What Charges Your Battery?

“What charges your battery?”

I bumped into a friend earlier today as I was walking Pippin Puppy.

We got talking about “work,” “career,” and “passions,” and that got me thinking.

I used to tell students and friends “Follow your passion and let it give you unimagined rewards.”

I still feel that’s valid advice; however, our passions don’t always translate into successful, meaningful, or sustainable careers.

My friend and I talked about finding ways to charge our battery. What brings you joy or happiness? I’m now about finding a balance or rhythm of investing in myself for things that bring me joy and happiness, like all the improvs. Or driving the children’s train at the Des Moines Downtown Farmer’s Market.

We agreed that finding things that charge your battery are more important than always following your passion. I mean, it’s “work,” right? The day-to-day of that will sometimes have tasks we really don’t enjoy doing, but we do them because it’s a part of the process. The joy, the happiness comes from getting to that part we do enjoy.

Now I tell students and friends, “Find what makes you happy. Do more of that!” In other words, make time for things that charge your battery!

Sometimes, that’s the work itself. Sometimes, it’s something after work. What charges your battery? How do you make time to charge it?