A Better Path to Contentment

A Better Path to Contentment

By Joshua Becker   · becomingminimalist

People look for contentment in any number of places.

Some look for contentment in a high-paying job, yet show their discontent the first time they are passed over for a raise.  Some look for it in a large home, yet show their discontent by requiring countless improvements.   Many have sought contentment in a department store, believing that one more item will finally match their desire, but they are always disappointed, despite the promises made in ads.

In our consumeristic culture, where discontent is promoted and material gratification is encouraged, learning to be content can be difficult.

It is a personal journey we all must travel—and nobody’s journey looks exactly the same as another’s. There is no one-size-fits-all, seven-step program to fully attain contentment in your life. I’m not here to offer one.

I do, however, want to raise a question that I think can be helpful to all of us in our pursuit.

What if we have been looking for contentment in all the wrong places?

What if contentment is actually found in the exact opposite of the place where we have been told to look?

That is, what if contentment is not found in accumulating more for ourselves but in giving more to others?

That would change everything!

Benefits of Generosity

We can quickly picture how contentment would lead to generosity—the less we need, the more we can give away. That’s the way most of us think about it.

But could it be that the inverse is also true? That the more we give, the less we need?

And that generosity is the quickest pathway to contentment?

Consider for just a moment why this might be the case:

Generous people appreciate what they have.

People who give away some possessions hold their remaining possessions in higher esteem. People who volunteer some of their time make better use of their time remaining. And people who donate money are less wasteful with the money left over.

They understand the full potential of their resources—and tend to value them more highly because of it.

Generous people live happier, more fulfilled lives.

Studies have shown that generous people are happier, healthier, and more satisfied with life. And once they find this satisfaction through generosity, they are less inclined to search for it elsewhere.

Generous people find meaning outside their possessions.

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