How much joy do you currently create in your life?
A coach asked me that question and… Nothing. I got nothing. I didn’t even know how to answer that question! I didn’t even know what to think about to get to the answer.
I let it it sit for a few weeks and this is what showed up. (Ooh, this is a great example of how a previous post I wrote works! Read it here.)
I was listening to a class taught by Brooke Castillo and this idea came up from somewhere in one of Martha Beck’s books. It goes something like this:
If something is genuinely joyous in the moment, the memory of it will also bring joy.
Holy. Schmoley. That one morning I went swimming as the sun rose out of the Sea of Cortes, that was joy. That hug I got from my niece that lasted an alarmingly long time, that was joy. Graduating with my Masters, that was joy. Eating that cake, that wasn’t joy. Eating a hot dog at that sausage place that I saw on the Food Network, that wasn’t joy.
If I can see into the future of my memories and know what joy is – and what isn’t – it is going to be a whole heck of a lot easier to know what is important and what is not. I wont get it right every time, but sometimes I will. Every time I do, I am that much closer to living up to my priorities, to living with more joy. I love this idea and I couldn’t NOT share it with you!
Caryn
