A Good Kind of Busy

As I think about it, I realize that this month is going to be a very busy one for me. Of course I am involved in the regular school, church, and social activities that I usually am, but there are going to be so many more things coming my way during December. I'm trying to be as involved as possible in True Blue, my school's annual December charity drive (which you can learn about here or by going to the True Blue website). I want to go on several dates this month. I am going to serve as a stat-keeper for Bingham's boys basketball teams. Plus, I think I might also get a job before the year ends. And of course just the normal excitement of the Christmas season is unique and thrilling all on its own. But with all of these various activities going on, I had to ask myself: is it all worth it?

And the conclusion I came to was a convincing and absolute yes.

So here's the thing: I'm not a big fan of being busy. I enjoy living without a schedule and I think it's fun to be able to choose how to do things and when to do them. I don't mean that my life has no structure, but it's nice to be able to sit down and watch Netflix or take a nap or something simply because I don't have other major plans or projects going on. And so you'd think that I would hate how busy this month looks for me. But in fact, it's just the opposite. I am very, very excited for how this month is looking. And here's why: because I want to do all of those things. Of course, no one would look forward to something if they didn't like that thing. But I mean I am excited for the busyness (I discovered earlier that "busyness" is, in fact, a real English word) of this month because the things I have planned to do appeal to me.

And this thought on its own has been surprisingly profound, at least in my own mind. Being busy in itself isn't bad, but you'll never be happy if you aren't doing things that you enjoy. You don't become happy because of how full your schedule is, but by how meaningful those things on your to-do list are. And I understand that you can't just do what you want to and ignore all the things you don't want to do, because then we would never get lawns mown or homework done or bathtubs scrubbed clean. But I think that true happiness comes from your involvement in things that are bigger than you are. I can be content with watching a couple episodes of Parks and Rec, but that doesn't really have any lasting impact and it's not something that really makes me happiest. I am the happiest when I'm doing something I enjoy with the people that I love.

To be honest, this system is one that I plan on following throughout my whole life. I think that happiness comes most when you do what you enjoy with people you enjoy doing it with. And I hope that I can remember this concept when I'm looking to build a career. Being able to do what I enjoy as a job would make me really happy. Of course, there are other simple things that can bring happiness. And I don't mean to say this as like some sort of universal law that applies to everyone equally; I can only speak for myself. I just mean to convey that this is something I've found in my own life: the performance of enjoyable activities, even when added to a busy schedule, can bring happiness to your life.

I know they bring happiness to mine.

I've discovered that sitting around and being lazy is fun - but getting out and doing something is way better. So this December, I'd like to encourage you to get out there and do something. Go sledding. Go bake cookies and take them to someone. Go dance around in your kitchen to Christmas music. Whatever it is, have fun with it. Just go and do something that you enjoy. See where that takes you.

I promise it'll be somewhere good.

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