Once you learn how to be happy with what you have, you will be so much more mindful and appreciative of your life.
It’s hard to be content when you’re always focused on what you don’t have. You might feel like you’ll never be happy until you reach a certain goal or acquire a certain thing.
The solution to this problem sounds quite simple: you can’t be happy until you’re happy with what you have. It sounds simple but it’s not that easy to implement.
This is because we don’t know how to be content. In today’s world, we are bombarded with messages that tell us we need more. We’re told that we need the latest and greatest gadget, the newest car, the trendiest clothes, and the perfect body.
It’s no wonder we have a hard time being content!
I am not going to lie: it is hard.
Nonetheless, it is still possible to learn how to be content with what you have. And the more you practice it, the easier it will become.
How do you define happiness?
First things first: you need to shift your definition of happiness.
For a lot of us, happiness is synonymous with acquiring things, even if we don’t realize it. If we get that new car or handbag, we’ll be happy. But as soon as we have it, the happiness fades away and we’re back to square one, wanting more.
This is NOT how happiness works.
Happiness does not come from things. Happiness comes from within.
To be truly happy, you need to find happiness from within yourself. This means being content with what you have.
I know, it sounds easier said than done, but I have been there myself and I know it is possible. And once you shift your mindset, you will be so much happier.
What is happiness? Happiness is a state of mind.
You can be happy even if you don’t have a perfect life or the perfect circumstances. You can be happy even if you’re not rich or “successful”.
Happiness is a choice. It is a decision that you make every day, to be happy with what you have.
What is wrong with wanting more to be happy?
The problem is that it is a never-ending cycle. There is never an end to this constant quest for more.
If we always want more, we will never be truly happy. We always chase happiness, but we never seem to catch it.
It is like a hamster running on a wheel. The hamster is always running, but it never gets anywhere.
The same is true for us if we are always chasing after more things to make us happy. We will never catch happiness because it is not there.
It is something that we have to create from within ourselves.
And to do that, we need to start being happy with what we have.
Why be happy with what you have?
The main reason is that it is so much better for your mental and physical health (study). When you’re always chasing after more, you’re never truly happy. You’re constantly stressed out and anxious, always worrying about what you don’t have.
But when you learn to be content with what you have, that stress and anxiety disappear.
It might not seem like it, but this shift in mindset can make a world of difference in your life. You will be so much happier and healthier when you learn to be happy with what you have.
Another reason to be happy with what you have is that it will help you appreciate your life more.
When you’re always focused on what you don’t have, you never take the time to appreciate what you do have. You will be more thankful for what you have, and your life will be so much richer because of it.
Money and happiness
It’s official: money can’t buy happiness.
According to the largest study ever conducted on the subject, once you have your basic needs met, additional wealth has very little impact on your level of happiness. Their findings confirmed what many of us have long suspected: beyond a certain point, more money doesn’t make a difference.
This makes sense when you think about it – after all, once we have food, shelter, and clothes, we can live our lives in peace and comfort.
Of course, there are always going to be things that we want that we can’t afford, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not happy.
The key to happiness is not to focus on what we don’t have, but to appreciate what we do have. When we do that, we realize that money is not the most important thing in life.
10 Ways: How to be happy with what you have?
Being happy with what you have is not about settling for less. It is recognizing that it is enough.
Here are some tips on how to be happy with what you have:
1 – Practice negative visualization.
This is a technique that helps you to appreciate what you have by imagining what it would be like to lose it.
For example, if you have a house that you think it’s too little or not good enough, imagine what it would be like to live on the streets. Or if you have a job that you don’t like, imagine what it would be like to be unemployed.
Imagine how would it be to be raised in another environment, with little or no food, and with no education.
But don’t stop there. Not only should you imagine how bad things could be, but also how good they are now.
Think about all the things that you have that other people don’t: a safe home, people around you, a job, food, clothes.
This may sound like a strange way to be happy, but it actually works. It helps you to appreciate what you have by putting things into perspective.
2 – Think about your limited life.
We all have a limited time on this earth. We don’t know how long we are going to live, so we should make the most of the time that we have.
This doesn’t mean that we should live in a state of constant fear, but it does mean that we should appreciate the time that we have.
There’s no point in waiting to be happy. Sure, we all want to achieve our goals and reach our full potential, but that doesn’t mean we should put off happiness until then.
Every day is a gift, and we should treat it as such.
That is why you should be happy NOW. If you’re looking for a reason to be happy, remember that today is a gift – and it’s up to you to make the most of it.
You don’t need anything in order to be happy, besides just being alive!
Related: How to make every day count?
3 – Choose to be happy.
It’s easy to think that happiness is something that just happens to us – that it’s out of our control. But the truth is, happiness is a choice.
It is not something that happens to us by chance. We can choose to be happy, no matter what our circumstances are.
Of course, it is not always easy to be happy. But it is always possible.
Life can be tough.
We all have our fair share of problems and hardships. But even in the darkest of times, we can still choose to see the good in people and the beauty in life. We can still choose happiness.
When we make the decision to be happy, we open ourselves up to a world of possibilities. We start to see the beauty in life, and we find strength in ourselves that we never knew we had.
So next time you’re feeling down, remember that you have the power to choose happiness – no matter what life throws your way.
4 – Practice gratitude.
This is probably the most known way of being happy with what you have. But it is also one of the most effective ones.
