September 3, 2025 • 26 mins
Empowered Living With Jeff Byrd.
Welcome to Empowered Living. Listen as Jeff tackles critical issues in a way that brings "Insight for business, leadership, and life!
https://www.talknetworkradio.com/hosts/EmpoweredLiving
Welcome to Empowered Living. Listen as Jeff tackles critical issues in a way that brings "Insight for business, leadership, and life!
https://www.talknetworkradio.com/hosts/EmpoweredLiving
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, this is Gabriella on the scene today with Top
Network Radio. We have a real dread for you just
around the corner, and that is Empowered Living with Jeff Bird.
Jeff is the owner of Jeffrey for Coaching, and he
will be coming to you weekly to teach you more
about empowered living. Now let's join Jeff already in the studio.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Hello and welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
This is Jeff Bird with Cheff Bird Coaching, and this
is Empowered Living. I'm so pleased that you've tuned in
and are joining me on this call this week. This
is a shorter program, but one that as I was
putting it together, I've found to be tremendously powerful. And
as a matter of fact, that's what I made the
title of it. It's called The Tremendous Power of Contentment.
(01:22):
The Tremendous Power of Contentment. Now, this is on November thirtieth,
just right on the cusp of going into the holiday
month of December, and with Christmas and all the parties
and events and celebrations and other holidays that we have.
It's easy sometimes and I've done this meant for many years,
it's easy to get a little bit overwhelmed because there's
(01:45):
a lot of expectations to attend things gift giving, and
sometimes I think, oh, my goodness, you know, I just
can't we just all just be quiet a little bit
and just be together, you know, forget the gift giving
and these things, and just be content. Because I'm off
very aware of all the things i'd like or that
other people would like that, but I just don't have
the money to go buy him right now. And I think, boy,
what how valuable is contentment? And actually I put this out.
(02:07):
I put a post out on Facebook to ask for
what topics people would like me to talk about it. Now,
this is one that came up in a couple of
different ways, is being happy with what you got and
learning to be content and to slow down and just
to value the time and the people around us more. So,
I thought I would talk about contentment. And there's a verse,
a verse in the Bible that the apostle Paul wrote
(02:28):
in One Timothy that says godliness with contentment is great game. Now,
if this was a live audience, I'd ask for a
show of hands, how many people would like great game?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Anybody not want great gain?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I'd like to talk to you afterwards and kind of
come to understand why why you don't want great game?
Where we all want great game. We're all made to
be more, have more, and do more. But this verse
says what Paul is saying is that is that being
like God. That's what godliness is like, and that means
we have his mindset, we have his heart. His heart
is always to build up, to give, to advance, to
help to move people forward, and to even sacrifice for them.
(03:06):
So that's God and having that right heart towards other
people to help build them up, and then being content
with the where we're at. And if that's a lot,
that's great, there's nothing wrong with that. If it's in
more humble circumstances for a given time, that's okay too.
Paul would later say that I know how to abound
and how to be abase, both of them. Neither's more
(03:27):
valuable than the other. I know how to do them both.
But here's the secret is that I've learned in whatever
state I am in, to be content, to be content now,
contentment means a state of happiness and satisfaction. And so
many people are just running after money. If I just
had a little bit more like they, someone asked was
(03:48):
interviewing John D. Rockefeller one time and ask him, well,
how much money does it take for a person to
truly be happy? And he responded, just a little more
than what he's got you. And so many of us
spend our lives chasing that, just a little more than what. Boy,
if I just had a little more here, if I
were just there, if I just had a vacation there,
if I just had a house there, if I just
had that the other thing, and the list goes on,
(04:10):
wearyingly on it goes, and like Rockefeller said, doesn't matter
where you get, it's gonna be just a little bit
more that you think is going to make you happy.
But some of the wisest and wealthiest people around have
given us a different perspective, and they said that, you know,
more money doesn't make us more happy. It really doesn't.
That's a false premise that many people have chased down
(04:32):
to our own detriment, the detriment of their families, the
detrimental relationships, the detriment sometimes of their own businesses. More
money doesn't equal greater happiness. Now does create greater opportunities
to do different things, greater choices, the greater ability to
choose different things, but it doesn't make us happier. And
war On Buffett even said he's one of the wealthiest
(04:52):
men in the world. As most of you probably know.
He said one time that in an interview I listened
to that we lives similar lives to him, most of us.
We eat similar food, we drive similar cars. He drives
a car that I think it's about ten years old.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Now.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
He wouldn't even let his darter go buy him a
new car. He just told her to go out and
find a good deal on.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
A huge car.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So he drives a car that's eight to ten years
old and lives in the same house. I think you
bought it back in the nineteen fifties and it said, hey,
it's comfortable. It's enough for me, you know. And here's
the thing I learned a long time agoes. I don't
care how big your house is. You can only sit
in one chair at a time. How many options do
you need? We see these big, huge, mega mansions and
early it's like, yeah, that's pretty, but how many places
(05:33):
can you be in at once?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Really?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
And how many options do you need to finally be happy?
I think it's more of an ego thing than it
is an actual any kind of necessity. But that's the thing.
More money doesn't make us happier. Contentment, being content with
exactly where we are and who we are, makes us happier. Now,
let me clarify this. When I say contentment, I mean
(05:59):
with our surcumstances, not our personal development, because we always
want to be growing now, not discontent and like upset
that we haven't grown more, but always continuing every day
to grow, to improve, to learn something, to help better
somebody else's left to make this life worth living. If
(06:19):
we're not getting better today, then what do you know?
