872. Have Your GROWN Content In Life? (Maybe that's a good thing)

Are you content? Instead of fighting against contentment, why not embrace it?

By the end of this episode, you'll look at contentment differently. 

Transcript

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I may ask you a question. Do you find that. You've grown contended in life. And I asked the question because contentment is nothing like what I thought it was. I mean, for the longest time, I've always seen contentment as something negative. Like it was just some sort of. Passive acceptance of mediocrity. So. In an, in an effort to not feel. Or be. Content with life. Uh, fought hard. Against being labeled content. Because to me, it felt like that I was settling. But. What if we've misunderstood, what contentment really is. What if contentment. Is not about giving up. It's about leveling up. Today, I'm going to explore what it truly means. To live a contented life.. So when I think about someone who's. Considered content with life. I think about someone who's got a mediocre job, barely scraping by paying some bills, swiping the credit card on door dash and numbing out on Netflix with a six pack of beer. That's what I thought contempt of really was kind of like a low life. And honestly, I didn't want to be that person. No one does. I mean, yeah, there's one side of you that just, you want those Saturdays, man. You want those vacations to be that slouch, that sloth man. But, you know, overall from an overall standpoint, no, I don't want to be considered that kind of person. And then I come across this passage from James Allen. That totally changed my perspective. James Allen writes that contentment. Is not just the state of being. It's a virtue. And virtues by definition. are behaviors. That reflect. High moral standards. Contentment. He says becomes lofty. Which is insurmountable spiritual. There's a spiritual component to it. As the mind is trained to perceive. And the heart to receive guidance. And all things. Of a merciful law mercy means to bring relief. Let me reread that. Contentment becomes lofty, insurmountable. And spiritual. As the mind as your mind is trained to perceive, which is an awareness. And your heart to receive. Guidance in all areas. Not some, not personally, not professionally, not relationally, but in all areas when your mind becomes it's an evolution. So when it becomes trained, meaning it's an, it's an ongoing, active. Thing. That's what contentment is it? Spiritual? So it's a spiritual component as you evolve. Your mind. You train your mind to perceive awareness. And your heart is open to receive. Guidance. And all things. Of a merciful law. So let's unpack that. First off contentment is not passive. It's active. It's about training your mind to see with clarity. It's about opening your heart to receive guidance, your mind, and your heart are connected. And it's about aligning yourself. With a law. That brings relief in mercy. Dude this idea when you unpack contentment now, That's a game changer. It's not about settling for less. It's about living. With purpose. And clarity. Here's the part. Of James Allen's writing that hit me the hardest. When it comes to contentment. To be contended does not mean to forego effort. It means to free effort from anxiety. Pooh. To be contented. Spiritual component. It's lofty. You're it's an evolution. To be contented does not mean to forgo effort. It means that you're going to free your effort. From anxiety. Think about when you're so troubled it's because you're trying to overcome the past, or force the future. And now when I look at being content. Then I can free my effort. I just put in the effort. And I release myself. It's free from the anxiety, from the uncertainty. The results are going to be what the results are. This reframes, everything because contentment. Is not about stopping at all. It's about striving. Without the weight. Of fear of worry. or impatience. I don't have to worry about any of that. So when your effort is free from anxiety, You stop obsessing over the timeline or the results eventually. And ultimately is what we w until as my timeframe. So eventually. I just consistent. I just put forth honest effort today. Energetically and faithfully. So I put forth that I separate. The effort. From the anxiety, not going to be worried about that. Did I put forth honest effort? Was I faithful? Was I energetic? Faithful doesn't mean that you have surety. It doesn't mean I know exactly what the answer is going to be, but I trust whatever the results are. I'm gonna be just fine. Because I'm going to continue to. Liv a contented life. I'm going to continue to. Put forth. honest effort. You just got to do the work. You just gotta trust the process. Allen makes another crucial point. Contentment does not mean tolerating sin. When I say sin, I'm talking about. Toxic behaviors. Toxic environments, toxic people. It doesn't mean that you tolerate that it doesn't mean that you remain ignorant. It does it remain that you remain foolish? No. It's not about settling for toxic relationships. Destructive habits are foolish behavior. Instead, contentment is about resting in the satisfaction of duty. Done. And your work accomplished. Just check the box. I do that as a complete game changer. And this brings me to an important distinction. There's perceived contentment. Versus pure contentment. Perceive contentment. When you think of a contented person. You often picture someone who's just coasting through life. Mooching off someone ain't got no responsibilities, just barely getting by. That's what you think of perceived contentment. But pure contentment. This is something totally different, dude, pure contentment. Is the outcome. Of effort and true living. It's about working energetically, not big lipping. It not half-ass in it. It's about working energetically and faithfully with purpose. And it's about accepting all results with an untroubled spirit. Dude. How liberating is that? The only thing I have to do. His step into my moments. Energetically. Not half-assing it, not dialing it in. Faithfully. And accept all results with an untroubled spirit. It doesn't mean I'm going to have all W's. It doesn't mean I'm going to have all losses. It's just, it's a