When I look back to my younger self, I can only think that I had a loving family, a group of close friends, and a good job with a fair salary, but still, I always felt like something was missing. My mind used to be bombarded with questions like should I go for a new job with a higher salary? Am I putting the right effort into all of my loved ones or should I do something more? Whatever I am doing or whatever situation I am currently in, is that enough compared to others? Ugh! In my mind, it was a complete mess.
I might be happy whenever anything good happened but there was always something that was pushing me to chase perfection and now (being more mature maybe or after experiencing a lot of ups and downs) I can realize what was missing that I wasn’t actually fully content with my life and this single reason is enough to disturb our inner peace.
In this article, I am going to share how I finally made peace with my mind and what I learned along the way to feel content from within. But first, let’s discuss what exactly it means to be content with life. Happy scrolling.
What Does It Mean to Be content with life?
Being content is simply being satisfied and accepting everything as it is in the present moment. It’s about appreciating what you have rather than perpetually yearning for what you don’t.
Contentment doesn’t mean you can’t dream big or you can’t be ambitious. With a sense of recognizing and valuing your current blessing, you can be content with your life and still set your goal high and chase a better future. It’s like you are working to achieve your goal but mentally aware that whatever position of life you are currently in, is best for you and you will eventually get everything that’s meant for you.
Ways to achieve contentment with life
In my journey, what I felt is that contentment doesn’t come overnight or after hearing some motivational speech or reading a blog (just like this one). It’s not a destination. It’s an itinerary toward inner peace, and we can nurture this contentment simply by following some mindful practices and lifestyle adjustments. What are these? Let’s have a look at some.
Practice Self Acceptance
The first step toward being content with life is to accept yourself as you are. I used to look for my flaws and think that life would be better if I were perfect. If there weren’t any flaws in my skin, health, or surroundings, maybe I could lead a better life. But what I used to forget every time is no one is perfect. Imperfection is a part of life and whatever I am or wherever I am today is exactly what’s best for me.
The problem here is we always seek validation from others. And when someone doesn’t respond according to our expectations, we immediately get disturbed. It’s really important to stop seeking validation from others, embrace your imperfections and love yourself as you are.
Live in The Present
We often get caught up in the whirlwind of past regret and future anxieties. But if in your mind, you are always in your past or future, will you ever be able to enjoy your present happiness?
I always try to calm my mind from past nostalgia by saying to myself that nothing is going to change despite how much thought I give or how much regret I have about any past events. If anything bad happened to you in the past, maybe you can think of this as just part of the process. Maybe it was to make you more experienced, more resilient and more sensitive. Once you are able to let go of your past repentance and future worries, I am sure you can be fully content with your present life.
Stop Believing Everything You See on Social Media
People normally tend to show the best side of their life on social media. And sometimes when we see a beautiful picture of someone, a perfect picture of a happy couple, or someone posted about his new job or maybe someone just bought a new car, we often assume how perfect their life is and compare ourselves with theirs. It can often affect our inner peace and leave us feeling inadequate and dissatisfied with our own lives.
Just believe that no one lives a picture-perfect life. Every story has two sides. Whatever we see on social media, there’s more in real life that we don’t see. We don’t know the struggle behind their happy pictures. So stop comparing yourself with anyone by believing everything on social media and see how content you feel with your life.
Take Good Care of Yourself
Taking care of yourself is a must. Our health and mind are connected. You can’t cultivate a peaceful mind without taking care of your overall well-being.
Maintain a healthy relationship with yourself. Try to understand what your physical, emotional and mental needs are and do what’s best for you. Once you know how to keep yourself well, you will be done with all the disturbances from your surroundings and eventually will achieve the inner peace and contentment you are searching for.
Make Someone Smile Every Day
Do you know what is the easiest task to feel peace of mind? Making someone smile. This little thing truly matters. Maybe you can cook your mom’s favorite dish, gift a new earring to your partner that she has been eying for a long, or just give a positive gesture or a positive vibe to everyone around you and trust me when you will see the million-dollar smile in their faces, you will feel a true sense of contentment within your heart.
So from now on, let’s try to make someone smile every day, brightening their day and yours too.
Practice Gratitude
Life is not always perfect. We all have imperfections and being sad over with is valid. But still, there are a lot of things we are blessed with. You may not have the job you desire, but you have a great family and a loving partner. You may not have a perfect love story but still, you have a lot of people in your life who actually care for you. If you start to count your blessings instead of focusing on your shortcomings, you can feel that life is not that harsh to you actually.
Before calling it a night, try to remember three positive things you are grateful for outside of your current situation. It will help to swap all your dissatisfaction to true contentment.
Final words
Being content with life doesn’t mean settling for less. Just trust the process, do what you feel is best for you, enjoy every moment and grow like a tree reaching for the sky with its own peace.
