Seven months ago I began a journey of practicing mindfulness every day and we've reached day 221. Yesterday, I talked about standing back up every time we fall. Today is a new day.
Whenever I end up playing video games for long hours (usually more than 2 now. I used to play for 8 at a time when I was really young) I always feel a bit of disappointment for not having done anything productive during that time. To me 2 hours is a long time and allows for a lot to get done. I think about how I wasted those 2 hours playing around and it feels bad. It's the realization that instant-gratification doesn't fill any holes or bring any long-term satisfaction. It's instant, and thus the happiness goes as quickly as it came.
At the same time, if I dedicate my entire day to studying, learning, or doing something productive I get a huge mental drain and feel like I'm missing out on so many other opportunities in life. It's like going to work for a really long shift and wishing you could go outside and enjoy the sunshine. Even though you're getting things done and know it'll benefit you in the long-run, we only live in the present, so too much delaying of gratification can eat away at us and makes a lot of people bitter.
It's funny. Either I'm wishing to be more productive or I'm wishing I could do something fun when I'm being productive. Nothing can be achieved without some sort of sacrifice and finding the balance is like finding the mythical unicorn. Sometimes I think it can't be done, but then I think about one of the most common pieces of advice given to emerging adults: find something you love and make a career out of it. At first, I only thought about jobs, but work is only one aspect of our lives. Going further, I think this advice can better be applied to doing things that add value to us.
In my case, I love helping people, playing video games, playing piano, and doing art. These last few years I've thought a lot about how I can make all of these aspects of my life a means of providing me value. Although I only make money through teaching, this blog provides me with a lot of self-reflection, which has helped me improve my life in various ways, including at work. Playing piano provides me with mental stimulation and keeps me in tune with my emotions. Art helps me understand my unconscious thoughts.
These all help me understand myself, which I consider invaluable. With video games, I can socialize and refresh the mind. Working out helps keep me strong and healthy, which will give me more energy to do everything else. Teaching lets me help people and earn money to support my lifestyle. They all have their meaning and so I've found a balance between everything.
My life isn't perfect by any means and neither is my work-fun balance. It slips all of the time and practicing mindfulness helps me recenter it all. Keeping this in mind, we don't have to suffer only from regret and disappointment or the pain that comes with dedicating everything toward achieving something. Meeting them half-way, like any balance, is key toward good health. There's always room for work and play, there's no need to tip the scale toward only one. We just gotta find the right ratios in order to keep it even.
Peace
"We all must suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment." - Jim RohnLife is a balancing act of self-improvement, socializing, having fun, and upholding our duties and responsibilities. When focusing too much on self-improvement and discipline I find myself not going out much and being a hermit. When I'm socializing too much I end up with little to no time to myself for reflection and recovery. When I'm having too much fun I don't get anything productive done. When I'm too involved with work I get really stressed and it takes its toll on my mental and physical health. We need all of these in order to be stable, but because it's so difficult to maintain this balance we often end up in a cycle of suffering from the grind or regretting not being a part of it.
Whenever I end up playing video games for long hours (usually more than 2 now. I used to play for 8 at a time when I was really young) I always feel a bit of disappointment for not having done anything productive during that time. To me 2 hours is a long time and allows for a lot to get done. I think about how I wasted those 2 hours playing around and it feels bad. It's the realization that instant-gratification doesn't fill any holes or bring any long-term satisfaction. It's instant, and thus the happiness goes as quickly as it came.
At the same time, if I dedicate my entire day to studying, learning, or doing something productive I get a huge mental drain and feel like I'm missing out on so many other opportunities in life. It's like going to work for a really long shift and wishing you could go outside and enjoy the sunshine. Even though you're getting things done and know it'll benefit you in the long-run, we only live in the present, so too much delaying of gratification can eat away at us and makes a lot of people bitter.
It's funny. Either I'm wishing to be more productive or I'm wishing I could do something fun when I'm being productive. Nothing can be achieved without some sort of sacrifice and finding the balance is like finding the mythical unicorn. Sometimes I think it can't be done, but then I think about one of the most common pieces of advice given to emerging adults: find something you love and make a career out of it. At first, I only thought about jobs, but work is only one aspect of our lives. Going further, I think this advice can better be applied to doing things that add value to us.
In my case, I love helping people, playing video games, playing piano, and doing art. These last few years I've thought a lot about how I can make all of these aspects of my life a means of providing me value. Although I only make money through teaching, this blog provides me with a lot of self-reflection, which has helped me improve my life in various ways, including at work. Playing piano provides me with mental stimulation and keeps me in tune with my emotions. Art helps me understand my unconscious thoughts.
These all help me understand myself, which I consider invaluable. With video games, I can socialize and refresh the mind. Working out helps keep me strong and healthy, which will give me more energy to do everything else. Teaching lets me help people and earn money to support my lifestyle. They all have their meaning and so I've found a balance between everything.
My life isn't perfect by any means and neither is my work-fun balance. It slips all of the time and practicing mindfulness helps me recenter it all. Keeping this in mind, we don't have to suffer only from regret and disappointment or the pain that comes with dedicating everything toward achieving something. Meeting them half-way, like any balance, is key toward good health. There's always room for work and play, there's no need to tip the scale toward only one. We just gotta find the right ratios in order to keep it even.
Peace
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| There is balance in all things and it's on us to choose where we keep it. |
What are ways you're finding the right balance in your life?
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