Contentment, this one can be a bit difficult to understand. Contentment is an on-going struggle for me as well as most people. Understanding this struggle gets you that much closer to living your best life! Let’s get started:
The definition of contentment is: “a state of happiness and satisfaction.”
This word took me a long time to really understand what being content in my life looked like. I used to think that being content meant that you were just happy with how things were and didn’t desire anything better. Boy was I wrong! All it means is you are happy with how things are even if nothing improves. It doesn’t mean you don’t desire or strive for improvements to your current happiness. Let’s break this down to a couple everyday life experiences:
Materialistic: This one really hits home! We are constantly bombarded with new and improved items every day. How can we really experience contentment when all the new items coming out look so appealing? For me, I remind myself daily of how grateful I am for all of the items we have. This doesn’t mean I don’t desire the new items, all this means is I’m saying no to them right now. This allows me to create a plan to get the item a bit later if I still want it bad enough. It also allows me to stick to my long term plan by NOT allowing my short term desires to veer me off course.
Relationships: Contentment in regards to relationships means you are happy and in love with each other. It means you are willing to support each other as you take on life’s challenges. It means that you are there to pick each other up even when things aren’t going well. It means you have each other’s back and work together when times are tough. It means you graciously sacrifice for one another. It also means you are willing to put in the extra work as life gets difficult. You are happy, content, in love and care for each other as things are, but you are still striving for better…. TOGETHER!
Career: This one took some time for me to grasp as well. It took me being runner up on so many various promotions before I finally let everything go and let God take the wheel. Once I did this my career really took off and the floodgates never ceased. Being content where you are allows you to enjoy your career and salary while identifying additional skills you want to gain and pursue. It’s in these moments where your perspective on life situations really starts to change.
Each of the items above could potentially be their own separate blog, and eventually we will turn them into their own. For now we are approaching this word “Contentment” from the 10,000 foot view. The topics listed above are some of the most widely talked about. Finding this state of happiness feels like a never ending journey, but by deciding to create some healthy life guardrails it can become easier to start living in the moment and stop worrying about tomorrow. Focusing on today allows you to take small steps towards your life long plan instead of letting our past experiences drive up our anxiety and stress levels. I’m not sure about you, but after 2020, I don’t need added unnecessary stress in my life! Worry, stress and anxiety would be the exact opposite of contentment. Let’s start being happy with where we are and with what we are blessed with. Let’s start creating a plan that allows us to live in the moment and slowly work towards our life long dreams and aspirations! It’s time we brought contentment back into this world!
I leave you with this final thought / challenge: Start writing down something you are grateful for every day. If you do this for 90 days, you will start feeling more content with where you are. Leave a comment below and let us know how this goes for you.
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