Time to Get Busy... (Day 5 of 30 of the Happiness Challenge)

hopehuggs (67)in #ecotrain • 6 years ago (edited)

The need to get stuff done is in our genes, we are hard-wired to do so. If you think about it that makes complete sense, don’t you think?

Human survival depends on each of us doing our part and the actions of lots of different people. When we do our part, everything runs smoothly.

There are some occasions when the world actually comes together and unifies over an event, which is no mean feat, but shows it can be achievable.

Can’t think of anything?

I say this happens every time the Olympics are organised and held. Think how smoothly (mainly) they run and how countries come together to celebrate the world’s greatest athletes.

So I think we can safely say that our brains reward us when we get something done.

Let’s have a look of some examples in our own life…

Think of some times that you feel proud of yourselves for getting something done, as you feel like you have accomplished something.

Perhaps you have wrapped up a big project at work, finished a course and got a new qualification, landed a new job.

It is great to feel proud and accomplished and yes, even happy when you get something done or achieved a goal.

Start Small

But it really doesn’t have to be big, in fact, it really works quite well when it is small too, as you can do more small things to trigger your brain’s reward system.

It could something as little as getting the dishes done, or re-organizing the closet, or writing a post to put on Steemit, Whaleshares or Weku. Start to recognise and embrace the feeling of satisfaction when you complete something and use it as motivation to do more and take action.

EVEN better is when the small things add up into something BIG! Yes, the best scenario is to break up a goal into small steps that you can complete and feel good about. This will motivate you to carry on and reach your goals (one such goal for me is writing this daily challenge for 30 days)

When it feels like we have nothing meaningful to offer, it feels like we are not contributing to anyone or anything - it can end up in depression.

It is like this for many people who do not have a fulfilling job, or who feels like their work doesn’t make any impact whatsoever. This can make people feel down, tired, sad and yes even depressed.

The easiest way we can turn that around is to find something, anything that can make us feel productive…

Try This

Give this a try the next time you are feeling down…

Go and clean the bathroom, do a load of laundry, organise that bookshelf you’ve been meaning, heck put up that bookshelf you have meaning too!

Then savour that feeling of accomplishment and use that motivation to go do more, because when you keep building on it, you feel your mood changing for the better.

Supercharge This Method…

I would suggest finding something to do that helps others, to do something that has a positive impact on someone else’s life…

You could work at a soup kitchen, offer to babysit, or help out at a local animal shelter, just do something that benefits someone else and you will feel loads better than before.

To make this more long-term - make it a goal to work at a job, or create your own business that helps fuel that feeling of giving back. There are so many ways to give back.

Maybe you have had a secret yearning to write fiction that entertains, or to help the world see that a traditional job isn’t the only option, or save up and volunteer to count turtle eggs.

Again it is about knowing yourself and what makes you happy. It’s different for all if us.

But think about it, wouldn’t it be great if all the hours you spent earning a living contributed to your overall happiness and gave you a feeling of fulfillment?

What can you do today, or this week, this month to make the first step towards that goal?

In the meantime, volunteer, do little things that you can accomplish and let that build into a great big snowball of motivation.

(Pictures from pixabay.com)