How Discipline Helps Derive Satisfaction From Simple Things

Why Don’t We Usually Get Any Satisfaction From Simple Things?

Simple things are usually things taken for granted. We take them for granted as – more often than not – we can somehow control them. No chase or significant effort is required. Human beings are quick to adapt, which has helped us survive and thrive. But it also means that the positive things that initially make us happier soon become our new regular, and we return to our old happiness baseline.

Easy, too easy. Why bother? When there is no savor of victory, the success is perceived as too small and not legitimate to be celebrated. Most of us forget wellbeing 101 and fall into that bland negative mindset.

This blasé reaction attitude shows we forget why we get so excited when things go our way after a long fight or prolonged effort. It doesn’t just make us feel good, but it has been shown in recent studies that achieving anything (most likely after an effort) makes people happy for about twenty-four hours!

Why Do We Need To Derive Satisfaction From Simple Things?

Positive thoughts and small victories are perfect ingredients to spice up a tasteless life. A positive outlook can make all of the difference in how you experience your day. Like a light painkiller, it always feels good when it kicks in.

After any day, good or awful, looking at the little things that went well today can only provide you with positive vibes. There are plenty of little things you control, and they are just a thought away to be celebrated.

“Happiness is not about getting all you want; it is about enjoying all you have”

Our brains are hardwired to notice and remember the wrong things. It’s a survival mechanism that helped keep prehistory ancestors safe in an environment with many physical threats. But this biological predisposition towards noticing negativity can significantly contribute to negative thoughts rather than positive ones!

Rewiring your brain to appreciate all the simple things you take for granted is a perfect strategy to living a happy, healthy, and rewarding life. Enjoying simple things is like taking care of your body but for your mind, and this is simple.

“Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy, and rewarding life.” – Marilu Henner

It has been proven that the happiest people are those who carry a form of discipline, for instance a portfolio of positives habits. Read more about how 4 disciplines lead to happiness and meaning in this insightful podcast from the Art of Charm.

How Do You Derive Pleasure And Satisfaction From Simple Things?

Get out of the social comparison theory and listen first to yourself. If you thoroughly enjoy something, just do it. Don’t be ashamed of it, even if it’s not a fancy thing that would get a lot of likes on Instagram. Enjoy the ride. Your contentment should be entirely yours and not dependent on someone else validation. 

So next time you’re craving this meal from KFC, have your best life even if social pressure is telling you you shouldn’t. It’s true it’s cheap junk food, after all, but who cares?

At the end of the day, remind yourself how all these pretty standards things made you feel better, at least at the moment. Like the slight kick you may have with your first coffee in the morning. You may take it for granted. Reminding yourself how good it feels will help you realize plenty of everyday things that are already satisfying. You just forgot why gratitude is a crucial ingredient to happiness.

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown

Gratitude aside, comparing yourself to a less fortunate person is also a powerful technique to remind yourself that you are lucky. Mentally comparing ourselves to others can make us feel worse for a moment. If you think about the countless others who have it more complicated than you, then you will realize how lucky you are 🙂

Deriving satisfaction from simple things is a step forward to a minimalist approach to life where you can get more with less.

“You may feel like your life isn’t as good or lucky, but the reality is that you are still luckier than most.” – Cup of Coffee

Why Does Getting Satisfaction From Simple Things Require Some Discipline?

Being grateful and thinking about the less fortunate people are effective strategies for having satisfaction from simple things. There is no magic here, and actions and positive processes of thought are still needed consistently. Yes, taking 5 minutes every day, no matter what, to list 5 things that went well today requires a bit of discipline. The upside is that after each 5-minute session, you will have positive food for tough with a lasting effect.

The feeling of achieving something brings us joy. To make it happen, a disciplined mindset is required. The best discipline is self-discipline, meaning there is no one pushing you except yourself to achieve something.Whether it is a personal goal or simply helping others, when we reach our desired destination, the satisfaction that comes with knowing how hard work pays off allows for peace within oneself.

To get to your desired destination and enjoy little victories in the process, you need discipline. Discipline to execute all the steps leading to your destination, and discipline to rewire your brain to think the right way along the journey. Here is how to build discipline with a healthy habit to gain satisfaction from a simple thing. Good luck 🙂