I think it’s reasonably safe to say that every single person has something they like to do. I don’t care if it’s the laundry, plucking your eyebrows, working twelve hour days, reading a book, dancing under a blue moon. We all have activities that make us feel good. What works for me does not necessarily work for you.
This is not a one-size-fits-all world.
But, you get the idea. I am oft surrounded by young adults in my work environment and have realized they’ve got some good ideas going on. One of which is being selfish with their time. This is not a bad thing because they have to be. Have to be. Do you have any idea what kind of time demands the average twenty year old has? It’s astounding. Three or four college classes, full-time job, study time, shopping/cleaning/cooking/laundry/bathing, transportation all those various and sundry places…maybe some social time. No wonder they all look so exhausted.
Now before you whip out the ratio book and start spouting all that jargon about how life was when you were their age. Stuff it. I know. I was there too. My point is that I am tired of listening to my own contemporaries whine about not having the time to do anything they wanna do. Sob, whimper, pout.
Shut it.
So quit whining and figure out how to do the things that matter to you. Give up sleeping, hire a maid, teach your children to do the laundry, buy a cabana boy…let the house get dirty. Who really cares? By the time the gophers eat through the sub flooring and burst through the living room carpet to root through the detritus of your life scattered around the overstuffed easy chair while you indulge yourself in re-reading the Harry Potter series…smile, wave, pop out a cheery hello and get back to reading.
Honestly. If it really matters that much to you, why do you keep coming up with excuses for why you can’t do it? Find the time. Make the time. Steal the time. Give yourself permission to stop doing the rote exercises that don’t matter and start doing the things that feed your creativity or happiness or ________.
Otherwise I’m going to put on the bludgeoning gloves and stop biting the inside of my cheek every time I hear a whiny snivel. Ka-pow. I’m gonna make Adam West proud (google his name, my child).
I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing, but until recent years it hasn’t been the focus of my feel-good energy. Novels were my guilty pleasures, the reading snuck in between textbooks, reviews, and meetings, while waiting for airplanes (high five to airport bookstores – outrageous prices and all). Other things get in the way of what we want to do – that’s what being a responsible adult is all about, right? Right? Yeah.
Other things kept me busy for a long time. Now I’ve committed to spend time writing. That’s the flip side to that growing-up-thing. You get to make some choices too. You learn to say no. You can select, choose and decline, safeguard your time, protect the hours in your days and nights. Get back to doing the things you always wanted to do.
Is it the same as when you were twenty?
Hell no. It’s way better.
Lesann Berry 