Life becomes hectic with work and family and all the other things we have to deal with on a daily basis, and many times we end up having to let go of something that brings us happiness; something that gives a feeling of peace or joy. After college, that happened to me, as I all but abandoned photography, which had brought me great joy and peace, in favor of following the “American Dream” (whatever that is or was).
When it became clear that the company I worked for was definitely being sold, my long stilled passion for photography started to come back to the surface, and it is now a large part of my life again and will probably remain so till I catch the canoe for the other side.
I’m fortunate in that I have a little money put away and can follow my passion pretty much as I wish for a while, but for many that isn’t the case. It is important though, that each of us find the time to do what brings us joy, whether it’s photography, painting, pottery, reading books, hiking, tennis, building and flying radio controlled airplanes, or whatever. There is always a way to juggle our busy lives and still have some time for something that brings us joy. It’s a matter of setting the intent, and then proceeding as if it were already true.
Get rid of the “I wishes” and “I would like to’s” and the “maybe next year’s” and set your intent to reconnect with what makes you happy. If at first it doesn’t seem to be working, keep at it. Believe me, it’s worth it!
Thank you for this wonderful reminder. I find if I spend time each day doing things that bring me great joy, (such as working in my pottery studio), I have an abundance of energy to apply to those tasks that seem mundane at first glance – like housekeeping, for instance. The less desirable tasks actually serve as a structure of support…without taking care of my household, chaos abounds and creative productivity falls by the wayside. I also look at the more mindless chores as a time to incubate ideas that I can put into practice once I get back into the studio. In this light, I find a thread of joy in (most) everything I do.
Thanks Melynn. Finding a thread of joy in (most) everything we do is something to aspire to, and when you think about it, that’s really as it should be. I don’t particularly like cleaning house, but I like the feeling it gives me when it is clean, and some years ago I started using that as my incentive. It was simply a matter of shifting my focus from the act of cleaning the house to the reward of having it clean.