Finding Help in times of need -Part 22

The Value of Contentment

Need is one thing that is common to all. The need of one may be different from another, but everyone lacks something and requires help to get it. However, there is a bait that attracts many outside of the comfortable boundary. It is the desire for more. It could be for something that is not a need or probably what others have, but they do not yet have.

The desire to have more may promise a false sense of satisfaction, but many often discover that it was probably a trap. It seems that more brings more dissatisfaction and more desire for more. There is no end to it. The poor want more; the rich want more—it will never be enough; it will never stop. It is a desire that cannot be satisfied; it is a race that has no finish line.

An employee with no car may be excited when he gets his first car. After a while, he is dissatisfied and wants another one, and then another one. The thought that the newer car will bring satisfaction only lasts for some time, after which a current, better, more expensive one becomes the desired. It can still meet his need for transportation, but he longs for something more even when he cannot afford it.  It is like a continuous cycle that never seems to end. Many have ended up in debts and frustration because of such a way of life.

Contentment will help you appreciate what you have and what you can afford. It will help you focus on what you need and use what you have for the purpose for which you need it.

We all go through different phases in life. It is crucial to understand this as many people desire to be like others but never know their history. Your friend could be driving an expensive car, but he might have come a long way. You may be comparing yourself with his life now, but he has gone through different phases and challenges in life. You may not be there yet, but trying to be like him now may even prolong your journey.

It is so interesting to see how many people live their lives. They desire to be rich but make themselves poor and make the rich richer. The desire to have more before the required time drives them to poverty—it only helps the rich people become more prosperous.

A worker that cannot afford an expensive car will buy one with a loan. He will have a luxurious car, but other areas of his life will suffer from that decision. He is becoming poorer—with a posh car—on loan. Guess what?—He will buy it from the rich and get the loan from the prosperous. So invariably, his decision has made the rich comfortably richer and himself poorer. He could have continued using his car, and probably he would be in a comfortable position to change it without affecting other areas of his life in future.

Consider someone that spends so much on luxurious items to impress other people but does not eat good food or take care of his health. He may soon become sick, which implies that he will require the help of a specialist. In essence, he will make someone else richer because of his decision.

Many young people spend so much on expensive clothes which they cannot afford. They run into problems because their appetite for such things continues to grow, but there is no financial base to support such lifestyles. The decision to maintain that standard means that they have to deprive themselves of so many things to impress. They lose the little they have to make others richer. If they were happy with the clothes they could afford, they could progressively grow and become comfortable without any undue burden.

There are so many people and organisations that profit from those that are not content. The organisations enjoy profit increases when people keep buying what they do not need to satisfy a desire that will never be satisfied. They are happy with such decisions, but some people never realise it is not in their best interest. It is making them poor and someone else richer.

They may offer you newer, better and faster gadgets while the old one is still fulfilling the same purpose for which you bought it. You may have a sense of compulsion that you must change it even when there could be more important things that you could invest in, but remember that some are going to the bank smiling because of your lifestyle while you may be struggling to make ends meet.

You may have gained the freedom to do whatever you want. You decide to eat uncontrollably, feasting on sugar, sweets and chocolate. Soon your teeth may tell you that you need to give some of your money to the dentist. You will book an appointment and willingly take your money there. You are making the dentist richer by your decision. It is simple—the dentist will have his needs met by your decision while you will have more necessities to handle. 

Some other people may find joy in eating without control but afterwards spend so much to reduce the weight they have gained in the process.  Too much of anything, even good things, could harm. Many have ignored the caution on the dangers of sugar for several years, but now they have to spend money to treat the repercussions. It is a great discipline to be content—to know when to stop, be happy with what you have and what is good for you.

Many people borrow as well as spending the little they have on get-rich-quick schemes and investments. They lose the money to the rich and now need to pay off the loan, making them more indebted—more trouble. Imagine a family that borrows a million pounds with a promise that it will double in about six months if invested in such schemes without doing anything. In the end, it fails—the money is lost, they are now one million pounds in debt. They were expecting to be millionaires, but now millionaires in debt. If they had not followed such ideas, they could have been in a better position. In mathematics, the number zero is more than any negative number, which implies that even if you do not have anything, you are better than someone owing without a means of repaying.

Some young adults do shady deals to get money to spend on things they see other people wearing. They get into trouble and need help. Some people may begin to contribute for their release or hire a legal expert for law proceedings. If they were content, they would have been in a better position. The desire to get more without following due processes and stages will usually bring more losses than gains.

Are you trying to impress by getting what you do not need or buying what you cannot afford? Are you enriching others to make yourself poor by your uncontrollable desires? Are you living a life that puts you at the mercy of others? Ask yourself sincere questions and make decisions that will help you and not destroy you.

Do you need more, or you could do with what you have and plan for your future so that you are not just out of need but comfortable enough to help others as well. You can choose to make a difference, and many might also decide for a positive change and turn over a new leaf.

You are on a journey; you can make tomorrow better because of what you do today. Be happy with the stage or phase of life that you are in at the moment and make progress at your own pace.

To be continued next week, don’t miss it.

Thank you for investing time to read this post. I hope you have found it valuable. I will be glad to hear from you. Please leave a comment below and share.

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