How Do You Feed Your Soul

What Feeds Your Soul - By Amy Pannett

What makes you happy?

What drives you each day to stay motivated?

Do you go through the motions hoping someone will paint your path for you or do you have a plan to make the best out of each day to strive for better?

Make a list of the simple things that bring out the best you and feed your soul. I like to call it your soul food. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. Think small and the payoffs in the grand picture will come.

Little things may be:

• Taking 5-10 minutes each day to ask yourself what are you grateful for?

• Listening to your favourite album or song. I know I’m dating myself. Ok for the twenty and under crowd, your favourite playlist. Better yet explore new music.

• Go for a midday walk or run.

• Read a chapter in a book

• Actually sit with your coffee/tea in your favourite chair and take in your day rather than drinking while multitasking laundry, dishes, meal prep and work to do lists.

• Stretch before be and unwind rather than binge watching mindless tv.

If you close your eyes and think “what truly makes your soul happy” what do you see?

I see myself laying on a plaid blanket in a field of long grass with the sound of ocean waves crashing nearby. I think of family gatherings in my mother’s kitchen and the fiddle music on full blast. Obviously, this is not an attainable daily picture. But I can incorporate little cues each day to give me just a little of that soul food to enrich my day.

On my way to work, I could focus on the terrible traffic and construction. Instead, I crank my music and sing like nobody is watching. By the time I get to work, I am in a better mood than when I woke up and more productive for it. Maintain a positive outlook to manage your daily stress.

I surround myself with meaningful people. One quote that comes to mind is, “I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies”. It’s great to have many acquaintances, but who you bring into your corner should give as much as they get from your relationship. Quality vs quantity.

My great friends fuel my fire through support and laughter. It may seem like there are many tangents to this story but when I sit and ask what makes me happy, its family, friends, music, making time for myself and laughter.

That is a fairly large umbrella but one that has taken me a while to figure out. All are intwined as one. Each one makes me happy either as one entity or melded together. They inspire me not to be status quo, going through the motions of life. They give me energy to want to do more, to be the best self I can be and finally the courage to be open to new possibilities.