How do you know when you have enough, even after finding true contentment?

The most dangerous thing is to want more.”

-The Unknown

What is enough?

Enough of what? Money, love, security, happiness… the list goes on and on. How do we know what enough is?

Enough is as much or as many as required.

Enough is subjective. That means I can’t actually tell you what is enough. So what’s the point of writing about enough? Maybe I can help you determine if you have enough.

Not Being Content

Do you feel that something is missing in your life? You can’t put your finger on it but there is an emptiness.

The first fifty years of my life I thought I had everything. I had a thriving family, a loving husband and somewhat dysfunctional marriage, and all the riches a girl could ask for.

Yet, I still had a big gaping hole, so I must not have had enough.

Wanting More

What do you need more of to fill that hole? Even after you buy yourself that special gift you longed for, it will only offer short term enjoyment.

I thought it was time and money. Money offers security but having more money doesn’t necessary make life better. And time… I had all the time in the world, but I was a master at wasting time.

Both time and money did not offer contentment, still I was lacking something.

The State of Contentment

Contentment is a state of being where one is satisfied with their current situation and the state of affairs in one’s life as they presently are.

Contentment isn’t something the world offers. You can’t get it from a settlement or hard work. It comes from within and called peace, not to be confused with happiness.

Finding True Contentment through Happiness

When is the last time you felt sad? Let’s face it not everyday is a happy day. We experience heartache through a loss of a job or a loved one. We are left uncertain about life.

Happiness is an emotion and it feels fleeting. One moment your happy and the next moment anxiety creeps in. Jo Howarth, the founder of the Happiness Club explains happiness as a blue sky. Happiness is actually a way of life – it’s our natural state of being. It’s always part of us, but sometimes it gets covered up by cloudy thinking or cloudy patterns of behavior and we lose sight of our own happiness – we lose sight of the blue sky,’ Jo shares.

The problem is facing our uncertainties and anxieties.

Finding True Contentment with Peace

Do you feel that subtle feeling of happiness and satisfaction? Peace doesn’t come naturally. As humans in life we tend to be on the chase for more and that steals our peace.

With peace we learn to not get rattled by life as it happens. Peace is something that we need to work at because each day people and the world are always seeking to steal it. We need to guard our peace.

The reward for learning to be content is peace.

Less Is More

How can less be more? The more we strive for and the more we get the more difficult life can be. The simple life allows us to fully appreciate what we have and be present.

At fifty when my husband and I decided it was time for change we downsized. We entered a season in life, where less is more. I didn’t realize the significance of a house and the material items within would complement our new healthy lifestyle.

But why am I always craving more?

When Enough Is Enough

What is the measurement of enough? There must be a balance to determine if we have enough.

Finding True Contentment in Security

What makes you feel safe? There are people who don’t have shelter, a family to offer security, but embrace peace from a loving God. Then their are people who have more than enough, but don’t have a relationship with God.

It’s not about more but maintaining priorities and managing what we have.

Finding True Contentment with Money

How much money does one need? And who is the one that determines that need?

Money doesn’t buy happiness but it does help to meet our needs. Our needs of course are subjective. For many it’s about a lifestyle and having enough to afford it. We are slaves to the mighty dollar that provides our lifestyle and at times mismanage our finances, leaving us with less and wanting more.

The answer is gratitude. It’s about learning to appreciate what you already have, not what you can get.

Finding True Contentment with FAMILY

Is it the people that care for you that make you feel safe? Is it having enough money to pay your household bills? Or simply being surrounded by the people that make you feel safe?

For many it’s their paycheck which provides for the food on our table and the roof over our heads. For others it might the person who provides for them, a parent or spouse. It’s about feeling safe with the people in our lives.

If it’s about marriage, work on what you already have, build your marriage on a strong foundation. Don’t spend more time away from your spouse, because you don’t have enough material wealth. Trust me your spouse will say, “Enough is enough,” and kick you to curb.

Never Enough

Do you know you are never going to have enough to win? When we fixate on the material items and power, we start to lose.

People place demands on us everyday. We live in a world full of expectation. As people we are never enough and can never give enough.

Sometimes enough is enough and we crack.

Alcoholism

Does that emptiness and feeling of not being enough or having enough make you thirsty? Alcohol is a short-term solution that led to long-term problems in my life.

Before I had the tools to establish my peace, I turned towards alcohol. My problem was binge drinking, not daily alcohol abuse. I identified my problem and demanded change.

Alcohol no longer was an acceptable solution, so I needed to look elsewhere.

Finding True Contentment By Looking Inward

Isn’t our world full of uncertainty? Tomorrow isn’t promised and death of a loved one can lead to insecurity. That is why contentment needs to be found within, not by people or material items.

We can be surrounded by the comfort of our family and still crave more security. Or we can find the peace within knowing that security doesn’t come from people but our faith.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 ESV