Whether it’s from great discipline, making something of value or beauty, or even from accomplishing something, find your joy.
The more joy you find in your work, the better you’ll become at it and the more success you’ll have.
0
Tag: Joy
Find Your Fit
We spend quite a bit of life searching. We are looking for something and we want it to be the best thing available. If you find your fit, you should stick with it.
Think of how much time is spent trying out new restaurants or trying on new clothes. Some people like Steve Jobs had a great idea. Find the clothes you love and buy a dozen of them. Then you can wear the same thing every day.
Some people have restaurants they love so they can eat there every day. They know their preferred meal, drink and dessert or pudding.
There is a fine line between searching for the very best for you and settling with good enough. The idea of good enough might mean for now or forever. But sometimes the time, energy and decision making going into something can be too much. You can go overboard with research and expectations.
There are lots of key elements of life in this idea. Aim for the best. Simplify. Find joy. It’s a heck yes or no. Do your research. The 80/20 rule. Reduce decision making. Consistency and discipline are key.
It is a good idea to explore every once in a while. However, for the most part, once you find your fit, stick with it.
0
Pure Joy
Birthdays are awesome when you are young. They tend to have new elements each year. In addition you enjoy getting older. They’re pure joy to watch too. I just had that feeling again with my son turning 12.
It was great to see his enthusiasm for the day ahead. Then throughout the day, he was smiling, laughing, energised, and fully enjoying himself. Despite the lockdown limitations, and this being his second lockdown birthday, he seemed to love it. And it was pure joy to see him embrace it and enjoy the day.
We will celebrate across the weekend as he opens gifts and cards and receives lovely messages from friends and family near and far.
As you get older, the enthusiasm can switch from looking forward to a birthday to being thankful to have reached it. Either way, we should try to remember that every one is an event to cherish. In addition to every day in between them.
Looking at the smile on my sons face today reminds me how fortunate we are. Count those blessings. Enjoy even the troubling times together. But most of all, be grateful for those sounds of laughter, energy and enthusiasm. It is amazing how quickly 12 years can swoosh past.
Savour it. It’s pure joy.
0
Where Do You Get Your Greatest Joy?
This can be a tough question to answer. Though for others, ‘Where do you get your greatest joy?’ is very easy to answer. Either way, it’s a great time to get the answer(s) clear in your head. Your life depends on it.
There are several different ways to answer. It depends on who is asking, what I am thinking about at the time, what the context is and where I am.
For example, if my friend asked me the question while we were having a brilliant day on the golf course, and I had just sank an incredible put, I might say, ‘Playing sport in the fresh air with my mates’.
However, if my boss was asking me during a discussion about my promotion potential, while we were at work, I might answer, ‘Pitching for new clients’.
Context is so important. Although, so are environmental factors, what’s on your mind in that moment and what memories or visions come to mind.
Recently, my greatest joy has come from warm days, great weather, morning jogs and time with my family. Fortunately, I have been able to have all of these, most days, for the past few months. For this, I am very grateful.
Where do you get your greatest joy?
Food, friendship, tv, sport, exercise, kids, partner, toys, puzzles, work, family, other?
Be clear on the greatest joy you have in your life and be grateful for it. Things shift, time passes, changes happen and those moments will be memories. Enjoy them while they are here.
2+
Do What Brings Joy.
There is a lot you can do in this world but the most important thing you should consider is to do what brings joy. Life is short and it can take a long time to realise that. Spend the bulk of your life doing things that light you up like a thousand fireflies.
If your child likes a sport during one term or year, and not the next, don’t be concerned. Be happy that they are becoming self-aware and can acknowledge what they do and don’t enjoy. Of course there can be a myriad of other reasons why someone might start or stop an activity. However, regardless of the reason, when they don’t want to go, sometimes it’s best to let go.
It is the same for adults. Let go of those things you aren’t enjoying. Find better activities or thoughts that you can allow into your life. As Steve Jobs mentions in the brief address below, if you don’t like doing something for too many days in a row, it is time to change.
When deciding what to do next in your life, do what brings joy. You’ll be happier doing it, happier in general and those around you will appreciate it too.
(Brilliant 15 min speech)
3+
Declutter: Get It Out!
Stuffocation, minimalism, the KonMari Method. It’s all there to get you to Declutter: Get it out!
Education phase:
Quite a few years ago, I found myself quite deeply involved in a decluttering phase. I was reading books, watching videos, and listening to podcasts. My days were focused on practicing the techniques and getting rid of things that I was inadvertently collecting.
I noticed that the minimalists had the right idea as far as bringing stuff into the house was concerned. The best thing to do was not to bring new things into your home. The only exception was when you knew exactly where you were going to put them.
Changing Habits:
Well, my newspaper and magazine habit had been thinning out for years before this anyway. However, now I would gather even fewer of them in a month. I also committed to throwing them in the recycle bin before I entered the house. By doing so they couldn’t lurk on a table or other surface for weeks.
If I did not throw it away on my way in, I would give myself three days to read or recycle it. If it wasn’t important enough now to squeeze it into my day, when will I ever make the time. The merely interesting must be binned quickly. The compelling will have time allocated.
Sort for Joy:
The ‘Declutter: Get it out!’ types also had a key message. Bit by bit, get rid of it. Sort out a drawer to get some momentum. Then maybe a cupboard.
As Marie Kondo would suggest, the item must bring you joy if you are going to keep it. I was a little sceptical of the term at first, but now I use it all of the time to weed things out at home and also at the point of consumption. Does it bring me joy.
Tips toward success:
Anyone who has ever been on a diet will recognise this truism: It is easier to keep it out than get rid of it later. So if you are going to put significant effort into decluttering (or weight loss), focus on being a disciplined minimalist when it comes to consumption.
One of the best tips came from the minimalists. Take a picture of the thing and then give it away. For most things, the picture will be enough to bring back the memory of the item, event or time.
Now may be a great time to declutter and give your space a little Spring clean. You’ll feel amazing clearing out a drawer, cupboard or whole room! The whole process can be quite liberating. Good luck with it!
(fyi, if you found the Coronavirus Exit Strategy post compelling, you may find its follow up article worth reading. It considers the next 2-3 years living like this, under lockdown, and some alternatives. Find it here.)
2+
Bonus Day Is Here!!
Who doesn’t love the bonus day? It’s full of excitement and expectation. Of course there is a little anxiousness mixed in as it might not turn out quite how you would have liked it too.
Money is one thing, but to have a whole extra day this year is something we are all able to enjoy. Talk about equality. We all get the same 1440 extra minutes on the 29th February 2020. Will you do something special? Will you simply enjoy the time?
If time is money, how much is this one extra day in your life worth to you?
Spend your time deliberately.
Whatever you do with your extra day, enjoy it! There is no return policy.
2+