Life is busy. There’s always so much to do in such little time. As we grow older, we learn the one core mantra – “Prioritize”! Work comes first as we slog day in and day out to earn enough to feed our dreams! Then comes family; time to be spent, birthdays to be celebrated, vacations to be taken, shopping to be done, a car to be bought, the rent to be paid. We struggle as no.1 and no.2 on our list keep moving back and forth. One would think we would reserve no.3 and no.4 for ourselves, but there’s always something else, something “more important” to be done. A friend’s wedding to attend. A guest to entertain. And the little task of “Find time for self” keeps getting pushed down the list, each time…until it just doesn’t seem important enough to be on it anymore!
I look back at my childhood often and envy it. Such a carefree time, devoid of responsibilities, no choices to be made or decisions to be taken, I breezed through the things I loved to do. But as childhood faded and adulthood stared at me, I realized more often that I no longer found time for those very things I had loved. Of course as responsible adults, one has to prioritize. Necessities become more important than passions. But one can’t refute, that with time, a discontentment grows within! We lose ourselves in the monotony of life. But there is always a hidden desire to rediscover!
What we fail to realize is that in letting that little task disappear from sight, we let our lives get impacted in more ways than one! We always relate health to physical well being. But what about the mental and psychological aspects? We associate our family’s happiness to the fulfillment of their wishes. But is there a connection with the fulfillment of our own wishes? We think of our duties, to family and friends, but do we take into account the duty we have to ourselves?
There is but one life, and we need to make the most of it! If there is a time to realize our passions, it is now. Agreed, it is extremely difficult to fit in time for ourselves among all the other things of utmost significance on a busy day, especially since it seems so unimportant. But what it does give you, is peace, happiness, a sense of satisfaction and a break from everyday life! Mental peace is core to physical fitness. You owe your body and soul some time.
A little me-time, while seemingly so insignificant, can actually raise your spirits, make you cheerful and help you manage your personal and professional lives better. Many in fact find solace in the arms of their passions when they need to vent out the frustrations of boring everyday life. It gives you something to look forward to each day. It gives you an opportunity to be just you, not you as an employee, or spouse or sibling or child or parent, but just as you! Your passion can make you feel worthy again when you’re low. It can make you feel special when you feel lost in the crowd. When the discontentment vanishes, you feel motivated to give your best at everything you do. Remember, your happiness percolates down to your family as well.
Each week think of one task you would love to do. Assign time for it on your schedule. Cut down on one hour of your sleeping time if need be. But make sure you give yourself some hours each week to do what you love. Paint, sing, dance, meditate, cook, exercise….follow your passion, follow your heart! No one but you, can stop you! Give yourself the happiness you deserve. If possible, share your creations with family and friends. Their encouragements will drive you to put in some more hours the week after as well! Slowly, you will learn to do it as a part and parcel of your everyday routine!
Life will always be busy! There is no end to the long list of responsibilities. When then can we do justice to our passions if not today? ‘You’ are not just made of what you are! ‘You’ are also what you want to be! Embark on the journey to discover your passions and I can assure, you will end up rediscovering yourself!
About Carson Derrow
