I literally just had an epiphany as I sat down to write this.

I’m struggling to figure out where I’m headed, what I’m doing, what my purpose in life really is intended to be. I’ve been trying doggedly to figure it out, meditating and practicing yoga and journaling and looking for glimmers of insight anywhere I can. Digging in. Searching every corner of myself to try and figure out what the hell I’m doing.

And as I walked towards my laptop to start this post, I suddenly thought, “Wait – this process is probably supposed to be fucking fun.”

If I am walking into a purpose that is aligned, that lights me up, that brings passion and joy into my daily life … maybe I should be having more fun on the path to finding out exactly what that purpose entails.

I doubt my purpose is on the other side of beating myself up or lying around trying to analyze myself. I envision creativity and excitement and purpose and motivated action. If that’s what I’m looking for, why am I going about it in basically the opposite manner?

I’ve lost my creative, joyful spark to years of fear. The fear of scarcity, of not being good enough, of losing people who don’t understand what I’m trying to do. Am I going to keep sacrificing my spark? How can I find it again if I’m running the other way?

Realizations like this are funny in that they seem so simple once you see them, but that doesn’t mean they come easily. It also doesn’t mean that I will actually implement it. I need to see it and then use the new wisdom for my own good. It does seem silly now, though, to think that I’m going to find alignment in desperation. The key is in finding the joy in the process, finding what lights me up … lightly. Instead of going on a frantic, frightened quest.

That doesn’t mean I stop the work. It does mean I approach it differently.

It’s all about the journey, after all. If it isn’t fun, what are we even doing? If we aren’t loving what we are working towards, why are we heading that direction? If we can’t find lighthearted curiosity as we plunge into new waters, we won’t want to swim very far.

So I ask you – are you having fun? Are you enjoying your life? Are you savoring all the good times among the difficult, and remembering to bring in joy and play while you’re at it? Don’t be serious and intense all the time (like me). It’s not that enjoyable in the end. Creativity springs from finding new ways to approach and view what you’re doing. Bring that spirit in and you can transform whatever you want.

The journey not only can be fun, it should be fun! It’s easy to forget as we get wrapped up in all the daily details and intricacies of life. Remind yourself of the big picture, and remind yourself that life is far too short to take everything seriously all the time. Bring on the fun. You deserve it.