I have a mug with the phrase “DO MORE OF WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY” and every time I drink from it I ask myself, “Well? Are you?” The answer is complicated, like most of the things my mind spits out at me, an endless cascade of reasons why I either am or am not at this moment in time. To an outsider it must look like a jumbled mess, or a thousand excuses rolled into one, and yet each one still holds weight. To truly answer this question I must first examine what it is that makes me happy, and only then can I determine whether or not I am doing enough of it.
The first thing that comes to mind is writing. Although I have this daily journal and I do a bit of creative writing each week, I still feel like I’m not doing as much as I could on a regular basis or even a larger scale. Ever since I participated in National Novel Writing Month last November I find myself yearning to write another novel, although I’m still unsure about the finer details. I would like to improve my creative writing skills so that I feel more confident when it comes to writing more fiction down the line. So to sum it up, I am not doing enough creative writing at the moment and I would like to do more soon.
Another thing that makes me happy is appreciating art in various mediums. Lately I’ve been trying to catch up on my sleep and also stay on top of my commitments so I have found it especially tricky to find extra time to watch films. I would very much love to visit art galleries or even just browse book stores for interesting cover designs. Since I don’t have a car I definitely struggle to get out of the house on my own unless I’m going somewhere in town. I would like to do some research and find some interesting ways to inject art into my days without having to fall back on watching a film on Netflix.
As much as it surprises me to say, I’ve recently found that being active has totally boosted my mood these last few months. Going to the gym three times a week has slowly become one of my favorite things, so much so that I even catch myself grinning during cardio! I’ve worked really hard to build up my confidence at the gym and it’s certainly paying off because I no longer feel embarrassed to use one of the machines or to do stretches on the mats. I feel pleased to say that I am definitely doing enough when it comes to being active but I would also just like to add that I plan on finding more ways to be active throughout the week.
Those are only a few things that make me happy but I am very glad to see that I am doing all three in some capacity. There is always room for improvement and now that I see some of the areas that need a bit more attention I will be able to work on those. Perhaps the next time I use that mug I’ll ask myself if I’m doing enough of what makes me happy, and perhaps my answer will be a resounding ‘yes’.
