WEBVTT 00:00:11.929 --> 00:00:15.289 Good morning, everybody. It is four o 'clock 00:00:15.289 --> 00:00:17.929 in the morning. By the time I probably upload 00:00:17.929 --> 00:00:20.129 this, it'll be a little bit later in the day. 00:00:20.230 --> 00:00:22.030 So, but we're going to go ahead and move along. 00:00:22.390 --> 00:00:25.390 This is Thoughts That Fit With You with Neogentrix. 00:00:25.670 --> 00:00:29.089 Food for thought. We're going to hurry along 00:00:29.089 --> 00:00:32.490 and finish up the moral series this week, as 00:00:32.490 --> 00:00:36.390 March is almost over. Today we're going to have 00:00:36.390 --> 00:00:38.750 a pretty short discussion, but we're going to 00:00:38.750 --> 00:00:44.030 go ahead and cover contentment. In which case 00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:47.329 means, by definition, if I can remember real 00:00:47.329 --> 00:00:50.090 quick, I do believe it is a state of happiness 00:00:50.090 --> 00:00:53.259 and satisfaction. one in which you are content 00:00:53.259 --> 00:00:56.640 with yourself and what you have. While this may 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:02.439 seem like a trivial thing to cover, in all honesty, 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:08.579 it is actually not. While it won't take me as 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:12.500 long to cover everything completely, it's still 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:17.340 a topic that we need to cover. As Socrates put 00:01:17.340 --> 00:01:21.349 it, is a natural wealth. Luxury is an artificial 00:01:21.349 --> 00:01:26.650 poverty. In other words, having a lot of things 00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:29.090 just to feel good about yourself is only temporary 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:31.450 and those items can either break or disappear 00:01:31.450 --> 00:01:36.950 in an instant. Whereas being content with whatever 00:01:36.950 --> 00:01:39.510 you have, even if nothing, is a more valuable 00:01:39.510 --> 00:01:42.750 trait to have as you'll be able to keep more 00:01:42.750 --> 00:01:46.170 of what you have when you don't have anything. 00:01:46.450 --> 00:01:49.590 And no matter if you lose anything, It won't 00:01:49.590 --> 00:01:52.569 be as big of an issue. Now, granted, I understand 00:01:52.569 --> 00:01:54.849 that we live in a time frame now where money 00:01:54.849 --> 00:01:57.409 is something we definitely need in order to survive. 00:01:58.329 --> 00:02:01.010 But to be fair, in all honesty, you could go 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:03.469 out and live in the woods without half the stuff 00:02:03.469 --> 00:02:05.670 you have in your house and just basically survive 00:02:05.670 --> 00:02:11.750 there on your own. So, but... How do I put this? 00:02:12.310 --> 00:02:18.840 There were many reasons... There are many many 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:21.259 reasons of why a lot of people have chose to 00:02:21.259 --> 00:02:24.159 become minimalist and simplify their lives You 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:26.259 know, they were they were frustrated with clutter 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:29.159 They discovered at the time they that they had 00:02:29.159 --> 00:02:31.400 that they were wasting on managing their possessions 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:34.259 They could have been used to do something else. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:36.840 I mean joy wasn't found in their possessions 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:41.740 and They determined that they valued each other 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:46.860 way more than the physical belongs This initial 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:50.840 process of simplifying one's home required energy, 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:54.819 you know, effort and encouragement. You had to 00:02:54.819 --> 00:03:00.199 be able to continually do this. And by the process 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:03.479 of remaining minimalistic and living this, you 00:03:03.479 --> 00:03:06.340 know, countercultural lifestyle against all odds, 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:08.900 it requires something completely different. You 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:11.000 know, you have to be content with what you have, 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:14.139 which in other words means even if you have nothing, 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:19.469 still, being happy with just that you know contentment 00:03:19.469 --> 00:03:22.090 is the life with lifeblood of a of a minimalist 00:03:22.090 --> 00:03:26.530 okay and without it the journey towards minimalism 00:03:26.530 --> 00:03:30.710 uh is short -lived you know discontent will always 00:03:30.710 --> 00:03:33.050 rear its ugly head and become the great obstacle 00:03:33.050 --> 00:03:36.689 to fully thrive to a fully thriving life you 00:03:36.689 --> 00:03:42.330 know well a simple one anyway Not only does contentment 00:03:42.330 --> 00:03:45.270 provide the opportunity for minimalism, it also 00:03:45.270 --> 00:03:47.710 reduces your stress level, improves your outlook 00:03:47.710 --> 00:03:50.629 on life, relaxes your body, and makes your life 00:03:50.629 --> 00:03:54.189 enjoyable. There is an unmistakable freedom that 00:03:54.189 --> 00:03:57.310 accompanies contentment. A freedom to be who 00:03:57.310 --> 00:04:00.689 you are, enjoy who you are, and live the life 00:04:00.689 --> 00:04:05.310 you are destined to live. Yet, in our consumeristic 00:04:05.310 --> 00:04:09.199 culture... Where discontent is promoted and material 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:11.659 gratification is encouraged, learning to be content 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:16.560 can be very difficult. It is certainly a personal 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:19.259 journey that we all must travel, and nobody's 00:04:19.259 --> 00:04:22.259 journey will look the same. Truly, there is no 00:04:22.259 --> 00:04:25.120 one -size -fits -all, seven -step program to 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:27.459 fully attaining contentment in your life, but 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:31.399 I can give you six keys that can help you further 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:34.480 develop contentment in your life. And I'll cover 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:43.699 those next. Getting right back on track here. 00:04:44.339 --> 00:04:48.199 The first thing is become grateful, okay? It's 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:50.899 impossible to develop contentment without gratitude, 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:53.459 okay? They are inseparable no matter what you 00:04:53.459 --> 00:04:55.279 may think or what you may say or what anyone's 00:04:55.279 --> 00:04:58.079 told you, okay? And a grateful person is one 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:00.100 who has learned to focus on the good things in 00:05:00.100 --> 00:05:03.060 their life, not the things that they lack, okay? 00:05:03.639 --> 00:05:06.279 When you begin to question what you have to be 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:11.319 grateful, just start making a list. A literal 00:05:11.319 --> 00:05:14.160 list of all the good things in your life, okay? 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:16.519 Don't worry about finishing it. You don't need 00:05:16.519 --> 00:05:19.779 to, okay? The simple discipline of beginning 00:05:19.779 --> 00:05:22.180 the exercise will undoubtedly shift your focus 00:05:22.180 --> 00:05:24.560 back to the many good things you already have 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:27.519 in life, okay? And I'm not talking about material 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:32.079 things. Two, take control of your attitude. This 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:35.120 is one that my parents have told me a lot. A 00:05:35.120 --> 00:05:37.240 person who lacks contentment in their life will 00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:41.480 often engage in when and then thinking. When 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:45.360 I get whatever, then I will be happy. Instead, 00:05:45.540 --> 00:05:47.720 take control of your own life. Remember your 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:50.019 happiness is not reliant on the acquisition of 00:05:50.019 --> 00:05:52.759 any possession. Your happiness is based solely 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:55.579 on your decision to be happy and this may be 00:05:55.579 --> 00:05:57.500 one of the most important life lessons you'll 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:00.040 ever learn. I remember hearing this from my parents 00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:02.879 a lot when I was younger, well before my 15th 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:06.910 birthday. Third, break the habit of satisfying 00:06:06.910 --> 00:06:10.209 discontentment with acquisition. In English, 00:06:10.389 --> 00:06:14.329 that means, for many of us, it has been ingrained 00:06:14.329 --> 00:06:16.730 into our lives that the proper way to defuse 00:06:16.730 --> 00:06:19.610 discontent is to purchase the outward item that 00:06:19.610 --> 00:06:22.509 is seemingly causing the discontentment. No, 00:06:22.730 --> 00:06:28.110 this is absolutely wrong. Almost no energy is 00:06:28.110 --> 00:06:30.490 spent determining the true root of the discontentment. 