How To Live A Life Of Contentment

Have you ever wondered if you are one of those people who is living a life of contentment?

After I shared about work-life balance which is you ask me is often one of the goals most people set every year, one of the comments on that post was from Jennifer who said \”In my view, part of the solution lies in \’contentment\’ with where one is at in life and not forever hunkering after more… No wonder the Bible says \”contentment with godliness is great gain\”. 

I found her comment very valuable and got me wondering how indeed living life with a contented heart can enable on to live and enjoy balance in life.

Experts on living the zen lifestyle often recommend that we practice being content. Thinking about contentment brings two words to my mind happiness and satisfaction. Like happiness, contentment requires being intentional. I have shared about how we can make the conscious decision to choose a life of happiness.

The Apostle Paul wrote, \”I have learned in whatever circumstances I am in to be content.\” This means we need to consciously make the decision because like any other habit, being content is learnt. Like most people, I struggle with maintaining an attitude of contentment all the time. However, below I share some habits I am cultivating which I believe may help you on this journey to living a life of contentment.

 

#1. Staying in the Present Moment.

Yesterday and all its joys or burdens are gone. Tomorrow is promised but what you have before you is now. It is important not to dwell so much on what should have been and focus instead on what is. This allows you to enjoy balance as you are able to focus on the blessings before you.

As you may have read from my story, I suffered a lot because I was not living a life of contentment after I left my corporate job. When I went through a self-discovery journey, I asked myself what it was that brought me joy and fulfillment in my then corporate job. Was it the work I did or the titles I held at the time? I discovered my fulfillment came mostly from using my skills, abilities, and expertise to help people solve their problems. I do not have that job anymore but I still have the skills, abilities, and expertise. When I channel these through other mediums like this blog and the management consulting work I now do, I am finding that it gives me fulfillment and balance.

#2. Living Within Your Means.

As the old idiom goes \”cut your coat according to your cloth\”. In most cases, you are out of balance and are not living a life of contentment because you are pushing yourself too hard so you have your grass green all year round. This could be cured by learning to practice delayed gratification or what I like to call sitting with want.

The rate at which technology and fashion plus many other things changes are too fast. Although enjoying what you already have even when there is a \”new kid on the block\” is sometimes challenging; you can learn to say \”no or not yet\” to your wants or desires.

Making use of a monthly budget also allows you to live within your means. The end result is often that you avoid getting into unnecessary debt which in most cases contributes to discontentment and imbalance. I find that budgeting can lead to fulfillment as it allows you to see clearly what resources are available to you and how best to use them.

#3. Remembering Love is all that matters.

I find that when I am surrounded by people I know love and depend on me, this brings me immense joy and fulfillment and helps me with living a life of contentment.

Carrie Underwood has sung that \”when you figure out that love is all that matters, it makes everything else seem so small\”. Through experience, you can find that contentment comes from hanging out with your family and just \”being\”. When you focus on those you love and aim at making an impact on the circle of influence God has given you, it allows you to enjoy a balanced life.

#4. Working to Live.

You may have encountered the paradox do we work to live or live to work? I often wonder whether it is humanly possible to live to work? I strongly believe that in order to live a life of contentment, you should always view work as a means to an end and NEVER the end in itself.

Avoid making your work or job titles the source of your self-worth or identity. Your work should enable you to live a decent lifestyle where you meet your needs and some of your desires and wants.

I have since learnt that there is a difference between self-image and self-esteem. The later has to do with the inner self. It is who you believe you are as a person. Self-image, on the other hand, has to do with how other people view you. People who focus on self-image are the ones who often struggle with discontentment. On the other hand, those who focus on self-esteem know that none of us is beneath another human being regardless of who you are or the work you do. People with high self-esteem have done their work and are immune to the burdens of so to speak \”trying to keep up with the jones\”. They are living a life of contentment.

Finally,

I am also finding that in addition to the above, living a life of contentment is possible when you choose an anchor that is solid and can stand the test of time. Many things change but the relationship I have with Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever keeps me going even when the going gets tough.

As Christians, we are told to \”seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and not be anxious for tomorrow\”. With this in mind, you should learn to \”be still and know that he is God\”.  This requires choosing to cast all your burdens on God and recalling that as the Creator he has the very best plans in store for you. As it turns out, most of the time the things we are anxious about either do not happen or things just work themselves out.

 

I would love to know what your view is about the relationship between living a life of contentment and having a balanced life? Please let me know in the comments section.