The Missing Element For Your Happy Life
Never forget to do this
When you become focused on achieving big goals, it can be easy to neglect other parts of your life.
As you build your career and improve your fitness, the progress becomes addictive.
You created good habits and solid routines, and you feel and look good.
Yet, you don’t seem to be getting any happier.
So, what could be missing?
The missing element is play.
The cure to stress
A couple of years ago, my stress levels started rising too high, and it was making me pretty miserable to be around.
I was focused on work and still going to the gym. I was spending some time with people I enjoyed, but was not happy.
So, I decided to see a therapist.
I sat there and explained to him that I was making progress in every area of my life. But the stress of it was still getting to me, and I could see it slowly affecting my relationship.
I explained how I had everything fine-tuned. My routine was optimized, my habits were healthy, but the stress was still there.
It didn’t take him very long to point out that I had to have an element of play in my life.
Everything was so optimized, and I was so goal-oriented that I forgot to have fun altogether.
He told me, even if I have to schedule it, I need to make sure to play. I need to force myself to play.
So, that’s what I did.
How I played
Although I was going to the gym regularly, it was really just workouts, not play. So, I started going back to Muay Thai to train again. The sparring added “play-time”.
I also decided to start going to a chess club every week. I occasionally played online, but it is always different playing in person.
The bonus part about the chess club was that I could also play with people of all ages and levels, and get to know them.
To top it off, my friends and I started playing board games together regularly, too.
Oh, and we even started doing extra activities like go-karts and arcades.
Essentially, my goal was to find as many different ways to add play into my life.
What this means for you
By no means should you copy what I did to add play into my life. Your life is different, and only you will know what makes sense for your life.
My point here is that it is easy to get lost trying to be as productive as possible while striving for a grand mission or some serious goals.
If we forget to play along the way, we will find ourselves less happy than we could be.
Here are a few suggestions for you while deciding how to play:
Try to find ways to play while socializing (board games, escape rooms, karaoke, etc.)
Find a way to play by yourself (chess, video games, etc)
Play in a physical way (sports)
Incorporating these forms of play will help you get additional benefits and balance your life.
Happy life
While pushing to achieve big things, your life will rarely be balanced. If it is, it will be harder to achieve what you are aiming for.
How you spend your time is always moving. Sometimes, different areas need more focus for extended periods of time.
Focus on work when you have a big project. Focus on sports when you have a tournament coming up. Focus on family when someone needs you.
To keep a happy life, you can’t ignore any aspect for too long.
It is bound to happen, though, and when it does, you simply need to readjust.
And don’t forget, play is an important element, too.
Thanks for reading