10 Ways to boost your concentration

Is it more than coincidence that the quintessential American holiday — Thanksgiving — represents, at a deep level, precisely what the American people now so direly need in order to heal their souls? I think not.

There are at least two steps to experiencing true gratitude. Naturally, there is the act of giving thanks. But a prerequisite to true thankfulness is to first deeply acknowledge what you have. Indeed, this step might be the harder of the two. You may intellectually “know” you have various things, but how deeply do you feel it? It is essential to do so, because without deeply acknowledging what’s actually in your cup, you will always feel thirsty for more. And as a result, the practice of gratitude will be fleeting.

Right now — take a few moments and consider all that you have and try to acknowledge it. Write it down. Say it out loud. Feel it! Include not only food, material possessions, and the natural wonders that surround you, but everything else too — the friends you have, the love and other kindnesses you receive — big or small, and also the achievements you have manifested in your life (this one can be particularly hard!).

For an even deeper examination of this issue, you might now consider what it is that you crave. Craving is all about having enough but not seeing that you do. It is thinking you haven’t eaten enough when you’ve already stuffed yourself (or wanting to lose more weight when you are already unhealthfully thin), buying more and more things when you already have plenty, wanting more money when you are already rich, or wanting more fame or recognition when you are already famous and recognized. In essence, craving is a delusion about the nature of your reality, and it is usually rooted in a sense of inner lack — often some kind of lack experienced in childhood. For this reason, it is hard to release cravings. They are deeply ingrained habits of being. But they are also the root of some of our deepest suffering.

Why not take this Thanksgiving as an opportunity to ponder your personal forms of craving? Below are some strategies to try to address a craving of “X”:

Is your craving of X based on current reality? Or it merely a habit?

Examine your current life. Do you actually have enough of X?

Is your craving for X really symptomatic of some other deeper feeling of lack — for something else? Let’s call it “Y”. Perhaps Y is feeling loved or “seen”. Most likely this feeling of lack is rooted in some experience of the past. Now examine your current life. Do you actually lack Y now?

Can you substitute something else for your craving of X?

Sometimes when a person craves a particular food, they also suffer from an illness that is actually caused by that food. Substituting the problem food with something else can often be the route to cure. Along the same lines, addictions to certain substances (also the root of disease) can be alleviated through substitutions. Can you find some form of substitute for X?

Experiment with giving X rather than craving X.

What would happen if you gave love instead of craved it? Gave recognition to your peers, rather than craving it from them? Gave away some of your possessions instead of buying more?

Cultivate the outward-flowing energy of thankfulness and gratitude.

Craving is all about pulling things toward you. Gratitude is about sending energy outward. By practicing regular gratitude meditations, or by writing a list each morning (or before bed each night) of all the things you are grateful for, you can greatly reduce the chronic sense of dissatisfaction and craving in your life. Try it!