The balance for life happiness

[ashmie]

Everyone is different. In the endless challenge to balance life priorities I am left with the big question. Which takes priority in my life. Here are the priorities.

Family and friends
work
hobby stuff and personal happiness
self worth and confidence
self image (probably included in above)
individuality
the freedom to express your true mind
health both physical and mental
money and wealth

In which order of importance do you fellow hobbyists see these? Are they all on an equal footing or do you prioritize some over others? It's something I'm struggling with and am at a crossroads with right now in my life in search for peace and well being. I value your experience and opinion. Think clearly. Cheers everyone.

[Primarch]

'No-one ever became happy by worrying about being happy' - Prim, 2016

You sure do ask the tough questions Ashmie. But there probably is no one, simple answer. For myself, my priorities change based on a number of factors. If my wife is happy and busy with her own things, then I do what I want. If she comes home from work stressed, then I drop everything. When I am free, my hobby gets top billing, when I am working, I focus on that. Some things in life are unpleasant and they aren't always shared out in equal measure. Some people have more bad days than good, it is how we deal with them that defines us. It's a cliche I guess, but a positive outlook does make life easier. Don't dwell on problems or worry about what might be. Often we build things up in our minds, so that the thought of something is much worse than the reality of it.
Find the things you enjoy and do them when you can. Carry a book to read if a student cancels a lesson. Put some music on when you are doing chores. Enjoy the sunrise when you are commuting to work. Do what you can, when you can. Similarly, plan to succeed. Set yourself realistic goals and break them down into a set of easily achievable tasks. For example, I usually aim to finish x number of minis per month. I then look at what pieces I need to paint and set targets like "Tonight, I will paint in all the skin tones." If I can do it, I feel good. If I can exceed that, I feel great and if I miss that, it's not such a big deal as it is only a small thing and I can maybe do it tomorrow.

So, stay calm, do what you love, and let none tell you otherwise. It's your life, so live it the best you can.

[me_in_japan]

May I be the first to congratulate prim on a bloody good answer to a very difficult question. Bravo, sir.

After Prim's words of wisdom anything I write will inevitably be a bit lacking, but for what it's worth, I'd break down my priorities as:

Happiness of family
Happiness of self (derived from spiritual/emotional happiness and also health. These feed back into each other)

Spiritual/emotional contentment comes from a mixture of painting/PC gaming/watching good tv. Health comes from getting off my ass and doing some exercise, a feat that has been somewhat elusive of late. Meh, it's been cold.

Work only rates as important insofar as it enables me to get money with which I can ensure the contentment of my family and self. If they didn't pay me, I wouldn't do it - I have a great many better things to do with my time, but since in this world we need money to buy stuff, work has to happen. Can't be helped, so I try to enjoy what I can in my working day (and there is good stuff in there, of course.)

I try not to focus too much on goals, because I tend towards being a bit overly focused, and so if I set goals other things tend to fall by the wayside. Also, painting goals in particular can be sources of frustration. I often feel that I could use about six months of "me" time with no work or family commitments, just to work through all the stuff I want to do (tv shows I want to watch, games I want to play, minis I want to paint.) I feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day to fit in work, family and stuff-I-want-to-do. Still, I manage

[ashmie]

'No-one ever became happy by worrying about being happy'

Very good advice Gentlemen! Thank you! I put too much of myself into everything. Sometimes we just have to sit back and let the bad stuff roll off and enjoy the good things. It's a great morning this morning weather wise.
Have some Sam Cooke on the speakers. Feeling motivated.
https://youtu.be/-vhF6VatciE
Going to be painting some Frostgrave for the winter along with Dredd Simian Minions.

[YellowStreak]

Great response Prim!