Do an exciting thing? What an awful goal.

Media says, "Your life can be exciting, too"

There's so much media out there telling you to have goals and telling you that you can do "exciting things". Now, at first, I didn't really think much about this and would even consume this media telling me what I can do to make my life more exciting.

I get so pumped up and, then, when I try to implement the things recommended, nothing lasts for very long, or I can't even start. My expectations have gotten so high that when I start and I don't immediately feel the exciting results, I stop and feel miserable.

Then, when I feel miserable, I think that those people can do those things because they have a big following, they have lost of friends, they live in an exciting place, or they have money.

And I think my life is oh so ordinary, I don't have a lot of friends (I prefer fewer friends than a whole bunch of people, actually), and I'm not famous or even known to a lot of people in real life.

So, then, I think, well, it wasn't aimed at me. I'm not the ones the media is trying to help with their advice. I'm not rich.

Exciting is pressure

People have different ideas of what makes something "exciting". Maybe to them it's really exciting to play that new video game. Maybe to them it's exciting to go to a sport event with friends. Maybe to them it's exciting to practice rock climbing. Maybe it's exciting to get a manicure? Or to grab coffee with that one special friend who knows about lizards? Or go to an art gallery? Or swim in the ocean?

But does "exciting" always have to be some grand, outside-of-your-normal-life activity?

No, because some influencer people categorize "finishing an essay" as exciting or completing some other goal they had in the month. But what if you're not in school or don't have a job? What if you don't have a partner in your life? What if you live at home? What if you don't have a home? What if you really don't have anything that matches their "exciting"? 

BIG SIGH.

Whenever I hear self-help type, lifestyle influencer people talk about "exciting" things you can do if you only try their method of journaling or mindfulness, I feel like my life, as is, is not exciting at all.

I don't play video games. I don't like sports. Things are so expensive right now and I don't have a lot of extra income to just go off into a different place to do something "fun and exciting" every moment of the day.

So, I guess my life is not exciting and I'm doomed. I can never have an exciting life like those influencer people.

Not "exciting", but "a good thing"

Ugh, I just hate "exciting". Like, what does that even mean?

I thought well, okay, maybe I'll try and push a little. I'll fight for us who don't have a lot of money and time to spend doing "exciting" things.

What if we defined "exciting" in a way that fits our lives and our likes? What if, instead of trying to be the same as influencer people and feeling stressed and blah that our lives are not "exciting" enough, we think about the good things that happened during the day.

Good is subjective intentionally because we're going to find small things that were good for us individually.

What was good for me might not be good for you. But at least it was good for me and I can think about that good thing and feel a little, tiny bit better that my life has good things in it.

Maybe it's not always going to be super duper crazy exciting, and influencer people will find it insignificant, too ordinary, and boring.

Oh shut up, influencer people, let me enjoy my good thing.

Something like...waking up in the morning and feeling good.

It's good to feel good. It might not be heart-pounding exciting, but maybe it's a good thing that happened. You felt good when you woke up this morning. Doesn't matter what you feel like now. You can feel terrible now. That's fine. The point is to highlight a tiny, tiny, teensy weensy good thing that was good for you.

Maybe you finished the laundry. So boring. Ugh. I know it. I hate it, too. But now it's done and you don't have to worry about it for a while.

Don't make it the goal

The biggest takeaway here is not to make "doing a good thing" your goal. Or you could, I guess. I won't be making it my goal. It absolutely stresses me out to try to do a thing every day that was good, victorious, or exciting.

I start searching for things and think, gosh, this is will not exciting enough! Or, sure I felt good when I woke up today, but I felt the same way yesterday. I can't have the same good thing two days in a row! In fact, I should have a different thing every day. That's it! I'll find something different ever day.

I end up stressing myself out.

Am I trying to impress someone?

I don't know. I have no one to impress.

Conclusion

Is there one? I think so. 

• I will never listen to the media telling me to be exciting.
• Finding something "exciting" is pressure. Idk about you, but I get stressed out.
• I'll just find little good things instead. Something that matches my life. Maybe that'll make me feel better every day.
• But I won't search for anything or try to set it up so that it happens. Life is already stressful enough. Why make tiny fun things stressful, too?

Overall, this is an ongoing conversation within my noggin. Will this be good for me or will I, once again, stress myself out?

Idk.