“Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plan living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Man’s happiness really lies in contentment.” ~ Gandhi

What is contentment really? Is happiness more important or is contentment more important?

I believe that contentment and happiness are very intertwined. Infact one can’t BE without the other.

To me happiness is a state of being. We tend to come in and out of happiness depending on our situation…but contentment is not like that. Contentment once achieved becomes an ingrained part of you, which does not change or fluctuate…no matter what your state of mind or situation.

To achieve contentment takes practice and persistence. While I agree that I have not always been the content type, I also know that it was that time that was very very unhappy for me too. Which only proves, that contentment is as essential to our happiness as air is to our being alive. As you read further you will understand why…

Like I mentioned before, we each are gifted with contentment at birth, but we our self choose to plague it with vanity and variety. Below are five starting ways which will help you to resurface that Content part of you.

5 Ways to Achieving Contentment in Life

1) Trust Yourself :

You will never be content with what you have until you make peace with who you are.

Whether you believe it or not, you have a pretty hard time trusting yourself. You dont trust your own decisions and spend your days second guessing yourself. This is what you need to address first….you need to learn to trust yourself. How? Start by liking yourself. Do you have habits and qualities you love? If no, then develop habits you like about yourself..when you can like yourself, you can trust yourself too.

2) Don’t Judge Yourself:

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.~ Epicurus

Comparing yourself to others in a very unreal way is judging yourself. If you judge yourself constantly, how then can you be content with your self or your life? There will always be more out there that you dont have…in the comparison dont forget what you already have. You are awesome just the way you are.

3) Break the ideal mold:

I am not in this world to live up to other people’s expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine.~ Fritz Perls

Expectations are a ^%&$&^!! I know, its the worst killer for self-confidence. But, breaking that cycle of expectations, from yourself and from others is what will make you literally taste contentment and happiness within. Rather than expecting to touch the stars in a day, why not get realistic and touch those stars in 7 days…gives us more time to plan and work on those big dreams right? Break that mold of expectations you or others have created for you and break free into a world of contentment.

4) Simplify Yourself:

Contentment consist not in adding more fuel, but in taking away some fire. ~ Thomas Fuller

My favorite way of them all! A physical act of simplifying yourself and your surroundings instantly has a positive impact on your overall feelings of contentment. Try it! Just look at the space you are sitting in right now and remove what is unnecessary to your productivity. These things pose barriers to your mental clarity. Do away with them and see how you are left with just the basics…and that is enough for you in this moment.  Simplify darlings…it kick starts and resurfaces those divinely content cells instantly.

5) Stop, Breathe and Count Your Blessings:

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~  Frederick Keonig

How often do you just STOP? Take a pause, take a break….not the kind that you take from work. A break from the constant expectations and judgments and rut of life….Yeah now thats a break. Give yourself just five minutes a day to breathe silently. No externals, just you stopping and breathing…breathing and recollecting yourself. After that 5 minute STOP, make a mental list of all your blessings. Read this list and keep adding to it everyday. This practice will make you aware of what you already have and thereby rekindle the contentment within.

In Conclusion – Contentment Equals Happiness

There is a famous misconception about contentment… People often think that a content person should be sitting around sipping lemonade in his/her garden without a care in the world. That is completely wrong ofcourse. I am a content person who is still working towards her big goals and dreams. That work is not posing a barrier to my state of constant contentment…infact it helps in clarifying the way to my big dreams.

Being content to me means, being completely ME at all times. It means jumping and playing in the rain without a care in the world of what people might think of me. It means I do what I want to do, without letting others expectations of me mask my own dreams. It means I am perfectly satisfied with whatever I have right now….the gratefulness of which paves way for more happiness everyday.

Contentment brings constant happiness. Contentment is the way to happiness.

❓What is your definition of contentment? Do you think its essential to your happiness? Share your thoughts, your wisdom in the comments.

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