Is contentment the key to happiness?

Contentment - I think contentment is the very key in order to achieve happiness. If a person is contented with all the things he has in life, then, what is there to be sad for. Right? WE\e must all be appreciative of the world around us and we likewise, must not be blinded by the glow of material things. Contentment is all we need.
April 28, 2012 12:15pm CST
Hello there folks. I have recently talked to a friend who was feeling sad because his parents are not buying him an Iphone. Yes, he is sad just because of a phone. The thing is, he already has a good phone and it is still functional. I wonder why he still wants an Iphone. Going to the topic, I wonder why people seem to be very sad alot because of material things in life that they can't have. I mean, there are so much more to be happy and thankful for, right? You have your family, your friends, your pet, your neighbors and most specially, your life. Everyday is a blessing. Waking up everyday being able to breathe the air and enjoy the sun is really something to be happy about, right? Our happiness really depends upon us, all we need is contentment. Do you guys agree or not? Let me know why. Thanks for your thoughts. Godbless us all.
3 people like this
16 responses
12 May 12
Some people sometimes dwell on material things, having this and having that would make them feel happy, make them feel they're IN. I totally agree with you Lauren, there's so much more to be happy for with your family, friends beside you. Accepting things as they and make the most of it is the good thing to do. I am happy whenever I see my parents happy and without having any illness.
• United States
12 May 12
Yeah there are so many other ways for us to be happy. It is best for us to be happy and content with the simple things in life. Those are the things that bring us the most happiness. It really can be simple to be happy we just have to have the right attitude.
• Philippines
2 May 12
Yes 100% because if you know how to be contented then you will not bother and stress your self from getting much more than what you have. You see, you will only become unhappy if you are not contented with you have or you still want more because everything is not enough. Whereas, being contented gives you a relax mind and a happy feeling because it feels like your day is already complete with what you have. Your mind is not stressed looking for something that can make you satisfy. So it is contentment the key to success and I believe in that 1000%
• United States
12 May 12
I agree with you. When we are not content we are stressed by a lot of different things in our life. We are always striving to get more and then we have to work hard to pay for such things and to maintain them. It is best just to relax and enjoy life being content with things that make us the happiest.
• Philippines
1 May 12
Yes I agree. Contentment is definitely the key to happiness. It also the key to success. When you'e already contented with you status and everything you have, you can call yourself successful.
• United States
12 May 12
I agree with you. We should be content and it will take us many different places. It will allow us to have the right attitude with each new and different aspect of our life that we face. It is such a great thing to be content. We have to continue to adjust our viewpoint as the world around us is focused on not being content.
• India
30 Apr 12
Contentment leads to happiness because we stop thinking of new things to come in our life. we feel content with what we have. what i feel is to be happy we should constntly keep what we want in our mind. in that way we might get what we want and as we have it in our mind we should stay happy and be sure that we gonna get it some day.. Being positive is the best way to stay happy is what i feel
• United States
12 May 12
I agree with you. It is important that we remember this and reflect on these things. Being content can lead to happiness. Especially when we have the right mindset along with it. Being positive will always help us feel better.
@nonersays (3336)
• United States
30 Apr 12
I don't buy into the whole "you can be happy if you WANT to be happy" way of thinking. I have many good things in my life, but I have even more horrible things in my life. Growing up dirt poor I've also grown up a very pessimistic person expecting the worst out of life, and usually I'm not let down. I've only found if I try to be "happy" then something horrible happens to whatever I'm trying to be "happy" about. I just take my little joys where I can get them, but no longer expect to find true happiness.
• United States
12 May 12
Sorry to hear that your life has been so hard. I hope that things in your life will get better for you. In whatever circumstances you find yourself in I hope that it improves for you. It can be difficult to be happy when we have countless awful things happening to us.
• Philippines
1 May 12
Contentment is really the key to happiness. Without it you will continuously search for material things that aren't around. Though being happy and contented of what you have is difficult to achieve it can be worked up. Start changing your life with simplicity over things.
• United States
12 May 12
Yes I agree with you. Without contentment we will always be trying to make ourselves happy by buying new things. It is best to have a simple eye when it comes to the things we want. We don't always have to have the new and latest of everything. In this way we will save ourselves a lot of money and have time to enjoy the really important things in life.
@GemmaR (8517)
28 Apr 12
I think that a lot of people might be happy to feel contented, however I don't think that this would be the best thing for me in my life. For me, I always like to have something to work towards, and being content kind of makes it sound as though you don't want anything else from your life which I don't always think is a good thing. A little bit of excitement, whether that be good or bad, is always welcome in life and it is the way that we deal with the things that happen to us that make us are in the end, which is something that everyone would do well to remember.
• United States
12 May 12
I think that we can be content with the essential things in life and yet always be improving ourselves and our life. We can still work towards goals and yet know what is truly important to have happiness. There are many individuals who have found the secret to happiness and yet are always growing and improving in different areas of their life.
