Day 201: Being Content with what I have VS Wanting More.

Everyone has been in a situation in their life where they have had to make a decision - this decision is in a moment where there is two or more options available to you in any undertaking.

For example maybe there are two jobs available to you even when you already have a job, maybe there is more options for a relationship even when you already have one, or maybe there is a pair of shoes you've been wanting which seem superior to your current shoes.

I started this back and forth question in my mind as a youngster, where i would be collecting things, like different types of stickers, marbles, pogs, conkers, and various thinsg of the like, where i would always be having a struggle of being content with what i have but also wanting more of a certain "rare sticker", constantly believing the grass is greener, looking to get to being content in the future, without actually ever bringing it here.

Do you notice that the grass usually always seems greener in your mind? It like a comparison experience that we go into and that can overwhelm us, and cause us to disregard what we already have, if we do not slow down within breathing and apply common sense - I have learnt in my life that really the grass is actually greener where we water it, meaning there is only improvement in our life where we actually take responsibility to nurture something

For me recently I had a moment where this decision came up - I was purchasing a new vehicle, and while I was doing this, then my mind was reacting to the situation as the thoughts start coming up  -

"I should just get the same vehicle, but a newer version, I'm content with this car, its what I know and its what I'm used to" and then seconds later thoughts like "I want a better car, I should spend more money and get a nicer car".

Then in the next moment I smiled and laughed at myself for experiencing this thought conundrum, because I realised that it made no sense really, because whatever is most practical and best for all is always whats best in decisions in our life - but in my mind this has been made more complex then what it really is  -

"Being content with the vehicle I have makes sense because I am used to this make and model, it requires no new learning, and is well priced" - but then judging myself for not going for a different more expensive model - "if I can afford the more expensive one, then why am I just trying to be safe with the same model? Am I trying to avoid driving a different car to avoid new learning?"

But then at the same time I have been judging myself for wanting more - "why do I really want an even better car? The new version of my current vehicle is fine, I just want  to show off in an even more expensive car, which is stupid"

So you can see there has been some stupid back and forth issues in my mind about something which should be reasonably straight forward.
Being content with what we have vs wanting more, is most common to middle class people, but really it is something that all classes from rich to poor experience - being content with what we have is always important, it shows commitment, loyalty, and a general stability regarding how we exist moment to moment - and when we have all of our basics to have a dignified life, with a few luxuries, it is very easy to be content with everything in our life remaining exactly the same till we die.

However, being content with what we have in every single decision is not always whats best for all - for instance, if you have a good job, then that is cool for you, and you should be content with it, yet at the same time - if there is a job that you have more passion for/and or can pay you much better for your labour time, and this job becomes available - why limit yourself to sticking with the job you have? Of course you must look at attempting to get this new job.

However wanting more can also be incredibly dangerous when you bring it into all decisions in your life - I would suggest looking at the film Scarface to understand how fucked up always wanting more ends up looking like - just accumulating more and more for yourself in self-interest until eventually you pop so to speak - always building relationships based "on a step" to the next relationship, like a vampire draining what you can from a person/undertaking, until there is an option that gives you more love/money energy then the last.

This is psychotic behaviour, and particularly in relation with other beings - if you continue to want more then and undermine the friendships/relationships that you already have, then you will end up exactly like Tony Montana with no friends left being shot to pieces by the consequences of your own actions.

So in my experience I would say that when it comes to friendships/relationships we should always be content with the ones we have, unless they become abusive - because if some element of a friendship/relationship becomes abusive, and if it cannot be resolved, then it makes sense to want a more beneficial friendship/relationship, and we should move to make that happen if necessary.

When it comes to work life, from my perspective we should only be completely content with our job if we are actually doing our passion that we enjoy. If we are not in a job that we are passionate about, then from my perspective we should always be open to any job that can increase our work enjoyment/and or our money.

Then when it comes to life purchases, I would say it is best to be content with the thing we have, until that thing is not working at full capacity, or there is an option to buy something else which will substantially improve some area of your life, without putting you in financial debt.

So if you have been experiencing a battle of being content vs wanting more in any area of your life, then join me next week as I continue to investigate this point.