Mindset shift: it isn't easy

Whether you like it or not, you’ve likely been trained to think that your main purpose in life is to work.

photo from Wix media library

Too often, we put our identity in what we have accomplished or jobs. Upon first meeting, we ask each other questions like “what do you do,” as if that is the most important fact about any given person.

Leisure has become a foreign concept. It’s challenging to fully understand what it means because true leisure is not commonplace in our society. We rest to recover from work and to prepare ourselves to work more. Rather, we should aim to make time for leisure for its own sake.

It might seem daunting to switch your mindset. To now participate in leisurely activities just because it is good. If you are looking for a practical place to begin, here are 7 leisurely activities.

As far as how you should approach these activities, here are 2 ways to shift your mindset regarding leisure.

1) Remember that rest isn’t just recovery

The definition of leisure stipulates that it’s for its own sake. Leisure is not intended to be used to recover from work. It is not to prepare to work more.

What are some activities that you enjoy simply because they are fruitful and enjoyable in themselves?

Reorient how you spend your days by blocking off intentional time just to do those things. photo from Wix media library

At first, you might find messages or tasks creeping into that time. But it is so important to protect this time. Only through exposure to leisure will you better understand it’s role in your life.

2) Discover what you love, not what you do

What would happen if you defined yourself by what you love? Wouldn’t it radically shift how you view yourself?

By understanding yourself in terms of who you are and what you love, not solely on what you have accomplished, you will start to be able to understand leisure.

This process will train you to not place your own worth in your productivity and therefore better be able to enter leisurely activities.

Breaking ties with productivity is key to fully participating in leisure.

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Remember to be graceful with yourself as you retrain the way you think about work and rest. It’s not your fault that productivity has been ingrained in you.

Learning to leisure well will take time and practice. But you must begin somewhere. That somewhere is here, right now. Don’t hesitate. It’s time to shift your mindset.