Black Friday and Thoughts on Contentment

Posted on the 08 December 2011 by Writerinterrupted @writerinterrupt

I saw a cartoon on facebook today that said,“Don’t you think it’s ironic that Americans spend the most money on new things the day after they say they’re grateful for what they already have?”

This made me stop and think.

Why are we so discontent with what we have? Why the push and the need for bigger and better? Compared to the rest of the world, we already have the biggest and best! What ignites our need for more?

Society, the media, comparisons to others are all valid answers, but to combat those outside forces, I think we need to look deeper into ourselves. Why do I need more? Why do YOU need more?

This need for more also translates into our writing life. Why aren’t we content with simply writing and doing what we love? Why do we need an agent, a contract, another bigger and better book deal? Why aren’t we simply content with writing our blogs that have less than 50 followers?

If we’re in the middle of God’s will does it really matter how many people we reach? Or is it more important that we reach those He wants us to reach, no matter how small?

I came across an old goal list I made about 20 years ago. I wrote “even if I reach one person with my writing, it will be enough.”

When did that goal change? Why wasn’t it enough? When did I yearn for more?

Why do YOU want more than what you already have?

These are the things I’ll be thinking about this weekend, and I encourage you to think on them as well!

Let’s talk: What do you think?