(Photograph by Taylor Heery, Unsplash)
Don’t underestimate the power of having fun, of doing things that warm your heart and bring you joy.
Most of us grow up with a belief that everything we desire in life can only be obtained through hard(er) work, sacrifice, and taking on as many responsibilities as our body can take. We operate with the sense that if something is difficult, then it must be something worth fighting for because it must have a great reward waiting at the end:
- We study a career the don’t like because it will bring lots of money
- Or we go into a relationship with someone we don’t feel 100% sure about just because they can elevate our status or offer us some sense of security or acceptance.
- Or we buy things we can’t afford because they give us a fake sense of being accepted by our community.
But those things eventually lose their shine and we may end up at the end of a path that didn’t bring us any fulfillment or reward….
…it feels like buying an expensive pair of jeans 2 sizes smaller while telling ourselves that we‘ll lose all that weight, and then we are miserable and tired following a regime that is not healthy or realistic for us.
Sometimes the path of least resistance is the route that eventually leads onto the direction you want to go.
There is no resistance in joy.
There is no resistance in doing things that bring you a smile, that make you laugh.
There is no resistance in practicing a hobby or a “pastime”
Hobbies, pastimes are not means for avoidance. They are means for potential.
There is no waste of energy in doing something that gives you joy, because joy is an energy that feeds your mind, heart, and body. And when we are in that state, our mind opens to fresh perspectives, incredible ideas, and solutions to issues or challenges. We assimilate our experiences better… and if we dare, we can bring our ideas into reality to create things that improve our lives in the most amazing ways.
Creativity is a side-effect from joy and a vehicle to create the world of our dreams. Creativity is born from a need, or born from a desire to improve ourselves or our surroundings, and it is fed from feelings of hope and inspiration.
Next time you feel like spending hours painting, or hiking, or feel like taking a pottery class, or reading that book, don’t feel like you are wasting time. You are instead feeding your soul and exploring your own potential. You are setting positive foundations, you are setting yourself up for growth and improvement.
There is learning, growth, and success in doing things that bring you joy.
A-ha moments don’t come when we are surviving.