mixture of everything because you need the losses. To push, to grow, to learn, to be more efficient. And you need the wins to push you through those losses because the wins man, keep you in the game. So you need a mixture of both. Alan calls is James Allen calls is active achievement. I totally love that word. Contentment isn't passive. You just doing the work and you're growing in the process. It's all about aligning your life with something greater.. So, what does it mean to live a contented life? Here's what I'm learning. Contentment. First off, you got to do the work. Contentment starts with honest effort. I have a mantra that I say all the time, lay the brick. You just, the only thing I got to do today, the only thing you have to do today. Is show up energetically. and faithfully. Every single day. Number two. What does it mean to live a contented life? For your effort from anxiety. Separate the egg from the yolk. Don't stress about the timeline or the outcome focus on what's right here in front of you. win the decision. Go to the next thing. And so when you put in a little bit of a process, just a few things. That you can adhere to that. Keep you aligned. With the person that you are becoming. Not that you want to become. I've said that actually the person that you're becoming, because change starts immediately, the results take time to show, but change starts immediately. So when you just. Do the work lay the brick energetically and faithfully. The results are going to take care of themselves. Number three align with true living. It's not about chasing an Instagram perfect life. True living. Is about honesty. And purpose. And saying grounded to what matters. And number four, contentment is not static. It's not oh welling it oh, she's not in the cards. It's not meant to be with only I had no, it's not static. It's something that you are going to build over time by what James Allen says, training your mind to perceive. You have to have an awareness. And you'll have that awareness. As long as you're not hanging around toxic bullshit. You're not staying ignorant and you're not doing foolish things. When you eliminate those things from your life, you'll have a deeper awareness. You're not going to sleep, walk through life anymore. So you're going to have, you're going to train your mind to be, to perceive, which is an awareness and your heart to receive guidance in all areas with an untroubled spirit. Hallelujah. Amen. Closed the book. When you live this way, man, you can rest in the satisfaction of a job. Well done. Did you put forth honest effort today doesn't mean that you hit a hundred percent doesn't mean that you always check the boxes. Shit things come up, man. But did you put forth and honest effort? And did you accept the results? Meaning this is what it is. I acknowledge it. I don't have to be okay with it. I acknowledge it. Okay. And my mind. Is perceiving. And my heart is open to receive. Guidance on all areas. Just tell me what to do next. Tell me what I got to do next. If you can do that, man. You can accept every day. As it comes. Because you did your part. You fulfilled your duty. You took care of your obligations. And your fellow man. So here's, here's the truth, the human side of us. Resist contentment. If you think about. Pushing against contentment I don't want to be content. I don't want to be mediocre. You're fighting against contentment because of the way that you perceive it. And so when you push against contentment, You're actually creating more confusion. And anxiety and impatience in your life. So here's what's trippy. Is what's you're pushing against because you perceive contentment in a negative light. What you push against, you're making your life worse because you're confused. You're impatient. You're ignorant. You're not studying. You're not curious. You're not creative. You're being foolish. You're still doing foolish things. And you're still. Surrounding yourself. And you may not realize it. You're still immersing yourself. In toxic environments thinking. Behaviors. They're just bringing destructive. Outcomes. Even the things, man that you're, you're taking in. From media. Social media videos podcast. You know, I just, people that just love true crime stuff and they go to bed with podcasts, listen to true crime. Like if you look at podcast charts, like most of them are all true crime. Like. Why, why do I want to feed my spirit? I love a good horror movie. I'm just not gonna sit here and just. Pour that in day in and day out, but people do that. And then you wonder why your life is kind of fucked up. That's why. So instead of fighting against contentment. Embrace it. True contentment. Isn't about giving up. It's about stepping up. And when you step up. Now you're living a life of intention. You're putting forth on us effort. And you're trusting the process. So cliche to say, but you are man. You trust in the process without fear. And so when you embrace this. Your life becomes actually simpler. What do I end every podcast episode with keep it simple. Yes, we make things way too complex. I want to be content. I want to live content today to have a contented life. I don't need to chase all that bullshit. I put forth. Honest effort. And true living. Energetically and faithfully. And accept. Guidance in all areas with an untroubled spirit. And I'm okay. I accept the results. Cool. What's next. You gamify it man. So when you do this, man, your life's going to be simpler. You're not going to be fighting against the past or forcing the future. And you're going to focus on the moment, the task, you just lay the brick. You put the effort in today. So here's my takeaway. Contentment. Isn't about settling at all, man. It's an alignment. It's a balance. Spiritual mental, physical balance. That allows you to work. Faithfully without anxiety. So the only thing you have to ask yourself at the end of every day. Did I put forth honest effort today was my effort free from anxiety. I'm not trying to overcome the past. And I'm not trying to force the future. I just fulfill my obligations. Energetically, faithfully. I lay it out. I push hard. If you do that. Job. Well done. That's a contented life. Remember, keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough peace