• Pamplona, Spain
2 May 12
Hiya LP., Contentment can last for hours but in most People I donĀ“t think it has that kind of duration all the time. It can come and go depending on how you feel. If you have a really bad situation it can be very hard to feel really content I think. For me an I Phone would be something very nice to have but not a must I am very happy with mine and it is quite bad condition really although I have looked after it as it needs the time and date altering all the time that kind of thing you know and the battery is on its last legs as well but I still plan to use it for as long as I can. My mobile phone is not much to look at but I get very good use out of it for what I need. For me contentment comes and goes but I am happy with the very small things most of the time. Of course I can get a bit carried away by material things like everyone else does but not to moping around if I cannot get what I want. I get what I want by persistance and quietly usually things for the House almost never for me myself. Yes we are very lucky to be alive. To be able to get up and walk properly and talk with other people and whole list of things that we us humans sometimes take for granted but hey we are human all of us so we have those failings.xxx
@stanley777 (9401)
• Philippines
29 Apr 12
Yes, I think that many people would be happy if they will just accept what they could not have and be happy with what they got. But there are others too who still wants to have something even though they have done everything possible to satisfy their longing for it. We may say that this people loves challenges who wants to see if there such a thing as limit on everything, but there are some too who are not contented with what they have and are feeling sad for not having it.
• United States
12 May 12
We need to be balanced and realistic in what we expect and want for life. It is so much better and easier to be content with what we have than striving to reach some unrealistic goal like becoming a billionaire. Many people sacrifice the most important people and things in life in order to strive after riches. They realize too late that what they had would have made them happy instead they sacrificed it.
@Dominique25 (9464)
• United States
12 May 12
The media, and other influences put a great deal of emphasis on always having the new and latest thing. Today's latest item will be tomorrow's news. Many people put a great deal of emphasis on material things as a result. They will they always have to have the newest and latest item. And there is always something new coming out each and everyday. I agree with you. Contentment is the key to happiness. So many people though have not been able to figure this out. They strive after things that they shouldn't only to realize too late what they should have been focusing on.
@dubbc3 (125)
• United States
29 Apr 12
Amazing how some people get so bent out of shape over meaningless things. People are battling cancer, living in poverty, and mourning the loss of loved ones. People always want more, more, more! You can't take any of thes gadgets or anything else with you when your life is over. We need to be grateful for the things we have. Spoiling our children is not the same as loving them and spending time with them. More people need to learn the lesson of earning the things we want in life, and then teach someone else the lesson.
• United States
12 May 12
I agree with you. People really do have their prioritizes mixed up. There are a lot of awful things that people are facing in their life. We should be content and happy with what we have in life. We don't need the new and latest of everything. We only need the necessities of life and it is nice to have a few nice things every now and then. We shouldn't however strive to have more than other people, or the best of the best when it comes to an item to show off to family and friends.
• Philippines
2 May 12
Yes, I agree that contentment is a key to happiness. But I think it's just one of the "keys" to happiness. I think appreciation also plays a vital role to happiness. Usually, we start being contented with something if we appreciate it. And also end up discontented the moment we stop appreciating it or start to lose interest in them. Furthermore, I think it's also human to seek something we see as better. We always have that aim to have improvements. Philosophically, it's our natural desire for the good and perfect. But then again, I think it's a matter of identifying one's needs and wants if we would ever go and consider material things.
@riempie9 (1021)
• South Africa
16 May 12
First, your happiness is in your own hands. And yes, if you are content it means that you have found peace in your life, that you are not stressed, have no money worries and live life as it comes. Every day you wake up is a day God has given to you. Don't sweat the small stuff and let the spirit of God guide you. Contentment is surely the key to happiness; not money and not material things, but peace in the heart.
@riempie9 (1021)
• South Africa
12 May 12
Contentment is certainly the key to happiness. When you are content you have an overall feeling of well being. Money certainly does not buy love and contentment and I can be broke for three days straight and still be happy. I waste money and that is not a virtue or anything good. I feel guilty about this and try to even the scale. But I am always happy. When I was diagnosed with Parkinson's I was shocked and distraught for a week and then snapped out of it. I was too happy to be upset. I looked at the diagnosis as a loving note to me to get my ducks in a row. I also live my life with much more gusto now. I am living every minute to the full. I have not been aware of the preciousness of life and have just taken it for granted. Now every minute of my life counts and at 65 have never been happier.
@sukumar794 (5040)
• Thiruvananthapuram, India
29 Apr 12
Feelings,possessions,happiness...all to one one's heart's content. It is all that you need to gain satisfaction in abundance. In fact it is all that you need to gain and all you want so dearly.
@naija4real (1291)
30 Apr 12
I think contentment is not completely the key to happiness. While contentment is good at a particular point, one should not relent in life. It is important that as human we strive to attain greater height in any positive profession we are embarking on. We should not allow the struggles of life weigh us down.