Gratitude and contentment

I just came across this post on The Happiness Project website. 

It encapsulates a lot of what I think, but states it more eloquently than I have.  I think a lot of what is wrong with our society is how innured we become to the comforts of our situations.  We seem unable to be content for more than a few minutes at a time before we want it bigger and better. 

In our Type A, overdrive, age of immediate gratification we seem to have completely lost sight of the concept of contentment or satisfaction.  We've had it beaten into our heads that if you aren't constantly striving for something better you're a loser.  However, we seem to have only adapted this mindset when it comes to material objects and seem to forget all about it when it comes to personal betterment, our relationships or our committment to a greater good. 

It comes directly back to my own Gratitude project.  Instead of living days, weeks, years in the future which inevitably leads to dissatisfaction with the present, let's all slow down and look at where we are and what we have.  And allow ourselves a moment to breathe.  And smile.