What do you need to feel your best?
Oh, hi friends!
What do you need to feel your best?
Maybe you’re someone who needs a lot of information, well-laid plans, and all the details ironed out.
Maybe you’re someone who needs quality sleep, three square vegan meals a day, and four hours a day with your goldendoodle.
Maybe you’re someone who needs to be around optimistic people, or people who inspire you.
Maybe you’re someone who needs new experiences and variety.
Maybe you’re someone who needs routine and stability.
Maybe you’re someone who needs deep work, or time in the sun, or alone time, or social time.
Maybe you’re someone who needs to watch YouTube videos for motivation or to write positive mantras and post them all over your apartment.
It doesn’t matter what you need—as long you know what you need.
And then you prioritize those things, again and again.
Are you climbing today?
Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash
“Life just feels better when you have things in your hours that you want to do,” Ms. Vanderkam said. “There’s moments where time almost has no meaning because we’re so happy about what we’re doing. The more time you can spend in that zone, the better life feels.”
I love that zone!!!
Really good advice on how to carve out more time for things that actually give you pleasure in this smart Smarter Living piece: Why Following Your Passions Is Good For You (And How to Get Started)
Well, this video starts with "making a career as an artist is almost impossible,” which...I do not like! But then Liz Gilbert goes on to define a hobby, a job, a career, and a vocation. It's worth watching the nine-minute video, but if you're commuting or, like me, LOVE WORDS, I’ve paraphrased what she says below. I hope you find it as insightful as I did. (h/t Maria Kuznetsov)
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A hobby is something you do purely for pleasure. The stakes are zero. You don’t have to make money from your hobby. No one has to know about your hobby. It just brings you pleasure. (Um, I do not have any hobbies!)
A job. You do have to have a job to pay your bills and not be a burden on others. I never resented having a job because that's how I kept the contract of being a mature adult in the world.
A career is a job you are passionate about and that you love. A career is something you’re wiling to make sacrifices for and work extra hours. You do not have to have a career! If you’re in a career that you hate, that’s terrible. But if you're in a job that you hate, that’s OK. You should love your career—or not have one. Go get a job instead.
A vocation is a calling, a divine invitation, the voice of the universe in your ear saying “I want you to use your talents and gifts in this way.” The most amazing thing about having a vocation is nobody can take it from you—someone can take your job or your career away from you. Writing was her vocation for 7 to 10 years before it became a job. She knew that if she committed to a career, she wouldn’t have time for her vocation—so she chose to have a bunch of day jobs instead.
Then she calls people out in the end. If you think your job and your career prevent you from pursuing creative opportunities or making art, you’re being, well, a little lazy. You have time. (If you want to find more time, check out the article quoted in the middle of this email!)
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara