Do What Makes Your Soul Happy

The last month has been, if I'm honest a bit of a whirlwind... I've found myself rushing from one place to the next, busy trying to fit in as much as possible but not really achieving anything I intend to... lots of half finished jobs and nothing getting my undivided attention has been leaving me with a very unsatisfied feeling. It wasn't then such a surprise as messages seemed to fall out of the sky and bop me on the head to stop this “fire fighting”...to slow down... to DO LESS BE MORE which was coincidentally a theme one of my yoga teachers used in her class that really made me stop and think...

The main trouble was (and is) that I recently had to reluctantly go back to work in the city a few days a week.. Of course it's the last thing I wanted, but I'm sure as with many start-ups, the money has to come from somewhere and occasionally you need a little bit more...A roof on your head and food in your belly is also kind of helpful... So needs must and for just a couple of months I've been balancing corporate designer with “Free Spirit”.. well let's just say not balancing but stretching myself and completely contradicting myself at the same time! - No wonder I have been all over the place...

But there was a moment just last week which made me finally stop.

My friend Amy asked for some help painting something “arty” on a community board at the yoga studio. Yes I had a million and ten things to do but I didn't want to say no to her, and also there was something inside that despite my busy schedule, was willing to put other things aside... And as I spent a sunny Friday afternoon painting a pretty border design and listening to some beautiful classical music, with people passing, coming and going, stopping for a chat, something dawned on me...

This makes my soul happy.   

Amongst lots of other things of course.. Saltwater and surfing being an obvious one... yoga.. sunrises...a hug from my mum.. cake.. listening to cheesy 80s pop with my best friend and dancing around like an idiot...But at that moment it was just me, with a paintbrush and some beautiful music and I realised I hadn't done that since I was at art college more years ago than I'm too scared to admit! So busy I have been caught up in the rollercoaster of life recently that I'd forgotten how blissful the most simplest of things could be.

So the theme of the board was obvious...we asked the community “What makes your soul happy?”...and the community answered back (see below – this in itself makes my soul happy! So thank you everyone who wrote!)

I urge you to ask yourself the same...and then... go do it...as much as you possibly can!