If we're not better tomorrow than we are today, then
what do we need today for?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
So we always want to be growing.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
So when I'm talking about contentment, I'm not saying just
a complacent thing. Well, Hey, I'm just the way I am,
and I'm never going to get better and I'm never
going to improve, and y'all just better learn to deal
with it. That's not what I'm talking about. What I'm
talking about with contentment is being content and happy in
our circumstances, constantly bettering ourselves, which often leads to betterment
(06:49):
of circumstances. But being content and okay, where we are
being able to rest, to be still, to be quiet,
and to be happy. So I want to give a
couple of comparison contrast statements here between discontent people and
content people. Discontent people they're focused on what they want,
but what they cannot have, right, that's where they focus.
(07:11):
That's why they're discontent, because they want stuff they can't
have or shouldn't have. Maybe that's where the credit card
net comes from. Content people are appreciatively focused on what
they already have, and this is big. Somebody called me
out on this just recently. I was thinking of all
the stuff I wanted to develop and all the things
(07:31):
I want to do, and they slowed me down and
they said, hey, wait a minute, look at how far
you've already come. Look at Don't get so caught up
in the growth that you don't appreciate where you've already grown.
To appreciate that while you're growing forward. And my wife
reminded me of it again today, to be appreciatively focused
on what we already have now. Discontent people are focused
(07:55):
on what others have that they don't have, and this
can lead to a lot of news give emotions. Oh
my gosh, they've got this, they've got that, they've got
the other thing. And I tell you, resentment and jealousy
and envy can arise content. People, on the other hand,
are grateful for what they have and they're willing to share.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
The first time that I ever encountered this in a
very powerful way, I was about eighteen years old and
I was I'd gotten into bird watching.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Some of you know my story.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
You know, I'm a burger, and I had gone with
a local college professor and a couple of other people
down to Mexico to look for some exotic birds down there.
And we were in Vera Cruz on the coast, in
a marshy area, and we had our binoculars and our
spotting scopes and cameras and all.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Our fancy greeno stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And we were down there on the coast and there
was this little hut, and I mean a hut. It
was a little teeny hut, like falling apart like most
of us wouldn't use it for a garage.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And out of this hut.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Came this little man, wrinkled man, older man, big smile,
missing a lot of tea. None of us spoke Spanish
at the time, so we couldn't communicate with him, and
he came out with this huge plate of food to
offer us because he saw us there, and that's just
what they do. And I was so touched by that
as a young and I was in all kinds of
(09:17):
had all kinds of issues going on back then, but
I tell you what, that made an impression on me,
both for different cultures and just for what people can be.
That food that that man brought out probably cost him
several days of wages.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
He didn't know who we.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Were, He couldn't even ask who we were, what we
were doing there, Why are you on my No, it
was none of that. It's like, hey, I see you
and I value you here. I'm going to share with
you what I have, even if it cost me. And
I was very touched by that. That's what content people do.
Discontent people, they often feel that their identity is tied
to their possessions, tied to their portfolio, tied to their house,
(09:52):
tied to all this other stuff and their status, and
they tie their identity too closely to those things. Now
a content they use their possessions to reveal their identity.
Even the man I just told you about Dan and Veracruz.
He used the little bit of possessions he had, but
how he used it revealed who he was, what type
(10:14):
of person he was. Discontent people feel their identity or
type of their possessions. Content people use their possessions to
reveal their identity.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Discontent people, they're always so busy focusing on their desires
and wants that it hinders their growth in the present.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And that's a good little gauge there.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
If you're so focused on the things you want that
you're actually not growing and developing, not spending time on that,
then those things you want are a problem. Content people
they grow themselves in the present and therefore are better
able to reach their desires with the right motives. Okay,
you got that. The discontent person, they're so preoccupied with
(10:57):
everything they want that they're not growing themselves. And but
growth is the key to having a better life. It's
been said that the only guarantee of a better tomorrow
is to grow today. But a content person, they grow
in the present. They make that the first priority. Because
they grow, they become wiser, more knowledgeable, more valuable to
the people around them. That creates new opportunities and gives
(11:20):
them the opportunity to gain more, but with the right
motives and with the right heart, with a heart that
wants to give, that wants to multiply, that wants to share.
Discontent people hinder relational development with others because conquest and
attainment is their goal, and they're so busy trying to attain,
they're just running over people, running over relationships. I used
(11:42):
to work with hospice, and one of the most common
things for a person on hospice to say was, I
wish I hadn't spent so much time working. I wish
I had spent it with other people and getting to
learn about them and know them and value them and
have meaningful experiences and do meaningful things together. Discontent hinders
relational development with others because conquest and attainment is the goal,
(12:07):
but content people for content people building themselves and others.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Is the goal, and gain is the by product.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So many of us find ourselves in tough times and
we just don't have what we want. But if we
get to too fixed on what we want, will never
develop inwardly. Sometimes those seasons come. Those seasons come so
that we can develop inwardly to become who we need
to be to work through motives, to work through character issues,
to work through those things so that then when the
(12:38):
success and when the resources and when the when the
finances come in, we will use them in the right
way because we become the right type of people. Discontent people,
they have a very very difficult time becoming settled or
well rested.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
They're just driven, driven, driven.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
They don't know how to actually stop and say, Okay,
I've done it up for today and I'm in a
good place and I'm just gonna rest now. I'm just
gonna rest, just gonna take care of myself. They don't
do a lot of self care because they're always looking
to what they want, what they want, what they want,
and the content people, they're able to rest and be
at peace in any situation, just like the apostle. Paul
will be open with that know how to abound in,
(13:18):
how to be a base. But I've learned how to
be content in whatever stayed I'm in. Doesn't mean I
want to stay in that state, but it means I
can be content there while I'm growing.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
And looking for ways to continue to improve. Now.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Discontent people are rarely ever happy because they always need
a little more just like I said, Rockefella quoted, how
much money doesn't take for a person to truly be happy,
just a little more than what they've got. Content people
are happy because they enjoy what they have and those
around them. They enjoy what they have. They can make
(13:51):
you a gratitude list of all the things that they
already have that they're very thankful for that a lot
of people.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
In the world may not have those things.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
They don't take things for granted, and they enjoy those
things they have, and they enjoy the people around them,
and they're willing to share with the people around them.
