I’m feeling relatively uninspired to write today, which doesn’t happen all that often. But it’s happening today. I keep a list of ideas for my blog and sometimes I write them in advance when I am inspired, then publish them on Monday’s. So here is what I have on my list that I haven’t written about yet – learning to be content. Which is mildly ironic considering I am not content with blog writing today.
When I heard that recently, it struck me because I had never considered that contentment was a learned skill. But it is. It is something I have had to work on, especially in the throes of my event life when the drive for bigger and better, and faster is intoxicating. So, why do we have to learn to be content? What is it about being discontent that affects us in ways that is detrimental to our lives or careers?
Discontent means ‘dissatisfaction with ones circumstances.’ And dissatisfaction means unsatisfied or unhappy. So in essence we have to learn to be happy with our conditions, surrounding etc. So contentment and happiness is a choice. And if we have a choice we have some control over that choice. Ergo we can choose contentment in the very circumstances we exist in today, right now…now.
Discontentment is dissatisfaction, so contentment is satisfaction. Follow me? And if we are satisfied we are happier and if we are happier it shows itself in the pockets of our lives AND it is contagious. There is research, which I can verify by my personal experience that shows how a positive leader who chooses to see the glass as half full has a team that chooses to see the same more often than not. So as a leader, if you feel like your team is discontent examine your own methods and approach to situations. Look at something as simple as your arrival at work each day. Are smiling? Sighing? Hurried? Overloaded? Apprehensive? Distracted? Or are you content?
Do your own experiment, I’d be interested to hear about your results.
And now, on this crisp fall uninspired blog day I will examine my lack of contentedness and make a better choice. I hope you do too.