How to create your ‘Pleasure Portfolio’ intentionally.

Hello, My friends.

This week has been an interesting one, our mama guinea pig has produced four beautiful little snappy babies, they run super fast and are tricky to catch. We went ‘fishing’ on the weekend, no fish in the river again, although I did enjoy lying on the grassy river bank, in the sun, reading my book. Summer is coming, you can feel it in the air. Then the sun goes behind a cloud and you are reminded that it’s still spring. The trees are in bud and the hill behind us is beginning to change colour.

This week I’ve been thinking about all the things I enjoy doing.

You know, the things you do for pleasure. Not because dinner needs cooking, but because you like creating healthy meals that look and taste spectacular. Not sewing clothes because the children need something to wear, but because you love to create clothes that express your creativity and style. (In my distant past I would purchase the biggest dresses from the second hand store and make them into dungarees and dresses for my children, the jury is out whether this was done from necessity, scarcity or creativity.)

Anyway this week I’ve been thinking about living my life intentionally, and the things I do for fun.

What do I do for fun? What is fun to me? What do I find pleasing and pleasurable?

I’m an exclusive being, one of kind, (just like you, there is no-one else on this earth like you, You are an original) I like cleanliness and tidiness. Fun equals “wait for it” spring cleaning. Do I hear groans? Weird I know, I find the act of spring cleaning therapeutic, removing everything from a room and cleaning, beginning at the ceiling and wiping walls, sparkling the windows, sorting out everything in the room. Being intentional with what goes back in the room and with what I want to keep. I love to stand at the door and survey the cleanliness and tidiness, soaking up the pleasure of a job well done. ( I have to give a shout out to my mum, she taught me at a young age how to clean, with much resistance I might point out. It’s a skill I am grateful for now.) (To all you mum’s out there, sometimes, kids do actually learn what you’re trying to teach them.)

I decided to create a “pleasure portfolio” a while back. This is based on the concept of an art portfolio, where you put all your best works of art, but it’s everything you find pleasure in.

What kind of music do you like? Really like, who do you listen to when there is no-one around just you the stereo and a loud volume? Music that you identify with, not necessarily the music you grew up with, or learned to like because your parents, partner, social group like it. What music makes your toes want to tap? and makes you want to sing out loud no matter how poorly you view your singing? That’s the type of music that is pure pleasure, and that’s what goes into the portfolio.

What kind of food do you like? Have you ever taken the time to try and identify all the different herbs and spices in a meal? Try it, it’s not as easy as it sounds, it takes time to get to know the flavours and how they mingle together. What is your favourite food? Why is it your favourite food? Is it a take out meal, or a drive through meal? What do you like about it? Could you create a similar meal at home, taking your time to discover all the elements of creating a food dish, identifying the satisfaction in the creation and then in the eating of it? If you had to have one signature dish, that identified you. What would it be and why?

What kind of clothes do you like to wear? What kind of clothes do you wear? Are they the same or is there a wee bit of a gap in your wardrobe? If you could choose two summer outfits and two winter outfits what would they be? Have you ever looked at the style of others and thought that they look put together really well? What did you like or dislike about their style? The clothes we wear says a lot about us and who we think we are, how worthy we think we are of receiving love, attention, and recognition. Our clothes also speak to our inner confidence, self esteem and self belief. Clothes can also be used to hide who we are and to compensate for not feeling confident or good enough.

What do your clothes say about you? What do you want your clothes to say about you? What is your style? This also goes into your pleasure portfolio.

Hobbies, Sports and Recreation. This is a huge arena. What do you do for the sheer enjoyment of doing it? Not for the money, or the recognition, or because of social pressure. What do you do because it makes you feel fabulous, on top of the world? What do you that stretches you?

Are you into team sports? Or individual sports? Are you part of a club? What do you do that recharges your battery? What gives you energy and inspires you to do better? Think about all the activities you do, what are you doing for the sheer pleasure of it? Running, Cycling, being part of the walkers club.

This week we went to a wooden carving expo, so much talent and hard work- beautiful works of art. Is this you? What about yoga? Taekwando? Boxing? Kickboxing? Dancing? Rock and Roll dancing? There is so much to choose from. The important thing is that you enjoy yourself.

Are you a social person? Do you love meeting your friends for a drink and a catch up? Do you enjoy meeting new and interesting people?

Have a go at something new, see if you like it, you may never know if you don’t try it.

The pleasure portfolio is to capture the things you enjoy, the things that make you smile.

The look of surprise on a child’s face when you catch them being good and reward them with a hug.

A hot bath full of bubbles, the sun on your face, the purr of a cat, or the nudge of your dogs head in your hand, a wonderful creamy hot chocolate, the perfect coffee made just how you like it, the flowers in the vase, or in the garden.

It’s the crossword puzzle, the home repairs/renovations, the handcrafts, the art work, sitting reading a book or the latest story on your kindle. It’s the hug of a loved one, the text from a family member, the photographs of your last holiday. It is whatever makes you happy.

How much thought have you put into what makes you happy? Decide and then create that on purpose, for yourself.

Note it in your pleasure portfolio for the days when live feels tough, then make time to do something that refreshes you.

My challenge for you this week is to make the intentional decision to do something for the pleasure of doing it, look for something new, something different, something you once did and don’t do now, look for the delight in your every day and you might just find it.

Happy pleasure portfolio-ing. Until next time, let your authentic self free and experiment.

Linda Codlin

p.s. If you want more information how to gain more true pleasure in your life, email me on authenticlivngwithlinda@gmail.com for a coaching session.