How to be Content without Getting Complacent

What does it mean to you to be successful? Does it mean that you can never be satisfied? Does it mean that you always have to feel a chip on your shoulder to keep working harder than everyone else?

Too often we see a successful individual and feel that they must never enjoy their life. They strive and feel that they need more to be happy. They always push themselves to be greater.

We put our happiness on hold while we reach for success. We feel that once we get that raise we can relax. Once we get promoted we will have confidence. Once we finally pay off our debt we can enjoy life. Once the kids go back to school, then we will be happy.

Marketing and sales professionals understand that they need to emphasize what is missing in your life to prompt action. Advertisements show you how much better things will be if you had their product. They understand lacking leads to buying. Everything seems to point to our current lack of satisfaction in life.

Discontent

Because of this it is easy to feel unhappy and discontent in life. The outside world bombards us with the idea that we need more. We need more money. We need more success. We need more stuff.

We have choices. But we frame our choices as self-indulgence or misery. We can be happy or successful. But we can't be both at the same time.

Content vs Complacent

We can have both at the same time. But it takes a very specific approach. It takes understanding the different between content vs complacent.

The key to being happy is to realize that you have what you need and become content. The key to success is to be constantly improving and to never become complacent.

Being content means that you don’t need more to be happy. Everything that you need at this moment you have. It is a drastic shift from what we are taught.

Everything we need in life we already have. But somehow we still fall into the mindset that we need more before we are happy. So, we block ourselves from happiness. We do this to try and get more than we need.

Avoiding Complacency

Complacency is different from being content. Being complacent is similar to being lazy. Often when we get upset with our current situation, but refuse to work to improve, we are being complacent. A complacent person never works to reach their potential because they feel that it is pointless. They go through the motions, always blaming external things for their shortcomings.

The complacent and content difference

The difference between contentment and complacency is a subtle one. Being content means being happy. Being complacent means refusing to work to improve.

It means that you are not unhappy with your situation (being content). You also continue to work hard to improve (not becoming complacent).

It means that you continue to work to get better (avoiding complacency) but don't stop yourself from being happy in the moment (remaining content).

Learn to be grateful to be content

Contentment goes hand in hand with gratitude. Being appreciative of the things in your life, you see everything as a miracle. The complacent individual doesn’t see anything as a miracle and takes everything for granted.

One way to be more content and less complacent is actually to find ways to be more grateful for the things you already have in life. When you appreciate what you have, you feel the push to work hard to show your appreciation.

The key to being happy and successful at the same time is to learn how to be content without becoming complacent. There is a subtle difference in these two concepts and the systems and habits approach to improvement utilizes this difference. By working to improve yourself you become content without being complacent.

Take the course!

Now you can take a course with Scott to learn how to be content without becoming complacent. This 11-week course explains how to use the systems and habits approach to improve in order to be happier and more successful. Click here to learn more about this life-changing course.