00:06:30.589 --> 00:06:33.790 discontent in this manner you know are you dissatisfied 00:06:33.790 --> 00:06:37.149 with your wardrobe go buy new clothes not content 00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:40.209 with your vehicle go buy a new one we have gotten 00:06:40.209 --> 00:06:42.329 into the habit of satisfying our discontent by 00:06:42.329 --> 00:06:45.370 simply spending more money which in turn leaves 00:06:45.370 --> 00:06:47.569 us with nothing you always want to know why you're 00:06:47.569 --> 00:06:51.250 in debt well now you know we must break that 00:06:51.250 --> 00:06:53.550 habit understand that material possessions will 00:06:53.550 --> 00:06:56.089 never fully satisfy the desires of your heart 00:06:56.089 --> 00:07:00.160 that's why discontent always comes back The next 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.959 time you recognize discontent surfacing in your 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:05.439 life, refuse to give into the bad habit. Instead, 00:07:05.639 --> 00:07:08.600 commit to better understanding yourself and why 00:07:08.600 --> 00:07:10.860 the lack of that item is causing discontent. 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:13.920 Only after you intentionally break this habit 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:17.420 will true contentment begin to surface. Going 00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:20.519 back to the whole topic of self -control we covered 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:24.540 previously. 4. You need to stop comparing yourself 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:27.160 to others. Comparing your life with someone else 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.860 will always lead to discontentment. This is not 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:33.019 an episode of keeping up with the Joneses. What 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:35.899 they do is their business. What you do is yours. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:38.939 You don't need to be like them. There will always 00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:41.259 be people who appear to be better off than you 00:07:41.259 --> 00:07:43.759 and seemingly living the perfect life. But be 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:46.600 advised, we always compare the worst of what 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:49.220 we know about ourselves to the best assumptions 00:07:49.220 --> 00:07:52.740 that we make about others. Their life is never 00:07:52.740 --> 00:07:55.879 as perfect as your mind makes out to be. You 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:58.839 are unique. You are special. And it always is 00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:01.959 better that way. Okay? Just because the grass 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:05.660 seems greener doesn't mean it is. Okay? My life's 00:08:05.660 --> 00:08:07.959 no better than anyone else's. I may be super 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:10.980 smart, but I went through hell to get here. I 00:08:10.980 --> 00:08:13.759 honestly can tell you that right now. If you 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:15.680 ever get a chance to talk to me in real life, 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:18.399 you'll understand this personally. My life has 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:22.019 never been this simple or this easy. Okay? Five, 00:08:22.279 --> 00:08:24.540 help others out. And this is something I was 00:08:24.540 --> 00:08:27.339 raised with years ago, which is why I don't have 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:30.240 a problem helping anybody. Sometimes you have 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:32.679 to give in order to receive. And I'm not saying 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:34.940 this in the terms of you'll always get something 00:08:34.940 --> 00:08:37.840 back in physical form. Sometimes it's just that 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:39.879 good feeling of helping others that will make 00:08:39.879 --> 00:08:42.649 you feel better about yourself. You know? When 00:08:42.649 --> 00:08:44.470 you begin helping others, sharing your talents, 00:08:44.570 --> 00:08:47.669 time, money, energy, you'll find yourself learning 00:08:47.669 --> 00:08:50.149 to be content. The practice will give you a finer 00:08:50.149 --> 00:08:52.669 appreciation for what you own, who you are, and 00:08:52.669 --> 00:08:55.450 what you have to offer, and also a clear understanding 00:08:55.450 --> 00:09:00.450 of your own abilities. Six, be content with what 00:09:00.450 --> 00:09:04.629 you have, never with what you are, okay? Never 00:09:04.629 --> 00:09:07.929 stop learning, growing, and discovering who you 00:09:07.929 --> 00:09:11.980 are. Take pride in your personhood and the progress 00:09:11.980 --> 00:09:14.940 that you have made, but never become so content 00:09:14.940 --> 00:09:17.840 that you cannot find room for improvement. Contentment 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.659 is not the same as complacency, and as soon as 00:09:20.659 --> 00:09:23.379 you stop growing, you start dying as a person. 