The Code of Contentment: Dedicate a year. Discover what matters.

By Paul TenHaken

For anyone struggling to find the balance between a career of success and the life of faith God has called them to, The Code of Contentment provides the playbook. Author Paul TenHaken pulls from his decades of experience as an entrepreneur, elected official, and community leader to help readers navigate the continual struggle between earthly success and eternal significance. Using real-world experiences combined with consistent, weekly workbook assignments, The Code of Contentment provides 52 devotionals to create a year-long rhythm of self-reflection for the reader, developing habits of gratitude, relationship building, physical health, and consistent time with God. A perfect book for those who are early in their career and wanting guidance on God’s plan for their life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385022946

Paul TenHaken

Paul TenHaken is an accomplished entrepreneur, public speaker, and elected official with a passion for helping leaders at all levels reach their fullest potential. Paul was elected the 32nd Mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Before taking office, Mayor TenHaken established a reputation as a leader in the marketing technology sector, founding and successfully exiting Click Rain, a digital technology agency recognized as a leader for innovative product offerings and a unique workplace culture. Paul’s proudest accomplishment is his family—wife, Jill, and their three children. Learn more about Paul at paultenhaken.com

Book preview

THE CODE OF

CONTENTMENT

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DEDICATE

A YEAR.

DISCOVER WHAT

MATTERS.

PAUL TENHAKEN

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Copyright © 2024 Paul TenHaken.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Cover and artwork by Mark Henderson, Clixable, Inc.

Content review, consulting by Pastor Michael Ten Haken

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

ISBN: 979-8-3850-2292-2 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-2293-9 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-2294-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024907195

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/3/2024

CONTENTS

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How To Use This Book

Introduction

Week 1 Mastering the Walk

Week 2 Life Is Short. Get Up Early.

Week 3 Eat the Frog

Week 4 The Case for Brutal Honesty

Week 5 The Comparison Trap

Week 6 The Fallacy of Secular vs. Christian Work

Week 7 Killing Distractions

Week 8 Take the Feedback

Week 9 Fostering Unity in Divisive Political Times

Week 10 Career Patience

Week 11 Kindness is not Weakness

Week 12 Becoming a World Class People Noticer

Week 13 What is the Purpose of Work?

Quarter One Check-In

Week 14 Sharpening the Spiritual Ax

Week 15 Your Eulogized Self

Week 16 What are You Passionate About?

Week 17 Accepting Being Uncomfortable

Week 18 The Power of Recognition

Week 19 Loving Your Haters

Week 20 Health is Wealth

Week 21 Developing a Sabbath Rhythm

Week 22 W.W.J.D.

Week 23 Sunday Night Blues

Week 24 God as CEO

Week 25 Setbacks Before Comebacks

Week 26 The Joy of No

Quarter Two Check-In

Week 27 Learning to Forgive

Week 28 Becoming a Cheerful Receiver

Week 29 Acceptance vs. Celebration

Week 30 Listening Well

Week 31 A Kingdom Retirement Plan

Week 32 Helpful Habits

Week 33 Dealing with Anxiousness

Week 34 Discerning God’s Will

Week 35 Choosing to End in Order to Begin

Week 36 How Much is Enough?

Week 37 Witnessing at Work

Week 38 Assuming Positive Intent

Week 39 Feed Your Mind

Quarter Three Check-In

Week 40 What’s in Your Box?

Week 41 The Rat Race Reality

Week 42 The Biblical Calling to Mentor

Week 43 A Goal or a Wish?

Week 44 The Freedom of Apology

Week 45 The Brand of You

Week 46 Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant

Week 47 The Us in Consensus

Week 48 Giving Quietly or Out Loud?

Week 49 What Do You Do?

Week 50 To Stand Out, Step Up

Week 51 Caring for the Poor

Week 52 Bursting Your Bubble

Final Check-In

So, Now What?

To those who have invested in, mentored, walked alongside, and

cared for me on my own journey. You know who you are. Thank you.

To my wife and kids, thanks for always believing in me.

To my Lord, thank you for the unfailing promises of your Word that have guided me through the highs and lows of life in my pursuit of contentment. May you be honored and glorified through this book.

"And we know that in all things God works for the

good of those who love him, who have been called

according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

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There is a lot of information out there about forming habits. Countless books, podcasts, seminars, and other materials are dedicated to helping people create positive habits. And while this book is not primarily intended to do that, my hope is that strong habits do become a side-effect as a result of steady engagement with The Code of Contentment.

This book will be most impactful if you can make a year-long commitment to completing it. A few minutes a week of reading, journaling, reflection, and prayer is all that is required. Sticking with that schedule week after week for one year has the potential to lead to significant revelations in your life and help reveal God’s purpose for you.

Before you dive in, here’s a quick overview of the core elements you will encounter each week and how to get the most out of The Code of Contentment.

1. Weekly Reading: It will be very important to find a regular time each week when you will spend time with The Code of Contentment. Each week will be a different theme on work, health, purpose, or relationships.

2. Quotable: A quote you can reflect on to reinforce the weekly message.

3. What does scripture say? Take time to not just look at the scripture verses that apply to the weekly message, but open your Bible to absorb the full context of the featured verses.

4. Take time to reflect on your notes from last week. What worked and what didn’t? You can’t move forward without looking back and seeing what is working and not working in your life. Be sure to spend time reviewing your notes from the week prior, learn from them, and adjust accordingly for the week ahead. If you set a goal and didn’t achieve it, don’t get discouraged. The power lies in writing them down and spending intentional time thinking about them during the week.

5. What is one goal I want to be intentional about accomplishing this week? Think about something specific you want to accomplish in the week ahead. It could be a commitment to exercising three days in the week ahead, tackling a tough conversation you’ve been avoiding, or finally scheduling that night out with your spouse. Writing it down will dramatically increase your accountability to accomplishing it. In fact, according to Inc., writing down your goals can increase your chances of achieving them by 42%! Remember, it’s only a week, so this should be something small but realistic to accomplish.

6. What is one relationship I am going to focus on this week? Write down someone you want to be intentional with in the week ahead. It could be giving a thank-you gift to your mailman, a call to your sibling whom you haven’t spoken to in months, a child who needs some extra time with you, or a business contact you need to muster up the courage to meet with. Writing it down and reflecting on it will greatly increase the chances of it happening!

7. What is one thing I can do this week to better my physical and/or mental health? Commit to taking care of yourself! Jot down some tangible ways you will do this, such as spending less time on your electronics, drinking more water, or setting a mileage goal for walking or running. Consider telling someone else your goal in order to help keep you accountable.

8. What am I grateful for in my life right now? Take time to simply reflect on what you are grateful for at the moment and the blessings God has provided you. In the hustle and bustle of life, being thankful can often get lost. The goal here is to slowly develop an attitude of gratitude. When you stop and spend dedicated time on this, you will be overwhelmed with His goodness!

9. Spend time in prayer following the P.A.T.H. (Praise, Admit, Thank, Help). At the end of each session, wrap up time talking to God in prayer. The P.A.T.H. acronym is a great format to help your time stay focused and structured.

• First,