Now here's another great benefit of contentment, and that is
now this comes from the Greater Good magazine published by
UC Berkeley, and content people are the happy people, and
(14:19):
they have better health as a result. They have several
things they have. Number one, they have a better heart health.
They have a better heart rate and lower blood pressure.
Number two, they have better immunity. They get sick less
than the discontent unhappy people.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Number three, their bodies are.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Able to combat stress better. They just deal with it better.
They have better resiliency. They also have fewer aches and pains.
It's just a matter of fact. I don't know all
of how that works, but somehow being happy versus says
a mary heart does good like a medicine.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It's true.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
It actually helps treat apes and pains by being happy
and being content. It also combats disease and disability people
tend to in these study groups that the magazine sites.
There were fewer instances of disease and disability in these
studies of many, many people, and they tend to live longer,
and not just tend. In this one study they did
(15:13):
with a group of nuns, they found that the most
content ones lived seven to ten years longer than the
other ones. Wow, talk about a life extension plan, you know.
Just appreciating what we've got and being content where we
are as we continue to grow. That'll that's a significant result,
seven to ten years longer life. As a result, contentment
(15:37):
also improves our emotional and mental health because it helps
eliminate jealousy and envy. Those are very detrimental emotions. They
don't they can have harm on the outside, but they
sure tear us up on the inside too. It reduces resentment.
We don't resent what other people have, like, hey, good
for you, good for you. I'm happy with what I've
got right here, maybe we can enjoy things and share
(15:59):
them together. And you know, and I'm growing and maybe
I'll be there one day, but if not, I'm happy
right here. It also combats the fear of not having enough.
That's a big fear. Hey, I have a fraid I'm
not gonna have enough, fraand I'm not gonna have enough.
If the more stuff you got, the more stuff you
need that you're trying to maintain, the more it costs
to do it, the more potential for fear you've got
(16:20):
that you're not gonna have enough to maintain everything. Next,
it enhances the enjoyment of that which is had. Contentment
enhances our enjoyment because we appreciate things so much. We
don't take people for granted. We don't take things for granted,
and we're so glad we have them, and that enhances
our enjoyment. It also stimulates creativity and interaction. A content
(16:44):
person goes, Okay, I might not be able to go
buy this stuff, but hey, lets let's see what we
can do with this time. Let's see how we can
have a good time. Let's see what games we got
we can have fun. Well, let's see how we can interact.
Let's see what new idea we can come up with
to benefit other people and work together as a team
to do that. It stimulates creativity and interaction, and contentment
also helps find new ways to value what is already.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Had to see.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Maybe there's something we've got that we can create a
new enterprise out of. You know, sometimes I'll go to
little towns and villages and they weren't much, but people
saw the value there and they actually turned it into
a trade mahart. So maybe there's something right around us
that can become one of those things that when we
really see the value in it and enhance it and
magnify that value and then show it to other people,
they're like, oh my gosh, that's wonderful. Yeah, I'd like yeah, sure,
(17:31):
I'd like to come and visit your town. I'd like
to visit your studio. I'd like to see what you've
got so we can. It actually helps us find new
ways to value what we have and to magnify the
good of the present situation. Another thing that's a big
one is contentment also reduces debt or non essential things.
(17:53):
Debt can just be a monster. As many of us
have experienced and contentment. When you're content with what you've got,
you're less like you pop out that credit card for
that next thing that you want. Contentment reduces debt, and
everybody knows that the borrower is the servant of the lender,
and it's not good to be in servitude because it
reduces your ability.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
To act as a free person.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
So contentment helps with that also, and that again is
going to improve our happiness and our contentment level in life.
So thank you so much for tuning in to me today.
I hope that this is resonating this topic of contentment
as much with you as it has been with me
and some others, the.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Folks you requested it.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
We're going to take just a short break and then
we're going to be back in just a minute for
a few applications of today's message.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Jeff will be back shortly to wrap up today's message.
This is Gabriela Steal on the scene today with Top
Network Radio. If you're just tuning in, you're listening to
Empowered Living with Jeff Burn. If you've missed any part
of today's message, you can hear it again online as
well as the entire archive of Empowered Living at w
(19:00):
w W dot dot Network Radio dot com, or search
keyword hashtag Empoweredliving. We would like to acknowledge our music
partners Sound Ideas for Corporate to the Max and Kevin
McLeod for Airport Lounge. Any scriptures read during this broadcast
are from the New American Standard version of the Holy Bible.
