by Carel Chan
Multiple times I have been corrected for contrasting my life with those who are less fortunate. The world believes that only losers distinguish their lives with those who are weaker and less achieving. The world terms this as a loser mentality. Motivational speakers and many self-acclaimed successful individuals focus on directing our attention to live strong, strive towards being powerful and rich. However, I believe there is a place to be thankful that we are not the “least” in the food chain.
Please don’t get me wrong that I take pleasure in gloating over the misfortune of others or take delight in others’ adversities. In fact, looking at those who are less privileged should translate to two attitudes in life – Grateful Contentment and Generous Giving.
In my opinion, there are two major groups of people that have problems with Grateful Contentment (I will share more about the second group in Part 3 of this series, so watch out for it). The first group are those who can’t see what’s already in their running
This group of “Horses”,
“Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless – like chasing the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 6:9
Cuba has one of the lowest minimum wages in the world, with a monthly salary of $9 (facts36.com). I believe many of us reading this blog earn more than this amount a month and yet we are always complaining that we do not have enough.
Grateful Contentment is looking at our existing lot and be grateful with what is before our eyes and what we are beholding. How often we overlook what we already have and appreciating who have become thus far. Instead we spend a great amount of effort just desiring something else or even being someone else. Such attitude of contentment and gratefulness does not just refer to material possessions alone. It applies to all aspects of our life; our abilities, our health, our career, and our relationships.
Rather than being thankful and grateful that we hold a decent job, we persistently strive for that one promotion after another. We invest a great amount of our energy in playing unethical politics to establish favourable circumstances for our advancement, instead of being happy in our work. The enjoyment of work has gradually succumbed to the toxic and dishonourable politicking in the office. We have forgotten the passion we once had for our chosen career.
You want to live happy and work happy, listen to the wise teaching from Ecclesiastes 3:22. It says, “…there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why we are here! No one will bring us back from death to enjoy life after we die.” Therefore, enjoy what you have now. Stay in grateful contentment, stop living in the days of wind chasing that is meaningless.
For some others, we stop appreciating who we are and who we have become (I am referring to the good side of you 😃 ). We take for granted the skills and abilities that we have developed across the years and at times even begin to look down on them by discrediting and devaluing their existence. Yet we crave for other more “advanced skills”, seeing how these more “advanced skills” have caused others to be more successful.
Ecclesiastes 4:4 says, “… that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbours. But this, too, is meaningless – like chasing the wind.”
Live grateful, live contented, it is not a loser mentality. While the Bible does not specify clearly how loser mentality is like, I believe “fools” would be the most apt description. Whenever the Bible uses the word “fool”, it is to describe unwise and ungodly people. The foolish person is one who is thoughtless, self-centred, and obviously indifferent to God.
Live grateful, live contented, it is not a loser mentality.
I pray that as you desire to truly live happy, you will delete this mentality that Grateful Contentment belongs only to the losers. Let the truths found in Ecclesiastes, written by one of the wisest and richest man ever lived on earth, bear light in your life.
“Contentment is Not A Loser Mentality”, is Part 2 of my “Live Happy with King Solomon” Blog Series.
You can also visit our “Live Happy” Sermon Series for more inspirational messages on living a happy life with our happy God.