When do you experience a feeling of contentment? Different people give different answers this question. They may say some of the following things.
I experience a feeling of contentment:
When I am feeling grateful for what I have been given in life … When I am walking … When I am appreciating the simple things in life … When I have completed a piece of creative work… When I am seeing things in perspective.
Contentment, like happiness, is sometimes the by-product of doing certain things. There are also several definitions of contentment. These include the following.
A feeling of quiet happiness … A feeling of deep satisfaction … A feeling of having done your best … A peaceful ease of mind.
People are more likely to feel contentment when they feel in control of events. Or when, as the saying goes, they aim to control the controllables. They may then focus on the following themes.
Calmness
Some people do things that enable them to feel calm and then can lead to them feeling content. Here are some of the activities they may mention.
I sometimes feel calm when:
I am feeling in control … I am simply sitting in my room … I am walking … I am with my dogs … I am close to water … I am doing deep breathing … I am listening to music … I am preparing to do certain kinds of work.
When do you feel calm? When does this sometimes lead to a feeling of contentment? How can you do more of these things in the future? What may be the benefits of taking these steps?
Creative Work
Some people experience contentment as a by-product of completing a piece of creative work. They may do this by focusing on a specific activity that gives them positive energy.
They may being aiming to encourage a person, write an article, paint a picture, sing in a choir or do a creative project. They may be aiming to solve a problem, tackle a challenge, lead a team, shift a culture or do another activity.
Different people then follow their own approaches to achieving a feeling of contentment. Bearing in mind what they can control in the situation, some focus on the following steps.
Clarity
They clarify the real results they want to achieve and translate this into a clear picture of success.
Creativity
They follow their preferred way of working and find creative solutions on the way towards achieving the picture of success.
Concrete Results
They keep working until they get the desired results and have a feeling of satisfaction from achieving the picture of success.
What are the kinds of creative work you do that sometimes leads to a feeling of contentment? What are the steps you take to do such work? How can you follow these in future? What may be the benefits – both for yourself and other people?
Counting Their Blessings
Some people experience contentment as a by-product of counting their blessings. Different people do this in different ways. Some do it by focusing on the following themes.
They are thankful for the good fortune they have had in life … They are grateful for having had loving parents and a happy childhood … They appreciate the encouragement they have been given by other people.
They enjoy life … They are thankful for their personal and professional assets – such as their health, relationships, strengths, drive and desire to improve … They want to use these assets to help other people.
When do your sometimes count your blessings? What are the feelings you get when taking these steps? How do you then aim to build on these feelings?
Different people do different things when experiencing a feeling of contentment. Some may simply enjoy feeling at peace. Some may reflect and appreciate life. Some may build on the experience and use it to keep developing.
Let’s return to your own life and work. When are the specific times that you experience contentment? What are the specific thing you can do to increase the chances of enjoying this feeling in the future? What will be the benefits of taking those steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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