Happiness, contentment & gratitude

Three words I’m often asked about during our workshops are happiness, contentment and gratitude, understandably these words create a lot of discussion amongst the group.

Personally some things that these words raise for me when thinking of them are, the absence of worry, anxiety and fear. The experience of happiness, contentment and gratitude are infinitely inseparable. The idea that we do not dwell on the past or in the future but we are present to our surroundings and self.

If thoughts are really creating a state of happiness then it is much more about how we are thinking and what we are thinking. So if we are worried or anxious about something we have not done, or something we should have done, this in turn is going to affect how we are feeling in that moment – disturbing the happiness. You may not notice this in the beginning, it is subtle and unconscious, our thoughts are random and we have so many each day, it is difficult to tell how many are actually about what we are doing in the moment, what we are doing right now.

To be present literally means ‘the period of time now occurring’, we must be focused in the moment, at ease with a current situation and experience the simplicity of happiness. We must learn to block the thoughts that disturb the peace, become mindful of the thoughts we choose to let in and those that we choose to ignore, because in that moment of mindfulness we are able to control the re-activeness of the unconscious negativity that may be lingering close to the surface. We are not disturbed by the past, present or future but by the simple thought of it.

People will always talk of holidays, when you are out of your regular environment as a time that they are able to experience what they believe to be inner peace and happiness, the feeling of ease. But how simple the thought could be if one could experience this ease when they are in their regular environment….

We must remember that happiness is not the absence of worries, or the pressures of life. It is your current state, your subconscious state that will disturb your internal feeling, spilling over in to your external life and will ultimately create your reality of unhappiness.

Contentment, literally means ‘a state of happiness and satisfaction’, you are at ease in the moment and experiencing the happiness of this ease. We see this contentment transfer to the feeling of gratitude, appreciation for your life and its surroundings, living presently. We feel more open to be giving, and loving to those around us, creating a ripple effect.

I have personally seen the positive effects that meditation can have on an individual’s mental well being, removing fatigue, Stress, and anxiety helping individuals experience greater happiness in their lives.

We must all realise that happiness cannot be found anywhere but inside yourself, when we come to this realisation we can truly experience the feeling of contentment and gratitude and in turn ultimately experience happiness.

‘As you think you become.’ – Buddha

Author: Steve Griffith

Steve Griffith is the founder & CEO of Griffith Consulting.

Steve delivers leadership, resilience and meditation programs to individuals and organisations all around Australia each year.

For more information about Steve, please click here.