Monthly Archives: December 2017

The pursuit of contentment


In the words of Alfred Pennyworth ‘Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.’ This rings true for every time we mess up, get rejected or even when circumatances outside of our control makes us fail at something or fail someone.
Every obstacle is a learning opportunity but we sometimes get so jaded and cynical that, in our resilience, we just push through, forgetting to stop and recenter ourselves and being mindful of why/how that obstacle was there to overcome.
How do we learn if we just keep moving forward? And how do we move forward if we keep having to stop and learn?
Happiness as a concept is abstract, as a feeling its fleeting. Can we always be happy? I’d venture no, we have moments of happiness, an event, a person, an act of kindness can make us happy for a moment but we don’t remain elated, that isn’t possible and clinging on to that moment may even potentially stop us from further moments of happiness.
How about being content? Being content as a default setting is a much more realistic endeavour. We can be content in life and have fleeting moments of happiness mixed in with fleeting moments of sadness, all necessary and healthy ingredients to life’s delicious recipe of zanyness.
We all have goals, short, medium, long term that we would like to fulfill, things that would ostensibly make us ‘happy’ but the pursuit of happiness can leave us blind as to what we already have.
Be content with what you have, strive to do more, to better your station in life but remember that you are already in a better position than you were before. Be good to yourself for what you have already given yourself and be grateful to those who have contributed to it.
Didn’t think I’d ever write such a short post and still think I could illustrate my point better but its 2 a.m, I wrote a post after months of silence so I pat myself on the back and say Jolly Good!