(19:24):
If you would like to learn more about Jeffreybird Coaching,
visit www dot Jeffbirdcoaching dot com.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
That is j.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
E F f b y r d Coaching dot com.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Do a Facebook search for at coaching rocks or drop
Jeff aligne at Jeff at Jeffbirdcaching dot com against j
E f f b y r d Coaching dot com.
Let Jeff's coaching rocks be the building blocks of your
empowered success.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Now let's go back to Jeff for.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
The rest of today's message.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
And welcome back. This is again is Jeff Bird with
Jeffrey Bird Coaching, and you are listening to Empowered Living.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Now.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
The topic of today's broadcast has been the tremendous power
of contentment, and I'd like to give you, in conclusion,
seven applications of how we can apply contentment to our
life for great good. As we started out the Apostle
Paul said that godliness with contentment is great gain, and
(20:34):
we all want great gain. So godliness simply means having
a heart like God's, which is always desiring to build up,
to add value, to help others. And when we couple
that that desire with just being content with where we
are even while we're in the midst of growth, that's
great gains. So seven applications for you. Number one, this
is like the kids crossing the street back in the day, stop,
(20:56):
look and listen. We can remember that we all got
told that stop, look and listen before you cross the street.
But we want to stop, look and listen to the
good that's already around us, to the good that's already
around us, to the good that we already have. To
look back and see where we've come from and where
we are now, and to be appreciative and grateful for
(21:17):
the things we have. Number two is list others with
whom we could deepen relationships. Some of the most good
comes out of deepening relationships with other people. So instead
of just trying to gain gain gain', let's look look
at the people around us and see, Hey, who could
we stop, Who could we have a coffee or a
lunch with? Who do we need to catch up with,
(21:38):
Who do we need to call? And deepen those relationships.
Sometimes we never know what can come out of a relationship.
John Maxwell, one of my mentors, said that the million
dollar questions sometimes is who do you know that I
should know? And just building those relationships sometimes adds greatly
to our growth. It helps us get where we want
to be, even while we're being content in the meantime.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Naturally.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Number three is think of others who don't have what
you do and find ways to help them. Doesn't have
to be a big way, doesn't have to take everything
you've got, just a little way. Sometimes it's just a
word of encouragement. Sometimes you might give a little donation
or come up with an idea that would help them
if they could take it and run with it. But
think of others who don't have what we do, because
(22:23):
there's a whole lot of people around the world. Like
mourn Buffett said, if you were born in the United States,
you already won the lottery. There was only a one
in fifty chance that you were going to be born here.
And I tell you some of the people really suffering
in other areas, it's due to no fault of their
own that they were born there and not here, and
vice versa. Number four is evaluate our attitude and our
(22:44):
motives for wanting more. Why do we want more? Is
it to meet basic needs that's legitimate? Or is it
for prestige, for personal honor, for ego? Those are some
not so good desires to want more to try to
the more is to meet our needs and to help
others meet their needs. That's a good motive when the need,
(23:05):
When the desire rather is to try to build a
sense of identity, that's not good. We want to build
the identity on the inside first, so that then we
can do the right things with the things that we have,
the external things. Number five is look at the good
that has already come to you and that you have
done instead of like I mentioned earlier in the broadcast,
(23:27):
you know, a friend of mine point and pointed out
to call me out on it recently and said, you know,
they heard me, just always want more and more?
Speaker 2 (23:32):
What am I going to do now?
Speaker 3 (23:33):
What am I going to do with this? How am
I going to build this? And they said, wait, just
look at what you've already got. Look at where you've
already come. Take a break for a minute, man, Just
call down and look and see everything that you got,
all the good that's already come, all the good that
you've already been able to do, and be content with that,
and don't be so wound up on the inside trying
to move ahead. Even though we constantly want to grow,
(23:55):
we don't want to be driving ourselves like with a whip.
Number six, give away what you don't need. We all
have so much stuff that we just don't need that
might could help somebody else. Make a donation to a
throof store, donated to a food a food well, probably
we don't have a lot of extra food, but there
(24:15):
are food pantries. They used to work in the restaurant
in the industry, and we would donate the excess food
to the food pantry. So that may be possible for
you our a clothing closet, you know, at a local
shelter or a church. But there's ways to get rid
of the stuff that we don't need that can help
other people too. And then always number seven, focus on
building ourselves and others first. Always in the midst of
(24:39):
any situation, even if we can't change our circumstances, we
can constantly be building ourselves, developing ourselves on the inside,
building better character, building better thinking, helping others build better thinking.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Learning from others who were ahead of us, who have.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Been through the seasons where we are and have learned
from it and have gained good insight, we could learn
our wisdom. So at seven applications, stop, look and listen,
List others with whom we could deepen relationships, and then
reach out to them. Think of others who don't have
what you do, and find ways to help evaluate attitudes
and motives for wanting more. Look at the good that's
(25:17):
already come and the good we've been able to do.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Give away what you.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Don't need, and focus on building yourself and others. So
thank you so much. I very much appreciate you tuning
in and spending this time with me. This contentment is
such a major issue. It contributes to so much in
our lives that maybe we often don't even think about.
But I hope that this time we've spent together to
day will help you think about it and give you
a couple of takeaways that could really make a difference,
(25:42):
that could help you slow down and enjoy what you've
got and where you are and the people around you,
and maybe come up with some new ideas on how
to grow yourself or to help other people around you grow.
