You can learn the power of contentment!
It's easy with these simple contentment tips.
Fred Bryant, author of Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience, shares some of the benefits of contentment.
Savoring is a term from the study of positive psychology. Recognize that without savoring, you're missing out on life!
We can learn to savor or mindfully engage in thoughts or behaviors that heighten the effect of positive events on positive feelings.
— be fully present, use all your senses to be present.
Notice how things feel physically, use your eyes to fully see everything around you, smell the smells, hear the sounds, breathe deeply.
— this is the act of remembering, with gratitude, a pleasant experience.
For example, I have an app on my iPhone (called Live Happy) in which I can take pictures during pleasant experiences (these moments include a date with my wife, going to the dog show with my son, or an afternoon out with my daughter, and even moments alone after a run at night).
Use Pareto's Principle to pare down your To Do list to only the most important things.
For example, if you have 15 items on your daily To-Do list, use the 20/80 rule: 80% of your effectiveness will come from 20% of your activities.
Multiply your To Do list by 20%, and shorten it to the Big Three most important things to get done that day.
Repeat the same process the next day.
By having only 3 things to do, you can be more relaxed while working on those three items.
This suggestion comes from Oprah.Com.
Allow yourself only 9 minutes each day to complain, whine, and vent.
Break your 'negativity' time into three breaks of three minutes apiece.
By freeing your time up from negative thoughts and emotions, you will be giving your subconsious and conscious mind time to focus on positive solutions.
The Bible commands gratitude. But it's not a chore: it's a privilege! Our Creator knows how we're wired!
Gratitude is to contentment what electricity is to a light bulb. Without gratitude, we can't appreciate who we are and what we have.
These are just a few contentment tips. If you can think of some more ways to live a contented life, drop me a comment below!