The Quickest Way to Contentment

We all want to feel like we’ve arrived. Like we’ve got all we want and are satisfied. We all want to reach the land called contentment. But it’s as if contentment is a destination that recedes into the distance every time we approach it. That’s inevitable when our concept of contentment depends upon material abundance. 

What if contentment is found in the opposite place from where we have been looking? What if contentment is found, not in accumulating things for ourselves, but in meeting the needs of others? 

It’s true that the less we need, the more we can give away. But what if the inverse is also true? What if the more we give away, the less we need? In other words, what if generosity leads to contentment? 

People who give away possessions hold their remaining possessions in higher esteem. People who give their time make better use of their remaining time. People who donate money are less wasteful with the money they have left over. 

When you begin sharing your money, possessions, and time, you will find yourself learning to be content. The practice will give you a finer appreciation for what you own, who you are, and what you have to offer. 

Generous people learn to find joy in what they already possess. They discover that the secret to contentment is surprisingly close at hand. 

So if a misguided search for contentment is motivating your pursuit of too much, my advice is that you take control of your attitude. Don’t engage in when-and-then thinking: When I get _________, then I will be happy. Instead, remember that your happiness does not depend on your acquisition of possessions. Your happiness is based solely on your decision to be happy.

As Kim and I began simplifying our home, generosity became a natural by-product: we needed to get rid of things, and we quickly found people who needed them. 

As we did, we found donating to be far more rewarding than owning. Our view of material possessions changed completely. We didn’t want more stuff. We wanted to experience more of the abundance we found in giving. Contentment took up residence in our home.

It can take up residence with you as well. 

At what times in your day do you feel most content? How might getting rid of some of your possessions bring you greater contentment?