Find three hobbies you love: One to make you money, one to keep you in shape, and one to be creative.

You have likely heard this quote shared on any number of social media platforms. If not, you are in for a revelation.

Personally, it doesn’t matter how many times I run across it, this advice always rings true. When stagnant feelings start creeping in, more often than not, one of these areas has been neglected.

Ever happened to you?

Think about it: Maybe you’ve given 110% to work, only to find that physically you don’t feel your best. Or maybe you’ve been diligent about your workouts and stay on top of career responsibilities and goals, but your creative needs are being stifled.

If the secret to happiness is creating balance in these areas, how do we break that down into manageable pieces?

The common theme seems to be growth. 

We crave the sense of accomplishment and growth. It’s not all about the end destination. If that were the case, none of us would work out again once we reached a target weight or mastered an exercise. Likewise, our creative drive doesn’t disappear simply because we publish one piece of content, or finish that painting we’ve been meaning to get to. If we are not continually growing in the ways that are important to us, or vital to our success and wellbeing, we lose parts of ourselves.

When that happens, we feel unhappy. Put really simply, our happiness is hinged upon prioritizing how we spend our time and energy.

Activities that are fulfilling will give us energy, while activities that aren’t helping us grow will drain us of our energy. Oprah Winfrey puts it this way: “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” 

We have to make money to survive, right? So why not find an income source that validates your abilities?

To illustrate this further, here are the 3 core elements that have been shown to make people feel happy and successful. Missing one of these key components can leave you feeling out of balance with your true self.

1. Pursue a creative hobby

In multiple studies, having a creative hobby or side project has been shown to boost happiness and overall productivity.

Google adopted a rule which lets employees spend 20% of their working hours on side projects or exploring their passion. This resulted in a more productive and creative 80% of the time, and better work performance.

Not all jobs will allow for this type of creative pursuit on the clock, but the positive outcome is still valid. In another study, ran by San Francisco State psychology professor Dr. Kevin Eschleman, participants with a hobby outside of work felt more relaxed and in control. 

Having a personal hobby is a critical outlet that many people neglect.

You may not consider yourself to be a creative person, and you may not be into the popular side hustles like blogging, or starting a YouTube channel, or using social media to promote your side business. Maybe you’re not crafty and able to sell your art on Etsy, or create abstract paintings in your spare time. That’s fine!

Don’t be like everyone else. BE YOU. 

If you’ll give yourself 2 minutes to actually do some self-reflection, you’ll know what your “thing” is. It doesn’t matter how trivial, childish, or non-income producing it is. If it’s important to you it won’t go away.

Honor that piece to your happiness pie and find ways to incorporate it into your life. You may be surprised at how little time it takes to start feeling more fulfilled if you allow yourself to do what you love.

2. Pursue your favorite fitness activity

Physical fitness breeds confidence.

Confidence is directly linked to happiness.

Absoluteconfidence.com is so sure about this that they claim, “Confidence is the root of all happiness!” Author of the site, Suzanne Fetting, credits her high level of happiness to “many reasons, first of which is that I love my life and I am confident in who I am and what my purpose is.”

Could that really be said any better??

Suzanne loves her life and experiences high levels of happiness because she is confident in who she is and what her purpose is.

It’s hard to be confident when we don’t feel good about ourselves. You may not need to exercise to lose weight, but your body still needs movement to be healthy.

As described by Goal Setting Guide, exercise gives you a sense of accomplishment, and each mini success fuels more confidence.

It should be easy to determine whether you’ve been neglecting your physical fitness. For some of us, going one or two days without exercise makes us restless. For others, a leisurely walk while you’re doing errands is all it takes to get the blood flowing. The amount of time you devote for each workout isn’t the key; it’s more important to pick an activity you genuinely enjoy that makes you feel strong and accomplished.

Need help getting started? Meetup is a great site that has activities and groups to join in your area. Prefer working out solo? Check out Fitness Magazine’s “7 Workouts Made For Introverts.” This post also includes multiple suggestions for specific target areas and types of exercises, in addition to the top 7.

Finally, grab our free “How to Work Out Like a Mother” Guide, linked in the HGS Freebies section!

3. Pursue a career that is meaningful to you

The average person will spend over 90,000 hours at work during their lifetime, according to Business Insider. 

Despite this incredible dedication of time, “87% of American’s have no passion for their jobs.”

Given these two statistics, are we surprised that many people aren’t happy?

Not only are we not passionate about our work, one quarter of Americans accredit their jobas being their number 1 source of stress. If this wasn’t enough, “statistics show that people’s jobs can contribute to workaholism, insomnia, and divorce.”

The bottom line?

Don’t let your job steal your happiness!

Andrew Naber, a psychology graduate of Gettysburg College, conducted research on a job’s impact on quality of life, and what factors can have a positive effect on people’s work lives. Naber says: “We spend a lot of time at work and it really affects people’s general happiness, and also life outcomes.”

This should come at no surprise, but it is helpful to reflect upon how much of our time is devoted to work. Being honest with yourself about your level of fulfillment at work can lead to making necessary changes.

If we have to spend so much time earning an income, let’s take ownership of our time and happiness and pursue a career that feeds our sense of purpose.

The Sparketype Test on the Good Life Project site is an easy quiz that helps uncover the type of work that will be meaningful for you. The Good Life Project is all about tools and support to create your best life in a real way that promotes lasting change.

For additional insights into understanding yourself better, The Four Tendencies Quiz is another helpful resource. On Gretchen Rubin’s website, she describes value of knowing our “Tendency” so that we can better position ourselves to be successful in a variety of situations.

In Conclusion…

To put these all together, take a look at the handy little diagram below:

Are you missing any of these elements in your life?

This is an easy tool to refer back to any time you feel like something is lacking in your life. Not feeling like yourself? Maybe you’ve neglected your creative hobby. Feeling stressed and burned out at work ALL THE TIME? Possibly time for a career change. Feeling sluggish or lacking confidence? Perhaps you haven’t been prioritizing your fitness routine.

This illustration won’t have the answer to all of life’s problems, but chances are it will point you in the right direction the majority of the time.

Remember to keep your priorities front of mind. Don’t let your needs get lost in the busyness of life and the demands of others. 

Here’s to your pursuit of happiness. Go get it, girl! 

~Dani