When is the last time you woke up excited for your day?
I mean, really excited, like the sun is not up yet and you’re jumping out of your bed because you can’t wait to do what you have planned to do today. Not because you have to or should but just because you really want to live your day - excited.
I used to think that the grind was a necessity and that misery was the only way to grow. Happy and present is what I’ll feel when I’ve achieved and reached what I’ve set to accomplish for the day, the week, the month, the year.
Boy was I wrong! The race never ends! Our nature is to want to grow. It’s natural for our minds to look for the next step on the ladder as soon as we’ve achieved something. If we aren't careful we never take the time to celebrate and appreciate everything in between.
That’s when things can get ugly. When you’ve got everything you ever wanted, but you’re not happy. Instead you are unfulfilled and miserable.
Happiness does take work. It takes conscious effort, not because it’s hard but because everything around us, especially in western society, tells us that happiness only comes after we have achieved. Even if deep within yourself you may know this, society constantly reminds you that you need to hustle, you need to grind, you need to suffer so you can earn the right to be happy!
Earn your happiness?!! Really, who came up with that?
What's wrong with being happy just because? This is what's worth hustling for. It means working on yourself and constantly shifting your mindset. It means getting the right amount of movement and sleep for your body. Eating the right nutrients. Giving yourself time to reflect and meditate. Allowing yourself to play and be creative. Spending time with the people you love and care for, with people that inspire you. Spending time doing the things that make you smile and feel good.
It doesn’t mean that you won’t need to work hard and hustle anymore. It means that your hustling has purpose. Your hustling is inspired. The right hustling for you can be fun and doesn't have to feel like a chore.
If you want to feel good and be happy, it has to be on your priority list. What are you doing today to make yourself feel better? What are you doing today that inspires you to get up and start your day? What are you doing today to get yourself out of that funk?
- Renshi Melhem Wehbé
