"Healthy" distractions - should I stop it all?

[RachQuel]

Hey Leo,

one of my favorite videos you ever made is the one where you talk about how basically everything is a distraction. I am constantly thinking about it and trying to figure out if I should invest energy and time on some distractions or not.

I don´t watch tv, stay alone most of the time because I like it, but I also love many types of art, such as painting, ceramics, I enjoy cooking, finding small fixer-up projects for aesthetics around the house... this is what I would call "healthy" distractions.

Last year I lived in Mexico for 8 months and as my partner stayed away all day I had a lot of time to meditate, contemplate, read, do self inquiry... At one point I decided to start painting again, which was amazing but also required many investments, such as time, dedication, searching for tools, material and money (which caused me to accept more freelance jobs). I could dedicate many days to this "distraction", or even my whole life.

My daily routine and meditation suffered a bit. I felt I was spending both my time and energy, that I could be using to self realization.

How do you manage this kind of distractions? They are very time and money consuming for me but also a source of joy...

[RachQuel]

@RachQuelThe thing is, the time for the distraction is the same time we have for self improvement.

The same way I can spend a week reading, meditating, watching Leo´s videos, going to seminars I can also spend a whole week painting, searching for pigments, researching art works...

 

[Sahil Pandit]

@RachQuel It doesn't sound to me like painting is a distraction for you, per se. More like a hobby, or past time. 

If it brings you joy and satisfaction, I would keep doing it. 

Painting and doing art is really cool