We Should Be Content With What Life Gives Us
Some people say that we should be content with what life gives us, but should we? I’m not so sure about that, so let’s examine what this means.
There’s no doubt that contentment is a great virtue of life. If you are content with what life brings you, then you’ll forever live in peace. But does this mean you can’t be content and pursue your dreams, too? And are you capable of changing your mindset to be content even if you don’t get everything you ever wanted in life?
We’ll address these questions and more in this article.
Related Article: 9 Perfect Reasons Why You Should Do What You Can With What You Have Where You Are
What Does it mean to be Content?
Contentment is about a peaceful state of mind. It’s about appreciating what you have where you are. It’s a state of satisfaction and happiness. It is a state of inner peace.
To be content means you are satisfied, pleased, fulfilled, and happy. Contentment is the key to a simple, happy life. It is a mindset.
If we are happy with what we have in life, it’s because we have an optimistic mindset about life. We have a mindset that anything happens for a reason and we will learn something from it for the future. We appreciate what we have in life and recognize that not everyone has what we have.
If we want something bad enough, we should make every effort to achieve it and not just be satisfied not to have it. And not just keep daydreaming about the happiness you think you’d have if you achieved it because everything we get is a result of our efforts.
So you can be content in life with what you have while still having a desire to accomplish or achieve more. But you need to have the right mindset. If you don’t accomplish it, you have to understand that you did your best and there’s a reason for it. And move on.
Are you content in life? Contentment celebrates the good in life while simultaneously working through the bad. You can be content in life while also suffering from situational challenges that everyone faces.
People who are content appreciate the little things and don’t need material things to make them happy. At the end of the day, your peace and contentment should come from within.
The idea of happiness should be based on a sense of purpose, good friends, peace of mind, less worries, simple things, and positive feelings. Happiness shouldn’t be found in a new diamond necklace, a new dress, or fancy home.
It is a great virtue that we should be content with what life gives us. So don’t forget that life doesn’t give equally to all people. We all make life what it is… it may not be fair or equal… but it can be happy and content if you want it to be.
We Should be Content With What Life Gives Us
They say we should be content with what life gives us, but they also say we should follow the road to happiness. Can these two sentiments go hand in hand?
Human beings sometimes make things more complicated than they need to be and place too much emphasis on wealth and material possessions. For example, a rich man is not necessarily content, and a poor man may be perfectly content — both ways of thinking are connected to a positive mindset — not wealth.
We can be happy with what life gives us, but also follow a road to happiness. Good things come to those who follow their dreams; it might take a long time, but patience is a virtue; you can be content with what life gives you while you are also pursuing your dreams on the road to happiness.
Live in the present moment, maintain good relationships, have an optimistic approach to hard times — and you can have it all! Be happy and content while also following your dreams.
How to be Content with Your Life
There are some simple things you can do to learn to truly be content in life. Much of it comes down to mindset and action. But remember, you can be content with what you have in life but that doesn’t mean you can’t have dreams, and grow in meaningful ways.
Consider these things if you want to be more content and happy in your life, but don’t give up on your dreams:
1. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparison is truly a thief of joy. You will always be able to find someone who is happier, healthier, richer, prettier, and just more together than you are. But those people are likely jealous of your great new job, or beautiful wardrobe, or even your professionally landscaped yard. It’s human nature to compare, but just don’t do it. Also, be aware that social media can make you feel like whatever you have just isn’t enough.
Be aware that money won’t change as much as you think. Money can buy you a nice car, or more bedrooms, but it’s like wrapping paper over your life — it’s just covering the gift inside. More money is not going to make your more content with your life. Only your mind is going to make you more content with your life.
2. Strengthen Your Attitude of Gratitude
You can cultivate happiness with a heart of gratitude. Instead of focusing on things you don’t have, or things you want, take a few minutes everyday to focus on how lucky you are compared to many people. One way to become more grateful is a Gratitude Journal and journal prompts. Prompts help you reflect on the important things in your life. This simple, daily process will help you focus on friendships, family, your health, your job, your hometown, and other aspects of your life that sometimes go unnoticed. A journal is a great way to develop a new outlook on life.
