I was looking at the original message for 11/7 (reprinted below) with a view towards enhancing it, as I do every week. The writing on contentment seemed fairly complete, but it seemed like it could use a guided meditation. I happen to have recorded one last year right around this time, so I offer you this as an enhancement:

November 7 – Create Contentment

Contentment can be defined as a sense of being comfortable in your own skin, combined with a sense of being pleased with your life as it stands. When was the last time you felt that way? Were you aware of it in the moment or is it only in retrospect that you get to be grateful for that sensation?

Being comfortable in your own skin comes from acting according to your values. Acting as if you were a person you admire – being kind, being honorable, maintaining your boundaries and respecting the boundaries of others, stepping up to the plate. You truly are in control of how you feel, because you are in control of your actions and reactions. If you don’t like how you feel, carry yourself differently.

Being pleased with your own life, as it currently stands, is a result of being present and practicing acceptance. If you want to make changes in your life, you must first be present and be in acceptance of what is right now, because otherwise you won’t be able to assess reality enough to change it.

Can you feel the soles of your feet without moving them? If you can, you are present. If you cannot, you would benefit from doing some grounding meditations.

Do you struggle against what is, always thinking of the past of the future? It is unlikely that you are in acceptance, if this is the case. Allow yourself to see things exactly as they are. Acknowledge that this is how things are in the moment. Breathe through any resistance you might feel. Once you can see things how they actually are, it is much easier to change them, if changes need to occur.

Contentment is not something that meanders into your life haphazardly. It is something you can work to generate. You are in control of how your life feels to you. Will you pick up the reins?

This post is part of a series called Monday Message, based on that day’s reflection from 365 Days to Enlightenment (authorized versions are currently out of print, working on a new edition). Check back next Monday for another one! You can also sign up for the Daily Message on my mailing list if you’d like to receive a new reflection every day. I also often post them to Instagram, if that’s a medium you enjoy.