“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”—Steve Jobs
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Norman Vincent Peale was one of the most influential authors to come out from the United States. Oftentimes, people consult him with their problems. At one time, a man came to his office and complained that he had never been happy since he became a success.
Norman Vincent Peale was one of the most influential American authors. Frequently, people seek his guidance regarding their challenges. On one occasion, a man visited his office and expressed that he had not experienced happiness since achieving success.
“When younger and looking forward to a business career, I got a lot of fun out of life,” he said. “But now that I’ve got it made, the happiness I expected didn’t materialize. How come?”
No person will ever find happiness in life unless he is completely satisfied with what he has. Never reach for anything beyond your grasp. “Happiness is as a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you,” wrote Nathaniel Hawthorne.
This brings us to the subject of satisfaction. The Cambridge Dictionary defines satisfaction as “a pleasant feeling that you get when you receive something you wanted, or when you have done something you wanted to do.”
“Every man judges his own happiness and satisfaction with life in terms of his possession or lack of possession of those things that he considers worthwhile and valuable,” said Meir Kahane.
A notable example of someone who finds fulfillment in his pursuits is basketball legend Michael Jordan. He was once quoted as saying: “The game of basketball has been everything to me. My place of refuge, a place I’ve always gone where I needed comfort and peace. It’s been the site of intense pain and the most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. It’s a relationship that has evolved over time, giving me the greatest respect and love for the game.”
The synonym of satisfaction is contentment. It is finding as many benefits for not getting what you want as you do for getting what you want. “The key to contentment is to consider,” said Luci Swindoll. “Consider who you are and be satisfied with that. Consider what you have and be satisfied with that. Consider what God’s doing and be satisfied with that. You will be amazed at how much more comfortable you’ll feel with yourself. Finally, consider this: If contentment cannot be found within yourself, you’ll never find it.”
Ah, contentment. “The stomach is the only part of man which can be fully satisfied,” said Thomas Alva Edison. “The yearning of man’s brain for new knowledge and experience and for more pleasant and comfortable surroundings never can be completely met. It is an appetite which cannot be appeased.”
Yes, no one seems to be contented anymore. People want more. As one friend explains: “I have met a lot of people wanting to have more material things in life which in the end are useless and won’t satisfy their cravings.”
Allow me to share this note sent to me by a friend via e-mail (yes, people are no longer sending handwritten letters!). It may be ironic but what the author pointed out is true:
“We possess taller structures yet exhibit shorter tempers; expansive highways accompany narrow perspectives. Our expenditures have increased, yet our possessions have diminished. We acquire more items yet derive less enjoyment from them. Our homes are larger, but our families are smaller; we enjoy greater conveniences yet have less time.
“We hold more academic degrees, yet possess less common sense; we accumulate knowledge, yet exercise poor judgment; we have an abundance of experts, yet face more challenges; we have access to more medicine, yet experience less overall wellness.
“Our spending habits are excessively reckless, our laughter is infrequent, our driving is overly rapid, our tempers flare too quickly, our reading is rare, and our consumption of television and videos is excessive. We engage in excessive conversation, express love too infrequently, and resort to dishonesty too often.
“We have increased our material possessions while diminishing our core values. We have mastered the art of making a living yet have not learned how to truly live; we have extended the years of our lives but not enriched the quality of those years.
“We’ve been all the way to the moon and back but have trouble crossing the street to meet new neighbors. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’re cleaning up the air but polluting the spirit. We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more but learn less. We plan more but accomplish less.
“We have become adept at hurrying, yet we struggle with patience. Our financial resources have increased, but our ethical standards have diminished; we enjoy more leisure time yet find less genuine enjoyment; we have access to a wider variety of foods, but our nutritional intake has declined; we know more people yet have fewer true friends; we exert more effort yet achieve less success.
“We create more computers to store vast amounts of information and produce unprecedented quantities of copies, yet our communication has suffered. We have prioritized quantity over quality. These are the times characterized by fast food and slow digestion; tall individuals with shallow character; significant profits alongside superficial relationships.
“We experience a world of peace yet also face domestic violence. It is an era where there is much on display, but little of substance behind the scenes. These are the days of elaborate houses, yet fractured families. We live in an age of quick getaways, disposable diapers, discarded self-respect, fleeting encounters, and medications that promise to uplift, calm, or even harm.”
Are you satisfied with your life?
