What is your WHY?

Are you truly happy in your day to day life?

Recently I started going to therapy. I was struggling to find my purpose.

What is my WHY?

My therapist and I worked on the way we look at life. So often we focus on the negatives. I have caught myself thinking, “There is not enough time, money, or space in this world.” We fill our calendars until no white space is left. We feel guilted into say “YES.” We are doing tasks without meaning. Without purpose. We are constantly rushing, causing us to miss out on what truly matters. People, meaningful connections, peacefulness, calmness . . . this is what I now strive for.

I was not finding happiness in my every day life. Like a revolving door; wake up, work out, take dogs out, “teach,” make dinner, play on phone, go to bed. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Where in my schedule was I doing things that brought me true happiness?

I began to evaluate my life. What can I control?

I take on too many big tasks at once and never complete them. Anyone else?

I decided to break it down into three overall areas I could begin to realistically change.

1. Health

I stopped going to the gym and started Crossfit. I was not pushing myself at the gym and slowly decreased the amount of days I was going. While Crossfit is a little pricey I have gained physical strength, I am able to challenge my body physically, I have a stronger mentality, a boost in my endurance, and it has helped me find meaningful relationships.

I started focusing less on losing weight, and more on a healthy lifestyle. I have been taking more walks, hikes, and bike rides while enjoying the natural scenery along the way. I am making sure my body is moving, resting, and being fueled throughout the day so I can accomplish the activities I love and enjoy. This has helped ME find a happiness in day to day life.

2. Career

The education system . . . well that is a topic for another blog. There is a lot about my teaching career that I cannot change. There is also a lot of things I can change. I shifted my mentality from what I cannot change to what can I do differently to better help these dependent, wild, unique, amazing students? I began doing more work at home so I would be less stressed at work allowing me to give my students more attention. I continue to work on keeping a positive mentality in my work place through actions, words, and positive energy.

3. Stuff

When you walk into your house what is the first thing you see? Is it 5 pairs of shoes right by the front door? A stack of month old mail on the kitchen table? A pile of semi-wrinkled clothing? Many of us get home after a long day of work to be reminded of the stuff we have to deal with. What if that stuff was not there? What if we could come home from work and not have a ridiculous ‘to do’ list that never actually gets completed? We could spend time doing something we are passionate about. Enjoy connections with people. Relax. Read a book. Write a blog. I wanted this freedom. I began going through all of my stuff. Tossing out what I do not need. One thing at a time. Our house slowly felt less cluttered. I realized my life was being controlled by the things I owned, but rarely used. I realized the less I owned the less it could control me. I have gotten rid of more than half of what I own in the last month. I truly felt LIBERATED.

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog called “Gone.” I will go into detail about decluttering my home.

With less things I am able to spend my time in better ways . Doing activities I love that provide a meaning to my life. I will leave you with this . . . are you living the happiest life you could be living? If not, what can YOU do to change it?