I heard this statement in a coaching course recently and it’s stuck with me. Be intentional about joy. Say, what? Doesn’t what’s happening around us bring joy, like good times versus those less than good times? So, I’ve been mulling this over in my head…
There are so many things in life that we are intentional about – eating well, working out, spending time with loved ones, commitments, savings etc. But Joy? I decided to give it a try. What does this look like? I started paying more attention to the little things that make my heart smile, that bring me peace and calm, that make me take pause – a beautiful sunrise, the sound of a child’s laughter, spontaneous laugh of my husband while he’s watching something, the birds singing, the sound of the rain, fresh snowfall…there’s also the things that just spark joy – the first sip of my morning coffee, seeing my nephew grinning after passing an exam, my grandson exclaiming in Disneyland that he though Mickey Mouse was Australian! Even the memories of these moment evoke joy.
So, all of these things big and small bring me joy. I don’t think it was intentional though. I didn’t notice them to experience joy, rather joy was a byproduct of experiencing them. It also wasn’t immediate that I realized that all of these instances brought me joy, it was only when I self reflected. The theme I started to realize in all of these moments is that I was present. I was open to the experience.
There was no judgement, no preconceived idea of how I should react or what was expected of me. It was authentic. Raw. Real. These moments took all my worries away, nothing else mattered. How can you worry or think about anything else when you’re in the present moment?
That’s when I got it, for me, being intentional about joy is being authentic and living in the moment. Joy is not the same things as happiness. Joy seems to resonate deep inside and brings with it a sense of awe, a moment of pause, a moment that you are so enthralled by what it is that the rest of the world disappears. A moment that takes your breathe away and a moment you will never forget!
What brings you joy and how do you define it?