It turns out that money is an extremely poor motivator. As Dan Pink explains in his TED Talk The Puzzle of Motivation, autonomy (the ability to make your own decisions), mastery (having great skill or technique) and purpose (having clearly defined motivational aims) are far more effective motivators than money.

 

Another important piece of the contentment jigsaw is being connected. In Johann Hari's TED Talk on anxiety and depression, he describes how we're biologically programmed to be connected; to other people, to meaningful work, to nature, and to a cause or belief that’s bigger than ourselves. 

 

As an exercise you might want to give yourself a score out of 10 for each of these important elements of contentment:

 

• Autonomy

• Mastery

• Purpose

• Connections

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What did you discover? What's the weak link for you? 

 

My own purpose is ‘To help people fall in love with life again’, so it makes me incredibly happy to see clients reconnect with their core values, their strengths and what really matters to them, so they can create an Authentic Life that brings them happiness and contentment.

 

It would be an honour to help you explore your non-negotiables and what really matters to you so you can make smart choices around how you can be happy, fulfilled and content.