HEALTH AND WELLBEING.

The Balance between Contentment and Ambition. 

To appreciate what we have, what we are, rather than what we are not, can be a revolutionary change of perspective that can lead us towards a sense of wholeness.

A sense of satisfaction and contentment with our lives is one of the five pillars of wellbeing identified by positive psychologist Martin Seligman, who dedicated a proportion of his career exploring what makes us well.

Yet lying inherent within contentment is the tension of how it lies alongside our needs for growth and challenge, our desires, ambitions and our aspirations?

Ambition is tinged with nuance, It can lead to a sense of purpose of fullfillment and meaning, however it can can also lead to a constant sense of straining and striving, exhaustion and frustration.

Does striving to continually improve ourselves and our situations in the future, mean that we are never fully present or appreciate each moment. Does it lead to a level of discontent and disallusionment?

Seneca wrote that “acceptance that is the supreme prerequisite for tranquility of mind.”.

Insights from positive psychology offers a countenance to the external pursuits of ambition and aspiration by placing them within the context of our mental and emotional wellbeing, suggesting we align them to our individual capacities and internal values. In this way, our ambitions can take on a more humanistic approach that may relate more to enrichment and how we can cultivate meaning and virtue.

By Helen Coutts.

26.March. 2026.

Image Kim Verdebo.