Life is short, so why settle for something that is less than utterly joyful? Do you ever get that feeling that your day is filled with chores and nothing you do is making you happy? Maybe you need to consider shifting some of the things that make you unhappy and focus on those activities that make you feel good? I know, it sounds simplistic, but your life is really yours to improve upon wherever you can. Oftentimes we end up doing things just because we have not chosen to stop doing them, or we do them out of a sense of obligation, or we simply have not given them a second thought yet. It’s important to take an occasional step back and look at things the way they ARE rather than the way we perceive them while in the midst of it all. There are some common themes you can explore: Do you tend to leave things until the last moment? Quite apart from the sad fact that this mindset will always lead to panic at some point just before a deadline, or financial loss because some payment was forgotten, it is also a perfect way to keep yourself from true happiness. Each time you decide to leave something for another time you force yourself to revisit the same question you are not happy to answer or react to. So why not take care of the issue right away, be done with it and no longer worry about it? Once it’s out of the way, joy is just around the corner. Can you say ‘no’? Another big things for lots of people is that they cannot say ‘no’ to requests. This may be little more than posting a letter for someone but could also turn out to be a lifelong commitment that you entered into through a false sense of obligationI have learned the hard way that it’s better to ponder any such requests before accepting them. Quick decisions may lead to endless worry and spending time on something that is not beneficial to your own wellbeing and joy. Do you make time for yourself? Even if your day consists of just the regular stuff – getting up, preparing the day, working, household chores, some activity with friends and the back to bed – it is imperative to make time to do something of your own choosing (going out with friends doesn’t count: it may sometimes be your choice, but often it’s just a habit). Find ways to spend quality time with yourself OR with your friends, but don’t get stuck in a pattern. Sometimes it’s better to stay in and read a book for a couple of hours than getting drunk or watch a film in the cinema. How do you get more joy out of life? Using the three questions above, try and figure out if there are things you can take care of earlier or can avoid completely and then fill the newly found free time with things you enjoy. And then keep going… You only have one life: make it count!
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These are my own thoughts on aspects of my work I feel strongly about. Archives
September 2021
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