Self Satisfaction

Guest post by Suzann Darnall

No, I do not mean the kind of self-satisfaction that is smug complacency. I mean being a bit more satisfied with one’s self and one’s circumstances. I am a firm believer in the idea that we can and must “Choose Happiness”. Happiness generally does not just come to us. We usually must invite it in and make it feel at home. We can start by being a lot more satisfied with who we are, what we have, and what we do.
This does not mean we should not have goals and aspirations to better ourselves or our situations.

Striving to improve is a good thing. But, we should be satisfied with the steps we take and make along the way. Otherwise, we are forever chasing a prize and yet never really getting any reward as we try to make changes for the good.

There is nothing wrong with occasionally looking at one’s self and one’s life and saying, “This is good!” In fact, I think it is something we should do on a daily basis. Look for the “happy” in our lives. Take time to be satisfied with what is in and around us. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way in helping us tackle the next bits of negative we decide to overcome.

I am by no means perfect at this, but I am striving to be better at it each and every day. I try to always count my blessings more than I number my sorrows. I end each day by listing just one thing that made it a happy day. I usually realize there were lots of happy things and the hard part is choosing the just one that I will record. I also end my day with reading one happy text from the scriptures to remind me of God’s infinite love for me. My husband and I do these things together and end our night with a prayer before going to sleep. It is a good way to end the day and prepare for the next.

I also start my day by reading a happy text. This is made very easy since one of my granddaughters gave me a perpetual calendar that has an uplifting bible verse for each day of the year. My husband and I also start our day with a morning prayer before he heads off to work. These two little habits make it impossible to not have at least a bit of a good start to the morning, which helps the entire day.

I look around my house and I focus on how much I love our home. I look at our furniture and decorations with a happy heart ‘cause they are evocative of memories from across generations. When I am outdoors I look for the butterflies, sprigs of green, and flowers. These always lift my spirits. I even count my battered ol’ pickup amongst my most treasured blessings. It ain’t much to look at, but it is paid for, it runs, and I am not stuck at home when my husband goes off to work in his car for the day.

I even try to look at myself with a kinder, gentler eye. Am I getting old? Yes. But, I am still alive. Do I hurt some days? Yes. But, I still find things to do and ways to do other things. Am I too fat? Yes. But, I am not as fat as I used to be. So, all in all, I am satisfied with me. I am not perfect, but I am still better than many of the alternatives.

In short, not only am I satisfied with me and my life, I look for ways to be satisfied with me and my life. I am pert near the definition (in my new view) of self-satisfied. I have chosen satisfaction, just as I have chosen happiness. It’s not all perfect, but it is oh so very good!