Being content is so difficult in the modern world. We are forever being bombarded with images and videos of other people’s beautiful lives, not to mention all the advertising floating around us. Often we are left feeling inadequate or that our lives are somehow diminished by the success of others, even by those closest to us. Well I say, stuff that! Let’s face it, the media is not going anywhere so we need to learn how to deal with it?
I personally use all the imagery and media to understand myself better. Sometimes it’s not until you see someone else with something or doing something that you realise it’s something you want. Instead of thinking of this as a negative feeling i.e. envy – I like to think of it as aspirational contentedness. Being happy with what you have but knowing you deserve and can obtain better.
So with all this information to hand, you can go out and begin to carve the life you actually want. I am very much in the process of my very own life change. One example, I was not happy with my hair. It was limp, short and relaxed. Then I discovered YouTube videos where a lot of girls were giving healthy hair advice. I went natural at the end of 2015 and now I love my hair and that’s just one small change. The point being, I found a source of information and used it to better myself not envy the other girls thinking nice natural hair was somehow unattainable.
I started writing everything down. That old saying that if you fail to plan then you basically plan to fail, is so true. What in your life could be better? Do you want to travel more? Are you sick of being in debt? Do you want to completely change your look? All these are valid wants and if you take the time to plan the small steps it takes to achieve your goals. You can achieve a better life.
So that’s the aspirational part covered, in terms of contentedness – and this is the hard part, it’s all about staying positive. I can’t stress enough that a life change doesn’t happen over night and the importance of learning to be happy/content in the here and now. A positive attitude is fundamental to the success of your new life. For example, if you live in a dump don’t focus on that, instead think about the privilege of having your own space, some people don’t. Do little things to make your dump more of a home and be content with it. I’d even cut out magazine pictures of the place you want and stick them somewhere so you can see it and remember what you’re working towards.
If you’ve struggled to be content or, perhaps you are embarking on your own life change, let me know in the comments.
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