Have you ever met someone with an insane desire to succeed with something? They might strive to get perfect grades in every single class, might want to get a perfect body, or go on dozens upon dozens of dates just to find ‘the one.’ These people seem to have it all, and yet for every victory they gain, they want to climb another mountain. For every step forward their feet take, their minds are already three steps ahead into the future.
You also might have met people who aren’t growing, but still have a desire. They want the dream body, the amazing grades, the perfect romance, and if the world would just give it to them they could make the most of it! These are the people who want to be satisfied and want their lives to improve, as long as someone else does the work for them and simply hands them the result. They live ten steps in the future while their feet haven’t moved an inch.
Still you probably have met people with no desire to succeed more than they already have. They have their life and while it might not be perfect or everything the world tells us we should want, it’s good enough. They might strive for small goals or want to make tiny improvements, but they really don’t care either way. If things go well, then they go well, and if things dip a bit, then they are just thankful the pendulum didn’t swing too far in the wrong direction.
All three of these types of people have one thing in common driving how they behave in life. It isn’t wealth, education, opportunity, their home life, or the hand that life ended up dealing to them. It actually isn’t anything physical at all, it’s their level of satisfaction, how they use it, and their mindset around it.
What Does It Mean To Be Satisfied?
The dictionary defines satisfaction as “the fulfillment of one's wishes, expectations, or needs, or the pleasure derived from this.” All of us are satisfied every single day, especially when it comes to basic needs. When we are hungry, thirsty, or tired, we eat, drink, and sleep until we don’t need anymore. Too little of these needs and we feel bad and act badly towards others, while too much of these needs can throw our bodies off.
However, whenever we get just enough to where we don’t need anymore, we can be satisfied and go about our day. Satisfaction is something that keeps us content, where we are fine with where we are and we don’t need to have any more. But the level of satisfaction isn’t the same for everyone, and in fact it is a mindset that is different for each person.
What satisfies one person might not be enough or might be too much for someone else. That’s why people with a growth mindset for example are almost never content to rest on their laurels and want to seek out the newest challenges. However, for people without a growth mindset, they would be satisfied with any one of the things a high achiever could do and likely wouldn’t feel the need to do anymore.
Since satisfaction is a mindset, that means you can choose to be satisfied right here and now. You don’t need anything special, but of course that is easier said than done. Still, the idea that you can choose to be satisfied and content about anything, should be empowering to you. The situation that you are in doesn’t get to determine your level of happiness anymore, but instead that job falls to your mind and your mindset.
Lack, Abundance, and Satisfaction
It can be hard to be satisfied whenever you want something, or whenever lack is staring you right in the face. For example, let’s use everyone’s favorite topic: Money. Whenever bills and debts and rising prices are constantly starting you in the face, you might wonder how you could ever be satisfied with that! However, one way to be satisfied is to look at what you have.
Chances are, no matter how tight things end up getting you always find a way to put food on the table and keep your roof over your head. So focus on that, be grateful that while times are hard you don’t have a lack of food or shelter. Be grateful that you have your health and education about money. Be grateful you have the dedication to save and the wisdom to know how to make every dollar go the furthest and do the most that it can.
Gratitude is one of the keys to developing a satisfied mindset, and it doesn’t just work for lack. It can also work for abundance too. If you find yourself having an abundance of good fortune, take a moment to be satisfied with what you have or be satisfied with what the abundance will bring you.
Having extra money, for example, might mean that your debts are paid off, that you can take a vacation, or that you can improve your life standards. You might be able to get something or take advantage of an opportunity that was otherwise out of your reach. This can be a great time to pause and be satisfied with where you are. Congratulations, you have more than enough, you can take advantage of that, you don’t have to worry.
Keep satisfaction and gratitude with you in times of abundance and lack, and you’ll notice that things won’t seem as stressful as they once were.
Practice Satisfaction
Finally, like any mindset, you will need to practice it. Take the time each day to be satisfied, even if it is in regards to small things. Just focus on what you can be content about, what you are grateful for, and what you have enough off. If you can do it for small things, then you might be able to do it for bigger things as well.
While practicing a mindset might seem a little silly, you can eventually call up feeling satisfied and grateful on command, which can be pretty powerful whenever you are facing lack and scarcity. Being able to center yourself with satisfaction is often enough to keep you from falling down a rabbit hole of feeling terrible when life starts to mess with you.
After all, haven’t we been down that rabbit hole enough? And the whole reason you are reading this book to is ensure to live a satisfied life, and that means minimizing despair and seeing the positive in all aspects of life.