You should learn to appreciate every little detail in your life. We all take many things for granted, such as food that nourishes us, the sunshine that brightens your day, and the air we breathe. Focus on even the little flowers in your yard and the beautiful clouds in the sky. These kinds of things can be incorporated into your Gratitude Journal to develop your mindset of gratitude. As your gratitude improves, your mindset will change to one of appreciation and contentment with what you have in life.
3. Develop Habits of Happy People
Develop genuine compassion and appreciation for others. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, once said, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion; if you want to be happy, practice compassion.” In other words, be compassionate, kind, and generous toward others. It will come back to you. These are some more habits that will help you develop a mindset of happiness and content:
- Surround yourself with the right people.
- Don’t have regrets.
- Choose to forgive.
- Stop stressing over the little things.
- Don’t worry what people think of you.
- Behave according to your values.
- Live in the present moment.
- Go with the flow.
- Practice mindfulness.
- Don’t compare.
- Practice gratitude.
- Celebrate other people’s successes.
- Let go of materialistic tendencies.
4. Focus on a Purposeful Life
Living a purpose in life and following your values with intention can lead to true contentment. A purposeful life means you are moving toward creating a life that aligns with your values and passions, and one that makes you happy and content.
By being purposeful and intentional on a daily basis you’ll feel more accomplished. There are some things you can do to create a purposeful life:
- Recognize and align your life with things you care about.
- Trust yourself and the decisions you make.
- Develop a positive, healthy mindset and emotions.
- Empower others.
- Let go of failure and be content.
- Live in the present moment.
- Choose joy.
- Practice mindfulness, gratitude, and compassion.
- Continually work on your personal growth and development.
- Develop positive relationships.
We Should Be Content With What Life Gives Us Quotes
Use these inspirational quotes to help you learn to have a happy and content mindset, but remember, you can chase your dreams also. In fact, the first three quotes reflect my belief that you can be content with your life but still desire more.
“Be happy with what you have. Be excited about what you want.” ~ Alan Cohen
“To be content doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s to come.” ~ Tony Gaskins
“Just become totally content and happy from within. Then you will get all that you want.” ~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” ~ William E. Gladstone
“Happiness. Contentment. Inner peace. Have you ever gone looking for something only to realize you had it with you the whole time?” ~ Anonymous
“The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are, and not who people think you are.” ~ Goldie Hawn
“You are only a poor person if you are not happy with what you have.” ~ Debasish Mridha
“He who is contented is rich.” ~ Lao Tzu
“The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.” ~ Woody Allen
“It’s almost impossible to be satisfied in your own life if you’re constantly looking at what someone else has.” ~ Rachael Cruze
“Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.” ~ Bilal Zahoor
“Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” ~ Dale Carnegie
“A harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment.” ~ Proverb
“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.” ~ Henry Ward Beecher
“Contentment always eludes those who don’t count themselves blessed for what they already have.” ~ Anonymous
“Content people don’t always have the best of everything, but they make the best of everything.” ~ Rachel Cruze
“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.” ~ Lao Tzu
“When we decide to be happy we accept the responsibility to bring happiness to someone else.” ~ Maya Angelou
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
“Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
Final Thoughts
When I started writing this article, I thought it would be somewhat complicated. There can be a philosophical component to a topic like this. But it genuinely seemed to come down to mindset… so it actually become rather simple.
We asked some questions in the beginning of this article… and now we have the answers.
- Yes, we can be content and still have dreams.
- Yes, we can change our mindset and learn to be content with what life gives us.
I hope you have been inspired to make positive changes in your mindset about life and happiness. You are able to be content and happy with what life gives you while also following your dreams.
Love to ALL! ~ Susan
Do You Have Thoughts About the Concept that “We Should be Content with What Life Gives Us?
Do you agree? Do you agree that it’s a matter of mindset? Do you think you can be content and still follow the road to happiness? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below:)
