Contentment: a state of happiness and satisfaction. Or as I like to say, the common misconception that we should always want more. As we grow up, we are taught to always be working towards goals or striving for better things, but what we don’t see as much is people really taking the time to be content in their own lives.
Photo via Camille Orgel on Unsplash
Contentment is something I’ve struggled with for a while. In every stage of life, there has always been a sense of needing something else or constantly wanting more. It took me so long––especially my time since starting college––to accept where I’m at and to be happy with it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to have goals, dreams, and know what you want in the future. I still do, but it’s important that we understand those things are THE FUTURE, NOT THE NOW, and to not get fixated on all the other things we want or want to move on from. Since I’ve accepted where I’m at in life and given college a chance, I have become happier than I’ve ever been before.
These are the things I’ve found to be true:
Realize you have your whole life to live.
So many of us are worried about what’s next. If we could just be out of the stress of college, or be married, or this, or that. We are so worried that things won’t work out and always have a long list of things to accomplish when in reality, we are only college students and have so much life still to live.
Understand where you’re at is not forever.
The stress of college can be crippling, for some more than others, and I think we tend to get caught up in that. We forget that this is only about six years of our lives, if not less. These are the years that we’re able to do what we want without all the responsibility of real life. Too many of us are worried about growing up and moving to the next step when we should enjoy the moment.
Stop comparing yourself and your life to others.
One of the biggest causes of discontentment in my life, and I’m sure many others, is comparing ourselves to other people and their lives. It happens all day every day. You get on Instagram…compare. You get on Twitter…compare. You go out in public…compare. If we could just focus on ourselves and what’s good about us, then we would be so much happier.
Be open minded.
One thing I’ve learned is that you’ll never be able to find contentment in something if you never give it a chance. Being open minded is so important in finding friends, hobbies, things to be involved in at school, and your future. Being open minded will lead you to become more content because you will no longer need things to go exactly as you plan, and that’s a blessing.
Love the little things & live in the moment.
This. If you take anything from this article let this be it. Some of the best memories made are the moments you least expect. They are the moments jamming at a concert you spontaneously bought a ticket for. They are seeing a beautiful sunset on a drive home. They are the moments mid-way through where you just think, “I never want this moment to end.” Remember it. Live in it. And hold onto it.