While I was at the Spark Joy training in New York with Marie Kondo and her team, Marie talked about how each day should have joy in it. She awknowledged that while we will all have bad days, we should each have a way to reset ourselves and refocus to spark joy in ourselves again, even if it is just a spark.
Since I left, I’ve thought about that a lot. I have thought about what I do and have done that has worked and what I have tried that hasn’t worked. I even asked a couple of friends about what they do to reset themselves. No one really had a clear answer, which surprised me and made me think that it is even more important than I had initially thought.
We can’t be happy every day. But we can have a routine that allows us to reset ourselves.
Here are somethings I have been trying since I’ve been home that have helped me spark joy, even on the not-so-awesome days….
I like a tidy and clean home. While I don’t enjoy cleaning, it feels good to me when it’s done. So most days, when I get up I make my bed. There is something soothing to me about leaving for the day knowing that I will come home to a quiet, clean place. There are mornings that I will find myself cleaning or tidying before work and I feel as though I have set myself up for a better, more productive day when I do that. Even if the entire day goes sideways, I know I get to come home to something nice.
Something else I have noticed is that I have really enjoyed a feature on my new FitBit. I push the button on the side and it sets a two minute timer to breath slowly. (If I didn’t have a FitBit, I could certainly do that with a timer on my phone.) It has allowed me to slow down in between sessions and reconnect to my body.
Thinking about something I am looking forward to in the future has been helpful. Right this minute, I’m headed to Havasu Falls. If you haven’t heard of it (and I hadn’t before I was invited) just google image search it and you will see why have been looking forward to going there. In the spring, I’m head to Stingray City. I’m thrilled about both and they will each be totally different trips.
In my early 20’s, I learned that it was safe to swim with stingrays and I have wanted to go ever since!!! I found this photo of a woman high-fiving a stingray and now every time I see it, I’m filled with the excitement of being able to check off a HUGE thing off of my bucket list.
What about you?
Where is your happy place? Is it curled up alone in bed with a book? It is at a dinner table with your entire family while everyone is engaged and together? How often do you get to your happy place? This week, I challenge you to figure out a small way that you could bring that happy place with you everywhere you go.