Happiness is not having what you want but wanting only what you have. (H. Schachtel, 20th century rabbi)
“Happiness” is sometimes replaced in this quotation with “Contentment” or “Prosperity.” Whichever word you choose, the teaching is clear. Rather than always wishing for something different or something more, we must learn to live with what we have and make good use of it. It’s a lesson we need to be reminded of often.
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances . . . I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:11-12)