Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Problems Back

By Steve Bailey
..... If you are crazy, insecure, and dissatisfied you are a customer for life. The definition of crazy is confusing what is with what isn't. Or in other words, swapping the labels for reality and illusion. Satisfaction is a state that nearly everyone aspires to. It's the carrot that Madison Avenue holds out to help sell a myriad of products, only a small fraction of which we really need. Few people with a product to sell are interested in your being satisfied for too long, just long enough to mistakenly identify a fleeting wave of satisfaction with their product. Continuing satisfaction leads to sanity, which leads to lower sales.
..... Now I'm not saying for a moment that you don't need to buy stuff. But the label warning should read: CAUTION : There is no warranty expressed or implied that this product will change anything about you. And I am not just talking about products or things. The Universe doesn't care about your dissatisfaction. Your natural state given en-vitro is bliss. Satisfaction is always inside of you, not out there. Anything that you have come up with as an argument against this has to be complete madness. Your mind, out in hot pursuit of control has to manufacture this bogus state of dissatisfaction and take credit for knowing what will turn it into satisfaction. Imagine lodging a complaint with God about your spouse, “Excuse me, I would like to return this man.”
“Why?”
“I'm just not satisfied with him anymore.”
“With him ?”
“Yes.”
“That's impossible.”
“No, really. He's not what I want. He doesn't satisfy me anymore.”
“He can't satisfy you.”
“That's what I'm saying. I want a return or exchange. What do you have in a 42 Long?”
..... “No can do. He's not supposed to satisfy you. That's your job. Look, I gave you enough satisfaction to last you a million lifetimes, what did you do with it? Oh, never mind . Just read the sign, ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Problems Back.' So what'll it be, satisfaction or problems?”
..... I invite you to do this little exercise. Yes, you will have to get up and move around a little. Find a spot or make a spot in your house where you can walk unobstructed from one wall to another. Pick one wall as the Satisfied Wall and the other as the Dissatisfied Wall. Then, imagine there is an invisible line that connects the two walls that we will call the Line of Satisfaction.
..... Now you need to calibrate yourself for satisfaction. Imagine all of your “problems” are piled up against the Dissatisfied Wall. Go stand there, taking at least two or three minutes to really wallow in all that nasty, tormenting craziness and insecurity. Walk to the middle of the line and shake those thoughts away. Then, go the rest of the way to the other wall and conjure up all those things in your life that are really working and are the source of positive feelings. If you note an imbalance between the walls, make up that some of your problems have been solved in a very satisfying way. Spend at least two or three minutes doing this side as well. Move back to the middle and be neutral in regard satisfaction.
..... Now you are ready. Go inside yourself (close your eyes if it helps) and assess where on the Line of Satisfaction you are and stand there. Adjust your position as needed since you sometimes will get a more accurate indication once you are on the line. Play with this by gradually inching toward the Dissatisfied Wall and noticing your internal state. How is your breathing, muscle tension, changes in thoughts or anything else? You don't have to go all the way over and it's probably a good idea to stop if you are feeling extremely uncomfortable.
..... Next, reverse your travels, inching your way toward the Satisfied Wall noticing again what changes take place inside you. If you begin to feel too blissful, you might want to stop, but probably not. Ready for extra-credit? Try holding a thought of something that brings up a lot of dissatisfaction while moving gradually toward the satisfied side, even going all the way. Do the opposite now by holding a thought of something that brings great satisfaction and move slowly toward the Dissatisfied Wall. You should have received enough sensory data in this exercise to indicate that your mind just might be tricking you.
..... Your job as a human being is to bring satisfaction to as much of everything as you can. Buy that cologne because it smells great to you and contributes to your satisfaction and don't expect it to better any relationship you have or ever hope to have. Take that yoga class to build on the health and well being you already cultivate for yourself, otherwise it places a lot of pressure on the instructor to fix you. Be able to say, “I am satisfied” before you say, “I do.”
..... If you have completed the exercise, congratulations! If not, what are you waiting for? There is a secret bonus for doing the exercise. It brings out satisfaction in everyone around you. So if you don't want to do it for you, do it for them.

This article is based on the work of Jerry Stocking. Steve Bailey is an experienced teacher, life-long student, and free-lance writer who has been on the road to himself for the last ten years. If you are curious about how easy life can get, contact Steve at steveslake@bellsouth.net