Finding Contentment...

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In Your Life

The happiest people in the world are not necessarily those who are rich, successful, or famous. People who cultivate contentment experience great delight and pleasure in life.

“Alas! If the principles of contentment are not within us, the height of station and worldly grandeur will as soon add a cubit to a man's stature as to his happiness.” - Laurence Sterne

Money does not make people happy. Many comparatively poor people in the world are far happier than billionaires who have everything money can buy.

Fame does not make people happy. Many famous people have discovered that fame has not brought them everything they thought it would, and they spiral into a cycle of depression, alcoholism or drug addictions.

Contentment is the art of enjoying life generally. It is the feeling of being satisfied with what you have and who you are.

“The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment.” - Doug Larson

Some people see contentment as a destroyer of ambition and excitement. However, you can enjoy rising to the challenges of the world while cultivating contentment. It will help you to enjoy the journey on your way to success instead of deferring your happiness until you arrive.

We all have unfulfilled desires. If you want to cultivate contentment in your life, consider what you need and then what you want. You may need a television set to keep in touch with the outside world. However, a desire for a huge, plasma screen television is a want, and you can be content with your normal television set.

If you want to cultivate contentment, you do not have to give up on all your desires. Instead, choose desires that you can fulfil at some point in the future.
You may like to see a big television as a prize for achieving a promotion at work, rather than just a possession you desire. This will add value to the object of your desire, and will encourage you to strive to achieve your ambitions.

Ways to Cultivate Contentment
The following ideas will help you to practice the art of being contented, whatever circumstances you face. The more you cultivate contentment in your life, the more pleasure you will experience every day.

1 – Count your blessings
The pursuit of happiness or contentment is part of almost every religion. Whatever your belief system, you can count your blessings. It is simply about making a list of all the people, possessions and items in your life that you treasure and appreciate, and experiencing a sensation of being grateful for them.

“Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart.” - Sarah Ban Breathnach

2 – Have realistic expectations in life
This is not about having LOW expectations, and then being pleasantly surprised when things turn out better than expected. It is about having expectations that are in tune with what is happening in the world. Contented people are not pessimists, only waiting for the bad to happen, nor are they complete optimists who think that everything will be terrific all of the time.

Look at your life and your expectations for the future. Is there a mix of positive and negative prospects? Do you expect some unpleasant times during your life? We live in an imperfect world, where some evil and damaging people can have adverse impacts on our lives. We also live in a world where other lovely people warm our hearts and bring joy into our lives.

Seeing a balance of positive and negative will help you to see the whole picture. This way you do not focus only on the negative, and it means you will feel more serene, even when you do experience awful events.

People who cultivate contentment do not look for instant gratification of a desire, such as winning a lottery, to feel happy. Instead, look for happiness by working to achieve realistic ambitions, and in increasing your enjoyment of the present, rather than dwelling on mistakes of the past or unattainable dreams of the future.

3 – Look for the good in yourself
A large part of being contented is being satisfied with ourselves. People with a low self-esteem are not often contented. Contented people are more likely to focus on positive qualities. This can help to improve your self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. If you are comfortable with yourself, you are more likely to feel content.

4 – Focus on what you have
If you want to feel contentment, you need to change your focus from the objects or possessions you desire, to enjoying what you currently own. Our modern world is full of advertising that makes us want to possess more goods. If you want to sow the seeds of contentment in your life, focus on enjoying what you do have, and limit your dreams for possessions that are currently unattainable.

“There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.” - Sivananda

5 – Accept what you cannot change
Addicts who have followed a 12-step program know the value of serenity. In the Serenity Prayer, you ask for, “Courage to change the things you can, the ability to accept the things you cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference”. Striving to change other people’s behavior is like trying to make the moon change color from white to purple. We can only change ourselves, not others.

Contentment and serenity stems from accepting that we do not have control over what anyone else says or does to us, but that we can control our own reactions to other people. When you learn how to stop striving to achieve the impossible, a feeling of peace pervades your soul, leading to contentment.

“This happiness consisted of nothing else but the harmony of the few things around me with my own existence, a feeling of contentment and well-being that needed no changes and no intensification.” - Herman Hesse

6 – Have fun
Life can be great fun. Discontent, on the other hand, often leads to boredom. Amusement and entertainment will always add to a general feeling of well-being. People who want contentment will also cultivate a sense of humor and will enjoy a laugh often. Even with very few resources, you can find humor in almost any situation. A laugh is free medicine for the soul.

“Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.” - Grenville Kleiser

Contentment can lead to happiness. Sow the seeds of contentment in your life and you will harvest happiness, peace, love, and joy.


By Hayley Hunkin