Repeating Peaceful Meditations — Manipulating vs Letting Be | Dhamma Discussion

A Dhamma discussion based on the question...@ Bhante Joe I have a question around balancing contentment and striving. When I was meditating last night I saw how much dissatisfaction I was experiencing over not having the type of meditation experiences I had the last time and wanted again this time. The perceptions and feelings were not as strong and pleasant. I tried forcing it for a bit, and then saw how I was suffering because I was forcing, not for what I couldn't experience. So, then I had a thought to just let the experience of the breath be enough the way it is in this moment. I stopped forcing my mind to try and relate to it in any particular way, and stopped obsessing about the meditation being as pleasant or deep as the last one. Basically, I was practicing contentment with what was. But then I got to wondering if maybe I was just quitting when I should have pushed through and created the perceptions and feelings I was hoping for. How do we know when it's the right time to strive and the right time to just be content and be with what is?(line breaks added)