Enlightenment

How do you become enlightened?  Does it mean that you meditate for hours on end?  Or that you only have positive thoughts?  Or that you have a vaster understanding of the universe than others?  What is enlightenment?  What is your definition?

I feel that enlightenment is achieved by accessing your essence/Higher Self/soul and living it. An enlightened person is someone who is able to stay in their center all the time, someone who takes the "good" and the "bad" equally, someone who is not swayed by extremes, but is able to be in joy and peace.  

You learn to be centered by looking past the labels of good and bad, by accepting both as equal learning experiences (only the packaging is different).  You experience extremes as a means to learn.  The more you embrace one side, the stronger you will also experience the other.  The more you accept them as equals the less you will experience the extremes and the more balanced and centered you will be.

When you are centered it doesn't matter whether there is rain or shine.  Neither changes your essence.  Your essence is divine.  Thus when you live your essence you live an enlightened life.