Rumi had it right. The soul is here for its own joy, among other things. That quote often comes to mind when I’m doing something I love, like walking my dog Lucy on a sunny, blue-skied, summer morning.
Lucy wearing one of my hats
Those moments—spending time with the family member I often call Sweetie Face—bring me joy. (Right now she’s halfway on my lap, demanding my attention. Her goofy face makes me laugh!)
Could I live without a dog? Maybe. Could I thrive without a dog? Absolutely not.
What do you need to thrive? In hopes of inspiring your list, here is a partial list of mine:
- Quiet time in the morning
- Deep talks with my husband
- Lots of laughter
- Walks with my dog
- Learning
- The ocean
- Painting
- Stories and new worlds! (Books, movies)
- Writing
- Flowers
- Travel (exploring)
- Stretching and working out
- Connection
Take a closer look.
What do you need to thrive? Make a list and order them, top to bottom, by most essential to least essential. (My list above is not ordered.)
Look at the top five, and note how often you need each one before your life feels out of balance and your stress level rises. Is it once a day, once a week, once a month?
Consider:
- What’s life like for you if you don’t get those things in the frequency you need?
- How often do you put those things off, telling yourself you’ll get to them next week, or next month, or next year?
- What is the cost to your spirit when you put those things off?
What is the cost to your body? Your mind?
How can you bring more joy into your life?
We all have life circumstances that get in the way of those things—some of the time. But how much more free time could you have, if you made different choices about how you spend your time?
To determine how much time you actually have in a week, subtract the time you spend doing each activity listed below, from the total number of hours in a week (168 hours):
- Working/commuting
- Spending time with your family
- Doing Housework
- Cooking/eating
- Exercising
- Participating in leisure activities (TV, books, computer games)
- Sleeping
- Other
What’s the total number of free hours you have? Is it more time than you expected? Or less?
Make a commitment to yourself
In the next week, schedule time to do one of the top five things on your list. Tell someone close to you that this is a commitment you’re making to yourself, and ask for support and accountability.
Then, do it. Notice how it affects your attitude, your energy, your joy.
Next, ask yourself what you want to commit to doing the following week.
What lights you up?
Schedule it. And do it! (This is how you build new habits that support who you are.)
Wishing you a week of new discoveries and joy!