I recently read a quote from Charles Lamb, an English essayist and poet, which stated, “My motto is: Contented with little, yet wishing for more.” I have not seen a quote that sums up my attitude towards life as closely as that.
I believe that we should all be grateful for what we have, no matter how much that happens to be. If you’re able to read this, that means you have a smart phone, laptop, iPad, or other device. You have an internet connection. And even though, to you, it may seem like you’re struggling financially, according to Investopedia, if you make $32,400 per year you are in the top 1% of income earners in the entire world. Just living in the United States, flawed as it may be, is such a blessing and I would not want to call any other place my home. I love and am grateful for my family, my friends, and the fact that I get to workout and push myself mentally and physically each day. I love my church, even though it has been a while since we’ve been able to gather together. I love going for hikes in nature and exploring. There is much to be grateful for, and with my family’s minimalist lifestyle, we don’t require a lot to be happy. We are content with little.
That being said, I’m hungry. I’m not talking about being physically hungry (although I do have an appetite). I’m talking about being intellectually hungry. I’m always searching for more – looking for opportunities to improve myself daily. I keep busy as I read, write, work on my website, work to become a successful real estate agent (I officially became licensed yesterday!), to be a good landlord to my tenants, to become a notary public (that’s next on my To Do list), the list goes on and on. I cram all of this in while still trying to spend as much quality time with my family and talk with my friends regularly. I wish for more so I can provide the best life possible for my family.
All of this is to say that we need to be grateful for what we have, but still ambitious so that we are still able to progress in life. I don’t want to be doing the same thing over and over, reliving each day as if I’m Phil (played by Bill Murray) in Groundhog Day. No, instead I want to be a dreamer – I want to have hopes and dreams. And then I want to put together an action plan to make those dreams become reality. If I succeed, great. But if I don’t, at least I will know that I gave it a shot. I’ll be content, then I’ll probably be on to the next project, wishing for more…