As we begin to delve into the components of your LivingBluPrints Project, let’s consider JOY.  Back at the beginning of my discovery process, I realized that true joy was absent from my daily grind – and because so many hours of the week felt awful, out of focus, and draining, it was difficult for me to truly relax and enjoy myself on the weekend and other personal time.  I definitely needed more Joy!

I was not being deliberate about ensuring MY Joys were part of my life.  Additionally, at a fundamental level, there were no real rewarding elements – no sense of achievement – in my daily routines.  Lack of reward was fueled by the fact that I had achieved some things that had required focus, momentum, and attention (i.e. the things that make you feel alive and add meaning).  [This speaks to something I plan to write about later – that is that goals sometimes demarcate a (real or artificial) ‘ending’ and this ‘finish line’ can sabotage whatever gains were made when working towards the goal.]

My ‘Achievements’ / Endings
At work I had reached the ‘ceiling’ in terms of my position and options within the firm; additionally, I’d been in the profession long enough to know that I didn’t want to retire in it (oh, how even the thought of that produces a negative visceral reaction!).  And at home… well, I was married now, right?  All set?

These conditions were part of the ‘lack of joy’ puzzle for me: I was ‘coasting” to a certain degree – the job was ‘less hard’ and there was no expectation to advance my skills in any meaningful way (though I did innovate wherever I could!).  And the relationship piece was settled.

Personal growth, however was missing – an essential Joy for me; but let’s look at some other categories of Joy, that are ever so important!!

Let’s really look at Joy in the kid-like sense – like, total GLEE!  I’ve read and heard so many places to ‘remember being a child’ in terms of understanding joy and a sense of wonder.  Several years ago, I sledded for the first time on a ski vacation at Banff.  I giggled uncontrollably the ENTIRE way down.  THIS is the stuff we need injected into our daily lives.  How do we do it?  Wouldn’t be awesome to be able to bottle this up and take it everywhere?!?!

Well, we first have to identify what produces the Joy – for us, as individuals – and then be creative about using the Joys to create daily moments (or, ‘JoyMent’ – yes, I am making up a word); even better if the JoyMent can create a mental ‘shift’ that can enable more productive ‘real’ work.

So, for me, in addition to the ‘personal growth’ Joy, here are some others I remember as far back and throughout:

1. sharing successes with my parents/experiencing their pride,
2. singing/performing, and
3. “projects” – i.e. anything to do with scissors, markers, papers or textiles (this last category is way more fun as an adult, with more tools at my disposal!).

Singing and projects are especially rewarding because no one else is ‘required’ in order for me to fully experience the Joy they bring.  For many many years these ‘Joys’ were absent from my life as I moved to a new part of the country and worked to become a professional… fortunately, that ‘personal growth’ Joy was being exercised to the max!

In learning systems to manage my life more effectively, I’ve learned how important it is to identify and incorporate these joys within everyday living – and to even ‘inject’ them in as ‘joyful breaks’ (i.e. ‘JoyMents’) in the regular ‘work’ of life.

Identifying Joys includes listing your hobbies. Hobbies are awesome productive mechanisms for decompression. As I mention in this post, none existed for me until middle school years, (although, I guess I always enjoyed baking)!

Here are some ways I currently attempt to build Joys into my regular day…

• Yoga – is a regular part of my life.  Often a positive part, and helps me be more joyful/sets the tone for how I want to ‘be’ in the world.  For me, yoga is daily 10 minute endeavor  (since I ran this experiment starting last fall)
• Singing – when I work from home, and the afternoon is getting irksome and/or  I need to shift my energy, I’ll put on a song and sing my heart out
• Projects – (those that involve textiles and tools; not spreadsheets and databases!) – since I still work a ‘regular’ day job, I cannot just stop to work on a project for a couple of hours, but I have spent lunch breaks brainstorming home projects and/or looking at Houzz.com and Pinterest for inspiration.  I even spent 2 hours on a plane trip once, fleshing out my approach for a bathroom update
• Reading – is so important for my continued personal growth, and luckily, I also get great Joy from it.  A ten page reading break is a great way to inject some joy (a JoyMent) and create an energy shift within the ‘work’ of the day

Here are some more Joy categories I’ve picked up from interviewing people and speaking to groups:

• Outdoors/Nature – especially, anything beach/water related
• Fishing/Sports/Hobbies
• Time with children/grandchildren
• Food
• Beginnings
• Quiet (quiet mornings, time for reflection)
• Pets
• Holidays

Again, aspects of any can be built into one’s regular day.  My husband enjoys his fishing magazines year round (though here in New England, he can only fish from May to October).  I can research elaborate menus for special occasions in small breaks through the course of the ‘regular’ day.  Be creative and give yourself the Joy fuel we all sometimes de-prioritize.

Even if aspects of the above are happening in 5-10 minute parcels, they can have an invigorating effect, and leave you with a better sense of control as you reminded of the most valuable and enjoyable parts of your life and relationships.  As your mindset shifts, you will feel a shift in your body – for the better, of course.

So – what are key joyful activities/hobbies for you? Are some (like those from long long ago) completely neglected? Are you able to incorporate any into regular everyday living (to create a JoyMent)? Maybe you can focus on one, for now, to creatively incorporate into your daily grind…?  Add your voice in the comments below.

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Linda Stacy, Productivity Speaker, Writer, and Coach, inspires her clients to achieve increased fulfillment, engagement, and success by way of energy management and the *brass tacks* of healthy, efficient productivity and time management.

<Image is book cover mock-up; VERY exciting!>