If you haven't joined the #beyouedu movement, you should. Each month there is a new topic and each month, I feel re-focused. Each month, I am inspired again. Each month, I have bliss - through writing and through a network of passionate educators.
However, my bliss is not confined to education. In fact, bliss comes from all aspects working together in harmony. Just as negativity can stretch across lines, so too, can bliss. For that reason, I call myself a bliss-seeker.
In my grandparents' and my parents' generations, there was more job consistency. If you took a job as a teacher, you stayed a teacher, despite feeling bliss or not. My generation is different. Many are quick to leave when bliss is not apparent. Other generations sometimes scorn this bliss-seeking. And, though, I agree that failing and seeing something through are critical to success, so is seeking bliss. So, I aim for balance. When I have bliss in my personal life, but cannot find it in my professional life, I know change is needed. Likewise, if I have it in my professional life but not in my personal life, I know change is necessary in my personal life.
That said, bliss is interconnected. Bliss is not just limited to who you are as an educator. It is who you are as a person.
So, how do you find your bliss? Start by making time each day for at least one action that makes you happy. This can be stepping outside, taking a hot shower, visiting your nieces, or simply reading a book. It's that single action that helps dictate our level of bliss.
For me, I find that when I haven't made time for myself to be outside, removed from others, I lose that bliss. I am not alone in this idea, though. Many "introverts" are the same way. Remember this when dealing with students or co-workers. Space is a critical component to bliss. Space is key to creativity as well - both the lack off and abundance of. What feelings do you get when you have minimal space compared to an abundance of space? I bet you have different moods for each.
When finding your bliss, it's also important to remember that "you are enough." External things and people can make us feel happy, but it can be short-lived. The saying "you make me happy" is only partially true. You dictate your own happiness. Another person or thing can impact it temporarily, but you decide it long-term. So, you must first decide to be happy before you can find your bliss. Though, it's not as simple as it sounds. We do not wake up and say "I'm going to be happy today." No, rather, it comes as we make time for those blissful moments each day. It comes when we find permanent actions that contribute to our best state-of-mind.
When you mold these ideas into a professional setting, you must make sure you are achieving a balance - making time for those blissful moments. Sometimes, we blame work for making us unhappy, but it's really our lack of making time for blissful moments. Give yourself time each day - even if only a minute. Cherish those moments. Take deep breaths.
Finding your bliss is about finding you. I find me when I make time for being outside, when I get to inspire others, when others have their ah-ha moments. I cherish these moments.
How do you find your bliss? What is your bliss?
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