be content.

i have decided that discontentment can be a hazardous mindset. always wanting more (of anything) leads to a feeling of not having enough now. which can lead to hoarding, over-eating and sadness. even wanting more health, lusting for fitness or the body you had in high school can lead to a roller coaster of emotions and set one up for disappointment. setting goals to reach the "perfect weight" is setting the sites too high. take a look around you sometime, look at the people in the store, in line at the dmv or at work. probably every single one of them wants to lose more weight, to improve their health, to look like the people on tv. well guess what. that's not gonna happen.
if they are lucky, and if we are lucky, we will lose 10 or 20 lbs. that's it. (for starters.) take it! be happy with it. congratulate yourself! you win! you've done something most people will never be able to do. don't beat yourself up and be dissatisfied that you haven't lost 40 or 100 pounds. that stuff is for made-for-tv reality shows, not real life. don't be confused. be happy. sit with your success for a while. pat yourself on the back. then just stick with your program, because now you feel better and are a success story. BE CONTENT. live with it. then later, when you are bored and looking for something fun to do, challenge yourself to lose 10 more or to hike to a higher place or learn an instrument. but first and foremost: be content! 

and if you think that that is not enough for you, do something nice for someone else and that will multiply your contentment. and maybe the something nice that you do for someone else is to truly be who are. maybe your gift is yourself, a song you wrote, a flower you picked or grew, a funny hat you wear that makes people smile. do your best to do your duty. and let your duty be to serve your community through self expression and love.. all while being content.

you may not be the beauty queen of the prom, or the movie star on the big screen and the person telling jokes in las vegas or the man walking on the moon. but MOST of us are not that. most of us are the guy at the check-out counter who has a band on the side, or the park ranger who loves to watch good films and may dabble in movie-making on the side. be content with who you are in the place you are. take the "i'm okay and you're okay" approach.

here's some information i found at the mayo clinc on happiness:

people who are happy seem to intuitively know that their happiness is the sum of their life choices, and their lives are built on the following pillars:

• devoting time to family and friends

• appreciating what they have

• maintaining an optimistic outlook

• feeling a sense of purpose

• living in the moment