Cultivating Contentment in Retirement

Why contentment and not ‘happiness’ you ask? Because happiness is fleeting and dependent on the conditions we encounter in the world. But contentment is a more stable quality that is to some degree independent of whether the circumstances are desirable or undesirable. Those are temporary conditions subject to change. But our attitude toward them is what we want to focus on.

Contentment has three components: mindfulness, purpose in life, and gratitude. Mindfulness is that quality that allows us to take in the big picture, to nest our observations in the world of ever changing causes and conditions and allows us to focus on the present moment. We can’t control the past or the future. So let’s pay attention to now.

But we also have to cultivate connections to our community and to at least one thing that is meaningful for us in our lives, whether it’s our family, a hobby, or a volunteer position. Connection is what gets us up in the morning and gives us the ‘umph’ to get our day going. For some, this might be family connections. For someone else, there art work. But whatever it is, put your heart into it.

Finally, find at least one thing every day that you can be grateful for. Sure, you might be able to find fault with many things, but I bet you can find one thing that you thank the universe for. Make it a daily practice.