Gratitude is simply the act of being thankful for what you have.
It is recognizing that even though you may not have everything you want, you still have a lot to be thankful for. It is acknowledging all the good in your life, no matter how small.
For example, you may be grateful for rain, for having a TV in your house, for the food in your fridge, or for your friends and family.
All you have to do is to take a moment to think about all the things you are thankful for. And trust me, there will always be something.
You can even keep a gratitude journal, where you write down everything you are thankful for each day.
By doing this on a regular basis, you will appreciate all the good in your life, and it will also make you happier.
5 – Stop comparing yourself to others.
Theodore Roosevelt once said that comparison is the thief of joy, and I so much agree with him.
One of the main reasons why we are not happy with what we have is because we compare ourselves to others.
We see all the things that other people have, and we want them for ourselves.
But what we don’t realize is that we only see the good in other people’s lives. We don’t see their struggles, their problems, or their insecurities.
So when we compare ourselves to others, we are only comparing our worst to their best. And that’s not fair to us.
Social media has a big role in this. We scroll through our feeds and see all the happy posts, the perfect pictures, and the seemingly perfect lives.
Remember that some people would love to be like you. To have a family, a home, and a job.
Also, remember that you actually don’t know what’s actually going on in other people’s lives. So don’t compare yourself to them. Just focus on being the best you can be.
6 – Live in the present.
It’s easy to find yourself living in the past or the future.
When things are going well, it’s natural to reflect on happy memories and times when life was simpler. Similarly, when facing difficult challenges, it’s only human to worry about what could happen next.
However, neither the past nor the future is under our control. The only thing we can influence is the present moment. And yet, so often, we allow ourselves to be controlled by nostalgia or anxiety.
Instead of enjoying the good times, we long for an imaginary golden age that never really existed. And instead of meeting the challenges of the present head-on, we waste our energy worrying about hypotheticals.
If we want to be happy and successful, we need to learn to live in the present. Only then can we take control of our lives and create the future we want for ourselves.
7 – Focus on what you can change.
There will always be things in life that we can’t control.
For example, we can’t control the weather, the economy, or other people’s actions.
However, what we can control is how we react to these things.
And that is actually much more important.
You see, it’s not the events in our lives that make us happy or unhappy. It’s our thoughts and feelings about them.
For example, you can’t change the fact that you got fired from your job. But you can control how you react to it.
You can choose to see it as an opportunity to start a new chapter in your life. You can use it as a chance to learn new skills or to pursue your dreams.
Or you can choose to see it as a setback and wallow in self-pity. The choice is yours.
So focus on the things that you can change, and don’t sweat the “small” stuff.
8 – Embrace simple living.
Now, I’m not saying that you should give up all your possessions and live in a cave.
But I am saying that you should focus on what’s important to you and declutter your life.
One way to do this is to follow a minimalist lifestyle.
Related: Simple Living Tips
Minimalism is about living with less in order to make space for what matters to you the most.
How it can help you be happy with what you have?
- Well, first of all, it can help you appreciate the things that you already have.
When you declutter your life and get rid of the things that you don’t need, you start to see the things that you do have in a new light.
You realize that you don’t need a million things to be happy. You just need a few good-quality things that you love and that serve a purpose.
- Second of all, minimalism can help you live more intentionally. Happiness comes from living a life that is in line with your values and your goals.
When you have fewer things, you can focus on what’s truly important to you. You can invest your time and energy in the things that matter instead of wasting it on stuff that doesn’t.
Focusing on these things over material possessions will certainly make you happier.
Related: Why material things don’t make you happy?
9 – Don’t take things for granted.
We get used to our comfortable homes, our reliable cars, and our steady jobs. We wake up each day and go about our lives, assuming that everything will stay the same.
But nothing in life is ever guaranteed.
At any moment, something could happen that completely upends our world. A natural disaster could strike, or we could lose our job. Our health could take a turn for the worse, or a relationship could end.
So why not to be happy with what we have while we have it?
It’s not perfect, I know but IT IS.
10 – Make time for relationships.
Happiness doesn’t come from things. It comes from relationships. There are even important studies in this sense.
It’s easy to believe that happiness comes from having things: a big house, a new car, a closet full of designer clothes.
But the truth is, those things don’t bring lasting happiness. They might provide a momentary boost of joy, but it quickly fades.
True happiness comes from our relationships with other people. It comes from the connections we have with our family and friends. It comes from feeling like we belong to something larger than ourselves.
When we invest in our relationships, we’re investing in our own happiness.
So next time you’re feeling down, reach out to a friend or loved one. Spend time talking, laughing, and simply being together. Because that’s where true happiness comes from.
Final thoughts
Happiness is not hidden in material things. It’s not something that you can buy.
True happiness comes from appreciating what you have, living a life that is in line with your values, and investing in relationships.
So don’t wait for happiness to find you. Go out and find it yourself. Start by being happy with what you have.
Take a moment to appreciate the good things in your life. Focus on the positive, and let go of the negative.
And most importantly, remember that happiness is a choice. It’s up to you to make it happen.
So start being happy with what you have today! Every day is a new day to start over, to be happy. Why not be happy now?
P.S.: Spread happiness everywhere you go.
Have a happy day!
Cheers!
For more inspiration, I have an article about Minimalist Blogs to follow, which will help you in your journey toward a happy and fulfilling life.