So again, this is jeff Bird with Jeffrey Bird Coaching,
and this is empowered living.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
God bless you the
Speaker 1 (26:03):
S
Hello, this is Gabriella on the scene today with Top
Network Radio. We have a real dread for you just
around the corner, and that is Empowered Living with Jeff Bird.
Jeff is the owner of Jeffrey for Coaching, and he
will be coming to you weekly to teach you more
about empowered living. Now let's join Jeff already in the studio.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Hello and welcome.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
This is Jeff Bird with Cheff Bird Coaching, and this
is Empowered Living. I'm so pleased that you've tuned in
and are joining me on this call this week. This
is a shorter program, but one that as I was
putting it together, I've found to be tremendously powerful. And
as a matter of fact, that's what I made the
title of it. It's called The Tremendous Power of Contentment.
(01:22):
The Tremendous Power of Contentment. Now, this is on November thirtieth,
just right on the cusp of going into the holiday
month of December, and with Christmas and all the parties
and events and celebrations and other holidays that we have.
It's easy sometimes and I've done this meant for many years,
it's easy to get a little bit overwhelmed because there's
(01:45):
a lot of expectations to attend things gift giving, and
sometimes I think, oh, my goodness, you know, I just
can't we just all just be quiet a little bit
and just be together, you know, forget the gift giving
and these things, and just be content. Because I'm off
very aware of all the things i'd like or that
other people would like that, but I just don't have
the money to go buy him right now. And I think, boy,
what how valuable is contentment? And actually I put this out.
(02:07):
I put a post out on Facebook to ask for
what topics people would like me to talk about it. Now,
this is one that came up in a couple of
different ways, is being happy with what you got and
learning to be content and to slow down and just
to value the time and the people around us more. So,
I thought I would talk about contentment. And there's a verse,
a verse in the Bible that the apostle Paul wrote
(02:28):
in One Timothy that says godliness with contentment is great game. Now,
if this was a live audience, I'd ask for a
show of hands, how many people would like great game?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Anybody not want great gain?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I'd like to talk to you afterwards and kind of
come to understand why why you don't want great game?
Where we all want great game. We're all made to
be more, have more, and do more. But this verse
says what Paul is saying is that is that being
like God. That's what godliness is like, and that means
we have his mindset, we have his heart. His heart
is always to build up, to give, to advance, to
help to move people forward, and to even sacrifice for them.
(03:06):
So that's God and having that right heart towards other
people to help build them up, and then being content
with the where we're at. And if that's a lot,
that's great, there's nothing wrong with that. If it's in
more humble circumstances for a given time, that's okay too.
Paul would later say that I know how to abound
and how to be abase, both of them. Neither's more
(03:27):
valuable than the other. I know how to do them both.
But here's the secret is that I've learned in whatever
state I am in, to be content, to be content now,
contentment means a state of happiness and satisfaction. And so
many people are just running after money. If I just
had a little bit more like they, someone asked was
(03:48):
interviewing John D. Rockefeller one time and ask him, well,
how much money does it take for a person to
truly be happy? And he responded, just a little more
than what he's got you. And so many of us
spend our lives chasing that, just a little more than what. Boy,
if I just had a little more here, if I
were just there, if I just had a vacation there,
if I just had a house there, if I just
had that the other thing, and the list goes on,
(04:10):
wearyingly on it goes, and like Rockefeller said, doesn't matter
where you get, it's gonna be just a little bit
more that you think is going to make you happy.
But some of the wisest and wealthiest people around have
given us a different perspective, and they said that, you know,
more money doesn't make us more happy. It really doesn't.
That's a false premise that many people have chased down
(04:32):
to our own detriment, the detriment of their families, the
detrimental relationships, the detriment sometimes of their own businesses. More
money doesn't equal greater happiness. Now does create greater opportunities
to do different things, greater choices, the greater ability to
choose different things, but it doesn't make us happier. And
war On Buffett even said he's one of the wealthiest
(04:52):
men in the world. As most of you probably know.
He said one time that in an interview I listened
to that we lives similar lives to him, most of us.
We eat similar food, we drive similar cars. He drives
a car that I think it's about ten years old.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Now.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
He wouldn't even let his darter go buy him a
new car. He just told her to go out and
find a good deal on.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
A huge car.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So he drives a car that's eight to ten years
old and lives in the same house. I think you
bought it back in the nineteen fifties and it said, hey,
it's comfortable. It's enough for me, you know. And here's
the thing I learned a long time agoes. I don't
care how big your house is. You can only sit
in one chair at a time. How many options do
you need? We see these big, huge, mega mansions and
early it's like, yeah, that's pretty, but how many places
(05:33):
can you be in at once?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Really?
Speaker 3 (05:35):
And how many options do you need to finally be happy?
I think it's more of an ego thing than it
is an actual any kind of necessity. But that's the thing.
More money doesn't make us happier. Contentment, being content with
exactly where we are and who we are, makes us happier. Now,
let me clarify this. When I say contentment, I mean
(05:59):
with our surcumstances, not our personal development, because we always
want to be growing now, not discontent and like upset
that we haven't grown more, but always continuing every day
to grow, to improve, to learn something, to help better
somebody else's left to make this life worth living. If
(06:19):
we're not getting better today, then what do you know?
