If you are not content here and now, where will you go to find it?

Kahlil Gibran said, "Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness."

THIS ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO CONTENTMENT!

Nine requisites for contented living:
Health enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth enough to support your needs.
Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor.
Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith enough to make real the things of God.
Hope enough to remove all the anxious fears concerning the future.
- Johann von Goethe

As Cicero said, "A perverse temper, and a discontented, fretful disposition, wherever they prevail, render any state of life unhappy."

There are always pros and cons;

the trick lies in knowing how to turn things to your advantage.

Things look different when seen in a different light.

So look at them in the light of happiness.

Don't confuse good and bad.

This is why some people find contentment in everything, and others sorrow.

This is a sure defense against the reversals of fortune,

and a great rule for living, at all times and in every pursuit.

- The Art of Worldly Wisdom

by Baltasar Gracian

O happiness! Our being’s end and aim!

Good, pleasure, ease, content! Whate’er thy name:

That something still which promps the eternal sigh,

For which we hear to live, or dare to die.

- Alexander Pope 1688-1744

Benjamin Franklin said, "To the discontented man no chair is easy." What is contentment? Is contentment happiness? Contentment has been defined by words like satisfaction, happiness, pleasure, gratification, ease and peace. So I would express the thought that contentment is basically happiness but maybe not entirely all that happiness may contain.

Happiness is now being defined in two ways. The first way is happiness as it relates to having good humor. The second is happiness as it relates to inner satisfaction. It is here under the second definition that contentment is properly defined. Smiling and a sense of joyfulness are some of the things that happiness contains. You can be content without showing signs of a smile or feeling joyful. These aspects of happiness are not exhibited in contentment, yet contentment still remains a strong aspect of happiness.

Contentment is a strong sense of well being. It could be a state of being satisfied, or a source of satisfaction, such as the contentment of seeing children playing. Contentment is happiness with one's situation in life. When we talk about satisfaction regarding contentment, we have to make sure we are receiving satisfaction from our own feeling of liking something; as opposed to the satisfaction we would feel from getting approval from someone else. This is an important distinction because in one case you know how you feel about yourself in relation to anything else. Doris Mortman said, "Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have."

Seeking approval from other people in order to feel satisfaction, creates many problems. We have all heard about people who try to become famous so they can be happy. They are trying to feel good about themselves through the approval of others. No matter how much approval or fame you receive, it will never be enough. The more you get, the more you think you need. So satisfaction is never found out there, or by the approval you receive from other people.

Lillian Eichler Watson said, "...true happiness stems from a quality within ourselves, from a way of thinking of life. Of all the millions of words written on happiness, this is the oldest and most enduring truth. If the principles of contentment are not within us, no material success, no pleasures or possessions, can make us happy."

Pleasure is certainly an aspect of both happiness and contentment. But many people think that pleasure is happiness and contentment. Although it is certainly a part of both states of being, it is not all of it. Pleasure can never be all of it because pleasure is a passing thing. Once it is gone the question becomes, how do I get it back or how do I get more of it. So pleasure in this sense very quickly becomes an addition, unlike happiness or contentment. The fact that you need and want more, and you are not content, proves that it is an addition.

Socrates said, "Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty." Contentment means that you feel you now have enough of something and you are enjoying what you have, rather than needing any thing more. Happiness is the very same thing, when you have enough, you have enough. As Benjamin Franklin once said, "Content makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor." Gratification is another word for contentment. It also means satisfaction, fulfillment, indulgence, enjoyment and delight. These are all words that mean and describe happiness and contentment.

Another word that describes contentment is the word: ease. This is one of the reasons that contentment and happiness is so important to practice. The benefit of being content is to enjoy all the things that you already have when you practice ease or contentment. Ease is a really great word because it means effortlessness, easiness, no difficulty, straightforwardness and simplicity. All these characteristics can be yours with "ease," when you practice contentment. "For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." - St. Paul: Philippians 4:11

Finally the word peace has been used to describe contentment. This is one of the most powerful words of all. It is true that peace is also happiness as well as contentment. Look at the opposite of the word contentment: discontentment. The word and the state of discontentment are actually the state of experiencing dissatisfaction, unhappiness, restlessness, displeasure and disgruntlement. Not a very pretty picture of what can happen when we are not using contentment and happiness as strategies for better living. As Doris Mortman said, "Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have."

We have words, like: self-content, self-satisfaction and self-gratification to describe what we can choose to do and to be. Maybe this is a good time to introduce you to self-happiness. Og Mandino has said, "Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

Happiness is like a do-it-yourself project. Like self-contentment, you can do it for yourself and help yourself to as much as you'd like. If you get too much, you can always give away a little happiness and share it with others. Greg Anderson said, "...the supply of misery, pain, and suffering is unlimited. But so is the supply of pleasure, contentment, and fulfillment. It is we who do the rationing. Ration no more! Capture wellness this instant! This instant is all there is. Live it!"

BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

Published in the Fairfield Citizen-News - March 22, 2006

Life is complicated, happiness is simple!

Happiness Empowerment to You! LIVE RICHLY...PRACTICE HAPPINESS!

Sharing Love, Peace and Happiness with you,
Lionel Ketchian

Reminding you to make the "Happiness Decision." Giving you our Happiness Club Meeting dates, The Happiness Show, on television and on the Internet, the newest happiness information, and your latest copy of the Be Happy Zone Article's that are published every other Wednesday in the Fairfield Citizen-News. At the beginning of this newsletter you can read the latest article called: Keeping Yourself Happy!

"If you are content, you have enough to live comfortably." - Plautus

Think Smart, Look Smart, Be Smart...Be Happy!

"The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach." Lin Yu-t'ang

Loved the newsletter once again. Made me quite happy, a bit more happier in fact. Thanks so much. Happiness for free cant beat that ahh? Anyway, just wanted to comment about the readings on Joel Osteen. He is awesome. I agree about his excellence on teaching happiness....incredible man. Another awesome person is Joyce Meyers. She is another one of those special gifted beings. I wish there was a happiness club here is Michigan near my area. I would surely be interested in it. Take Care and stay happy.... I know you will and so will I. Reading the newsletter makes me even happier. Thanks, Carol Emmett

"It is not our circumstances that create our discontent or contentment. It is us." - Vivian Greene

I sent your newsletter to my Very Dear Friend, Dr. Abraham Fischler, former President of NOVA University (3rd largest private university in the country) for 22 years, and below was his response! This is Very Good News for Happiness Club....THE GOOD NEWS IS SPREADING! Oh, I, too, LOVE JOEL OSTEEN!!! And so do all my friends!! HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY, FILLED WITH LOVE, MAGIC & MIRACLES! Susan Dvorak, Angel Works

"Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and a happy purchase." - John Balguy

Our friend Dr. Bernie Siegel wanted me to remind you of the plaque over God's desk:

#1 Don't feel totally, irrevocably, eternally responsible for everything. that's my job.

#2 If you go around saying I've got a miserable life I will show you what miserable really is and if you go around saying I've got a wonderful life I'll show you what wonderful really is.

#3 Everything you remember I forget and everything you forget I remember.

"They are not poor that have little, but they that desire much. The richest man, whatever his lot, is the one who's content with his lot" - Dutch Proverb

A smile happens in a flash.....but it's memory can last a lifetime.
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be!

Sent to us from Vickie Skala

"When we cannot find CONTENTMENT in ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere." -Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Soulsong #368 - Sailing a Relation-Ship

If I'm in an unhappy relationship, the most important thing I can do is work on my own happiness, here and now, before I change any aspect of my situation.

If I allow my sense of well-being to depend on the status of my relationship, I'm in a vulnerable position. I'm placing my inner peace and joy at the mercy of circumstances outside myself, over which I will never have total control.

But I always have control of my mental focus, and I will do myself a huge favor by focusing on what I like about my partner. What do I appreciate about this relationship, past and present? What’s good about my life right now?

I discipline myself to notice what’s going right, not wrong. I practice observing my partner’s strengths. And if that seems impossible, I change the subject in my own mind. (Ah, nice weather we're having.)

As I choose contented, peaceful thoughts DESPITE WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE RELATIONSHIP, then the relationship MUST improve or it must dissolve, allowing me to find fulfillment elsewhere.

A joyful me WILL be a match-up to a joyful relationship, either this one or another one. But without the inner work, I'll likely stay stuck on a sandbar.

Welcome to the new Soulsongs newsletter. Joyfully yours, Karen Williams

A feeling of happiness is the best injection you can give to your being. It pervades all your systems, all your cells, flows and mechanisms. Happiness is the best remedy and stimulant for your being. - Dr. Take lots of vitamin H: happiness. Love your life. Consider it a miracle. - Dr. Robert Muller

Something I thought you'd like.

Happ-E-Quote :)

"If you know peace, then you thrive; if you know contentment, then you are rich." - Su Shi Source: Zen Lessons: The Art of Leadership translated by Thomas Cleary

FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY
Lionel Ketchian will present a talk called, "Happiness Benefits," to the Fairfield University Retiree Association. The meeting will take place on Thursday April 6th at 1:00 PM in the Alumni House located on the Fairfield University campus. Visitors are welcome to attend the lecture, free of charge, by calling Jean Forstrom at 336-4181.

Everything You Want In Life Is Yours It's Already Been Given To You All You Have To Do Is Receive It!

