Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness.

Today I'm going to talk about

moderation, indulgence, and happiness.

So these days, we live in the

so called consumer culture.

So we're kind of encouraged to work

hard and then play hard and reward

ourselves for all of our hard work.

So we might reward ourselves

by indulging in food, wine, or

drugs or certain experiences, or

perhaps through shopping, fashion.

You know, buying nice things for

the home or the latest electronics.

Now there's nothing at all wrong with

enjoying nice things and there's no

need at all to feel guilty or ashamed

for enjoying or having nice things.

But when it comes to our own personal

wellbeing and happiness, it's really

important to notice if our indulgences

are actually giving us what we want.

You know, relaxation, fulfillment,

nourishment, happiness, joy.

Sometimes we enjoy indulgences from a

real place of balance and nourishment,

but at other times maybe we do it to

numb ourselves from stress or overwhelm.

Sometimes we do it to fill a hole within

ourselves or to distract ourselves.

And sometimes we might do it

because we're lured by images on

TV, advertising or social media that

show us this kind of like idea or

ideal of how we're supposed to be.

So it's really important these

days, more than ever, to be aware

of our impulses and influences.

And the effects of our

indulgences so that we don't end

up consumed by our consumerism.

So we don't end up overeating, pulled

into addictions or wasting our money

or time on things we don't really

need and don't make us truly happy.

You know, moderation isn't a

very sexy word these days, right?

But it is part of the philosophy

of most wisdom traditions.

And the reason for that is because

moderation is actually based on

a deep sense of self-awareness.

Moderation doesn't mean not indulging

in anything and not having any

fun anymore or not being able to

blow off steam every now and then.

Rather it's about being aware of how

and why we consume, how we maybe get

into patterns of over-consuming or

overindulgence, and seeing the difference

between what's truly life-giving

and enhancing, and what's not.

And then being now able to change

our habits to support a more

consistent sense of happiness,

love and contentment in our lives.

With this mindset, moderation

is not in any way in opposition

to our desires and pleasures.

It's an invitation to look deeply

and honestly at what the overall

effects are on our lives, what's

working for us and what's not.

So today and the week ahead,

just inviting you to keep in mind

the philosophy of moderation.

Consider when you feel an impulse to

indulge, why you want to do it, and

what's the underlying reason or influence

or motivation and consider whether it's

genuinely going to be nourishing for you.

And then when you do that behavior,

just notice the effect after doing it.

This is really mindfulness in

action ingrained in our daily lives.

So through moderation we can grow

in self-awareness while at the same

time growing a lasting sense of

joy and fulfillment in our lives.

So enjoy the practice and as

always thank you for your practice.

And just inviting you now to

settle in for today's meditation.