As I think more about the concept and experience of satisfaction, I am thinking about events in my life that were satisfying. In general, those events were the result of careful planning and preparation. In general, I also didn't go it alone with these events, but instead worked with a dedicated and equally inspired team. Collaboration was a key ingredient in most of my life's satisfying events.
To be satisfied, demands that you make time to think carefully about what makes you happy as an individual, and one way to think about this is to pinpoint events in life when you were very satisfied--events that included activities, people, and places that brought you great pleasure. As I think of this, I can see positive patterns.
Natural beauty
Mostly, life's satisfying events for me included natural beauty. For example, I was much happier visiting Acadia National Park than Disneyworld. I am much more inspired by natural than artificial spaces.
Happy people
Also, the happiness of others is a key ingredient of satisfying events. I like the activity of helping others to find happiness and satisfaction. When I work with others to improve lives, I get a great sense of satisfaction. This can be tricky at times because to contribute to others' happiness means you work for them and for what they need and want--it doesn't mean that your project your own ideas of what is satisfying on those people.
Challenge and Problem Solving
I like to problem solve, and generally the most satisfying events in my life included analyzing and solving some kind of problem or meeting a challenge. Playing online Scrabble is a simple example of satisfaction. I've been playing often, and as I play I analyze my opponents' winning strategies. I've learned a lot about how to win the game, and there's still more to learn. I like the rating algorithm and enjoy the challenge of bettering my skill at this game. I also find it to be a relaxing pasttime. It is an overall satisfying endeavor.
The key to making challenging situations, satisfying, is to break down those situations into manageable pieces with the best supports by way of resaerch, reading, good consult, and taking the challenge step by step. The ability to collect data of some sort also helps you to analyze and better your efforts, and of course, it's important to give these challenging situations good time and focus. The journey of problem solving and meeting challenges can be very satisfying if done well.
Quality
Good quality leads to greater satisfaction. When you cook with quality ingredients, you rarely overeat and enjoy the meals so much more. The same is true for any endeavor in life--when you travel, go to a show, stay at a hotel, buy a piece of clothing, if you focus on quality, you're experience is generally more satisfying. This requires research to know the quality that exists, and it also often requires some sacrifice because to purchase quality items or attend quality events generally costs more in time and money.
Discerning Choices
None of us can do or be all, and to have a satisfying life demands that you make good choices about what you will do and who you will be. Good decision making leads to greater satisfaction.
I look forward to applying these elements to my reflections this morning as I plan for the days ahead--the pull of satisfaction is great as I know how much better a satisfying life is than an unsatisfactory life. Onward.