“Find What Energizes You”
The best advice is often found during the simplest times. In my weekly Wednesday night club meeting, our guest speaker, Indie film director Mya Brenton-Morton, said something that has stuck with me for the past few days.
“Find what energizes you.” Wow. What a simple, yet impactful quote.
The second she said this phrase, I grabbed my phone from my backpack and typed it into a note. While she used it in the context of finding a career you feel passionate about, I believe if we all apply the quote to our day-to-day lifestyle, peak happiness and fulfillment can be achieved.
As I thought more about this piece of advice, I realized that mental well-being can be improved just by finding people, activities, passions, and simply things that bring a sense of joy and sense of satisfaction to one’s life.
Having passions, hobbies, and interests that bring you (and you alone) joy is the first step in achieving the goal of this quote. As a former theater kid, some of my happiest moments have been spent singing karaoke or belting out show tunes in my car with the roof open. Those moments are where I feel like the most whole version of myself. Whether crafting, playing, singing, dancing, shopping, playing sports, socializing, studying, organizing, or anything else, if you have an activity you love, let yourself feel the happiness it brings you, free of judgment!
Another important aspect of this quote is finding safe and comfortable places to become the best version of yourself. Places that spark a sense of deep fulfillment, lovely nostalgia, and pure glee can allow you to feel happy and at ease the second you walk through the doors. Every year, when I visit my grandparents in the tiny little town of Coral Springs, Florida and enter the home they’ve owned for over fifty years, I feel overcome with warmth, happiness, and love. That feeling is what I look for as I find more places that make me feel the most like myself.
And that brings me to my most important point. Finding your people! Now, how does one do this? It has to come naturally. The connections that energize you are made of genuine emotional connections. Relationships can be extremely tricky, whether platonic, romantic, or anything in between. When thinking about the people that energize me most, I think about how I could talk to them for hours and feel listened to and heard the entire time, how I could tell them anything and feel supported, and how I could spend quality time with them that doesn’t feel forced.
I think about my three closest college friends as the people who energize me the most. As a group of four, we have supported and loved each other through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Honestly, I could tell them anything without being scared of their reactions. I feel loved, supported, and appreciated as we all conquer life together, and I am lucky to have spent some of my happiest moments with them. Every day, they remind me of what true friendship looks like, and that feeling of being seen, heard, and appreciated energizes me every single day.
One important thing to note is that this must be done individually. Try your best not to live your life in fear of what others may think about the people, places, and things that you care for the most in life. If you live your life trying to meet someone else’s standards, you will never be successful. You are depriving yourself of the enjoyment of the things that make you feel most like you.
So my advice is to find something, someone, or somewhere every single day that will bring you and you alone, positive energy. Energy that makes you happy, brings you purpose, and allows you to grow into the best version of yourself. If this is done daily, life will feel happy, fulfilling, and precious. Life is too short for you to deprive yourself of all the joy you can be feeling. So get out there and “find what energizes you!”