In the previous episode, we wrote about the impact of work on our lives and the general feeling of happiness and fulfillment. But also about our way of perceiving time. Today let's take a look at our life routine and see from whom it is best to learn the joy of life. And if we have lost it - how can we regain this joy of life?
"Happy is the person who has not lost a child's heart." Mengzi (also called Meng Ke) Chinese philosopher from the 4th century BC.
Sunday Depression - What Can We Learn From Children?
Let's go back to our childhood for a moment. It doesn't matter if it was successful or not, happy or traumatic. If we are already so "mentally old" that we are not able to recreate our childhood years - let's take a look at our little children.
How much curiosity about the world accompanies them?
They discover this world with joy, constant curiosity, with unstoppable energy that often drives adults to despair. A 3-year-old child torments a parent with the question "why?".
Every new thing is a cause for joy. Each new discovery is a little holiday. With laughter, a twinkle in the eyes. Children do it naturally. They know no borders, the world is not a dangerous place for them. It is a fantastic, huge felt-tip pen, where you can dig up new amazing discoveries. You can save a pebble at Tesco (it's a real story), and you can play with a feather for half a day (this one is also real). There is no division between the days of the week and the weekend. For work and holidays. Every day, they discover the world with the same enthusiasm.
"A child can teach adults three things - enjoy it for no reason, keep busy, and make every effort to demand what it wants. "Paulo Coelho
Sunday Depression - what kind of routine do we live in?
Now let's take a look at us adults. What is the routine we live in?
We start the week on Monday (which many of us hate because it's synonymous with work). The days from Monday to Friday are the same. We get up, eat breakfast, take the kids to school (or kindergarten), chase them to work, go home (sometimes quick shopping or a gym or language lesson on the way), go home, a few words "How was your day", TV, sometimes a book and to bed.
We are waiting for the weekend, during which, however, we again serve ourselves another portion of the routine: shopping, cleaning, ironing, trimming the lawn, and sometimes meeting friends or family ...
How caught up in routine are we? Are we aware of this?
How much is this routine really related to mediocrity?
How to overcome the routine and regain joy in life?
If most of our activities are mediocre, how is it possible to feel happy? Uniqueness, festivity?
Do we not easily accept the saying that "there are only moments in life"?
How often do we try to change the routine of our daily regimens?
For example, by choosing a different path to work, a different store where we do our shopping, a new restaurant where we eat lunch, cooking something original at home (even if it fails the first time), not receiving e-mails at work for one whole day (very interesting experience).
As adults, we focus more and more on "knowledge", and we forget about the heart, spontaneity, and naturalness - about everything that is really inside us, but is pushed to the last plan. A sense of security and stability is more and more important to us, we are more and more afraid of changes. We gain knowledge. We go to training. We learn new skills. We read blogs and browse books.
How many of these activities result from pure curiosity about the world, from the will to discover new places and meet new people? How many of them are spontaneous activities and not dedicated to a specific goal?
How many of these routine activities are superficial? When do we really give ourselves a chance to EXPERIENCE something and dance to our unique music?
So let us look for our Inner Child. Let's let him speak. And if we want to be happy and fulfilled, let's look for those areas that brought us natural joy in our childhood. All the things we loved to do. Let us reopen them within ourselves.
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