Why pleasure is not a reward, but a requirement.
Modern culture has us thinking that reward comes after hard work. It also has trained us that more is never enough. More and faster is equated with better for so many of us. One more task, one more thing to do. This makes us worthy. This makes us powerful.
And it’s a lie.
When does the reward come? In the 2 week vacation you take every year where you bring your laptop to make sure you stay on top of your work? When you take time off only to take on home projects?
The truth is that pleasure is integral to healing this concept of work and worthiness. Inviting pleasure into the everyday (vs having it as a reward) does 2 things:
- It allows us to slow down for a moment, take a breath and notice yourself and what’s around you. It’s with a slower moment that you have more awareness of yourself and how you are.
- The practice of choosing a small moment of pleasure signals the body that you are choosing something for yourself. This is a small but important step in recognizing that you matter. And when you start to remember that you matter, you are able to start to make other changes (firm up boundaries, more self care, etc.)
Remember that pleasure doesn’t always have to be fireworks, chocolate and bubble baths. It can be listening to the birds outside. Enjoying a delicious cup of tea or coffee. Laughing at a terrible joke. So, knowing that, where can you invite more pleasure into your day?