If we're not better tomorrow than we are today, then
what do we need today for?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
So we always want to be growing.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
So when I'm talking about contentment, I'm not saying just
a complacent thing. Well, Hey, I'm just the way I am,
and I'm never going to get better and I'm never
going to improve, and y'all just better learn to deal
with it. That's not what I'm talking about. What I'm
talking about with contentment is being content and happy in
our circumstances, constantly bettering ourselves, which often leads to betterment
(06:49):
of circumstances. But being content and okay, where we are
being able to rest, to be still, to be quiet,
and to be happy. So I want to give a
couple of comparison contrast statements here between discontent people and
content people. Discontent people they're focused on what they want,
but what they cannot have, right, that's where they focus.
(07:11):
That's why they're discontent, because they want stuff they can't
have or shouldn't have. Maybe that's where the credit card
net comes from. Content people are appreciatively focused on what
they already have, and this is big. Somebody called me
out on this just recently. I was thinking of all
the stuff I wanted to develop and all the things
(07:31):
I want to do, and they slowed me down and
they said, hey, wait a minute, look at how far
you've already come. Look at Don't get so caught up
in the growth that you don't appreciate where you've already grown.
To appreciate that while you're growing forward. And my wife
reminded me of it again today, to be appreciatively focused
on what we already have now. Discontent people are focused
(07:55):
on what others have that they don't have, and this
can lead to a lot of news give emotions. Oh
my gosh, they've got this, they've got that, they've got
the other thing. And I tell you, resentment and jealousy
and envy can arise content. People, on the other hand,
are grateful for what they have and they're willing to share.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Now.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
The first time that I ever encountered this in a
very powerful way, I was about eighteen years old and
I was I'd gotten into bird watching.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Some of you know my story.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
You know, I'm a burger, and I had gone with
a local college professor and a couple of other people
down to Mexico to look for some exotic birds down there.
And we were in Vera Cruz on the coast, in
a marshy area, and we had our binoculars and our
spotting scopes and cameras and all.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Our fancy greeno stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
And we were down there on the coast and there
was this little hut, and I mean a hut. It
was a little teeny hut, like falling apart like most
of us wouldn't use it for a garage.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
And out of this hut.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Came this little man, wrinkled man, older man, big smile,
missing a lot of tea. None of us spoke Spanish
at the time, so we couldn't communicate with him, and
he came out with this huge plate of food to
offer us because he saw us there, and that's just
what they do. And I was so touched by that
as a young and I was in all kinds of
(09:17):
had all kinds of issues going on back then, but
I tell you what, that made an impression on me,
both for different cultures and just for what people can be.
That food that that man brought out probably cost him
several days of wages.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
He didn't know who we.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Were, He couldn't even ask who we were, what we
were doing there, Why are you on my No, it
was none of that. It's like, hey, I see you
and I value you here. I'm going to share with
you what I have, even if it cost me. And
I was very touched by that. That's what content people do.
Discontent people, they often feel that their identity is tied
to their possessions, tied to their portfolio, tied to their house,
(09:52):
tied to all this other stuff and their status, and
they tie their identity too closely to those things. Now
a content they use their possessions to reveal their identity.
Even the man I just told you about Dan and Veracruz.
He used the little bit of possessions he had, but
how he used it revealed who he was, what type
(10:14):
of person he was. Discontent people feel their identity or
type of their possessions. Content people use their possessions to
reveal their identity.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Discontent people, they're always so busy focusing on their desires
and wants that it hinders their growth in the present.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
And that's a good little gauge there.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
If you're so focused on the things you want that
you're actually not growing and developing, not spending time on that,
then those things you want are a problem. Content people
they grow themselves in the present and therefore are better
able to reach their desires with the right motives. Okay,
you got that. The discontent person, they're so preoccupied with
(10:57):
everything they want that they're not growing themselves. And but
growth is the key to having a better life. It's
been said that the only guarantee of a better tomorrow
is to grow today. But a content person, they grow
in the present. They make that the first priority. Because
they grow, they become wiser, more knowledgeable, more valuable to
the people around them. That creates new opportunities and gives
(11:20):
them the opportunity to gain more, but with the right
motives and with the right heart, with a heart that
wants to give, that wants to multiply, that wants to share.
Discontent people hinder relational development with others because conquest and
attainment is their goal, and they're so busy trying to attain,
they're just running over people, running over relationships. I used
(11:42):
to work with hospice, and one of the most common
things for a person on hospice to say was, I
wish I hadn't spent so much time working. I wish
I had spent it with other people and getting to
learn about them and know them and value them and
have meaningful experiences and do meaningful things together. Discontent hinders
relational development with others because conquest and attainment is the goal,
(12:07):
but content people for content people building themselves and others.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Is the goal, and gain is the by product.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So many of us find ourselves in tough times and
we just don't have what we want. But if we
get to too fixed on what we want, will never
develop inwardly. Sometimes those seasons come. Those seasons come so
that we can develop inwardly to become who we need
to be to work through motives, to work through character issues,
to work through those things so that then when the
(12:38):
success and when the resources and when the when the
finances come in, we will use them in the right
way because we become the right type of people. Discontent people,
they have a very very difficult time becoming settled or
well rested.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
They're just driven, driven, driven.
