Sometimes it's difficult to know the difference between contentment and complacency. That's why we need methods that bring a bit of Samvega or that sense of urgency. Methods like reflections on death and reflections on Dukkha, which remind us that these things exist. This is important because sometimes contentment can come about just because things are pleasant in the moment. If we tend to be focusing too much on just the pleasant experiences in meditation, there maybe a tendency in the mind to stop going deeper. Reflection on the precious human life is also very helpful to develop a sense of urgency. However, the reflection on death has two parts to it, in the sense that it not only helps us to practice a little bit harder if we're going to live, but it also encourages us to be content with what we've already done, as we realize that we may not have the opportunity to practice tomorrow. So, there's a balance necessary when we reflect on death, to understand that we don't have these beneficial conditions continuously so we take advantage of the time we have, however to also understand that we would like to be able to die peacefully if we haven't got more time. So, we can investigate to see whether that is the sort of contentment we have - that we've tried our best to develop ourselves in our life.
In our formal practice, if you find that you are sometimes pulling away from the more difficult reflections like Dukkha, it may be that you are trying just to get pleasant mind-states. In daily life, our understanding of the enormity of Dukkha in the world tends to fade, especially if things seem pleasant and we tend to flow along with it. So our compassionate intention that fuels our practice can also fade.
We have to remind ourselves often that even if we have beneficial conditions they are impermanent so we need to make the most of them. There is also a lot of Dukkha in the world and we could perhaps do something about it. So, sometimes if you're in doubt about that, then doing more Compassion/ Lovingkindness meditation is very helpful in focusing a bit more on Dukkha and what you feel you can do about it.