Remember the famous song lyric “I can’t get no satisfaction?” Mick Jagger crooned “‘Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try. I can’t get no satisfaction.”
The song aptly illuminates the seemingly endless pursuit for satisfaction. You naturally want to be satisfied with who you are, your efforts and your life. But are you? Or does it seem futile sometimes to keep trying?
The song aptly illuminates the seemingly endless pursuit for satisfaction. You naturally want to be satisfied with who you are, your efforts and your life. But are you? Or does it seem futile sometimes to keep trying?
Underlying the idea of satisfaction is the notion that eventually, it will be attained. You will have arrived, so to speak. It’s good to have goals and to want to improve aspects about you and your life. But what if you can find satisfaction now, before achieving those results?
Take a moment and mindfully draw your attention to what is around you. Use your senses. What do you find pleasing in your present environment? Whatever you notice, enjoy it. What satisfies you about your personality, relationships, body, accomplishments or travels? Let yourself savor those aspects. Avoid brushing off those aspects of your life. Those things can be deeply satisfying if you allow it.
It may be helpful to take a moment to reflect on your body and mind. You are breathing. Even if they’re imperfect, your brain, heart and digestion are functioning. You are likely able to read these words. Can you be satisfied with those aspects?
You might choose to focus on your environment. Perhaps you enjoy certain aspects of your home or the people living in it. Maybe the weather is bringing you joy today. Look around and notice the elements that are bringing you peace and happiness.
In some cultures, contentment is considered the highest mental and emotional state a person can experience. Satisfaction breeds appreciation and gratitude, and those states produce relative happiness. In essence, the more satisfaction you can focus on moment to moment, the greater your happiness level will gradually become.