By: Michael Beiter

It’s no secret that I’m an avid reader and journaler.

This morning, I was prompted to evaluate my contentment levels. In short, how to recognize and be satisfied with enough.

I enjoyed the exercise so much that I thought I’d share it with you. Maybe you’ll benefit as much from it as I did (I hand-wrote over three pages in response.)

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Determine which of the following groups conveys a message of general satisfaction (enough is enough) or dissatisfaction.

Your family

Your friends and community

Your colleagues at school or work

Your culture

The political climate

The news (media)

What is the nature of the groups’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction?

How does the group’s message positively or negatively influence your sense of contentment?

If the influence is negative, how can you lessen the group’s impact on you?

1. Recognize what enough is. Know what contentment is for you.

2. Be satisfied right now with what is present. We ruin what is current by longing for what is absent. Say out loud, “It is enough.”

3. Practice contentment. Define it. Set boundaries around it.