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.720 Now, like I said before, this is not a religious 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:29.879 station, but the same thing applies, and it's 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:32.840 also in the Bible as well. God teaches us to 00:09:32.840 --> 00:09:39.169 be content through contentment. And being content 00:09:39.169 --> 00:09:41.210 with what we have and what he's given us will 00:09:41.210 --> 00:09:44.889 bring us closer to him and a true form of peace. 00:09:45.149 --> 00:09:47.669 Not this false peace that the world provides 00:09:47.669 --> 00:09:51.149 to us that we believe that if we do this, this 00:09:51.149 --> 00:09:53.690 will happen and everything will be okay because 00:09:53.690 --> 00:09:56.750 he said so, she said so, or the president said 00:09:56.750 --> 00:09:59.690 so. It doesn't work that way. If you want true 00:09:59.690 --> 00:10:03.450 peace, be content. Be satisfied with what you 00:10:03.450 --> 00:10:06.009 have, even if you have nothing. I've seen more 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:07.789 contentment out of the homeless people on the 00:10:07.789 --> 00:10:10.190 side of the road than I do from the very people 00:10:10.190 --> 00:10:13.830 who had nothing, got everything, and still want 00:10:13.830 --> 00:10:17.690 more. There are people in the world who are rich 00:10:17.690 --> 00:10:21.429 and have way more than the average person. And 00:10:21.429 --> 00:10:24.409 yet, most of them... All I ever hear them talk 00:10:24.409 --> 00:10:28.230 about is what else can they buy or how else can 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:29.970 they spend their money instead of looking for 00:10:29.970 --> 00:10:32.509 ways to help others. You think that's just something 00:10:32.509 --> 00:10:34.850 commonly found in the rich, you are dead wrong. 00:10:35.629 --> 00:10:38.190 It is found in the everyday lives of any person, 00:10:38.230 --> 00:10:40.929 every student, no matter what school you go to. 00:10:41.870 --> 00:10:46.429 I'm in school now and no matter where I go or 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:49.470 what I'm doing, I always sit down somewhere. 00:10:49.549 --> 00:10:52.840 Yes, I may talk a lot. But it does not mean I 00:10:52.840 --> 00:10:54.860 don't listen. And there are a lot of people around 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:58.039 me that I hear and see every day. And all I ever 00:10:58.039 --> 00:10:59.799 hear them talk about is what can they do tomorrow, 00:11:00.059 --> 00:11:02.840 how tomorrow is going to work out, what they 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:04.539 can buy tomorrow, what they need, what they're 00:11:04.539 --> 00:11:09.600 going to do, how much of this they need. Not 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:12.259 once have I ever heard anyone give thanks for 00:11:12.259 --> 00:11:14.379 what they have or even thank God for what they 00:11:14.379 --> 00:11:16.139 had or even call their parents and say, you know 00:11:16.139 --> 00:11:19.659 what, mom and dad, I thank you for raising me 00:11:19.659 --> 00:11:22.259 the way you did. Because had you not, I wouldn't 00:11:22.259 --> 00:11:24.279 be sitting here where I'm at right now at this 00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:26.799 university or at this school or on this job. 00:11:28.259 --> 00:11:31.519 Which brings me to an exciting point here. When 00:11:31.519 --> 00:11:33.519 I finished contentment, and this is the end of 00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:36.980 this topic here, it wasn't a very long one. I'm 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:38.919 going to go ahead and cover thankfulness next. 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:43.580 Thanks for listening. And I'll catch you next 00:11:43.580 --> 00:11:46.899 time on Food for Thought. My name is NeoGentrix, 00:11:47.059 --> 00:11:49.539 and this has been the Moral Series. Thoughts 00:11:49.539 --> 00:11:51.779 if it were you. on contentment.