By Arden Martin. Originally posted on ardenmeditates.com

When I eat ice cream three days in a row (usually with a side of Real Housewives) and find an empty carton on day four, I feel a sense of craving and lack. When an old boyfriend dumped me ten years ago (because I was clingy and insecure), my life felt empty and meaningless.

Clearly, we're better off if we don't rely on external sources to feel happy and fulfilled.This isn't to say that friends, lovers, and the rest of life's pleasures are meaningless because they aren't our true source of bliss. Instead, think of these things as a beautiful bonus that make our lives even more abundant.

So how can we find inner fulfillment and appreciate everything else as a bonus? When we meditate, we clear out old stresses and gain access to the happiness that already lives inside of us, and we can enjoy life's "bonuses" without depending on them. We would all become nuns or monks and spend our days in silence if we didn't want to experience everything the world has to offer, right? Thankfully, Vedic Meditation is designed for busy people who want to enjoy relationships and engage with society. Practicing this technique twice a day allows you to spend the remaining 23 hours radiating the happiness and fulfillment that have been within you all along. When we deliver this fulfillment to the people around us, we are not only unstoppable, but we give others permission to do the same.