how often do you really feel accomplished?

Something I often hear from clients is a quiet sense of unfulfillment, a feeling of being disconnected from what brings them joy, meaning, or a sense of aliveness. Whether it’s creativity, connection, learning, or simply feeling more like themselves, there’s a recurring ache for something deeper, beyond to-do lists and performance metrics.

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the endless chase of work goals. He shared how rewarding his job can be, yet also how it never truly feels done. There’s always more to reach for, more to accomplish.

That led us to talk about the deep satisfaction of creative pursuits with tangible outcomes.

I told him about a pair of old nightstands I rescued and refinished (a weekend project that brought me more joy than I expected). He shared how mowing the lawn or painting a room gives him a sense of calm and completion he rarely feels in his day job.

There's science behind this, too. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the average person has around 60,000 thoughts per day, and 95% of them are repetitive. Creative activities interrupt those loops. They activate a different part of our brain, helping us shift out of stress and into flow.

Whether it’s gardening, cooking, building, writing, playing guitar or learning a language, stepping away from the steady churn of productivity gives us something our professional lives often don’t: a clear beginning, middle, and end.

It’s not so different from meditation or play. It’s grounding. It’s healing. It’s human.

So if you’ve been feeling stuck lately, maybe it’s not another productivity hack you need, maybe it’s a paintbrush.

#Coaching #Fulfillment #Creativity #MentalHealth