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    “We all understand what optimism means; we all know what a relationship is. But the secret to finding contentment and fulfillment in your life is not understanding optimism, but living optimistically. It is not about intellectualizing the value of relationships, but diving in and allowing yourself to connect at an emotional level with someone else. Go ahead and care about your buddies at work or the barista who makes your coffee every day. These aren’t transactions—these are the jewels of life. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and take the risk of full engagement.”

    Bert R. Mandelbaum, MD, via The Win Within (Page 144)

      “Satisfaction comes from believing in the value of what you do.”

      Jay Shetty, Think Like A Monk (Page 81)

        “We had concluded that no one can make a person happy. You can make a person smile; you can compose a moment that helps a person to feel good; you can deliver a joke that makes a person laugh; you can create an environment where a person feels safe. We can and must be helpful and kind and loving, but whether a person is happy or not is utterly out of your control. Every person must wage a solitary internal war for their own contentment.”

        Will Smith, Will (Page 357)

          “To feel sufficient, to be satisfied with what we have: Chisoku in Japanese. Of course, by some measures, there’s never enough. We can always come up with a reason why more is better, or better is better, or new is better or different is better. Enough becomes a choice, not a measure of science. The essence of choice is that it belongs to each of us. And if you decide you have enough, then you do. And with that choice comes a remarkable sort of freedom. The freedom to be still, to become aware and to stop hiding from the living that’s yet to be done.”

          Seth Godin, Blog

            “Eagerly anticipating some future event, passionately imagining something you desire, looking forward to some happy scenario—as pleasurable as these activities might seem, they ruin your chance at happiness here and now. Locate that yearning for more, better, someday and see it for what it is: the enemy of your contentment. Choose it or your happiness. As Epictetus says, the two are not compatible.”

            Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 57)

            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.

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

              Mark Manson Quote on How Being Desperate For Something Doesn’t Help You Get It

                “The more you desperately want to be rich, the more poor and unworthy you feel, regardless of how much money you actually make.  The more you desperately want to be sexy and desired, the uglier you come to see yourself, regardless of your actual physical appearance.  The more you desperately want to be happy and loved, the lonelier and more afraid you become, regardless of those who surround you.  The more you want to be spiritually enlightened, the more self-centered and shallow you become in trying to get there.”

                Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

                Beyond the Quote (177/365)

                The more desperate you are, the more intense your feelings of lack become. Sometimes desperation comes from a lack of a need. These intense feelings are legitimate survival mechanisms designed to keep you alive. When you are desperately hungry, it implies that you would do just about anything for food. When you are desperately ill, it means that you would sacrifice almost anything for health. When you’re desperately sad, it means you would likely try anything for happiness again. But, desperation can be self-imposed from a lack of a want, too.

                Read More »Mark Manson Quote on How Being Desperate For Something Doesn’t Help You Get It

                  “He that is discontented in one place will seldom be content in another.” ~ Aesop