When I was very young, I wanted to be a nun, mostly because all the nuns I knew were absolutely lovely and I wanted to be lovely too. As I got older, I decided maybe I should be a doctor. Mostly because it seemed like a very good career path and definitely not because I had any real love for science or medicine. Which became very evident when I needed to enrol for university and had no idea what to do. I didn’t want to be a doctor. That much was certain. And in the end, I decided to go with something I actually liked doing. Writing.
Going to university, no matter what you are studying, can be a bit of an ordeal. No matter how much you love your subject, and I absolutely loved my writing degree, when you’re drowning in a sea of deadlines, essays and group discussions, it can be hard to find enjoyment in anything you’re doing. University can take over your life completely. So to combat that, I decided to fill my life with the things I loved to do.
I studied distance so I didn’t have to give up my choirs and music lessons. I wrote in every spare moment I had. I did NaNoWriMo three times, during one of which I wrote 300,000 words in a month on top of full time university. I was working harder than I ever had in my life. And I was blissfully happy despite the stresses of Christmas Eve submission dates and no time off (distance study doesn’t build in semester breaks). I was happy because I was also doing something for myself. My life wasn’t just study and deadlines. I was creating things that I loved.
I firmly believe that it is so important to make time in your life for the things that you love. It can be hard where there always seem to be so many other more pressing things to be done. To spend time doing something for yourself often feels frivolous. I still feel that, and I’m doing these things as my full time job! But to think that it’s not important to make time to do the things that you enjoy is a big lie. It gives you something that you truly like doing to break up study, work, or just the routine of daily life.
If something makes you happy, then that’s wonderful. You’re allowed to be happy. The time you spend doing the things that make you happy isn’t wasted, despite what your sneaky, critical brain wants you to think. In fact, it enhances the rest of your life so that you can enjoy everything you do that much more. So, no matter whether you want to do it full time, or just in your spare time, here is your permission. Do the things you love to do.
