Blurring Lines between Work and Happiness

The current catch phrases floating through social media these days are endless preaching that you must live this way or that way. The best way isn’t black or white but somewhere in the middle of grey.

Experiences Before Stuff

Do What You Love

Finding Your Work Life Balance

Do these sound familiar? I know I see them everyday and honestly do follow all the links and read all the articles. I try to put the commonalities in all of them to use in my own melting pot of a mission statement to how I conduct my daily activities and ultimately my goals.

Mindful Explorer

Then this hit me square on …..

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”— Lawrence Pearsall Jacks

I found this quote revisiting a website today that I first started enjoying almost 5 years ago created by Jacob Lund Fisker called Early Retirement Extreme . Heck I even bought his book and have put countless optimizations to work in my life that he discusses. **his ways are indeed extreme but I think everyone can learn a little **

The biggest take away to this is optimize your life in a way that you don’t wake up dreading work. Optimize everything you do every single day to reduce the stress, reduce the decisions in front of you and surround yourself with an environment that stimulates you spiritually and intellectually.

For me personally in this present moment is getting outdoors as much as possible. To share these experiences with others via writing and photography in hopes to inspire them (you) to re-connect with the the wild. I am working confidently through this inspiring content to eventually generate income to support myself and fund my journeys.

It is work and takes a lot of effort on my part from editing photos to sitting down and punching out words into a blog editor, it isn’t all mountains and meadows. The difference is I make work look like play.

Break out of the routine that work is only there to allow us to play ~ Blur the Lines

Now go #ExploreBeyondTheUsual

Join the discussion 5 Comments

  • Goody Niosi says:

    perfect! My feelings exactly. Yes – it’s work and yes, it’s play. I love that place where getting up a mountain feels like work – hard work. And I equally love the feeling of writing at my desk and the place where it feels like play. I don’t know who said it, but I love the sentiment, “Live a life you don’t need to take a vacation from.”

  • Tawcan says:

    I think finding your own balance is the best approach. We all have different preference in life, that’s why it’s so important to find your own balance.

    • Chris Istace says:

      Somedays I can’t even find myself LOL . Thanks for the reminder to not worry about others and just focus on me first. I don’t think its selfish but rather healthy , if I find happiness then I can spread more with others.

  • Ty says:

    I love this idea, but struggle with the implementation of it in music own life. I’m chasing my “freedom” more then I’m chasing a buck. The ability to do what I wish with my time is my ultimate goal.

    To achieve it faster I’m following opportunity, not my passion. Opportunity simply pays better, which allows me to save more, which allows me to reach financial independence faster. FI is the point when money is no longer a concern and I can do what I want with my time.

    The only “escape” I see from my plan, which I don’t think is bad, is to get my expenses as low as possible, then I’d be able to get by with a lower salary. At that point maybe it would be feasible ditch opportunity for passion.

    Good post, Chris. Love the site and your photography!

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