How To Be More Content With What You Have

Play the gratitude game as often as possible, thinking of things for which you are grateful until you start feeling content with what you have. And since we can't feel gratitude and anger or sadness in the very same moment, gratitude manages to replace our negative emotions and uplifts us right as we are experiencing it. It is also interesting to discover that ancient Jewish wisdom put it this way: Who is rich? Those who are happy with what they have. 

Contributors: Bracha Goetz from Bracha's Books

I believe starting a gratitude journal is one of the most fun, magical, and life-changing ways to be more content.

A gratitude journal can be a delightful reminder to enjoy life, practice gratitude, and record positive thoughts to document your happiness in your own storybook.

Journaling about happy things will make you more aware of the good things in your life. Aspire to be more grateful for your blessings and joys every day. Keep a gratitude journal to acknowledge the wonderful things in your life. Journaling can also illuminate many blessings you may have previously been unaware of. Being grateful means assigning value to the good things in your life and appreciating that you have been blessed with privilege to enjoy them. Be aware of the good things in your life and write about them in your gratitude journal. Be descriptive and use your words to fully capture the joy and contentment you feel during that wonderful moment. Studies have found that there are many benefits to the simple act of writing down things we are grateful for such as better sleep, fewer symptoms of illness, and more happiness. 

Contributors: Zakiyya Rosebelle from Happy Rosy Day

Always remember it could always be worse. Sure, we all want it to be better (I for one would like to have never been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer but you can’t change some things). To be content, know what you can change and how and recognize what you can’t. Also, some folks will always have “more” but you don’t know what that more truly entails at 3am on a bad night - no one does. 

Contributors: Lisa Vento Nielsen from Lisaventonielsen

More often than not, the reason why people are not contented with what they have is because they compare themselves with their contemporaries. But you have to realize that every person is created and raised differently. We're all presented with different opportunities and we make different choices when presented the same opportunities. Know that every step you take, sets you apart from your friends and your family no matter how you think you're similar. These differences give you experiences, relationships, successes, and failures that are uniquely your own. 

Contributors: Dadhichi Toth from Astrology.com.au

When you know where you are going in life, personally and professionally, and know why you are where you are, it’s easier to care less about others. Why would other people matter if you cared more about what you were doing and working towards? Your values, attitudes and beliefs, are the source of personal meaning and motivation. If you know your values and integrate them into your everyday life and relationships, you will care less about what others are doing. When you find fulfillment in your life, there is no need to compare yourself to others, because you are enough. Too often we strive for happiness, an emotion, but emotions are not supposed to be constant. Emotions are regulated by your hormones to motivate you to do or not to do something, and achieving that thing, doesn’t keep you happy, it actually stops you from being happy. Fulfillment or personal meaning is a constant, and if you can create fulfillment by living true to your values you will stop comparing yourself to others, and be content with where you are in life. 

Contributors: Benjamin Ritter from Live for Yourself Consulting

Meditation is the answer. Truly taking a few minutes a day to scan our own bodies and thoughts, and separating off the external world from those things which truly matter will help. It takes practice. It is doable. Then we can be happy with what we have instead of yearning for what we do not have. 

Contributors: KJ Landis from Superior Self series

To me success means being a person who goes for it, follows through, and learns new things. When starting a small business it's really easy to get caught up in expectations of revenue - which means it's easy to be disappointed when you don't reach it. So I consider myself an extremely successful business owner. 

Contributors: Maryna Shkvorets from Mars and Stars baby

Focusing on what you have attracts more of what you want to you - like a magnet! The more you focus on the things you have, the more of what you want appears, seemingly out of nowhere! Despair comes from continually focusing on what you don’t have and comparing yourself to others and what they have! Jump off the hamster wheel of going around-and-around in a circle focusing negative energy on what you don’t have and instead make the conscious choice to enjoy the wonderful peace of mind enjoying all the wonderful things in your life you have right now! Just remember, it’s a conscious choice we make in every moment to focus on what we have! 

Contributors: Allison Constantino from A.M. Productions, Inc. 

I'm not going to lie, todays society is all about flashing everything you have. Cars money your body but where does it get you? Instant gratification perhaps but that fades. Practicing modesty will stop you from trying to keep up with the jones's and make decisions that are right for you. Respecting your home, bank accounts, financial future and body will bring you an everlasting contentment over instant gratification. 

Contributors: Vanessa Barthelmes from JadoreVanessa 

Popular culture and the media want you believe that having more (clothes, cars, toys for your children) will make you happy. On the flipside a movement toward minimalism encourages you to first focus on the discovery and clarification of your core priorities, values and beliefs. The next step is to declutter and remove items from your home and lifestyle that are not aligned with those needs and beliefs. By removing and reducing items that cause visual and physical clutter in your life you begin to free yourself from the responsibility of caring, storing and organizing those items. Minimalism allows you to be content with what you have because you realize those are the only items you actually need. You also begin to see that a majority of the stress and anxiety we feel comes from the care and expense of having too much.

Contributors: Lauren Tingley from Simply Well Balanced 

It seems simple, but setting an intention for your day can largely impact how you perceive and react to situations that manifest around you. It is often said that energy flows where attention goes, meaning that our thoughts are powerful. So try this simple technique when you feel stressed or anxious - take a few deep breaths, close your eyes, repeat silently (or aloud) I fully accept what is, I let go of what is not, I am grateful for my life as it is, I am content and at peace. Repeat as many times as needed until your anxiety has passed.

Contributors: Melissa Okabe from Melissa Okabe Yoga