Being content with oneself

[dragonfire101]

Being content with oneself

I was thinking who is satisfied with ones life and content with themselves. I ask because some find that having a family and employment to support their basic needs and live a decent life is satisfying to them. Myself I am not ever really happy and feel I need to do more all the time. I recently just took a voluntary demotion from a professional job to take a paraprofessional position second shift. I lost a few bucks and hour, but still will make a decent pay. I did this because I feel I need at least a Doctorate Degree to be satisfied and am going to try and go back to school. Then I sometimes think if I accomplish this will I be happy in the end or once I have a Doctorate will I end up being not satisfied still and wanting more.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

Being content with oneself

I was thinking who is satisfied with ones life and content with themselves. I ask because some find that having a family and employment to support their basic needs and live a decent life is satisfying to them. Myself I am not ever really happy and feel I need to do more all the time. I recently just took a voluntary demotion from a professional job to take a paraprofessional position second shift. I lost a few bucks and hour, but still will make a decent pay. I did this because I feel I need at least a Doctorate Degree to be satisfied and am going to try and go back to school. Then I sometimes think if I accomplish this will I be happy in the end or once I have a Doctorate will I end up being not satisfied still and wanting more.

And what good do you think being fully content will do for you? From where would your ambition come? Could you really live without desire?

 

[VNV]

Ah, sounds like me... when I'm off my meds.

I'm not positive that everyone is born with the capacity to ever be happy. Just like we all lie on the bell curve when it comes to our attractiveness, our athleticness, and our intelligence, it seems reasonable to me that there's a bell curve of innate ability to be satisfied and happy with one's life. It's kind of bleak, but some people (e.g. you) may just be a few standard deviations shy of a normal person with regard to that aforementioned innate ability.

 

[dragonfire101]

And what good do you think being fully content will do for you? From where would your ambition come? Could you really live without desire?

Well thats what I kind of mean. I see people at work and they appear to have no desire to go back to school, moved up in position, make more money etc. They seem content with their situation. Say being married with 2 kids and having a decent income to support them etc. Is it because they gave up on their desires because they thought they would not ever reach them and just settle for what they have because they could be off worse.

I asked my fiance if she was going back to school to get a masters degree. I asked because if we were to have children it would be alot harder. She said she was not and she was fine with a Bachelor Degree. I thinking why wouldn't she want to better herself since she has the chance now.It would help both of us in the future and are family becaus emore opportunties would be availbale. I mean she works as a store manager in a retail store making about 15$/hr. She has alot more skills than that and experience to get a better job etc. She is content with just what she has. Doesn't appear to have desire to advance. Yes, she has a desire to get married and have kids and a house, but is that all to life. After you have that you can be content with yourself. Maybe I will change my mind in a few years once I have children and just be happy that I have healthy children a house and a decent job.