I am back to work again after spending some time along the coast of Sweden to climb rocks and in beautiful Kopenhagen to sniff some art. We’ve been pitching our tent and were extremely lucky with crisp & sunny days almost the entire two weeks. I found myself thinking about how much fun camping is when the sun is shining. Waking up to the smell of freshly cut grass, drinking coffee in the morning sun, time to read, to draw, to think, to talk. Camping is about the simple pleasures, and I like that.
Recently I have been paying more attention to the simple pleasures in my life, when working way too many hours got a hold on me. I found that I was constantly piling up more to dos on my work to-do list but that completing them didn't help me feel more fulfilled. Quite the opposite, because the task had swallowed up all my time and had made me feel guilty about taking breaks to do something fun. I was shocked and knew I needed to start making more time for joy in my life to turn this around.
The Joy and Meaning list of Brene Brown
Before we went on our trip I listened to the book The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown in which she talks about creating a Joy and Meaning list. This list is compiled of things she does that make her happy and healthy. She emphasises such a list is not the same as a list of dreams or goals. It’s about what living well means to her and savouring the small things. It’s about her simple pleasures.
I fact, when she started to compare her list of goals & dreams with her joy & meaning list, she realised that they didn’t mesh very well. She had noticed that the constant striving for the next thing didn’t actually make her feel more fulfilled. So, to be able to be doing more of the things that brought her joy in life, she had to let go of some of the things on her dream list.
My own Joy and Meaning list
And though it may seem ridiculous that joy is something we need to “make time” for, if we don’t it seems that it’s the first thing to disappear from our life. Having experienced this first hand, Brene Brown’s Joy and Meaning List inspired me to create my own list of things & activities that make me feel alive and will help me in making more time for joy.
Here are some of the things I wrote down:
a colourful home full of art
taking the time for breakfast
listening to/reading a good story
watching videos of craftsmen
playing (sports) outside
hosting friends & family
visiting a museum (shop)
creating cool things
climbing trips with friends
It got me thinking again about the dreams and goals I have for myself and how often activities on my Joy list do not make it into a regular week. I find that in a get-stuff-done world, my daily focus is mainly on the must-dos. The enjoyable stuff often gets crammed in there, if there is any time or energy left.
So, making this list was a great reminder to shift my focus more towards mixing up my goal-related activities with time for pleasure! And I must say, these last few weeks have brought a lot of joy indeed. Each morning I look at my Joy list and decide which things I am looking forward to make time for during the day. Instead of thinking ‘I’d be stressed if I didn’t get that task done’ I ask myself ‘What’s something I need to do today that will make me feel energised or inspired or make me laugh?’
Identify what brings you joy
For some people identifying what brings them joy is not as easy as it sounds because they're just crazy busy and their minds are working overtime. They need something extra that will help crack them open. I know I do. I need visual triggers and prompting questions to get me to this point of really connecting with what I feel. That is actually why I created the High on Life-toolkit, because I needed something to help me with structuring my thoughts and unravelling my inner wants & needs. So if you’re having a hard time figuring out what things truly bring you joy and makes you feel alive, this is the tool for you.
Iris
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