According to a post by Leo Babauta:
"contentment isn’t a matter with being content with your situation in life and never trying to improve it. It’s a matter of being content with what you have"
To be honest, there are so many times in my life that I am not content with what I have, everything that I have in life just seems not good enough for me. A random example of this will be when some of my friends and I gathered together last weekend and cooked shabu2 (Japanese style hot pot) at my boyfriend’s apartment. When I found out that the shabu2 sauce that I usually use for shabu2 was out of stock, I was very unhappy, begged my boyfriend to take me to all groceries stores in town to find that similar sauce. I forgot that I have bought so many ingredients for shabu2, all I care was just the sauce.
This story of mine get me thinking now, that most of the time people put more thought on what they don’t or wasn’t or not yet have, rather than what they already have. Such a small thing, like sauce in my example, could redirect all of my focus from meat, sea food, delicious broth, and other things that I already bought and were ready to be cooked.
A friend of mine once told me that he loves his ex more when they have broke up, he even cheated on his ex when they were together.
“The grass is always greener on the other side”
When my friend chased his ex girlfriend, he put her as his target; his goal was to date her. She occupied his mind, just like the shabu2 sauce in my case. Once he successfully dated her, she was no longer becoming his target. After a few months or years, they were caught up on their routine of becoming a couple. There my friend found this new girl, she became his new target, his new goal was to date this girl. His mind was then occupied by this new girl, he felt that something was missing in his relationship with his ex, even though he didn’t know about this girl as much as he know his ex.
You could say that you never cheat, but I guarantee that you have ever felt not content in some way, maybe you feel like your car isn’t good enough for you, maybe you want a bigger house, or you want your friend’s job instead of yours.
I am not suggesting you to stop having a goal in life but people please stop complaining and start giving thanks to whatever you have to date.
Start counting your blessings!! Remember that I said my friend loves his ex more after they broke up? It is because he forgot to count her as one of his blessing when they were together. Count blessing could be as easy as you could wake up today with a healthy body, you could sleep in a bed inside your house for many people out there don’t even have a house or a bed.
Put yourself in their shoes! When you want something so bad, such as you want to have your friend’s job instead of what you have now. Start to put yourself in his/her position, remember that ‘The grass is always greener on the other side’ you might like what they have not simply just because you are not on their position. Trust me, someone out there might want to have your hob, or your car, or your house.
Remember the past! Remember when you haven’t get your current job, remember when you still put your current girlfriend or boyfriend (or spouse) as your target and why you want them so bad. =)
Sometimes all of those memories fade away as you caught up in your daily routine.
Sometimes all of those memories fade away as you caught up in your daily routine.
And last but now least, remember that the best is yet to come!
God’s plan is better than yours so just follow his way and he will always provide whatever you need (or even more) in your life. ^^
God’s plan is better than yours so just follow his way and he will always provide whatever you need (or even more) in your life. ^^
Have a good weekend you all.
Xoxo,
Dee
Dee
