Enjoyment Over Achievement

I was in a yoga class recently when the teacher casually said, “Do it for enjoyment, not achievement,” as we were flowing through our sequence.

As soon as she said it, I felt my shoulders drop and my jaw unclench. And it really changed how I experienced the rest of the class.

Since then, I’ve found myself thinking just “enjoyment!” or asking myself, “How would I move through this differently if enjoyment – not achievement – were the goal?” when I’m in the middle of doing something.

The interesting thing is, a lot of the time, I find I wouldn’t actually doanything different.

I’d still go for the run. I’d still read a book. I’d still sit down to write this newsletter.

But when I ask myself that question, my posture toward whatever I’m doing changes.

I still go on that run, but instead of focusing so much on my pace or distance, I notice what a beautiful morning it is or get wrapped up in the podcast I’m listening to.

I still sit down to read, but I grab a blanket and some tea to make myself cozy. And I’m a little quicker to abandon a book I’m not loving in favor of one I can’t wait to pick back up.

I still write this newsletter, but I spend a little less time wondering whether an idea is good enough and a little more time enjoying the process of thinking something through and putting it into words.

What I’m doing hasn’t changed. But the way I’m experiencing it has!

None of this means I think there’s anything wrong with achievement. It’s no secret that I love setting goals. I love the satisfaction of working toward something that once felt hard or far away.

But I also recognize how easily focusing only on achievement can turn things I enjoy into things I’m just trying to accomplish. 

Somewhere along the way, I can forget about the enjoyment piece altogether. And I don’t want to miss the experience of doing something I genuinely enjoy because I’m so focused on what I have to show for it at the end.

So, I’ll leave you with the question I’ve been carrying around lately:

How would you move through something differently this Monday if enjoyment – not achievement – were the goal?

Maybe you wouldn’t do anything differently at all. Maybe you’d just take a deep breath and enjoy it a little more.

Postscript – Clearly, I love a good mantra! We’re getting ready to travel this weekend, and since having Ben, I’ve found that traveling makes me a little more anxious than it used to – mostly all the logistics and unknowns that come with traveling with a baby. So, I’m crowdsourcing: What’s a mantra you keep in mind when traveling that helps you relax and go with the flow? Send it my way – I could use one this week!