Speaker 3 (12:57):
They don't know how to actually stop and say, Okay,
I've done it up for today and I'm in a
good place and I'm just gonna rest now. I'm just
gonna rest, just gonna take care of myself. They don't
do a lot of self care because they're always looking
to what they want, what they want, what they want,
and the content people, they're able to rest and be
at peace in any situation, just like the apostle. Paul
will be open with that know how to abound in,
(13:18):
how to be a base. But I've learned how to
be content in whatever stayed I'm in. Doesn't mean I
want to stay in that state, but it means I
can be content there while I'm growing.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
And looking for ways to continue to improve. Now.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Discontent people are rarely ever happy because they always need
a little more just like I said, Rockefella quoted, how
much money doesn't take for a person to truly be happy,
just a little more than what they've got. Content people
are happy because they enjoy what they have and those
around them. They enjoy what they have. They can make
(13:51):
you a gratitude list of all the things that they
already have that they're very thankful for that a lot
of people.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
In the world may not have those things.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
They don't take things for granted, and they enjoy those
things they have, and they enjoy the people around them,
and they're willing to share with the people around them.
Now here's another great benefit of contentment, and that is
now this comes from the Greater Good magazine published by
UC Berkeley, and content people are the happy people, and
(14:19):
they have better health as a result. They have several
things they have. Number one, they have a better heart health.
They have a better heart rate and lower blood pressure.
Number two, they have better immunity. They get sick less
than the discontent unhappy people.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Number three, their bodies are.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
Able to combat stress better. They just deal with it better.
They have better resiliency. They also have fewer aches and pains.
It's just a matter of fact. I don't know all
of how that works, but somehow being happy versus says
a mary heart does good like a medicine.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
It's true.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
It actually helps treat apes and pains by being happy
and being content. It also combats disease and disability people
tend to in these study groups that the magazine sites.
There were fewer instances of disease and disability in these
studies of many, many people, and they tend to live longer,
and not just tend. In this one study they did
(15:13):
with a group of nuns, they found that the most
content ones lived seven to ten years longer than the
other ones. Wow, talk about a life extension plan, you know.
Just appreciating what we've got and being content where we
are as we continue to grow. That'll that's a significant result,
seven to ten years longer life. As a result, contentment
(15:37):
also improves our emotional and mental health because it helps
eliminate jealousy and envy. Those are very detrimental emotions. They
don't they can have harm on the outside, but they
sure tear us up on the inside too. It reduces resentment.
We don't resent what other people have, like, hey, good
for you, good for you. I'm happy with what I've
got right here, maybe we can enjoy things and share
(15:59):
them together. And you know, and I'm growing and maybe
I'll be there one day, but if not, I'm happy
right here. It also combats the fear of not having enough.
That's a big fear. Hey, I have a fraid I'm
not gonna have enough, fraand I'm not gonna have enough.
If the more stuff you got, the more stuff you
need that you're trying to maintain, the more it costs
to do it, the more potential for fear you've got
(16:20):
that you're not gonna have enough to maintain everything. Next,
it enhances the enjoyment of that which is had. Contentment
enhances our enjoyment because we appreciate things so much. We
don't take people for granted. We don't take things for granted,
and we're so glad we have them, and that enhances
our enjoyment. It also stimulates creativity and interaction. A content
(16:44):
person goes, Okay, I might not be able to go
buy this stuff, but hey, lets let's see what we
can do with this time. Let's see how we can
have a good time. Let's see what games we got
we can have fun. Well, let's see how we can interact.
Let's see what new idea we can come up with
to benefit other people and work together as a team
to do that. It stimulates creativity and interaction, and contentment
also helps find new ways to value what is already.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Had to see.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Maybe there's something we've got that we can create a
new enterprise out of. You know, sometimes I'll go to
little towns and villages and they weren't much, but people
saw the value there and they actually turned it into
a trade mahart. So maybe there's something right around us
that can become one of those things that when we
really see the value in it and enhance it and
magnify that value and then show it to other people,
they're like, oh my gosh, that's wonderful. Yeah, I'd like yeah, sure,
(17:31):
I'd like to come and visit your town. I'd like
to visit your studio. I'd like to see what you've
got so we can. It actually helps us find new
ways to value what we have and to magnify the
good of the present situation. Another thing that's a big
one is contentment also reduces debt or non essential things.
(17:53):
Debt can just be a monster. As many of us
have experienced and contentment. When you're content with what you've got,
you're less like you pop out that credit card for
that next thing that you want. Contentment reduces debt, and
everybody knows that the borrower is the servant of the lender,
and it's not good to be in servitude because it
reduces your ability.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
To act as a free person.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
So contentment helps with that also, and that again is
going to improve our happiness and our contentment level in life.
So thank you so much for tuning in to me today.
I hope that this is resonating this topic of contentment
as much with you as it has been with me
and some others, the.
Speaker 2 (18:28):
Folks you requested it.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
We're going to take just a short break and then
we're going to be back in just a minute for
a few applications of today's message.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Jeff will be back shortly to wrap up today's message.
This is Gabriela Steal on the scene today with Top
Network Radio. If you're just tuning in, you're listening to
Empowered Living with Jeff Burn. If you've missed any part
of today's message, you can hear it again online as
well as the entire archive of Empowered Living at w
(19:00):
w W dot dot Network Radio dot com, or search
keyword hashtag Empoweredliving. We would like to acknowledge our music
partners Sound Ideas for Corporate to the Max and Kevin
McLeod for Airport Lounge. Any scriptures read during this broadcast
are from the New American Standard version of the Holy Bible.
