Enjoyment Is Currency Too: Why Not Everything Needs a Return on Investment 🎮

I was deeply inspired by my therapist, Emily, who helped me completely rethink how I view enjoyment. I used to struggle with spending money on hobbies or anything that did not feel productive, but she shifted that perspective for me in a meaningful way. She taught me something I had never truly considered before: enjoyment is currency too, and it may be one of the most overlooked forms of wealth in a world that constantly pushes us to optimize, monetize, and maximize every moment. ✨

The Shift⏳

As I got older, my focus shifted toward building a stable and responsible life. I was thinking about my career, my finances, debt, home ownership, and long term planning.

All of these things matter, but they slowly replaced something just as important.

I stopped asking what I enjoyed and started asking what I needed to do next.

Even my downtime became structured. Even my hobbies had goals. Everything needed to contribute to some bigger outcome. 🥅

From the outside, it looked productive. But internally, it felt like I was always chasing something without ever pausing to enjoy where I was. 😵‍💫

Return on Investment 📊

For a long time, I treated my hobbies the same way I treated my finances. Everything had to make sense on paper. If I picked up crocheting, I immediately thought about how to turn it into a business. Could I sell my crochet animals on Etsy? 🐈 How much profit could I make per item? How long would it take to break even? 💰

What started as a creative outlet quickly turned into another performance metric. 🤡

I did not allow myself to simply enjoy something. Every activity needed a purpose, and that purpose was often tied to income or productivity. Even my free time felt like it needed to be justified. Oh boy, I did not allow myself to sit still and “relax.” What in the world is rest? 🥱

Looking back, I was not really enjoying hobbies. I was managing mini side hustles disguised as hobbies. 😅

The Ultimate Purchase!🕹️

You have probably heard of Pokopia by now, unless you have truly been living under a rock. It is that perfect cozy mix of Animal Crossing and Pokémon, and the moment I saw the trailer, my eyes were wide open. I wanted it immediately. 🎮✨

But then reality kicked in.

I could not justify the cost. You are telling me I need to buy an entirely new console just to play one game? Nintendo really knows what they are doing, and honestly, it works. 😅💸

Eventually, I did it. I bought Pokopia for $99.99, and my husband gifted me a Nintendo Switch 2, which cost $629.99. Blessed his soul because it gave me this magical opportunity to become Ditto!

Instead of excitement, my first reaction was pure disbelief.

I kept thinking about how expensive everything had become. I compared it to when I had a Game Boy Advance as a kid, which I remember being under $100. Now, that is basically the price of just the game alone. No console included. Just the game. 🤯

In my mind, this made absolutely no sense.

I could already hear the financial advice 👿 in my head explaining why this was not worth it. I labeled it as a terrible investment and kept asking myself the same question over and over again.

What is the return on investment? How do I justify this? And then it clicked.

There is no financial return, and there does not need to be one. ‼️

What I was getting instead was something I had not experienced in years. Pure enjoyment. ✨

Playing again brought me right back to being 12 years old, staying up until 5 am in the morning playing MapleStory just because I wanted to. No goals, no pressure, no expectations. Just fun for the sake of fun. 💫

Somewhere along the way, I had lost that feeling.

Gardening 🌱🌶️

Gardening is one of the best examples of how my expectations did not match reality.

I originally started gardening because I thought it would help me save money on groceries. It seemed like a practical and rewarding hobby. 🤓

I began with a small balcony setup and a few hot pepper plants, which are still my favorite to grow. Over time, I expanded to a community garden plot and took it more seriously. 🔥

What I did not expect was how unpredictable it would be.

There were seasons where my timing was off and winter came too early. There were times when I did not water enough and the heat damaged everything. Some years I waited months only to end up with little to no harvest. 😫

The learning curve was steep, and the results were inconsistent. 😅📉

If I calculated the cost of supplies, tools, and time, it definitely was not profitable.

But six years later, I am still doing it.

There is something incredibly satisfying about the process. Watching things grow, learning from mistakes, and improving each season brings a kind of fulfillment that cannot be measured financially. 🌿

Recently, I even bought a shovel for $49.99 instead of choosing a cheaper option (gasp! 😲, I know!). It was not about saving the most money. It was about investing in something I knew I would continue to use and enjoy. I decided at that moment that this was a hobby I will continue. I like to think of this shift as moving from being cheap to being intentional. Or as I jokingly call it, being brugal. 💸

Enjoyment Takeover⏱️

This mindset also affected how I approached reading.

I used to track the number of books I read and set a goal of finishing one every two months. At first, it felt motivating. But over time, it changed how I read. 📖

I started choosing shorter books just to stay on track. I skimmed pages instead of fully engaging with the content. I focused more on finishing than actually understanding.

I also leaned heavily toward finance and self improvement books. While they were helpful, they often left me feeling like I was behind or not doing enough. 😬

Reading became something I did to improve myself rather than something I enjoyed.

Now, I have shifted my approach.

I read because I want to. I gravitate toward psychology, which I studied in university and still find genuinely interesting. I read before bed as a way to unwind and step away from screens. 🌙😌

There is no tracking, no pressure, and no urgency to apply everything I learn.

Sometimes, knowledge can simply exist without needing to be turned into action immediately or ever. ✨

Health and Lifestyle 🏃‍♀️

Running is another area where my mindset evolved.

At first, it was very goal oriented. I wanted to improve my heart health, build endurance, and track progress. While those are all valid reasons, they were still rooted in productivity.

Over time, I started to see running differently.

It became less about hitting targets and more about building a life where I am physically capable of doing the things I want to do. It is about maintaining energy, mobility, and independence as I get older. 💪

Spending money on good running shoes or a gym membership no longer feels like something I need to justify financially.

The currency for my quality of life is priceless. 🧘‍♀️🏋️‍♀️

Enjoyment Currency💖

Not everything valuable shows up in your bank account.

There is another type of wealth that often gets ignored because it is harder to measure.

Enjoyment currency is built through experiences that make you feel present, engaged, and genuinely happy. It comes from hobbies you do without pressure, moments where you lose track of time, and routines that bring you a sense of calm. 🕰️

It does not need to be optimized or compared. It simply needs to be part of your life.

Rethinking💡

One question that has helped me shift my perspective is this

If money was not a factor, how would I spend my time?

The answer is not about quitting responsibilities or ignoring financial goals. It is about identifying what truly brings you joy and finding ways to incorporate more of that into your daily life.

A balanced life is not just about growing your net worth. It is about building a life that you actually want to live. ✨

Because at the end of the day, enjoyment is not a distraction from success. It is a part of it. 💫📈💖

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