Hi friend,

I did something really interesting and SCARY.

I started a series on interviewing people about their mental health.

To be honest, it's something I've wanted to do for a while.

I've pictured it in my head, thought about all the things I would say and do when I finally get to go and speak to people about mental health when I interview them.

You know how it's easier to speak about mental health as a concept? But it's so much harder to speak about your own mental health? To speak about it means you have to actively accept that it's 10/10 or anywhere close to it.

And that, my friend, is a difficult admission to make.

Despite all the voices in my head, I finally gathered the courage and threw myself on a beach closer to my home.

Meet Daulat Aunty

She's over 80 years old. Got married in the 1960s.

I wasn't born yet.

In fact, I was born some 30 years later.

When I asked her what it took to be happy in your life, she responded rather quickly that it was contentment.

Contentment

When I first thought about it, it sounded like a bad thing.

Should we not expect more from life?

Does it mean we shouldn't be dreaming bigger?

But when I started reading deeper into what it meant, why is it that it's revered in so many cultures and talked about by the most enlightened beings, I also came across this:

"Contentment comes from our relationship to what is going on around us, rather than our reaction to it. It is the peaceful realisation that we are whole and complete just as we are, despite the anger, sadness, joy, frustration, and excitement that may come in and out from time to time."

I don't know if it's because of what she said that makes us happy, or if it's how quickly she answered that question.

No long explanation. No complicated philosophy.

So I find myself wondering whether our understanding of happiness changes as we grow older.

I still don't think I've completely made peace with the idea of contentment. I like having things to look forward to. I like setting goals, wanting more and working towards things.

But I also wonder how much of my life I'm spending waiting for something else to happen before I allow myself to enjoy what's already here.

Perhaps that's the balance I'm trying to understand.

I don't know what Daulat Aunty would say if I asked her to explain it further. Maybe she'd give me another one-line answer and leave me thinking about it for the next few days.

But I'd love to know what you think.

Does contentment come naturally to you, or is it something you struggle with? And do you think it's possible to be content and ambitious at the same time?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Books I read

I finally finished reading the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I know it's a book loved by way too many people, but I really don't know how to feel about it. Was there a perspective I completely missed?

As I write this, I can see the parallel between what I wrote about contentment. If you've read the book, you know where the treasures really are, so you get what I mean?

Self-Awareness & Mental Clarity Cohort

This is a two-day (on a weekend) workshop that I conduct, where a small group of us play some games, share stories and lean into each other's experience.

If you’d like to know more about the Self-Awareness & Mental Clarity Cohort or sign up on the waitlist to know when the next one will be held, please hit reply with 'cohort'.

Oh, and before I forget, a very happy Diwali!

I hope this left you something to think about.

See you next week,

Love,

Jasleen
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