Have you ever noticed that the more you have the more you want?   Let’s face it. Thinking our life is good enough doesn’t come naturally to many people. When we have high expectations of everything in life we will run into disappointment. Only when we are aware that needs are different from desires can we live with satisfaction. Here are a few ideas to help you be happier with what you have and who you are.

Focus on what you are thankful for. Most people want things to be better than they are, or when things are going well, we forget to appreciate what we have. Learn to reflect on how much better things are than they could be. Focus on what you are thankful for. Write down 5 things you are grateful for right now.

When we hold onto regrets from decisions we have made, it can really poison our wellbeing. Many people regret something they can no longer change, which ends up holding them back from moving forward in a more positive manner. What happened in the past is done and gone, so work to stay present and be mindful of the current moment to find more joy and fulfillment.

When we use other people as the measuring stick for our personal success and quality of life, we are likely to be less satisfied. Social comparisons can provide useful information when we try to learn from others, but they also hold our perspective in a discontented position. Compare yourself less with others so you can be satisfied more.

When you are focused on your big ambitions and future goals, you might elide the daily pleasures that surround you. Learn to slow down and absorb the wonder and beauty around you. Stay present and focus on the task you’re undertaking at the moment. Don’t let the life pass you by because you’re always on the go and distracted by ambition.

Practice looking at life through the lens of contentment and it will become more natural.

My first shopping in a general store was in Miss Bee’s when I spent the summer with my grandmother in New York.

“Go get them yourself” Miss Bee said, ignoring the shopping list held up before her nose. “I’m not your servant, so just get yourself a basket from that pile over there and start filing.”

It took me three wall-to-wall searches before I found the first item on my list — a pork can be placed between boxes of cereal and bread. Next up was toilet paper, found under the daily newspaper, and Band-Ads, found next to the face cream. The store was a puzzle, but it held some surprises too. I found a new Superman comic behind the peanut butter.

I visited Miss Bee a couple of times a week that summer. Sometimes she short-charged me. Other times she overcharged or sold me an old newspaper instead of a current one. Going to the store was more like going into battle. I left my Grandma’s house armed with my list — memorized to the letter — and marched into Miss Bee’s like General Patton (巴顿将军) marching into North Africa.

All summer long she found ways to trip me up. No sooner had I learned how to pronounce bicarbonate of soda (小苏打) and memorized its location on the shelf than Miss Bee rearranged the shelves and made me hunt for it all over again. By summer’s end, however, the shopping trip that had once taken me an hour was done in 15 minutes.

The morning I was to return to Brooklyn, I stopped in to tell her that she was mean. To my amazement, she laughed and said. “Well, I don’t care! Each of us is put on this earth for a reason. I believe my job is to teach every child I meet some life lessons to help them. Think what you will, but when you get older you’ll be glad our paths crossed!”

In reading the world’s great literature on human excellence and personal success, I’ve found that, in order to launch ourselves into a life of true success, we need to satisfy one basic condition: pursue our goals with perseverance. The biggest difference between people who succeed and those who don’t is not usually talent but persistence.

On my way to work one morning, I met Ruby, who is now a motivational speaker. He has grown up in Joliet, listening to stories about University of Notre Dame (圣母大学), and dreaming of one day playing football there. Friends told him he wasn’t a good enough student to be admitted. So he gave up his dream and went to work in a power plant.

Then a friend was killed in an accident to work. Shocked, Ruby suddenly realized that life is too short not to pursue your dreams. In 1990, at the age of 23, he enrolled at Holy Cross Junior College in South Bend, Indiana. He got good enough grades to transfer to Notre Dame, where he finally made the football team as a member of the “scout team”, the players who helped the team prepare for games.

Ruby was living his dream, almost. But he wasn’t allowed to suit up for the games themselves. The next year, after Ruby requested it, the coach told Ruby he could put on his uniform for the season’s final game. And there he sat, on the Notre Dame bench during the game. A student started shouting, “we want Ruby!” Soon others joined in. Finally, at the age of 27, with 27 seconds left to play, Ruby was sent onto the field—and made the final tackle (阻截). So his team won the game.

When I met Ruby 17 years later, it was in the parking lot outside Notre Dame stadium, where a camera crew was filming scenes for Rudy, a motion picture about his life. His story illustrates that there is no limit to where your dreams can take you.