jump to navigation

Personal growth: Trying to recreate the past July 1, 2018

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in Living in the Now.
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
add a comment

One of the reasons why some of us tend to have trouble living in the Now, in day-tight compartments, is that we frequently spend a lot of energy in attempts to recreate our past, usually in a quest to re-enjoy an emotionally rewarding short- or long-term experience.

But are such efforts doomed to failure?

The short answer is, probably yes.

Sometimes we can have a strong flash of recollected emotion, which might have been triggered by hearing some music, smelling a particular aroma, or being in a place with lighting or atmosphere similar to that of an enjoyable past experience.

There are many more things that can trigger such emotional responses.

And the triggers are nearly always unplanned, unexpected.

And, these are brief emotional events that cannot be either artificially invoked or sustained.

Most of the time, particular emotionally rewarding situations are comprised of a unique combination of circumstances which very rarely, if ever, can be duplicated.

But we keep trying.

Better to fondly and appreciatively recollect our past experiences and the associated emotions, but to concentrate our actions and energy on the present and towards the future, creating new and rewarding experiences.

Unlike our futile efforts to recreate the past, we can create our future.

Dennis Mellersh

A creative hobby can help improve your personal growth program May 10, 2018

Posted by Dennis Mellersh in personal development ideas.
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
add a comment

For anyone who is putting a lot of effort into their personal development program, the process can involve a lot of work, and take on the feeling of a job or chore; all of which can have a depleting effect on our physical, emotional, and mental energy reserves.

One way to help overcome this and keep our energy reserves in balance is to add a creative hobby component to our self-improvement routines.

A creative hobby could involve many forms; arts and crafts, such as painting or drawing; making pottery; or learning a musical instrument; creative writing; studying and doing woodworking.

If you Google “creative hobbies” you will find hundreds of suggestions that you might want to investigate.

If you find a find a hobby that you really enjoy it can help put your mind and emotions into a different zone or plane…one where you are so absorbed that you forget for a while the problems and challenges that each of face every day.

Hobbies have a physical and emotional restorative power, and that attribute can inject more energy into our self-actualization work.

The key: Don’t turn your creative outlet into just another “I have to do this” routine; don’t make it a work project.

PS: There’s an interesting article on the mental and emotional restorative value of hobbies, and in particular the dangers of turning a hobby into yet another productivity-oriented chore, in the New York Times:

— Dennis Mellersh