In your excitement to get something,

make sure it’s what you want. 

Like little children who upon seeing some candy, thrust out their hands to grasp the enticing sweet, we similarly hear of something tempting and eagerly set our mind on devising a way to get it.

So caught up in how we can get our hands on this enticing piece of “candy,” and all the things that will ensue when we succeed in our quest, we forget a salient piece of information: we had decided we no longer wanted what we’re now dreaming of possessing.

In fact, we’ve been judiciously avoiding it. But so conditioned are we by our craving and so caught up are we in envisaging the pursuit, that we forget our earlier rejection of what we’re now lusting after. Thankfully, as we practice, we will find the pool of experiences and stuff we crave ever shrinking. Which is good.

Even better is remembering how we’re contentedly simplifying our life the next time a new piece of “candy” catches our attention, and we’re tempted to shout, “Mine!”