What Do I Enjoy Doing?

Things I enjoy doing? Well, it has always centered around learning, strategizing, and creating. When I'm not engaged in one of those, I become restless. It's funny how many of my friends, especially those my age, often wrestle with this question. We do a lot but enjoy little. It may be our age or a phase we all go through, but I think we all seek to find meaning and enjoyment in our daily endeavors.

Dallas Willard, one of my favorite philosophers and theologians, writes about the human soul in a way that has always resonated with me. He describes our soul not just as a part of us but as a central hub that ties together our mind, body, will, and spirit. He explains that our soul is eternal, made in God's image, and that this image imparts to us our creativity and moral awareness.

My focus on what I enjoy naturally brings creativity into play. Pause and look around, and you can see human creativity everywhere. We create—music, art, architecture, and all kinds of designs… every creation is, in a way, an expression of our creativity, offering a glimpse into our soul.

For a long time, I thought my creativity had to be expressed and validated through my relationships or work. I don't believe that to be true anymore. It's entirely okay, even healthy, to create just for oneself. I remember when someone close to me labeled me "not creative." While I disagree with his assessment, I more vehemently disagree with his worldview. I believe we all have a deep well of creativity inside of us because if we're made in God's image, how could we not? While some are more gifted and creative than others, creativity is not a zero-sum game.

Over the last few months, I've thought a lot about technology, especially social media, asking myself a fundamental question: Is all this inherently "good" for my life? With kids in the picture, one might think not. But my view isn't black and white because very little is.

While it's undisputable that social media has made significant advances in how we connect and express ourselves, data also shows its downsides, such as how it negatively impacts our relationships and mental health. How often have you walked into a room and noticed almost everyone engrossed in their phones, ignoring everything else? Can that be entirely good?

In the last month or so, reflecting on how I interact with my phone and social media, I noticed it was draining me since I wasn't sure where it fit into my life. It was there to occasionally interact with. I want to appreciate its ability to connect and express but also be mindful of its impact on my time and mindset. Even averaging twelve minutes of usage a day is quite a bit of intake when it involves absorbing information and world events on these platforms. I have an active mind and keep filling it with unnecessary information or content, as we say nowadays. This left little room for my own creativity.

I also noticed how subtly these platforms have changed, shifting from focusing on connecting with friends of your choosing to subjecting us to endless scrolling through algorithm-driven content, continuously bombarding us with more information and insight into people's (apparent) lives. That's exhausting to me. I sincerely don't think we, as humans, can consume so much information without it impacting our souls somehow.

So, I've decided to change how I use social media—it will be a tool for intentional use and creative expression, not a mindless distraction or a continuation of my day centered around relationships or work. It will rarely be a window into my family's private life, but I'll still share some moments. It won't be my primary method to connect with influential people in my life—they've already got my number. I'll use it to share creative projects that I'm working on and that, hopefully, will one day find an audience. Essentially, I'll use it only to serve my interests: the things I enjoy, like learning, strategizing, and creating.

Yes, this blog post might be "a bit much" just to say I'm starting a new account and will alter my social media habits around it. Yet, no one, especially those close to me, has ever accused me of underthinking things. It's a slight change in my life, but I expect it to be meaningful.

These are my choices, just as yours are yours. I'm just reflecting on my life, creativity, the care of my soul, and how these digital tools impact me. Even if my perspective on the soul and creativity doesn't resonate with everyone, we all have to do what feels suitable for our lives.

Bottom line: I enjoy learning, strategizing, and creating. So that's what I will do, which is precisely why I'll leverage social media. That's it. Here and there, I'll share a life moment of those close to me, but mostly, it will be about what I enjoy. I have a blog; I will share about that. I am writing a book; that too. I've taken thousands of pictures over the years that I'll share, along with new ones I create. I went camping in the mountains last weekend with a friend, chasing the changing of the leaves. It was a lot of fun, and I have dozens of pictures from the day. I'll share those.

October 24, 2011, was my first Instagram post. That was almost twelve years ago at the time of this writing. A lot has changed since then. The world, my life, my friends and family, and the platform have all changed. And now, so will my intentions and habits using it. My aim in life is becoming much simpler these days: I want to enjoy it. I only have this one, and time is running out. This is a way to ensure I do so.