I was following my own advice and started to attend more in person events – including our office happy hour last Thursday. There was the usual work talk, but there was also some fun talk. This new colleague I met asked me this great question – What am I doing to bring joy to my life?
What a Great Question
It was such a great way to get to know her. She talked about going to an impromptu concert with her cousin when she was visiting her in LA. She also shared that she loves being a soccer coach and referee for her kids’ team. I told her my answer with a smile – I joined an amateur dance company. We are going to perform in May at a theater.
I absolutely love my dance class and instructor. Romina is an amazing choreographer and has great energy. She is an Italian woman that used to dance in a professional company. She can choreograph dance numbers to all kinds of music – lyric, Jazz, hip hop, latin, african, you name it. Each matches the music well and has so much flavor. When I go to her class, I can forget about everything else just for an hour or two. It’s fantastic!
Joy is a Decision
I have since asked another friend this question -what are you doing to bring joy to your life? Sadly, she said, “Nothing. All I have time to do right now are work, kids stuff, eat, and sleep.” I felt sad for her just hearing it. She said she used to have voice lessons as she loved to sing, but with the pandemic, she just stopped. She also said after our chat that she will look into it again. 🙂
I urge you to ask yourself and your friends this question. Whether you have a good answer or not, it’s a great start of any conversation. It will also help you get to know old friends and new colleagues better.
The More You Ask the More You Get
The more I ask others this question the more I am thinking of it myself. It is helping me be grateful that I have actually a few things outside of work that really bring me joy.
I thought of this question just over the weekend. Another thing I am doing that bring me joy is spending quality time with my growing kids of 10 and 14. With my 10 years old, we love to do
- “drawing contests,” where we find a cool character on the Internet to try to copy on paper.
- “soccer practice” – she teaches me the drills and laughs at me while I fumble through them and then we scrimmage sometimes on our own and other times with her old sister and my hubby
- “biking to in n out burger.” – she loves in n out burger and it doesn’t hurt it’s located next to “it’s sugar” – one of her favorite toy and candy stores.
With my 14 year old, the best time we spend together are usually in the car commuting to and from her soccer games. She ends up sharing gossip with me about all her friends and a bit about her. I am grateful for this closeness we still have. It’s simple but so precious for me.
Do More to Bring Joy To Yourself
Whether you love your job or it’s a paycheck, there is still always more to life than work. Now that the pandemic is over, remember to set aside time for yourself and do things that bring you pure joy. They don’t have to be fancy things or complicated commitments. Life can be simple and joyful.
Just by asking yourself this question, you are starting to open up to more things outside of life. By having this conversation with others, you can hear what others are doing and perhaps motivate yourself to do more in this area.
Your comments: I would love to hear your answer to this question – what are you doing to bring yourself joy? I look forward to seeing your comments
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Lei