Become Content, Not Complacent

What’s the difference between contentment and complacency?

They are both states of satisfaction, but with wildly different outcomes.

Let’s start with complacency.

Complacency is a state of satisfaction that results in a lack of forward movement, even if taking action would benefit that person’s wellbeing.

Contentment is a state of satisfaction that underscores fulfillment, which then drives the person to live a more purposeful life.

As I like to say, contentment is saying “I can still live ambitiously, but I am not dependent on the outcome to know my life has meaning.”

The type of ambition that accompanies contentment is the kind that makes it exciting to be alive! We’re seeking to use our skills and passions in a way that makes a positive impact and feeds our sense of worth and creativity. As human beings, we thrive when we’re useful. We thrive when we dream about the future and take productive steps to reach a specific outcome. It’s also usually beneficial to the world at large – win win!

Things get wonky when that ambition becomes distorted by visions of “I’ll be happy when…” or “I’ll be worthy when…” rather than finding contentment where we are right now. You can usually tell if someone’s content because they represent the timeless truth that the journey is more fulfilling than the arrival.

Things ALSO get wonky when contentment becomes infused with complacency – when we let the pendulum swing so far in the opposite direction from blind ambition that we no longer experience the sense of fulfillment in life that our souls desire, nor do we seek to better the world around us.

I’ve noticed that the most content people I know are those who work hard, but without a rat-race mentality rooted in materialism. They’re leaning hard into their purpose, leading a life that feels full, stimulating, and generous. 

I wrote in last week’s blog the formula for finding purpose, which I encourage you to read if you haven’t identified a form of hard work – or the perspective on your current work –  that catapults you into the contentment category without getting stuck in the unsatisfying pitfalls of complacency or blind ambition.

As always, thanks for being here, and I hope you live a week full of less stuff, hurry, and noise… and more intention!