Happiness vs contentment

When was the last time you felt happy?

When was the last time you felt content?

What's the difference, you may ask. Ask Google and hundreds of thousands of responses will pop onto your screen. It's not an uncommon question, it seems. So, why am I going there too?

Happiness vs contentment

Last week I was invited to speak at a non-fiction book club about "How to Embrace the Four Fears^® of Business Ownership" – the writing process as well as my thought on reading being a 'rebellious act'. What a fabulous topic, eh?

The book club was ever so slightly different than most though. It was outdoors, in a forest in the Cotswolds to be precise. There was a roaring campfire. Delicious coffee was bubbling in pots that were being warmed by the flames. Popcorn was crackling in pans that were also being licked by the fire.

Darkness fell as we cosied up on the log benches. A full moon fought its way through the branches above, offering reinforcement to our lanterns. A tawny owl hooted with derision as we interrupted her usual nighttime routine.

We were blessed with mild temperatures and, had it been an option, I could have curled up in a sleeping bag and closed my eyes, drifting into a deep, nourishing sleep serenaded by nature.

The idea of such an evening made me happy. The actual experience brought a much deeper contentment – a more internal, lasting feeling of wellbeing as opposed to a fleeting emotional response.

A delicious connection to who I am and what I really love.

Maybe I was wrong about happiness

I talk a lot about happiness. About connecting to what it is that lights you up in a way that is so irresistible, you can't help but build a life around those connections.

• Procrastination slips away because you can't not do the thing that makes you happy

• Imposter Syndrome quietens because you're feeling emboldened by the journey you're on and the work you are doing

• The desire to wait until everything is perfect evaporates because imperfectly happy beats perfectly unfulfilled

• And failure (whatever that is) comes with a smile

Hmmm... no, I'm not wrong. I stand by those emotions and the idea that there is a happiness to be found in the resilient and brave acts of doing.

But happiness vs contentment...? Well, content feels deeper and more significant than happy. Happiness comes with a smile, with laughter. Outward reactions. Contentment points inwards. It radiates within, warms your soul, it comes with a satisfaction that cannot be seen but that wells up from your toes to the top of your head.

By living a life of knowing what you REALLY want and spending way more time on the things that make that happen than on the things that distract and cause hesitation, you will find happiness in each of those actions. A reminder, a piece of evidence that reaffirms you are living a life in tune with who you really are.

And that life...? That is where contentment sits, waiting to embrace you like a long lost friend.

When was the last time you felt happy?

When was the last time you felt content? Mark Franklin is The Four Fears^® Guy: a transformational mindset coach, speaker and author working with creative professionals and small business owners who are ready to close the gap between the business they have and the one they actually deserve.