town, drink wine, play music, and laugh with my friends.”
Then the banker says, “You’ve got this all wrong. Here’s what you need to do: Fish for longer, so you can use that money to buy a boat. Then keeping fishing and buying more boats till you have fishing enterprise. Then you’ll move to the big city, take the company public, and one day, you’ll make millions!”
The fisherman listens and asks, “And then what?”
The banker shocked responds, “And then what?! Well then you’ll move to a small fishing village, fish for awhile, have lunch with your wife, go into town, drink wine, play music, and laugh with your friends!”
Having enough is recognizing when more adds nothing. That “more” takes you away from your true passions or true enjoyments. Why spend time seeking and suffering for more, when you already have what you need and when less could bring you more simple joy.
Santosha and stories like the banker and fisherman parable really resonate with me. I spent about a decade pushing myself for what I thought was more. Until, finally, I found myself where I thought I wanted to be—working at a high level, high paying legal position—but I also found that I was unhappy. It became harder and harder to find more contentment and peace with the “more” I added. There was less time for family and friends, less time for physical movement, less time for really anything that brought me joy.
When I finally slowed down and stopped chasing the outer goals of success, I found more within. I found myself with more time for rest, more peace, and more gratitude for who I am both on and off my yoga mat. Yoga philosophy helps shape our yoga practice, but it also shapes how we live. And if you allow it, it can shape it for the better; letting you live in contentment, peace, and santosha.
Sure, you can still have goals and work towards those, but be sure to find joy along the way. Have gratitude for where you are now as today will never be the same again. Every day and each moment are so unique and are never guaranteed. So, recognize where you are in this moment and accept that where you are now is exactly where you are meant to be. There is no rush to be anywhere else or to be anyone else. There is no need to add more when you already have so much. And if the time comes for you to move on your journey, you will already have all that you need within you.
