Contentment-Revised

I am skipping dishes, Tae Bo and laundry to write this post. A few months ago I wrote about my feelings on contentment. After focusing on accepting my life the way it is, I still strive to find ways to be better, to get things closer to the way I want them to be. I'm not happy to stand by and accept things if those things don't make me happy. So, my contentment revision now includes "balance."

Having a nice blend of contentment mixed with inspiration and ambition will create a more balanced approach.

This idea is a result of me not feeling great about my career choice. I sit at my desk day in and day out wondering why I chose the field that I work in. For a while I focused hard on being content with the way things had come to be. It's not working. If I did that, I would be in a career that made me unhappy and unfulfilled for DECADES. No. I can't. Why should I sit there and accept this when I have the power to make changes? I think it's healthy to want things. To strive and move forward, to grow as a person by reaching for things like efficiency, knowledge and happiness. The key is to not get worked up about the limitations presented (after trying to surpass them, of course). For example, to be able to work within the limitations of the state of our economy, our schedules, our budgets or the space in our homes is the key. If you have a certain amount of income and are frustrated that it's not enough and you attempt to find a better job or get more education to increase that income but are not immediately successful then being able to accept the situation and find a way to work with it is where contentment comes into play. There is nothing wrong with striving for better.  It's when it consumes you that the ambition becomes a problem. I am upset that gas prices are outrageous. Instead of fuming about it and wasting my time and energy on something I can't change, I'll be content with it and adjust my usage accordingly.

I've been thinking about this for a while. So maybe I should scrap the focus on contentment and change my focus to balance. When I can, I practice yoga. When I am in a balancing pose (half moon, tree) I feel so good when I'm not wavering all over the room. These poses are a combination of focus on strength, breathing and acceptance of your body's limitations and working with it, not against it. I think I can apply that many situations in life. After all, becoming a mommy forced me to juggle a lot and every day is a balancing act.

Ah, the journey of mommyhood and growth as a human being.