Intentional Joy

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the meaning of being intentional when it comes to finding joy in our personal lives.  Sometimes life gets so busy, complicated and disruptive that we loose focus on the important things; the simple and ordinary moments of life that bring us pure joy.  

Prioritizing joy could be one of the most important responsibilities we have with ourselves.  Just think about this for a moment... when was the last time you purposely did something that brought YOU joy? Not your children, or your partner or your best friend, nobody else but you! 

Christmas is around the corner and the holiday season is in full swing.  Everyone has a long to do list, many projects and tasks that have to be completed, deadlines, shopping, gift wrapping, mailings, and I could go on and on and on.

How many times have we started a new week before with a feeling of unsettledness about the fact that we didn’t get the rest or fulfillment we had hoped for over the weekend?  It’s happened to me on a few occasions no question about it, but the times when I have purposely prioritized moments of joy over the weekend -even on days when my schedule couldn’t fit one more thing- it made a world of difference in my perspective and the way I’ve felt about starting a new week. 

That intentional moment of joy for me this weekend was, making time last night at the end of a very busy weekend to sit down in the living room with a freshly brewed cup of coffee, a blanket over my lap and one of my favorite tv shows on.  It helped me unwind, recover from the physical exhaustion I was feeling from the weekend and it also centered me and helped me focus on the week ahead. 

I invite you to make a list for the next 12 days with intentional joyful moments leading up to Christmas.  It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant or expensive or complicated even, just simple moments of joy like making yourself a special cup of tea and sipping it while reading a chapter (or a page depending on how much time you have) of a favorite book.  Writing a letter of appreciation  to someone you admire; making the time to call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while; drawing; going for a short walk... simple moments of joy. 

I put together the chart below to encourage you to make your own list of joyful moments.  After you have finished writing it, put it on your refrigerador door, nightstand, or even under a magnet on your bathroom mirror as a reminder.

We schedule everything else in life, why not schedule JOY. ️❤