Baby steps to sustaining joy

It’s great sometimes to just sit back and take the time to go through important things. There is so much going on in my life that demands my attention, that often I miss the things that give my life meaning. It’s not that they aren’t there, but that they don’t jump out at me saying “give me your attention”.

It’s a little like the difference between sustaining joy and instant gratification. Instant gratification is great, the sugar rush of eating an ice-cream or watching the drama of a sporting event, yet it comes and goes and isn’t sustainable. Really involving myself in a project, taking the time to write this blog or spending time in nature are all these things sustain joy inside myself that can last for days. It’s that feeling of achievement and purpose, no matter the result, that gives my life meaning and keeps me curious as to what’s next or what the possibilities are.

These thoughts come about because, after writing about feeling overwhelmed, I took my own advice, wrote down tasks that I have coming, so as to have an overview and made time and space to prepare for my classes and project rehearsals. The effectiveness of the preparation can be questioned, but not the fact that I did it. It’s the process of putting in the effort, looking for inspiration as I quiet my mind to focus and then making decisions that really brings satisfaction in my actions taking small steps forward. All of this by choice rather than necessity. It does feel good!