One simple question: are you contented? Or rather, how contented are you? You might say you’re contented with what you have right now, or are you? Are you willing to stay in the same state for the rest of your life? If you’re not willing, read on.

Okay, you might have a great family, an excelling career, a wonderful spouse, and yet you are not contented. You want to achieve more in your life. You want to earn more money than you have. You want to be more respected. After all, who doesn’t right?

I was very surprised when a few of my buddies were telling me that they were contented with their life because I always thought that most people were not. It’s hard these days to find people who believe that their life is worth living. Most people would crave for more in their life, even though most of the time they don’t do much about it. They keep yearning for better life, yet no action is taken.

So, what can you do to be contented with your life and still have the motivation to keep going in life? Here are some suggestions that would work:

1)      Be grateful for what you have now, even though you know you would have much more later on. You know, we can always do better in our life no matter what stage we are at. It doesn’t mean you should stop working towards what you really want in your life. Just be thankful that you’re doing all you can towards your dream. It’s the best emotion on earth.

2)      List down what you have now. Compared the list to most of the population in our world, you are way better off! I know it because you’re reading this blog, when the other half of the world is starving every day. According to World Food Programme, about 1 billion people in the world today do not have enough to eat. That’s more than the populations of USA, Canada and the EU combined! Also, 25,000 people die every day from hunger and related causes. So, if you’re alive and full, you’re already ahead of 1 billion people in the world (plus you have a computer with internet access). Stop focusing negatively on what you don’t yet have!

3)      Enjoy what you’re doing. Work hard on things that you love, and not on things that you hate! It’s true that sometimes you would need to do things that you don’t like in order to get ahead. But if you find yourself doing that every single day and it makes your life miserable, pause and reflect: do you really want this kind of life? It’s most likely time to change something. Steve Jobs said it well:

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

4)      Tell your loved ones how much you love them. This seems like it’d make them contented, not you. But really, what could be happier than making your loved ones happy? And when you’re happy, you’ll more likely to appreciate the people and things around you. Remember, you might not have the same chance tomorrow. Live your life with no regrets because life is short!

Hope you’ll share your stories and suggestions on how to be contented with your life in the comment section!

(Picture created by ŭn-sŭng from Flickr. Thanks!)

As you should know, Michael Jackson has left the earthly world. I don’t know where he’ll be but I do hope that he’s resting in peace right now. There’s been so much going on about him now that he’s dead, good or bad. Some say, “The King of Pop 4eva!”, some, “Child molester!”.Whatever he’s called, it clearly shows that he’s no longer with us: he can’t perform great music any more (omg where’s the moon walk?), nor can he commit any crimes at all. But really, when you’re asked by others who Michael Jackson is, do you think you will say he’s a child molester (he’s not guilty by the way), or would you say he’s the best dancer in the world/ the king of pop/ the legend? Clearly the latter.

So, why is the media always talking about the former? Because they need traffic/readership. It’s totally understandable. But should you be bothered with that? NO! Focus on the positive news. You should be reading the negative news only if you could and plan to do something about it. Otherwise, what’s the point in lamenting about the state of the world? And I don’t mean to ignore all the sufferings in other parts of the world. I mean, just be conscious of what’s going into your mind every day, and make the best out of it. If you’re concerned about the welfare of the humanity, by all means take notice of the natural disasters and warfare that are happening daily. But if you don’t really care about it, and you don’t want to do anything about it other than reading “for fun”, then don’t read it! The input to your mind determines your output to the world.

Coming back to MJ, I’m hearing his music anywhere I go these couple of days. The radios, the streets, the Internet, etc. He is truly an amazing man and he’s left such a great legacy in the music industry. Did you think he didn’t have this plan in mind and just plainly loved music? I don’t think so. I think he knew what he wanted the world to know about him as after he died. He wanted to rock the world and leave his footprints! He wanted to be the best, and he did – he’s THE King of Pop. He wanted people to remember him as the The King of Pop, nothing less. That’s why he cried at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. He didn’t want to be remembered as The Child Molester. Really, who would want that? He’s spent his entire “dash” (read Paragraph 4 in this post) performing great music and inspired many people in the world. Have you ever thought about how you are going to spend your ‘dash’? Remember this: don’t be afraid to dream, and don’t be afraid to act, for you’d be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t anyway!

(Picture by ulunam from Flickr, Thanks!)