Daily Dharma

“Be content with what you are, and wish not change; nor dread your last day, nor long for it.” — Marcus Aurelius

Photo by eyeore2710.

As I start to work on Daily Dharma, I want to stress what this blog is not: It is not another personal development blog. Personal development is for people who want to make themselves better. This blog is for people who want to experience life better.

Can you see the difference?

Today, Be Content With Who You Are and What You Have.

You see, I believe personal development too often stresses all of these things we do not have: the perfect body, unlimited wealth, a perfect relationship, infallible will power, etc.

While there is nothing wrong with striving to be healthier, wealthier, and wiser, I hope to focus on an even more important goal: being content.

But what is contentment, anyways? And how do you know if you are, in fact, content?

Often contentment and happiness are used interchangeably. But I do not think they are the same. I think it is possible to be content, but not necessarily happy, just as I think one can be happy but not content.

To me, happiness is temporary. Happiness is a long overdue reunion with a close friend, a success at work, or winning a competition. Happiness feels wonderful, but it cannot last forever, because soon the suffering that we feel everyday returns in some way, whether it is a bill that is due, a stressful email from our boss, or the desire for something we don’t have.

Unlike happiness, contentment has the power to overcome this suffering in a more lasting way.

Contentment is not permanent. (Nothing is permanent). But with practice, we can train ourselves to be content more of the time than we are discontent, and through such practice, begin to relieve our suffering.

In this way, contentment becomes the tool we use to be “happier” on a daily basis, even though “happiness” is not the right word.

Put simply, some of the things I believe define contentment include:

• Accepting ourselves, including our bodies, as God made us
• Not wanting what things we do not have
• Being present
• Being peaceful
• Not worrying
• Loving
• Eating
• Sleeping
• Awakening
• Breathing

What does contentment mean to you?

Today’s Challenge

• Make a list of at least 10 things you are grateful for.
• Buy only food, medicine, or other staples that sustain you. Do not shop.
• Do not dream about what would rather be doing. Find a way to enjoy what you are doing now.