Quote:
Originally Posted by Marsupilami
I'm not sure I could ever settle for contentment, purely because it means this, what I have now, is the sum total of my life. I can't live with that, in fact I don't want to live for that. What is the point of being alive just for the sake of being alive. No. I may be struggling to find the will to fight, but I will never give up the desire to want more than the life I have now.
Yes I have learned to live within my limitations, but that does not mean that I have to accept them long term and continue to be bound by them. I think it is important to continually push those boundaries, as at times they move, both for the good and the bad. Testing them also means that you are not giving up on yourself.
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But this assumes what you have in your life is not positive and only "existing". I wouldn't call that contentment at all. Your description connotes that contentment is giving up on anything moving forward in life.
I am extremely content with my life. I have a loving husband and three great sons. I have a job that I'm good at and will keep me going until I decide to retire. I have activities and people I am involved with.
I don't "have" to have more. I'm pretty content with what I have. It isn't perfect: my husband is seriously ill, money is always tight, occasional problems with the kids or stress at work, etc. But nonetheless, I feel pretty blessed to have what I do have. That's contentment.
Does that mean I don't branch out and try new things? No. Does that mean I don't have hopes and dreams or make plans? No. Of course I do. BUT . . . I can remain content without having to constantly strive for more. I have a wealth of blessings. I can remain content even if my life isn't everything I might dream of . . . I'm not just existing day to day; I'm living a pretty active, satisfying life. If I wasn't, then I don't think I would call that contentment. I don't have to constantly be fighting for more. To me, that wouldn't be contentment at all. That sounds incredibly stressful to constantly feel the need to be "driven" to be okay with life.