Insist on the Best

It is a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it.
– W. Somerset Maugham

We must be careful not to mistake agitation for fulfillment, excitement for joy. When our mind is not turbulent for a little while, we tend to think we’re in a slump and start groping about for something that can stir it up again: a thrilling movie, a stiff drink, a spirited quarrel, anything to “get the juices flowing.” Taken one by one these may seem like fairly innocuous forms of indulgence, yet in their long-range cumulative impact, they deplete us and deflect us from our real goals.

When we fix our eyes on a higher goal, we begin to see beyond the immediate appeal of short-term satisfactions. Confident that a far greater joy is ours, we can hold out against the voices from all sides that cajole, “Eat this; drink that; watch this; buy that.” True joy is found when the mind is still, not when it is excited.

The Thought for the Day is today's entry from Eknath Easwaran's Words to Live By.

=== Easawaran wrote this thought. His Words to Live By email comes to me every day. I look forward to reading every one. They remind me of concepts I strive to keep a part of my life when distractions sometimes take me away.