I’m not sure how much I’ve documented this here, but I feel like, in general, my enjoyment of most of the things I used to love has decreased considerably. In particular, simple entertainment type activities like watching TV or movies or even listening to music is not nearly as enjoyable as it once was.
It could be that there’s something wrong, it could be it’s just part of getting older, or it could be something else entirely.
It’s possible that I have no ability to control it. And if that’s the case, then it doesn’t make much sense to dwell on it.
But there are some things that give me a sort of quiet satisfaction that I enjoy and keeps me coming back.
As it just so happens, most of those things are also good for me.
Things like studying or learning new skill or activities continue to be enjoyable to me and, over time, seem to be what I crave more than anything else.
Reading in general, but more specifically reading in Spanish is something I really like doing and appreciate more and more over time.
I still love all kinds of physical activity like disc golf, working out, and even just walking around my neighborhood. These leave me feeling good and productive.
And it’s satisfying in work when I accomplish things that progress my long-term goals. I maybe don’t enjoy all the day-to-day at every moment (and nobody does), but when I’m working on things that could lead to exponential growth and outsized results, I feel pretty good about that.
In general, it’s really just passive consumption of entertainment that I don’t enjoy as much.
And now that I’m taking a step back and thinking about it… I think that might be a good thing.
Why am I lamenting so much the loss of enjoyment of things that don’t bring a particularly high degree of value?
Maybe I’m not enjoying them as much because I know I have better things to be doing. Maybe I should lean into it and just only do these better things.
After all, they are better for me anyway.
So rather than fight it, I should probably just double-down on the productive and healthy things that make me feel good.