Do it for yourself

When people find out that this blog exists, they often ask me who I am writing for. The truth is that I'm writing for myself. It doesn't matter if anyone reads it. It is something that I enjoy doing, something that builds discipline and serves as an outlet for creativity.

Modern life does not allow a lot of space for doing things that are truly for ourselves. Most of us spend our days at work and our evenings providing for our families. Weekends are overscheduled with appointments, social gatherings and chores. We operate under the assumption that busier equals better. In my experience, creative pursuits and hobbies are underrated. There is no external validation, and this is part of the magic. Some things are worth doing because they matter to you.

These hobbies and passion projects are generally considered luxuries, not essentials. For most of us, they will consume a small fraction of our time, at least until retirement. They often fall by the wayside first when life throws us curveballs and we must triage our time. Its so common to reminisce about hobbies that have lain dormant for years or decades, smiling at the joy they once provided. Remember that it is never too late to pick these back up, or find a new passion that challenges you, exercises creativity and lowers the stresses of life.

I am in a networking group that meets monthly to review and discuss different aspects of our lives, the goal of which is to find purpose and meaning in the things we do and could be doing. Late last year we dug into "passion and purpose," which necessitates taking stock of what we truly enjoy, are good at and that we find rewarding. I found this to be a more difficult exercise than expected. I like to think that I am deeply aware of what energizes me vs what wears me out. However, while reflecting, I was able to identify activities, hobbies and areas of life that I wish to bring to the forefront. For one thing, I have long had a checkbox on my notepad each day for some creative writing, such as this blog. I have been delinquent on this, but it never ceases to amaze me how easily I am able to slide back into the habit. When I do pick it back up, I find it immediately energizing and uplifting. It is hard to articulate why this is.

During a recent year-in-review / goal setting session with some friends, I found myself giving the advice that one shouldn't be too hard on themselves for falling out of habit/s they wish to maintain. I need to take my own advice. For me, habit building is about momentum. If I can start, then get the ball rolling, eventually a downhill appears and it becomes baked in. Unfortunately, the alternative is also true: if I start to fall out of a habit and I let myself slip for too long, that becomes the norm. It doesn't need to be. Starting is so easy, and often all it takes.

Let go of metrics and external validation. There is something freeing about doing something by and yourself with no expectation that anyone else will ever know about it. Maybe you like to paint. Maybe people would see your paintings and laugh at how bad they are. Maybe they would shake with envy over your talent. Who cares? The joy of creating something is reason enough to do it. Start small, start with 5 minutes, start when no one is looking. Chances are you'll be so happy that you did.