Simple Is Better – Finding Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6-8 - But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

When asked what we desire for our loved ones, the most common answer is: “That they are happy.”

This is a good answer. A noble answer. Yet happiness can be overrated. Happiness happens in the moment. It’s positive thoughts that may or may not be long-lasting. Our happiness can be here today and quickly gone tomorrow and is often based on what most recently happened in our life.

Personally, I believe contentment is where the rubber hits the road. Contentment has a longer view. It’s deeper with more satisfaction and fulfillment in our lives. Contentment is a peace that connects the dots in our lives. It brings a sense of calm even when the world around us feels anything but peaceful. Contentment is the safety net under everything else that assures us no matter what happens in our day, week, month or year, we have what we need to feel safe and secure.

Contentment is a choice. So is happiness. As many things happen within our lives over which we have very little control, we do decide how we respond to a situation and how much influence it has in our lives. Yep, some things are more distracting and disruptive. Fully embracing happiness and contentment includes a conscious decision to choose them each day. While being happy in the moment is great, I long for something more. I want an underlying peace that grounds me. This is especially important when something happens that deeply affects me and over which I have very little control. These are the moments that contentment is so important. It’s how I make it through the difficult days. Knowing I have practices and beliefs in my life that are consistent bridge the gap when things feel out of control.

How to Choose Contentment Today

Like happiness, what brings you contentment maybe different in how I find it. Here are a few ways I find contentment. Embrace one, practice them all or see them as inspiration to discover what helps you find contentment. Here are 12 ways to choose contentment today.

1.      Find gratitude. Every. Single. Day. I begin each day writing down three things that I am thankful I experienced in the last 24 hours. Why is this practice important? No matter what is going on in my life or world, the distractions that seem to be around me, I can find three things to give thanks. The sun coming up. A cup of coffee. A text or phone call. These are the things that I need to remember as important every day.

2.      Speak a daily affirmation into my life.  Every day, I post these little 60-second daily affirmations on my social media. Why do I do them? Because I need them. I need a daily reminder that I can redirect my thoughts energy and attention towards something that gives me air to breathe. I try to use different types of affirmations throughout the week. On Wednesday, I include a prayer tip. Monday focuses on what I call a life hack. Tuesday, I share a grief tip, usually a line from my book, Unraveling Together: Sharing the Threads of Grief. On Sunday, I remind myself and others that we all need a Sunday Sabbath moment. Do others benefit from these daily affirmations? I pray so. In all truth, they began because I needed to remind myself to affirm something daily.

3.      Express compassion. The world is full of words that pull people down. It amazes me how free some people free to type or say hurtful things through their phones. And yes, there are plenty of people who say these things out loud as well. Maybe I’m old-fashioned in this sense. I go back to the adage that if I don’t have something nice to say, maybe I shouldn’t say anything at all. Are there times I speak hurtful things and/or use a tone of voice that is inappropriate? Yes. When this happens, I stop and remember more bees are caught with compassion than with hurtful words.

4.      Remember to smile. Earlier this week, I picked up our youngest grandchild from school. She seemed not as perky as usual. So, I played a little game with her. I encouraged her NOT to smile. As she tried to keep her little lips pursed together and not smile, I saw the little ends of her mouth creep up in a smile. Literally within seconds, we were giggling and laughing, even as she tried not to smile. Don’t want to smile? Challenge yourself not too. See what happens. You may be amazed how much better you’ll feel.

5.      Less is more. I love a beautifully decorated house. I love when our house feels cozy and like a hug. I also know that everything is a lot less easy to care for when I simply have less stuff. I have scaled back how much I have. And I am so thankful that I have. There’s less to take care of which requires less of my time. Do I still have things to get rid of and sort through? Yes. In fact, I’m working on a few things this month. I’m challenging myself to spend 10-20 minutes a day going through something. A closet, a dresser, a pile of paper. It is amazing how it feels to know there is less. While it might sound crazy, I also don’t want a ridiculous number of things for someone else to sort through. I want to have things in order as much as I can.

6.      Use your strengths. Each of us has been gifted with special natural talents, strengths and abilities. When we use them effectively, we feel alive. Work doesn’t feel like work. It feels natural. Embracing these things, whether in actual work, as a volunteer or for personal satisfaction, brings joy to our lives. Make time to operate within your giftedness as much as you can.

7.      Accomplish one important task. We may begin our days with lots of things to do. Encourage yourself to do the most important task first. As you accomplish this (and maybe cross it off your to-do list), find joy in your contribution. When the task feels daunting, I tend to want to put it off. The amazing thing? If I do it first, I discover it often is not as challenging as I thought and I feel a sense of accomplishment and ready to take on something else!

8.      Hold back a complaint. In a world where it feels like people are more comfortable in lashing out towards others, humbly keep those comments to yourself. Rather than adding to an unhealthy and unhappy environment, choose peace. Yes, there are opportunities for us to help others redirect, make corrections and see something from a different perspective. As you do this, do it from a place of grace and appreciation for them as a person.

9.      Improve yourself. I find significant contentment when I know I am growing as an individual. Whether it’s discovering a new way to care for my body, handle finances, practice a craft or grow in an area of interest, spending just a little time to enhance your skills can be terribly rewarding. This doesn’t have to be a deep dive into something. It’s encouraging to be a dog that consistently learns new tricks. Regularly.

10.  Discover the benefit of pain. I know. We don’t want to experience pain. Most of us want less difficulties in our lives. Here’s the deal. One hundred percent of us WILL encounter disappointment and suffering in our lives. Period. As we adjust to a disappointment in our lives, one way to find contentment about it is to find meaning behind the situation. Let me be clear. Suffering is not a reason for us to discover some important lesson. We get to choose if we will allow our disappointments to help us grow. When we discover the ability to do this, then we will also be able to offer comfort to others when they experience pain.

11.  Find the quiet. Time alone in solitude can help slow down everything; if only for a few minutes. Maybe it’s being in the car with no noise, meditating, sitting with a cup of coffee or tea … whatever will allow you to simply be. Meditating can be daunting. I’ve used several short meditation videos to help me center when I want to slow down. There are many online ones to use. Moments to connect with your inner being can bring a sense of quiet contentment into your life.

12.  Believe in something meaningful in your life. What this looks like in your life may be different from how I see this in my life. For me, faith and a sense of connecting to something bigger than me brings me significant peace and contentment in my life. I discover that I don’t have to know everything. There’s a God who helps me journey through life and guides me in the process. I encourage you to be clear about what really brings meaning to your life. When awful and great things happen in your life, how does it create a deep sense of humble accomplishment? Does this include how you connect with other people? Knowing God is a part of me keeps me grounded and reminds me that I don’t have to have it all figured out. This creates meaning in my life. What does in yours?

Today is a gift. May I encourage you to treat it like the special gift that it is. Choose joy. Find ways to nurture contentment in your life. Let’s do this together.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – Create within me a deep sense of contentment. Of knowing there is fulfillment in my daily life where what I do matters and makes a difference. May I find in You satisfaction and life meaning. Encourage me to seek this from You and myself. Amen.

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook and Instagram (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith.)

If you have enjoyed this blog, please pass it along to someone else who will also enjoy it 

Attend one of my upcoming book events!

Sat., Mar. 21 – Poynette Area  Library, Poynette, WI, 10 AM