the closer you get to enlightenment, the more ordinary you become

These days, there are gurus everywhere. Mystic magicians, illumination influencers, light workers, bliss bringers, cosmic catalyzers, and levitated life-stylists are a dime a dozen. But really, if the shaman wears a Viking helmet and red white and blue face paint, he’s probably not the real deal. One of my favorite principles of yoga, this one is like a protective shield against scammers, and a solid, practical, tangible path to your own happiness.
Enlightenment is hard to attain. If anyone actually knew how to make it happen, we’d all do it. 

And maybe you’ve had an experience so blissful and illuminating, you felt you’d reached enlightenment, and maybe your life was forever changed because of it. But if you wear “I’m enlightened” on your tshirt so everyone can see how awesome you are, you might still be a ways away. The best teachers don’t need to wear the gilded crown.
​Nor do they promise to make it happen for you. They only offer you the tools to increase the possibility, and usually, in humble, ordinary ways.
The real deal doesn’t brag. Doesn’t wear a crown, drive a rolls, live in a mansion, or wear $5000 sneakers.
Jesus and the Buddha were homeless people.
They didn’t put themselves on pedestals. They practiced what they preached, and what they preached was ordinary:
Be kind. Be humble. Be real.
Enlightenment happens by accident. Our practices make us accident prone.
So we can practice being ordinary.
If I start thinking I’m special, I remind myself that we’re all special. And then I practice being ordinary again. The more I practice being ordinary, the happier I am. And that is the path to enlightenment.