"Jeanna and Eva, I very much enjoyed being on your show. What a treat! You guys are so light and upbeat and enthusiastic and right on!" - Jack Canfield, CEO, Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises.

"Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful." - Norman Vincent Peale

Wellness Wisdom, By Ruth G. May
According to U.S. research, you can add seven and a half years to your life just by being happy!

PART 1 on Monday April 3rd, TO LEARN AND TO LIVE

PART 2 on Monday April 10th IN THE JOURNEY TOGETHER

Watch "The Happiness Show," every Monday night, at 9:30 - 10:00 PM. Your co-hosts are Lionel Ketchian and George Ortega. The TV show is broadcast in six towns on Cablevision of Connecticut channel 77. It airs in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Orange, Stratford and Woodbridge. Watch "The Happiness Show," every Thursday night from 9:00 - 9:30 PM on Cablevision in White Plains, New York on channel 76.

Our next Happiness Club meeting will be a presentation called:

"Contentment & Happiness" by Lionel Ketchian.

Date :) Thursday, April 13, 2006

Time :) 7:00 - 9:00 P.M.
Place :) At the Fairfield Public Library, in the Memorial Room

Address :) 1080 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824

Meet some wonderful people using happiness in their lives. Everyone is welcome; admission is free. Future meetings at the Fairfield Library will be Thursday, May 18, Thursday, June 15, 2006.

"A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it be--without wishing for what he has not." - Lucius Anneaus Seneca

The Happiness Club at Bridge House has meetings every Tuesday at 12:00 PM for a happy meal and a happy hour!

Bridge House is a Clubhouse which is modeled on the Fountain House model of psychiatric rehabilitation. The men and women who attend assist with the running of the program, which helps to restore their sense of purpose,dignity and self worth. The members also work at part time jobs, with staff providing intensive supports. New employers are always welcome! In addition,case management, social events, residential supports, and educational opportunities are provided. The program is open 365 days a year, and is about to celebrate their 20th year of helping it's members to realize their potential as valued members of the community.

Our next meeting is Monday, April 24th,, from 7:00 - 8:30 PM at the Westport Public Library. Located at: Arnold Bernhard Plaza, 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT 06880.

The Westport Public Library is located along the Saugatuck River in Westport, Connecticut.

Future meetings will be on Mondays as follows:
Monday, May 22nd, June 26th, July 24th

Smiling Senior Singles is a group for seniors who have found themselves alone. Many people, who live in the area, have found themselves without any family. This can be difficult, so it is important to find friends you can relate to. Meet some wonderful people and start using happiness in your life.

Stacy Enyeart is the group facilitator. Stacy has a background in publishing, advertising, TV producing and is President of the AARP of Westport/Weston Chapter.

Meeting Location: 1485 Church St. Apt #1 SF, CA 94131

(corner of 27th Street in Noe Valley).
You can exit on 24th street BART and walk about 10 – 15 minutes or take the J Church which drops you off right in front of our house. Please RSVP because it helps us prepare. I hope to see you there! Aymee

Bob Nozik, M.D. is the author of Happy 4 Life: Here’s How to Do It.

The Happiness Club Of North Carolina in Wilmington, will meet on the last Tuesday of each the month at 7:00 PM. The club will initially be a free one hour discussion/seminar on a topic pertaining to happiness.

Free registration, please call the Village Center at 301-656-2797
Open to all community members that have decided to better their quality of life and be happy. Please send inquiries, requests for programs, speaker and consulting services to: Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 South Park Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815

Happiness is an inner state of well being. A state that enables you to profit from your highest thoughts, intelligence, wisdom, awareness, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values.

Don't give away your power by being unhappy! Practice "Premeditated Happiness," because happiness is an issue of power. We give our power to others for many reasons, and we think that they will make us happy. The truth is that we have given others power over ourselves. We can now take our power back in order to be happy again. Happiness does wonders for your soul. Now is the time to learn to use happiness in dealing with challenges and difficult people in your life so you can develop the strength to prevail.

Reading this newsletter will not just make your life better; it will make the world a better place...because you have decided to be happy!

Our mailing list and your name is never sold, traded, or given to anyone outside of our organization. You can smile about that!

To be removed from this Happ-E-Newsletter reply with "Remove" in the subject line.

"Don't let go of the vine." - John Weissmuller, from the film, Tarzan.

"If you are going through hell...keep going." - Winston Churchill

Life is full of opportunities. Go For It! Carpe diem!

Make the Happiness Decision Now!

This can be the best day for the rest of the "Best Of Your Life!"

If you're not content by now, it's time to have a talk with yourself.

© Copyright 2006, Lionel R. Ketchian, all rights reserved.