3 Reasons Why It’s Good to Live in Your Own World

Jun 10

Written By Gage .

The internet has amplified peoples’ anxieties. The cost of living is rising to new levels. Community bonds are fading, replaced with skepticism and secrecy. Mental health is rapidly deteriorating.

For those who witness these changes first-hand, it can be hard to keep a positive attitude. You may be searching for answers. Ways you can find meaning and happiness in your life in contrast to the world around you.

Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?

Don’t worry, all hope is not lost. You just need to focus on living in our own world.

This may sound like you’re avoiding reality. But really you’re just avoiding distractions keeping you from personal happiness.

Below, I describe why it’s good to live in your own world.

1. Creation Reduces Stress and Depression

The key to living in your own world is to find something you love to do.

Whatever inspires creativity and happiness in your life is what you should pursue.

Imagine you’re a painter in your studio. You have all the colors you need in front of you. The canvas is primed and ready to go, and you know exactly what you’re painting. It’s a Saturday morning. Nobody is rushing you, and you have all the time you need to create something beautiful.

Close your eyes and embrace this state of mind.

Do you feel relaxed? Purposeful? Uplifted? All the above?

Immersing yourself in your passion is proven to remove negative thoughts from your mind. When you’re “in the zone” no bad or distracting thoughts enter your mind. Instead of trying to avoid bad thoughts, you actively pursue good thoughts.

Creation gives you a sense of purpose.

Bob Ross frequently explained on his show The Joy of Painting that “The canvas is your own world- you have the freedom to do whatever you want. If you think a tree belongs right there, then that’s exactly where it belongs.”

There are unlimited possibilities in creative expression. The blank canvas in front of you is yours. It’s your world, and you have complete and total control over it. You can do anything you want in that space, and nobody can tell you otherwise.

In a world that’s becoming increasingly criticizing and restricting of our personal freedoms, this is power you can’t buy.

Spread Joy

Outside of ourselves, we find immense relief in creating experiences for others to relate to. Through various mediums you have the power to convey emotion and meaning in abstract ways. This is what art is all about.

In most cases, you use your creative abilities to give other people a glimpse into your personal life. You do this because humans crave being understood. When you feel understood, you no longer feel emotionally isolated.

Bring to life your experiences that convey your emotions. With a guitar or musical instrument in hand, there’s thousands upon thousands of different riffs you can create. With a paintbrush, a laptop, a pottery wheel, a chisel and hammer, and even a chainsaw, you can tell stories about your perspective of the world.

Isn’t that what makes you enjoy certain types of music? Feeling that the artist relates to your personal emotions is what allows you to spend hours intensely listening to their songs. It’s all the same- we want to feel related to.

The connection you make with others through art drives away feelings of anxiety and depression. You create a bond with those who appreciate your art. Through art you feel less depressed, less stressed, and more understood, .

2. Creation Increases Creativity

Sometimes when you want to create something new, your brain struggles to know where to start. When you don’t know where to start, you procrastinate and don’t start at all. And if you don’t start, you can never finish.

Instead, think of the creative process as an old kitchen sink. The water in the pipe closest to the spigot has been sitting there, stagnant for years. When you first run the water, you get discolored, dirty water and maybe some sludge. If you want clean water, you let the spigot run for some time. Only after letting out all of the dirty and disgusting water can you then start to see cleaner and clearer water.

This is exactly how creativity works.

Many artists, including John Mayer, abide by this knowledge.

In order to begin creating works of art, you must keep on trying until the art is effortlessly spilling out of you. The only way to do that is to fearlessly keep moving forward.

Mistakes Are Your Friend

If you’re a writer, you may write millions of words before you stumble upon something you think has real potential.

Painters spend hundreds of hours in front of the canvas before they know what they like.

Musicians write hundreds of lyrics, but only release a handful of songs every so often.

While this may seem like wasted time, this process is fundamental to begin producing creative works of art. You have to mess up hundreds and thousands of times in order to learn from your mistakes.

"There’s no such thing as mistakes, only happy accidents"
Bob Ross

Being honest, most of what you create at the beginning will be sub-par. After countless hours, you may find your stride. After ten thousand hours, you may have begun mastering the skill. I subscribe to the fact that if you aren’t cringing at work you produced six months ago, you aren’t making fast enough progress.

Through the process of trying, trying, and trying again, you don’t let the water in the spigot get foul. You let the creative process run at full blast. The more art you create, the higher the chance that you’ll create something great.

3. Drives Idea Generation

You may’ve heard the saying “There’s no such thing as an original idea.”

While this may be true, that doesn’t mean you can’t create original works of art.

You exist in a specific time, in a specific place, with certain character traits, that are unrivaled anywhere else in the world. Some people’s lives are works of art in themselves. You can use your specific knowledge of living in this world and use it to create a new perspective.

The collection of ideas, habits, interests, actions and relationships is what makes each person an individual. It’s your unique advantage to what you can give to the world.

However, just existing as a person isn’t enough to drive idea generation.

Embrace New Experiences

You can’t make great pieces of art by putting yourself in the same environment day after day, week after week. To feed this complex combination of creative ideas called your brain, you must actively live life. This is the most powerful way to drive idea generation.

When you travel to new places, you take a glimpse into the daily lives of people you’ve never seen and will never see again. Oftentimes, you’re astounded, perplexed, and sometimes insulted by certain traditions and mannerisms you’re completely ignorant to. Immersing yourself to new environments and new ways of thinking changes your worldview.

Talking to others and getting a glimpse into their lives can give you the inspiration you needed. Movies, books, and stories give us a glimpse at life from new perspectives. But idea generation doesn’t end there. More than just these experiences, you must experience discomfort in order to grow.

No Pain No Gain

You can gorge yourself in dopamine without ever leaving the comfort of your bed. With endless comfy distractions, you can consume seemingly infinite amounts of content. But frying your brain with dopamine won’t get you far in life.

If you never get out of your comfort zone, you will never grow as a person.

Trying and trying again, while uncomfortable, is part of the maturation process. Pain teaches you about yourself more than anything.

Every minute spent making yourself uncomfortable leads to personal growth!

The instant you feel uncomfortable is the instant neurons are forming new connections in your brain. Therefore, the key to growth is being comfortable being uncomfortable.

This growth in character through uncomfortable experiences is important for living an aware, healthy, and fulfilling life.

Wim Hoff, a man notorious for ice baths in freezing temperatures, has championed serenity under stressful situations. After subjecting his body to freezing temperatures, he slows his heart rate and remains in a calm state.

Summary

As you can see, it’s good to live in your own world:

Creating gives you a sense of purpose and boosts your mood, eliminating depressing and anxious thoughts.
When you let the sink of creative potential run at full blast, you find out what you’re really capable of.
Making good art isn’t easy- it requires being uncomfortable. You don’t grow as a human being in your comfort zone.

It’s good to live in our own world. You gain confidence in yourself and your ability to meaningfully change your life.

Take Action

What creative endeavor sparks your imagination?

Painting, writing, creating music, graphic design, woodworking, 3D printing, sculpting, building, gardening, interior/exterior design, singing, physical activity/sports… the list doesn’t end.

Next time you come home from work, instead of turning on the TV, find something to immerse yourself in. Get your creative juices flowing.

Feeling like you don’t have a passion? No worries. Read this article. It’ll show you how to get in tune with yourself and how to find your untapped potential.

Gage .