I was asked the question this week by a client “how can I become more content?”

That made me think – what is contentment?

Is it the same as happiness?

Could it be viewed as the lesser state to happiness?

Well yes and no- it depends

Contentment can be defined as “Contentment is the calm joy or quiet pleasure we feel when our needs are (even transiently) satisfied and we are in harmony with ourselves and our surroundings”.

Contented people “the urge to savour and integrate” (Berkely Wellbeing Institute).

It is a “quieter” energy, but longer lasting than the surge that Joy brings.

Contentment is more intrinsic (within) than happiness which can be linked to more extrinsic factors (outside ourselves) e.g. gaining wealth and material objects, getting married, or getting a new job or car.

It can also follow a period of accomplishment, when we “stop to smell the roses” before pushing ahead with other life goals. It is associated with “mastery activities,” i.e., activities that provide a sense of competence..

For me contentment is:

A warm cup of tea on a cold day

Being out in the sunshine

Laughing with my children

Drawing the curtains on a cold winter’s evening and snuggling under the heated blanket

Seeing daffodils in January (that was the picture I took just now)

I savour each and every one of these and encourage myself to “stop and smell the roses” (or daffodils!) everyday,

Some of us are “hard-wired” to do this naturally- I am not one of them.

For me some days are easier to be content than others.

But its a practice I am embracing this year.

What happens if you cannot work out how you can be content?

Come and book a free call with me at https://www.theprofessionalscoach.co.uk/contact-me/ and I can show you the tools you need that can help you find more contentment in your life.