When it comes to hobbies, play and enjoyable, purposeless pursuits, I am especially talented; my talent being that I can make anything, no matter what, into really hard work.
Doesn’t matter what it is, I can increase the purpose and challenge of any non-purposeful activity.
Going for a gentle swim? Make it a power-mile instead! A jog around the park? Let’s throw in some sprints, wrist and ankle weights and while we’re at it; why not strap a parachute to your back to increase wind resistance? (Yup. Not kidding.) A social outing? What a great excuse to work on my non-verbals!
Of course, all of this is perfectly fine if that’s what tickles your fancy.
But often…. I just get carried away. I’m easily drawn into this image of myself as some kind of Lara Croft-eque adventure-woman, rather than the slightly timid and highly-dramatic complaint artist that I really am.
And some of it is about my overly-ambitious expectations; my shoulds. I should be able to swim a mile; I should be able to cope with extra resistance when I’m running; I should be able to control my body language, at all times.
The problem here is that pursuits that were meant to be fun, now become yet another area in which I must strive forward.
Furthermore, where I don’t accomplish this, it’s an excuse to beat myself up.
This isn’t purposeless.
This isn’t Play.
This isn’t fun.
Yes, there’s a place for striving forward, especially if you’re someone who really enjoys battling against the adversity of a tough challenge.
But if this is your M.O for everything, you’ll wear yourself out.
Sometimes, you just have to let go and enjoy.
For no reason at all.
Anxious-Ambition.com 
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