How to BE CONTENT with The HERE & NOW

By TwentytwoNewThings in Blog on 22 Jul 202321 Nov 2023

As you all KNOW, we live in a FAST-PACED world, and it can become very easy to feel like you are NOT where you should be in life; especially when you’re always trying to keep up with the Jones’.

Society is ALWAYS telling us how we should live our life…not ONLY THAT; even how we should LOOK, ACT, & THINK. More than ever now we feel pressured to #CONFORM to society’s expectations. We feel that we need MORE in order to be BETTER. This has become a never-ending cycle that leaves us feeling downright miserable and un+happy with our current situation.

With all these distractions, we can forget to SHINE LIGHT on ALL of the THINGS we are grateful for.

#DAILY GRATITUDE helps YOU SEE CLEARLY ALL THE THINGS YOU FAIL TO SEE👁️

For a while, I felt like I had to meet these expectations. I struggled with being content with my NOW & I was always trying to find ways to be happy. I was constantly chasing after the next big thing…MONEY…clothes…shoes…SUCCESS… you name it. But these material things were only giving me TEMPORARY happiness…not the type of happiness I was looking for.

Until then, I realized TWO things…

ONE, true happiness cannot be bought and TWO, I need to work on myself.

I started a gratitude journal to keep track of things that I was currently grateful for. Rather than constantly worrying about what I did not have, I started to appreciate what I did have. The more I wrote in my gratitude journal, the more I FOCUSED on the positive and realized how many blessings I had. Eventually, I was less worried about these so-called expectations that I felt & I became MORE CONTENT and happier with my life.

When you FOCUS on the good, you begin to notice all the GOOD things around YOU.

– Yolanda J

Now don’t get me wrong. There’s NOTHING wrong with treating yourself to nice things every now and then or even wanting something better for yourself; however, the problem comes in when you resort to finding happiness outside of yourself.

I say all of this to REMIND YOU…

Material possessions alone won’t bring the ever-lasting happiness that you so long desire and when you FOCUS on finding true happiness from within, you WILL give yourself the chance to grow & BECOME the best version of YOU.

Be Happy…Be You…and start living for YOU.

-Yolanda J

ALLOW me to leave you with this QUESTION…

How can you learn how to be content with your NOW and find true happiness from within? Starting a gratitude journal is not a bad thing to START with. But even if this isn’t your thing, there are still other OPTIONS that you can explore and find what works best for you.

Practice self-care. Use that PTO. Take that nap. Read a book. Listen to music. Do that thing that makes you feel good about being you.
BE MIND+FUL. Mindfulness can help you become more playful, maximize your enjoyment of a long conversation with a friend over a cup of tea, then wind down for a relaxing night’s sleep. As you spend time practicing mindfulness, you’ll probably find yourself feeling kinder, calmer, and more patient.
Pay ATTENTION to the energy you bring around others. Is it positive or negative? Remember energy is CONTAGIOUS and what you bring can influence everything and everyone around you. Yeah, the saying is true “how you start your day determines how your day will go”. Now I get it. Some days you aren’t going to feel positive, but you can still choose to re+direct your FOCUS on the GOOD things that are currently going in your life. Sometimes just getting a quick heavy workout in or just engaging in positive self-talks will do the trick and CHANGE your whole mood!
Get to know YOU. Silence the notifications from your phone so that you can dis+connect from the world and spend time alone connecting with yourself. This will allow you to RE+FLECT on how you are feeling and thinking as you gain a greater awareness of yourself.
Reflect on your blessings. We often take the SMALLEST things for granted. You woke up this morning alive and well and have a roof over your head and food to eat. That’s SOMETHING to be grateful for ..RIGHT?!