Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot.

Chag Sameach to everyone! Hope you are all getting ready to enjoy your blintzes or borekas, lasanga, salmon, ice creams and cheesecakes. Could you ask for a more enjoyable menu? I certainly couldn't. My biggest challenge today is to avoid getting started on the eating early. Instead, I figured I would write a little about putting one of the sayings of Pirkei Avot into action.

Disclaimer: This will not a brilliant d'var Torah, just some ideas of mine on achieving contentment and thereby becoming wealthy.

In Chapter Four of Pirkei Avot we learn that a truly wealthy person is one who is content with his position in life (Who is rich? He who is happy with his lot, as it is said: When you eat of the labor of your hands, you are praiseworthy and all is well with you. Praiseworthy--in this world; and all is well with you--in the World to Come).

The struggle with discontentment or the struggle to achieve contentment starts from the day an infant exists the womb, becomes stronger and stronger during childhood and adolescent, and never seems to cease even in adulthood.

The question, of course, is what adults who are hopefully less driven by their emotions can do for themselves (and their children) to pave the way for greater contentment with one's station in life.

Below are some of the techniques that I try to employ in my constant battle to achieve greater contentment. Hope you enjoy my own talking to myself and I'd love to hear some of yours:

1. Empower yourself: You are not a victim of circumstances. You actively make decisions and prioritize on a daily basis. Despite popular belief, you can't "have it all," you can't. Rather, remember that there are tradeoffs for every decision in life. Your job is to make the best decisions given the circumstances handed to you.

2. Try to avoid looking outside your own home: In today's society where we are bombarded with marketing and media (yes, even frum marketing and media and societal expectations) telling us what we should look like, how our homes should be run, and what things we should have in our possession, it is easy to loose perspective on your many blessings in life and become discontent with all that you have.

I think the challenges for the frum can be more acute than for the general public since we live in communities with a wide demographic of economic level, where there is a large emphasis on conformity. Given the challenge, try to keep in mind that your job is to do what is best for you and for your family. Avoid comparing yourself to the Goldberg's and de-emphasis "fitting in." Plenty of un-happy people spend their days trying to "fit in." Don't make yourself a victim of such.

3. Compete with yourself: Give yourself credit for your accomplishments. You might not ever become a Rav Feinstein, an Albert Einstein, a Michael Jordan, or even a Mr. or Mrs. Goldberg. But, just because you are not the most learned, most accomplished, or most [fill in the blank], that doesn't mean that you don't have plenty of fine character traits and accomplishments to be proud of. When you accomplish something, it is still an accomplishment even when someone else has accomplished more.

4. Wear a smile :): It's contagious and it will even rub off on you.

Chag Sameach Everyone, and see you after the Yom Tov.