Frugal Friday: Being Content Right Now

Enjoying the beauty all around us

Many of us live life just on the edge of happiness. We are waiting for those "somethings" to happen before we can be truly happy. Everyone's "somethings" are different. These sneaky "somethings" sit in the back of our minds and sometimes we don't even notice that they are blocking out the happiness we could be enjoying right now.  In the fast-paced, consuming world we live, so many of these "somethings" involve needing more money - a new house, a new car, a remodel, the latest fad or fashion, etc. I could go on and on...And it seems like just as soon as we satisfy one "something" another one comes and creeps in it's place.

To me part of living a frugal life means being content right now. Not focusing on what we don't have or what we think we need.  Rather, focusing on what we DO have and making our lives beautiful with what is all around us. It means enjoying the happiness already within our grasp.

I love what Deiter F. Uchdorf said about this in his article, "Forget Me Not":

"In the beloved children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the mysterious candy maker Willy Wonka hides a golden ticket in five of his candy bars and announces that whoever finds one of the tickets wins a tour of his factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Written on each golden ticket is this message: “Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this Golden Ticket … ! Tremendous things are in store for you! Many wonderful surprises await you! … Mystic and marvelous surprises … will … delight, … astonish, and perplex you.”

In this classic children’s story, people all over the world desperately yearn to find a golden ticket. Some feel that their entire future happiness depends on whether or not a golden ticket falls into their hands. In their anxiousness, people begin to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket.

So many people today are waiting for their own golden ticket—the ticket that they believe holds the key to the happiness they have always dreamed about. For some, the golden ticket may be a perfect marriage; for others, a magazine-cover home or perhaps freedom from stress or worry.

There is nothing wrong with righteous yearnings...The problem comes when we put our happiness on hold as we wait for some future event—our golden ticket—to appear.

...The lesson here is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots [flowers] that are all around us.

This is not to say that we should abandon hope or temper our goals. Never stop striving for the best that is within you. Never stop hoping for all of the righteous desires of your heart. But don’t close your eyes and hearts to the simple and elegant beauties of each day’s ordinary moments that make up a rich, well-lived life.

The happiest people I know are not those who find their golden ticket; they are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."

Truly Happy. Isn't that what we all want? And to me the key is found in that last statement, "The happiest people I know...are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of everyday moments." 

As I think about the happiest times of my life, I can see the truth of what he said. During those times I was content with the beauty that was already around me in my life. And not only that, but I had goals that I was pursuing - dreams and hopes and desires that I was seeking for. I was content, but I was ambitious. I was satisfied, but I had hope for more great things to come in the future. Rather than letting those goals get in the way of my happiness, I let them add to my happiness.

Being content means unlocking the happiness that is already there, just waiting to be found. It means pushing aside the dark "something" clouds we are waiting for, and enjoying the bright sunlight of life right now.

Linked to: Hearts 4 Home, Thrifty Thursday, Frugal Friday