"Already Free" by Bruce Tift

The book's main idea is to merge the Western psychotherapy approach with the ways of Eastern Buddhism. The author finds many peculiar ways in which the two ways are different and alike.

I mostly got the notion of being already free after reading the book (hence, the name). There is a concept of "freeing" ourselves from anxiety, anger, financial burdens, physical limitations, etc. Bruce preaches that, first of all, the notion of being "free" is flawed as it can only be poorly defined. Then, he explains that the person seeking freedom is already free in almost any sense.

The concept struck a deeper chord in my soul. I've always thrived on becoming a better self by accumulating knowledge and good habits. However, this process has limited my progress because expectations are flawed. After reading "Already Free" and a few books on letting go, I finally understood how to surrender my goals when meditating and living my life.

See, when you expect a good outcome, you are not surprised after achieving the goal, but you will feel bad if you don't hit the bullseye. If, on the contrary, you do not expect good or bad things to happen and surrender to the process itself, you will always be pleasantly surprised by the progress you've achieved.

Maybe this is a part of the "enlightenment" everyone is talking about. You can't achieve something that you already possess. You're already free to enjoy life just the way it is, unconditionally.