avatarTrista Signe Ainsworth

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The Direction of Your Life: 3 Questions to Ask about Your Path to Happiness

Sometimes the answer is simple

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“After all,” Anne had said to Marilla once, “I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

Lately, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have been traveling to my client’s house to sort through everything. She and her family want to downsize and get ready to put their home up for sale. During the day, they go to her shop and office.

She hired me before the pandemic started. Then, there was a flood in their home, and they had to move out and remodel. Fast forward to today, I am now helping her in her house.

It had been more than a year since I had helped to organize for a client. I had stopped going to homes last March when the pandemic started.

Part of me is happy to get back to this work because I love helping others. It is a joy to see the transformations in their spaces.

However, there is a part of me that misses my home when I am away. I cherish being at home through this past year. There is a balance between staying in one place and going out that I am working on finding.

Have you struggled with this too?

I believe that these coming weeks will show me the answer. I am grateful for this sudden contrast because I will learn how I really feel, and life will point me in the right direction. On my 100-day journey exploring routines and habits, today I am exploring how I structure my days.

Currently, my heart belongs at home. I have fallen in love with writing and teaching my small group about decluttering their homes and lives.

Helping this client will open me up to all the possibilities. Through this experience, I can choose a direction that feels right to me. This is an opportunity to explore my compass in life.

Here are three questions that you can ask yourself about how you spend your time. My intention is that they will help you find a direction that you cherish and what feels right to you.

How do you feel at home?

This question helps you find out whether working at home fits your lifestyle.

For me, it is very natural to work at home. My parents had a business at home while growing up. They created a lifestyle around being at home.

My husband is different. He can work at home, but he feels more at ease working at the office. There is more equipment there, and he can more easily focus there.

Where do you work best? What feels right to you?

I remember when I graduated from college with a graphic design degree. The first thing I panicked about was working in an office. So I never did.

Do you love working at home, or do you prefer to go elsewhere?

How do you feel about doing your work?

When you are doing your work, how do you feel deep in your heart?

If you feel a sense of peace and fulfillment while working, you are in the right place. Feeling agitation or uneasiness signals that you may not be doing the correct activities for you.

For me, if I spend too much time doing work away from home, I feel uneasy. I feel like I need to get back to the center of my heart, where I belong.

If I have the right balance of working at home and going out, that is when I feel the most freedom and peace.

That is why the combination of writing articles and writing reviews of new food places on News Break is ideal for me. I love to work at home most of the time but go on small little adventures doing something I love.

What emotions come up when you are doing your work?

How do you feel when you have free time?

I love having free time, and I know everyone does. I need to have a good balance between work and play.

My experiment of cleaning and tidying my home in the evenings has worked out so well for me. After I complete my writing for the day, I use so much of my free time to enjoy in my clean home.

I can go out for a walk, feed the squirrels, do some gardening, or whatever feels best to me. Having this freedom is something new for me.

It feels like my heart is singing and drinking in all the light. It is beautiful to hold on to those moments.

How do you spend your free time?

My prayer for you today is for you to gain clarity in your life. Balance and joy in life are the keys to happiness.

Day #3: How are you exploring your path to happiness?

I am tagging my beautiful friends on Medium who have followed me on my past journeys. I ask that you follow them in return and read their amazing writing:

Michele Thill, Tony Young, Jr., Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Amy Marley, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Desiree Driesenaar, Neha Sandhir S, Melissa Bee, Vishnu*s Virtues, Rasheed Hooda, Karen Madej, Tree Langdon, Joe Luca, Terry Mansfield, Noma Dek, Cocoa Griot, Annelise Lords, Henery X, Nihan Kucukural, Sherry S, Aurora Eliam, CMP, Lanu Pitan, Annick Batamuliza, Bob Jasper, Jenine Bsharah Baines, Rebecca Romanelli, Ashley Nicole and many more! Thank you!

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More from Trista Ainsworth:

Productivity
Life Lessons
Personal Growth
Personal Development
Work Life Balance
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