I strive for a lot of things.
Financial security, professional fulfillment, secure and loving relationships, an endless supply of crab legs… I could go on, but now I’m thinking about crab legs.
Most of all, I think I strive for a sense of contentment. You all know the feeling I’m talking about. It’s like a physical sensation; the sense of pure satisfaction with how your life is now. Peace manifest.
However, as confident as I am that you understand the feeling of contentedness, I am just as confident about something else:
That contentment is misunderstood.
We live in a world that has made some decisions about life without our input. What success looks like, what is realistic, what is idealistic, how we should all spend our time, and what contentment is and isn’t.
Think about the concept of contentment for a moment. Many of us probably picture a Terry Redlin painting of a cabin or a sunny day on the porch. We picture simplicity.
But how many of us genuinely feel contented in such simplicity? Perhaps for a while, but as time rolls on we begin to stir. We start to look for a purpose beyond the front steps of the easygoing life.
We grew up hearing that this is what being content means; that we need to accept how things are. We are told that if we ask for more, then we aren’t content – we’re selfish. What once was a word that meant to be fully and completely happy in your life has now become synonymous with the relinquishing of our dreams.
Rarely do I hear someone say that they are content with their life without a passion being surrendered to the obligation of contentment.
“Yeah…I would love to quit my job and do what I really love, but I have to be content with where my life is now.”
When did we consign our futures to this concept of ‘just accept it; it’ll never happen’? How did we take the definition of contentment – the state of happiness and satisfaction – and conclude that it meant to stop striving for what truly matters to us?
Living a life that is contented is no less active than the pursuit of one’s purpose. In fact, only through zealously pursuing your purpose can you achieve any sense of contentment. How are we to achieve happiness and satisfaction without living out of our purpose? Is the act of living out of your purpose not the fulfillment of a contented life?
There may be times when you find yourself in a moment of peace; the hustle of the world seems to hold pause. In these moments, you may find the only word that describes how you feel is ‘contented.’ Simplicity provides its own fulfillment. Honor those times, and provide yourself with these respites. Nevertheless, be assured that contentedness is found in equal abundance while experiencing the tension of pursuit.
Moments of peace are only possible by accompanying a life of action.
Have you ever completed a high-stakes task or conversation, only to come out the other end exhilarated? As if you had just accomplished something so fulfilling, that few other experiences more effectively manifest who you truly are than this moment in time? Is an individual, actively connected to their purpose, less contented than those living a simple life?
Our world’s broken definition of contentment demands that we abandon our passions in the name of simplicity. Remember that true contentedness is not possible without the realization of purpose. We will never know what it is to be content without chasing the life we were born to live.
So chase your passions, fight for fulfillment, and live a life contented by achieving your purpose.
