Learn The Secrets of Contentment

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Contentment is essential to a happy life.


Contentment allows you to be fully present for your life, ready to find value in the here and now.


But contentment is impossible when you continually hunger for more.  Advertising, social media comparisons, and awareness of the Joneses keep you longing for whatever the next purchase promises to provide.  Even a bucket list of desired experiences can keep you from fully savoring the current event, since it's only one in a long line.


beautiful view over the mountains



Gratitude and contentment go together.


Contentment only comes when you realize the blessings you already possess, and when you appreciate the opportunities and experiences you've already enjoyed.


Ambition can push us toward achievement, but unbridled desire eventually makes us unhappy.  It's a hunger that is never satisfied.  Achievements don't bring contentment, because the next hill is always there to be conquered.


Wise people from all eras and cultures have warned us about this.

  • Chinese sage Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, said "Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."
  • The Greek philosopher Socrates taught that "He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have."
  • Jesus of Nazareth said, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

And author Lev Grossman warns us 


For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is.
Stop looking for the next secret door
that is going to lead you to your real life.
Stop waiting.  This is it:  There's nothing else.
It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it
or you're going to be miserable wherever you go,
for the rest of your life, forever.




10 ways to find contentment


1.  Be thankful for health, food, and shelter.

2.  Learn to enjoy things without owning them: books in the library, art in the museum, the playground in the park, the scenic highway.

3.  Appreciate the change of seasons, sunrise and sunset, the phases of the moon, the heat and the frost.

4.  Learn to like fields and trees, long walks, and the beauties of nature that are within your reach (even dandelions in your lawn, or the doves nesting in your eaves).

5.  Be thankful for work, and relish the satisfaction of doing a job as well as it can be done.

6.  Learn to do for yourself.  Make something, grow something, and learn to fix things.

7.  Appreciate the people you love who love you too.  Learn to like people, even those who are different from you.

8.  Celebrate the fact that you have enough by sharing with those who are in need.

9.  Learn to savor special treats, and to keep them special by keeping them rare.  Enjoy perfect peaches in season, one wear-it-forever piece of jewelry, that long-awaited trip, or those just-right jeans.

10.  Keep your wants simple, and refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others.


Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 13, 2020 at 1:44 PM

    I, for one, am much more content now that I have accepted that these are my current circumstances. I actually feel happier than I have felt in a long time staying in my minimalist home.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen TrefzgerJune 14, 2020 at 4:47 PM

      Hi again, Linda. I guess it is not a very "American" ideal to accept and appreciate one's circumstances. We're supposed to always be striving for MORE. I'm glad you're finding happiness right where you are.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 9, 2020 at 7:22 AM

    I have found this man's words to be a great guide. They share many of your same sentiments.

    Learn to like what doesn’t cost much.
    Learn to like reading, conversation, music.
    Learn to like pain food, plain service, plain cooking.
    Learn to like fields, trees, brooks, hiking, rowing, climbing hills.
    Learn to like people, even though some of them may be different…different from you.
    Learn to like to work and enjoy the satisfaction of doing your job as well as it can be done.
    Learn to like the songs of birds, the companionship of dogs.
    Learn to like gardening, puttering around the house, and fixing things.
    Learn to like the sunrise and sunset, the beating of rain on the roof and windows, and the gentle fall of snow on a winter day.
    Learn to keep your wants simple and refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others.
    by Lowell L. Bennion

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen TrefzgerSeptember 11, 2020 at 5:01 PM

      Thank you for sharing this! I wonder if I might have read it long ago, and maybe it made a great impression on me too? Some of the thoughts are very similar. Isn't it wonderful, the different influences in our lives, some we may not even be aware of. They all add up to make us who we are. Thank you for reading.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousAugust 10, 2024 at 8:32 AM

    The only one I can add is to find joy in the small every day things. At 77, I now enjoy vacuuming, washing dishes, dusting, caring for my cats, sweeping the porch, and more, because I am contented and happy to be alive and well. I lost my dear husband almost 4 years ago but the love we had sustains me and the happy memories give me joy. My life is good, I live in a warm community, I know my neighbors, I have warm friends. Giving and getting love and support to friends and strangers, and having gratitude for the way my life has turned out has given me great contentment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen TrefzgerAugust 12, 2024 at 7:35 AM

      So happy to hear all of that. Your life sounds lovely.

      Delete

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