When asked to name a goal in life, many will name “happiness” or “contentment.” They simply want to see meaning and purpose in life, and to be happy.  However, there is something wrong with that belief. People that are content are hesitant to embrace change--and without change, there can never be improvement. We should all value improvement of our lives, making contentment the last thing we should seek. Being ambitious, pushing past barriers, and leveraging criticism to our advantage may not produce the desired results at first, but they will reap rewards over time.

When I was very young and very naive, (I admit that I still am both of these) I was content. I lived life entirely in the present, never worrying about the future. I did not seek challenges or new things, as I was content with what I had. We were all content when we were toddlers, were we not? What if everyone in the world was content? What would the world be with seven billion toddlers?

As I grew older and less naive, I slowly began to realize the dangers of staying content in this toddler fashion. I decided to be a more ambitious person and take on more challenges. Maturity has a lot to do with this outlook on life. As people age and have more life experiences, staying discontent with life seems more appealing and viable. Only a lack of this maturity compels people to want fulfillment in everything that they do.

Being content with discontent means embracing ambition. It is telling us to be ambitious with personal goals and dreams, and to never settle for the status quo.

Being content with discontent means pushing past limits. Every day, it is essential to push ourselves past our limits, so it is possible to set higher ones to strive for. Pushing ourselves will be uncomfortable, but it essential in improving. When one changes oneself, one changes a small part of the world. When one challenges himself, he challenges the world.

Being content with discontent means to take criticism and setbacks very personally. It does not mean that we should linger on them extensively, but instead to act upon the criticism to change ourselves. Think of those who critisize as mothers; they are always “doing it for your good”.

High School is the time in which everyone should start to give back to our communities and find out what kind of people we are in the process. If you are discontent or even unhappy with your life, it just means you are on the right track. Let us be ambitious, relentless, and strong in the face of criticism. Let us make being content with discontent a personal goal and live by it. Are you up to the challenge?