On Forbes I found a quiz containing nine or ten questions. Your answers to these questions are supposed to tell you what ultimately defines your happiness. Completing this got me thinking about what ultimately made me happy.
When I took this test it, told me that I am an Artisan. The following paragraph was also provided.
“You feel happiest when you are completely engaged and absorbed in an activity that you enjoy, particularly when you have a certain talent and mastery over what you are doing. Psychologists describe this state as 'flow'. Reading, playing music or sport, doing DIY, cooking; all are activities that provide a sense of flow and happiness. You take pleasure both in what you are doing, and in the internal feeling of being absorbed in something that demands your skill and attention. The only risk is that concentrating only on activities that require practice or dedication can mean that you don't develop other interests, preferring to focus solely on the activity that you enjoy. In extreme cases, it can also lead to a tendency to be slightly arrogant. But the joy of mastering something can be immensely uplifting; it nourishes you and enables you to transcend yourself.”
I find this to be oddly true. I become really involved when I work on projects that are of interest to me. One of my favorite hobbies is #DIYprojects which is listed above. There is something I love about taking an idea and physically making it become a reality. I get so interested and intrigued while working, I lose track of the time and what’s going on around me. But when I finally finish I can look back and realize I made something incredible, even if its only incredible to me. That is one of the most gratifying feelings in the world.
One thing I created that I put a lot of effort into is my desk. I didn't build the desk (I'm not that skilled), but I did paint it. I am the type of person that needs everything to match. You can say I have a slight case of OCD. When I was entering my sophomore year of college, I was planning to bring my yellow desk from home back to school with me. The only problem was that my room was teal. This wouldn't have matched and was not what I wanted. I decided to take a week out of my summer to paint the desk white and teal and was extremely pleased with the way it turned out! I got many compliments on my paint job and it made me feel happy to be proud of something I accomplished!
During my sophomore year, one of my friends taught me how to #crochet. This was during finals when we were all stressed and burned out with school work. It didn’t take long for me to pick up the skill and soon after I was crocheting scarves left and right. I ended up making scarves for all of my friends. They loved having them and when I would see them out with the scarves on, it immediately put a smile on my face. I have since taught myself to Knit through this YouTube video and have extended my skills to make #chunkyknitblankets!
Another DYI project I enjoyed occurred this past Christmas when my sister got married. As a gift for her and her fiance, I made a wreath for their front door. It didn't only go well with the holiday spirit, but it helped decorate their new house. They were very appreciative of it and even told me some of their friends wanted one. Knowing that I was able to make someone else happy with a gift I made for them ultimately made me happier.
In addition to making Christmas/wedding gifts, I have made mother's day gifts too.This mother’s day, I struggled with what to get my mom. Being that the Hawks were in the playoffs and that we are a big hockey family, I figured why not give her a Hawks themed gift. After searching Pinterest, I found a cute idea for a door wreath that was Sports themed (my family loves their wreaths). I put this together for her and she loved it. In fact she hasn’t taken it down yet!
From these experiences, I can attest that doing something you love is really what makes you happy at the end of the day. No matter what your passion is, getting the chance to embrace it and share it with others is one of the most rewarding things you can do. Make sure no matter what you do in life, you enjoy it. I believe this is one of the keys to being truly happy.