{"id":894,"date":"2017-07-26T01:09:17","date_gmt":"2017-07-26T01:09:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=894"},"modified":"2017-07-26T01:09:17","modified_gmt":"2017-07-26T01:09:17","slug":"healthy-discontent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/07\/healthy-discontent.html","title":{"rendered":"Healthy Discontent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"woman<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHealthy discontent is the prelude to progress.\u201d \u2013 Mahatma Gandhi<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Society tells us that we should count our blessings. We should have gratitude journals and focus on all that we have.\u00a0 And that is all good.\u00a0 We should feel grateful for what we\u2019ve been given.<\/p>\n

But as the quote above indicates, there is nothing wrong with \u201chealthy discontent.\u201d Healthy discontent is what motivates us to improve ourselves and our circumstances.<\/p>\n

Without that nagging feeling that life could be (and should be) better, it is easy to stagnate. That nagging feeling is what propels us to improve our health, our relationships and our careers.\u00a0 That discomfort is what drives us out of our comfort zones to make positive change in our lives.<\/p>\n

I always have a certain level of discomfort. That discomfort drives me to work hard at my job.\u00a0 I don\u2019t just want to remain where I am.\u00a0 Professionally, I want to keep getting better.\u00a0 Likewise, I always have a certain amount of discontent about my home.\u00a0 That drives me to always try to improve it by making it more functional or aesthetically pleasing.<\/p>\n

My feelings of discontent about my job and my home don\u2019t mean that I don\u2019t appreciate them. It is an incredible blessing to be able to work and be paid for one\u2019s efforts.\u00a0 That is no small thing.\u00a0 Similarly, if you live in a safe place, with running water, heat and air conditioning, you are incredibly fortunate.\u00a0 These are not things to be taken for granted.<\/p>\n

However, at the same time that we are grateful for what we have now, we also should be striving to improve. God gives us resources and talents not only to be used, but to be grown.<\/p>\n

So, if you happen to be good at playing the piano, God\u2019s intention is for you to continually improve your skills. If you have been blessed with a home, God expects you to care for it, and to continually work at making it a lovelier place for you and others to enjoy.<\/p>\n

The same holds true for our personal development. If you have areas in your personality that need improvement, your attitude shouldn\u2019t be, \u201cWell, I am who I am.\u201d\u00a0 You should want to constantly be improving.<\/p>\n

For instance, I can be very impatient. And I feel discomfort about that character flaw.\u00a0 As a result, I work hard to try to overcome that flaw by at least not expressing my feelings of irritation simply because I have them.\u00a0 I know that this is an area in which I need to improve, and I\u2019m not willing to just remain the same.<\/p>\n

When we feel discontent about ourselves, as I do with my issue with impatience, we have to be honest with ourselves. It is easy to make excuses for our bad behavior, and to push the discontent about our character flaws down.\u00a0 But we need to face our discontent head on and say to ourselves, \u201cI am not perfect, and I need to work on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

I would argue that when we feel \u201chealthy discontent\u201d that is God speaking to us. God is saying to us, \u201cThis needs to improve.\u00a0 You can do better than this.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week, consider whether you have a healthy discontent in your life. Have you become so settled in your job or your relationships that you don\u2019t see regular improvement? Does your home and financial situation remain the same from year to year?\u00a0 Do you have a character flaw that you wish you didn’t have?\u00a0 If so, you may feel a nagging pull to create healthy change in your life.\u00a0 Don\u2019t ignore it.\u00a0 Take steps to address your areas of discontent and keep improving your life every day.<\/p>\n

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n

My book, The Secrets to Success for the Working Mother<\/a>, is available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback. \u00a0If you purchase a copy, please consider writing a review. \u00a0I would be delighted to hear your feedback!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHealthy discontent is the prelude to progress.\u201d \u2013 Mahatma Gandhi Society tells us that we should count our blessings. We should have gratitude journals and focus on all that we have.\u00a0 And that is all good.\u00a0 We should feel grateful for what we\u2019ve been given. But as the quote above indicates, there is nothing wrong…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[61],"class_list":["post-894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-self-improvement"],"yoast_head":"\nHealthy Discontent - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/07\/healthy-discontent.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Healthy Discontent - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cHealthy discontent is the prelude to progress.\u201d \u2013 Mahatma Gandhi Society tells us that we should count our blessings. 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