John Leland Quote on Contentment and Why You Should Grab It While You Can

“Contentment had been there for the grasping, if only I had recognized it.  Probably it’s there for you.  The elders would tell you to grab it while you can, not agitate for something better.  They don’t have time for delusions, including the delusion that you have time.  They’re too busy loving like there’s no tomorrow, because for any of us, there might not be.”

John Leland, Happiness is a Choice You Make (Page 85)

Beyond the Quote (278/365)

Contentment is here. It’s right here for you and I to grasp. Of this I am sure. It is not a matter of whether it’s there or not for you, but a matter of whether or not you can see it. Whether or not you can recognize it. Whether or not you even know what you’re looking for or how to grasp it.

Contentment is not there. It’s not in the past. It’s not in the future. And if you convince yourself that it is, you will miss the contentment that’s available to you right now—for sure—for a contentment that might or might not be available to you later. Because nothing about the future is ever for sure.

The very desire for a different kind of contentment is a perpetuated discontentment. What makes you think that something later will satisfy the discontented spirit that you’re holding right now? Do you have something now that you dreamed of having in the past? Where is the contentment from that? If your contentment is always only short-lived then is it really contentment? Or is it really just temporary excitement?

Contentment doesn’t create more desire. Contentment makes what you already have, enough. And let me make this easy for you, if your basic necessities for survival are covered and you’re living somewhere between comfortable and uncomfortable—then contentment is there for you. You have just forgotten how to see it.

Many of us know someone that wouldn’t know contentment if it slapped them in the face. People who would look at that hand that slapped them and think of ways they could make it more desirable. Maybe with some rings, bracelets, lotions, tattoos… Or even worse, how they can become better receivers of slaps. It’s madness! Even hands can create discontentment in our lives! Isn’t it so?

Desire is never ending. Unless you consciously choose to end it. You just have to make what you already have—enough. Really, truly, be thankful for what’s in your life. Easier said than done, I know. But, when the hard work of doing it is done—so are you. You’ll be done with desire and constant feelings of lack. Worth the effort? I think so.

Oh, and one last thing. Contentment isn’t a finish line—it’s a way of living. And it’s possible to live in contentment and still seek to do better each day. Not because doing better is going to change how you feel—but, because doing better will change how others feel. There doesn’t need to be a feeling of lack in order for you to do your best.

In fact, how can you do your best if you’re feeling like something is lacking? Like you are incomplete? Best efforts come from feelings of wholeness. Wouldn’t you agree? You have to feel like what you’re doing is in alignment with your purpose, calls upon your unique talents, and is impacting people in positive ways. And getting there starts with filling yourself with overall contentment. And that isn’t something that happens later. It’s something that happens in the now—if you just let it.

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