Self-Gratification

Self-gratification…

No, I’m not talking about masturbation. I’m talking about the human ability to bring oneself pleasure in a general sense. This can be as simple as going out for an easy walk on a nice day after recognizing feelings of depression or stress. Or to cook yourself your favorite food. These things are critical in life. If we cannot find a way to bring ourselves pleasure at least some of the time, we become too dependent on others, a dynamic that is often more problematic than helpful.

So, I am diving into these topics for myself. And as I explore, I come to see my number one need is to develop a reliable and sustainable financial foundation; to earn money doing what I love and what I have worked very hard to become very good at. It is very important to me to be able to support my growing family. And being able to accomplish this while doing things that inspire me is a dream come true.

This is directly followed by the need for intimacy, vulnerability, community, and all-around authentic human connection. It may even be that these first two are directly interlinked.

And thirdly, I have a strong need for freedom, exploration, and expression.

While I cannot very well pay myself for my work, I can do other things to set myself up for financial success. I can make it easier for people to pay me, and open more streams of revenue. But I also need a product or service that truly embodies my skill, interest, and current means. As such, it is intended that the magazine will help with this.

Not only will the magazine meet my financial needs, but it will also meet the need for connection and community. I feel that its creation creates a more direct connection between me and my work and the people around me and allows me to nurture it in a more meaningful way at the same time. It’s more personable; it’s more me! I’m tired of the filter of social media and this is a perfect escape from that. This leads to expression and exploration.

Having full control of how my work is presented and what I present, instead of catering to the middlemen of the internet, I am free to live my life as authentically as possible and still have a voice. It’s empowering to be able to create this freely, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

So, it’s clear that in taking the time to focus on our own enjoyment, we have the chance to do something magical: to turn fleeting moments of joy and pleasure into long-lasting contentment and fulfillment. We remind ourselves that our happiness matters and that there is a way to sustain it. We invest our time in building a meaningful and personalized life. And I’m so happy that we as humans live in a world where such things are possible.