(19:24):
If you would like to learn more about Jeffreybird Coaching,
visit www dot Jeffbirdcoaching dot com.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
That is j.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
E F f b y r d Coaching dot com.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Do a Facebook search for at coaching rocks or drop
Jeff aligne at Jeff at Jeffbirdcaching dot com against j
E f f b y r d Coaching dot com.
Let Jeff's coaching rocks be the building blocks of your
empowered success.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
Now let's go back to Jeff for.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
The rest of today's message.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
And welcome back. This is again is Jeff Bird with
Jeffrey Bird Coaching, and you are listening to Empowered Living.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Now.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
The topic of today's broadcast has been the tremendous power
of contentment, and I'd like to give you, in conclusion,
seven applications of how we can apply contentment to our
life for great good. As we started out the Apostle
Paul said that godliness with contentment is great gain, and
(20:34):
we all want great gain. So godliness simply means having
a heart like God's, which is always desiring to build up,
to add value, to help others. And when we couple
that that desire with just being content with where we
are even while we're in the midst of growth, that's
great gains. So seven applications for you. Number one, this
is like the kids crossing the street back in the day, stop,
(20:56):
look and listen. We can remember that we all got
told that stop, look and listen before you cross the street.
But we want to stop, look and listen to the
good that's already around us, to the good that's already
around us, to the good that we already have. To
look back and see where we've come from and where
we are now, and to be appreciative and grateful for
(21:17):
the things we have. Number two is list others with
whom we could deepen relationships. Some of the most good
comes out of deepening relationships with other people. So instead
of just trying to gain gain gain', let's look look
at the people around us and see, Hey, who could
we stop, Who could we have a coffee or a
lunch with? Who do we need to catch up with,
(21:38):
Who do we need to call? And deepen those relationships.
Sometimes we never know what can come out of a relationship.
John Maxwell, one of my mentors, said that the million
dollar questions sometimes is who do you know that I
should know? And just building those relationships sometimes adds greatly
to our growth. It helps us get where we want
to be, even while we're being content in the meantime.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Naturally.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Number three is think of others who don't have what
you do and find ways to help them. Doesn't have
to be a big way, doesn't have to take everything
you've got, just a little way. Sometimes it's just a
word of encouragement. Sometimes you might give a little donation
or come up with an idea that would help them
if they could take it and run with it. But
think of others who don't have what we do, because
(22:23):
there's a whole lot of people around the world. Like
mourn Buffett said, if you were born in the United States,
you already won the lottery. There was only a one
in fifty chance that you were going to be born here.
And I tell you some of the people really suffering
in other areas, it's due to no fault of their
own that they were born there and not here, and
vice versa. Number four is evaluate our attitude and our
(22:44):
motives for wanting more. Why do we want more? Is
it to meet basic needs that's legitimate? Or is it
for prestige, for personal honor, for ego? Those are some
not so good desires to want more to try to
the more is to meet our needs and to help
others meet their needs. That's a good motive when the need,
(23:05):
When the desire rather is to try to build a
sense of identity, that's not good. We want to build
the identity on the inside first, so that then we
can do the right things with the things that we have,
the external things. Number five is look at the good
that has already come to you and that you have
done instead of like I mentioned earlier in the broadcast,
(23:27):
you know, a friend of mine point and pointed out
to call me out on it recently and said, you know,
they heard me, just always want more and more?
Speaker 2 (23:32):
What am I going to do now?
Speaker 3 (23:33):
What am I going to do with this? How am
I going to build this? And they said, wait, just
look at what you've already got. Look at where you've
already come. Take a break for a minute, man, Just
call down and look and see everything that you got,
all the good that's already come, all the good that
you've already been able to do, and be content with that,
and don't be so wound up on the inside trying
to move ahead. Even though we constantly want to grow,
(23:55):
we don't want to be driving ourselves like with a whip.
Number six, give away what you don't need. We all
have so much stuff that we just don't need that
might could help somebody else. Make a donation to a
throof store, donated to a food a food well, probably
we don't have a lot of extra food, but there
(24:15):
are food pantries. They used to work in the restaurant
in the industry, and we would donate the excess food
to the food pantry. So that may be possible for
you our a clothing closet, you know, at a local
shelter or a church. But there's ways to get rid
of the stuff that we don't need that can help
other people too. And then always number seven, focus on
building ourselves and others first. Always in the midst of
(24:39):
any situation, even if we can't change our circumstances, we
can constantly be building ourselves, developing ourselves on the inside,
building better character, building better thinking, helping others build better thinking.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Learning from others who were ahead of us, who have.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Been through the seasons where we are and have learned
from it and have gained good insight, we could learn
our wisdom. So at seven applications, stop, look and listen,
List others with whom we could deepen relationships, and then
reach out to them. Think of others who don't have
what you do, and find ways to help evaluate attitudes
and motives for wanting more. Look at the good that's
(25:17):
already come and the good we've been able to do.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Give away what you.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Don't need, and focus on building yourself and others. So
thank you so much. I very much appreciate you tuning
in and spending this time with me. This contentment is
such a major issue. It contributes to so much in
our lives that maybe we often don't even think about.
But I hope that this time we've spent together to
day will help you think about it and give you
a couple of takeaways that could really make a difference,
(25:42):
that could help you slow down and enjoy what you've
got and where you are and the people around you,
and maybe come up with some new ideas on how
to grow yourself or to help other people around you grow.
So again, this is jeff Bird with Jeffrey Bird Coaching,
and this is empowered living.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
God bless you the
Speaker 1 (26:03):
S
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