For much of my adult life, I’ve been encouraged to find a way to be content. To be happy. To be satisfied.
Less striving. Less pushing. Check the ambition.
Because people who are content are happier, aren’t they?
I’ve heard contentment described this way: the knowledge that things are OK exactly as they are, right now.
Ahhh- but that’s where the problem comes in. I don’t think that things are ok exactly as they are. And the older I get, the more I think that’s ok too.
I’m suggesting another way: A healthy discontent. When put in the proper perspective, I believe the right kind of angst can be one of the greatest forces for good in this world. It’s that nagging feeling that something is not quite right – that the status quo is falling short and that we were made for more.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. felt compelled to speak up for civil rights, knowing deep down that we should be judged, not on the color of our skin, but on the content of our character.
- Doug Deitz, a renowned designer at GE, found himself discontent with the cold, intimidating MRI machines he had helped create. They were causing fear in sick children. So he designed the warm, inviting GE Adventure Series to transform the healthcare experience for young patients.
- Even Sara Blakely, as a fax machine saleswoman, felt frustrated with the existing offerings in women’s clothing. So she created Spanx to transform the industry through innovative products that give confidence to women everywhere.
If we’re completely content, it likely means one of two things: either the world is perfect (which we know is not the case) or we’ve resigned ourselves to the way things are. As C.S. Lewis so eloquently stated, “”If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
True, lasting contentment is hard to come by. I’ll admit, when I look back on the early years of building ADDO, I wasn’t nearly as content as I should have been. I was always hyper-focused on what could be better, on the next horizon. I didn’t enjoy the incremental wins and milestones because I was so fixated on the future.
Contentment requires two key things: the right perspective and a heart of gratitude. We need to anchor ourselves in something greater than ourselves – whether that’s our faith, a noble cause, or a vision for a better tomorrow. And we must cultivate gratitude for what we have, rather than dwelling on what we lack.
But we must be careful not to mistake contentment for complacency.
Complacency is when we lose our drive to improve, when we become apathetic about getting better.
I challenge you to lean into that healthy discontent. Use it as fuel to make the world a better place. But don’t let it consume you or rob you of the ability to be present and grateful. Find that sweet spot between striving and apathy, where positive change can thrive.
