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For the past two weeks, I’ve been exploring how to bring more positivity to our lives. In week one of this three-part series, I explained that happiness is the least reliable way to feel positive, but I showed you how to boost it. If you missed it, just hop over to mindful15.com/happiness. Last week, I provided practical exercises for creating joy, which is much more stable than happiness. That episode is at mindful15.com/joy. Today, in the final series episode, I want to explain how to cultivate contentment, possibly the most enduring kind of positivity and the most overlooked.
I saw a great quote on a message board the other day. Fred Maliucci wrote “Happiness is the feeling we get when our mind has a desire met (whether acting, thinking, or dreaming). Contentment is the feeling of not having the desire to begin with.”
To be content is to be satisfied, and it’s possible to be content regardless of what’s happening, or what you have or don’t have. It’s about accepting what is going on in the present moment. Contentment is a state of balance that is not disturbed by desire for something more or different. It’s less temporary than happiness, because instead of being caused by external conditions that come and go (like losing weight, or getting a new phone), it is independent of external conditions.

Peaceful Moment of the Week: Blue Jay in Monica's Backyard

Interestingly, contentment promotes happiness, too. Remember, chasing after things to make you happy can cause longing, pining, a sense of dissatisfaction, and even depression and anger. That suffering goes away when you’re feeling content, and you’re left with more time to put your attention on what’s happening in the moment, which gives you more opportunity to notice things that make you happy.
Being content doesn’t mean giving up on dreams or aspirations, either. It simply means that your happiness is no longer dependent on achieving them. It’s about being at peace, not about being complacent.
Contentment also helps you distinguish between wants and needs and avoid greed. When you learn how little it takes to be truly content, you realize that many of the things and experiences you were chasing aren’t necessary. Contentment less burdensome, less time-consuming, and less expensive than endlessly pursing more – and it’s more environmentally friendly, too! It leaves you with more time, money, and energy to pursue personal growth rather than personal possessions.
Practical Ways to Cultivate Contentment
There are two fundamental strategies that help build contentment:

*       Practice living in the present moment.

Essentially, what I’m saying is, “Learn to be mindful.” Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on the present without judging it. The “not judging” part is where the benefit really kicks in. To be mindful is to focus on what’s happening right here, right now as it really is, without layering on judgements, opinions, or beliefs that cause suffering and dissatisfaction. It’s about acknowledging and accepting, which are the essence of contentment, too. (And, no, I don’t mean you need to accept things that are unacceptable like disrespect, violence, etc. For more about what acceptance really means, please check out mindful15.com/acceptance.
This practice requires regular meditation, because it is difficult to simply go out and be a mindful person. Mindfulness is actually contrary to human nature. But, consigning mindfulness to the meditation cushion isn’t enough, either. Meditation is the starting point and the essential practice for maintaining mindfulness long term,