Procrastination, happiness, and being a single 20something

Okay, stick with me on this one... I kind of jump all over the place, but I promise I have a point :)
Last Wednesday I went for my last long run before the half marathon this Sunday. I was feeling so amazing after it, I couldn't help but ponder why I felt so great.
Procrastination is a pretty common problem, and I'm one of the biggest offenders. I tend to work on multiple projects all at once, which means sometimes I don't finish any of them! Whether it's procrastinating on a project at work, doing laundry, working out, or simply getting out of bed in the morning, they all seem to catch up with me.

This week I tried 3 nights in a row to get that 8 mile run in... Monday I laid down for a "quick" nap after work and told myself I'd run after... needless to say I never made it out the door. Tuesday I made it to the trail, started running, and stopped soon after... only getting about two miles in. I felt crabby and sad Tuesday and Wednesday... Finally on Wednesday night I made myself go again and stuck with it and had one of the best runs ever. Perfect weather. Good pace. Beautiful scenery. Afterwards I was literally on a high. Not just from finishing a run, but I believe simply from overcoming the procrastination and finally checking that off my list. I felt so amazing and energized. Why hadn't I just done that on Monday!

I think my point is bigger than just trying not to procrastinate though...

Over the last few years I've really started to figure out who I am, and I have kind of come into my own. In doing that, I've really started to pay more attention to what makes me happy and what I need to do to be the happiest I can be and to reach my goals for the future.

Here's where I go a bit off track, stick with me though...
Some time ago I realized I was being asked the question "do you have a boyfriend?" constantly. I know the people asking didn't mean this in a bad way, but for some reason I always took offense and became immediately defensive. I would immediately rattle off reasons and excuses why I don't and would tell them how much I love being single and how it's great because my two best friends in Des Moines are single too.. despite how convincing I may have seemed when I said all these things, I'd still go home wondering if I'm really as content with being single as I acted, because if I am, why do I feel the need to justify it?

I'm a big believer in the idea that someone needs to be completely happy with themselves, before they can be happy sharing a life with someone else. I don't think happiness can be based on another person, although having that person in your life can add great things and gives you someone share your happiness and life with. There are a few people out there who are lucky enough to meet that person they can share their life with early on, but for the majority of us it happens later on. So, that being said, I started to think about when I am happiest, and if I am truly happy being single.

Well, the answer is yes :) I am, I love my life and who I am and the people I share it with. But I will say it took years to realize what I need to be happy and to feel this confident about it.
To sum it up:
I've discovered my days go much better if I get up early and workout. I am in a much better mood and much nicer to my co-workers.
I've realized that running late stresses me out so I try to be on time or early to stuff.
I now know I feel amazing if I do at least one non work related creative thing a day.(reading, painting, blogging, freelance design etc.)
I've realized I must be working towards some time of goal at all times. 

I guess my point is that if you are struggling with happiness, feeling lost, complaining about being single, or just have that feeling that you should be doing more with your life, maybe take time to evaluate yourself and your life for a while and figure out what works and what doesn't. I'm not saying I'm perfect and have it all figured out, because I definitely don't... I have many flaws and get way off track sometimes, but I am saying that somehow I've found a way to be happier than I've ever been and it is based on ME! It's an empowering feeling to know that I don't NEED anyone else to make me happy and I want others to have that feeling too! Everyone needs love in their life, and I have my great friends and family to thank for that, and I definitely wouldn't be this happy without them too.
For all of you out there who are in a happy and loving relationship, I truly am happy for you and hope that someday I have that too! But, knowing that I don't NEED that to be happy and that I'm just fine on my own is a wonderful feeling :) I bet sharing that feeling with someone is even better, so I hope I have that to look forward to someday :)

So, back to the procrastination thing... the root of what my happiness seems to be based on is not procrastinating and telling myself to JUST DO IT! My mood tends to be much much better if I simply just do the things I need to get done instead of putting them off :) Along with that, I am happiest when I am busy. For example, Saturday was The Color Run in Des Moines. I had signed up months ago, and when the day finally came it was FREEZING and I'd had a long night out the night before. A huge part of me wanted to stay cuddled up in bed and be a bum all day, but I knew I should JUST DO IT, that it would be worth it... and sure enough, I had a blast and got a workout in while I did it :) After the race I had to rush home to shower and get ready for a night out on the pedal pub as a fundraiser so Ashton could meet her goal. Yet again, I wanted so badly to just nap and be a bum because I was exhausted, but I pushed through and went and had so much fun!!!

The bottom line is, whether it's working out, being social, or anything in between, I am happiest when I am busy, accomplishing something, and when I'm around people. I can truly say that yes, I am happy! While having a special guy to share that with would be great, I don't NEED it, and I definitely don't want to share it with someone who isn't right.

One of my favorite quotes is, "How you spend your days is how you spend your life." I have realized that if I spent my days putting off working out, putting off working on my career goals, or simply deciding to stay in instead of going out and spending time with friends, then I'd wake up one day and realize I wasted so many opportunities to make a great life for myself.

So, maybe for you it's completely opposite and you're happiest when you are alone spending a night in with a good movie or book. Whatever it is,  everyone is different and has different needs, you just need to know yours. I just get so sad when I see people post on facebook about various things and you can just tell that they aren't happy :( Their posts are always negative and sad. I just want to shake them and tell them that their happiness is in their control! So, I hope this post helped at least one person out there take the time to take a step back and look at their life to figure out what makes them happy, and more importantly, what doesn't.

I'm not sure what inspired this post, probably various things, but I felt the need to just get all of that out there and hopefully help someone while doing it :)

Happy Monday everyone!