Being happy with what you have is something that comes from within. Having a positive mindset and being grateful for the things and people in our lives is key to appreciating our personal experiences.

We all know what it feels like to not be satisfied in life. This can be the result of our current situations, struggling to achieve personal or professional goals, or simply wanting more out of life. However, when we allow ourselves to be consumed by those feelings, it’s often easy to lose sight of the ways in which we are blessed.

I’ve put together quotes from many influential people to help you through these moments. Remember, wisdom comes from experience. All of these individuals most likely felt what you are feeling now, which is what allowed them to receive this clarity and insight.

Mindset is Everything

Many times, life will not go the way we planned or expected. I’ve found that in my own life when I practice detachment from results and instead focus on living in the moment, it helps me to make the best of almost any situation.

When we find ourselves not being happy with what we have, it is because of the lens that we choose to look at our situation through. Here are some quotes to help inspire you to shift your mindset in order to find true Happiness and contentment.

• “True inner joy is self-created. It does not depend on outer circumstances. A river is flowing in and through you carrying the message of joy. This divine joy is the sole purpose of life.” – Sri Chinmoy
• “Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” – Gerard Way
• “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” – Charles Spurgeon
• “A mathematical formula for happiness: reality divided by expectations. There were two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.” – Jodi Picoult, author
• “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley
• “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” – Russell M. Nelson
• “Be happy with what you have while working for what you want.” – Helen Keller
• “Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” – Earl Nightingale
• “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius
• ‘Happiness, true happiness, is an inner quality. It is a state of mind. If your mind is at peace, you are happy. If your mind is at peace, but you have nothing else, you can be happy. If you have everything the world can give – pleasure, possessions, power – but lack peace of mind, you can never be happy.” – Dada Vaswani
• “Be happy with being you. Love your flaws. Own your quirks. And know that you are just as perfect as anyone else, exactly as you are.”  – Ariana Grande
• “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything.” – Anonymous
• “You are only a poor person if you are not happy with what you have.” – Debasish Mridha
• “Happiness doesn’t have to be chased; it merely has to be chosen.” – Mandy Hale
• “Remember happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think.” – Dale Carnegie
• “He who is contented is rich.” – Lao Tzu 
• “It’s almost impossible to be satisfied in your own life if you’re constantly looking at what someone else has.” – Rachael Cruze
• “The secret of being happy is accepting where you are in life and making the most out of every day.” – Anonymous
• “If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.” – Lao Tzu
• “To be content means that you realize you contain what you seek… Be happy with what you have. Be excited about what you want.” – Alan Cohen 
• “Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.” – Chuck Palahniuk
• “Pain or pleasure, joy or misery, agony or ecstasy, happens only inside you. Human folly is that people are always trying to extract joy from the outside. You may use the outside as a stimulus or trigger, but the real thing always comes from within.” – Sadhguru
• “I think that life is difficult. People have challenges. Family members get sick, people get older, you don’t always get the job or the promotion that you want. You have conflicts in your life. And really, life is about your resilience and your ability to go through your life and all of the ups and downs with a positive attitude.” – Jennifer Hyman
• “It is neither wealth nor splendor; but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson
• “For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you’re not going to be very happy. If someone bases his [or her] happiness on major events like a great job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time. If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.” – Andy Rooney
• “Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.” – Ralph Marston
• “The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering. And happiness mainly comes from our own attitude, rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happy.” – H.H. the Dalai Lama

Attitude of Gratitude

If you’re still struggling to find inspiration to help change your mindset, try adopting an attitude of gratitude. Oftentimes, our lack of satisfaction comes from not recognizing the many things that we have to be thankful for.

While it may be challenging at first, the more you practice approaching life this way, the easier it will become. I’ve put together quotes for you that will hopefully inspire your thoughts to come from a place of being grateful for what you have in this moment.

• “Make peace with your now moment. Live in this very moment and be happy with what you have. Joy enters when we stop complaining about the troubles we have and offering thanks for all the troubles we don’t have. And be aware, you have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.” – Angie Karan
• “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put odd living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie
• “If being happy is important to you, try this: instead of regretting all you lack, celebrate all you’ve got.” – Brian Vaszily
• “Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” – William E. Gladstone
• “The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.” – Woody Allen
• “Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.” – Bilal Zahoor
• “Contentment always eludes those who don’t count themselves blessed for what they already have.” – Anonymous
• “To be content doesn’t mean you don’t desire more, it means you’re thankful for what you have and patient for what’s to come.” – Tony Gaskins
• “Just think how happy you would be if you lost everything you have right now, and then got it back again.”- Frances Rodman
• “Think of what you have rather than of what you lack. Of the things you have, select the best and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them.” – Marcus Aurelius
• “Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.” – William Feather
• “Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy, because we will always want to have something else or something more.” – David Steindl-Rast
• “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
• “Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is.” – Mandy Hale

Be Happy with What You Have, It Is All There Is

As we go through our journeys in life, we have two options. The first is to focus on what we think needs to be changed in order to become happy. The second option is to recognize that happiness is a choice, how we choose to be in this present moment.

Struggles come and go, but the most important thing to remember is that nothing lasts forever. Even external forces that bring us happiness today may not have the same effect tomorrow. Everything that we need to be happy is within ourselves.

I hope these quotes have inspired you to find ways to be happy with what you have and I wish you love, strength, and courage as you follow your path.

Image credits: Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash

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