Every moment is a chance to see and intentionally choose joy. In a recent episode of the Even Better Podcast, I talked with Lisa Even, a creator of joy with a mission to have a good Ripple Effect. There’s plenty of darkness, but she’s made an intentional movement towards joy, and everyone who encounters her comes back a little brighter. In this episode, Lisa shares how she grew up in healthcare and recognized that we can’t wait for joy, which sparked her to start her own business. She first shares why the word “joy” is so important and encourages us with 4 ways anyone and everyone can create more joy.
Lisa’s pursuit of joy started when talking with her husband about all the things we chase on a daily basis. She wondered if there was something else we could chase instead, and if it would be possible to measure it. As a result, the “joy list” was born as a way to think about more ways to have fun and create happiness.
We all desire joy and happiness in our daily lives, but sometimes it can be hard to find the time or even know what to do. So, where do we start? Here are the 4 ways Lisa suggests we can create more joy!
Sometimes we think that we have to earn joy or wait for a free moment, and then we can create joy. But Lisa says we will wait forever if we wait for joy to find us. Instead, if we give ourselves permission and change our mindset surrounding where and how we find joy, we make it a priority. Even in the busyness, there are moments when we can choose to not only find joy, but to create it.
Two ways my family has learned create joy over the years is by asking everyone at dinner, “What was something nice you can share from your day?” and by making sure that each one of us carves off time for something nice before bed time. The first question gives us permission to share about the bright things going on around us and sets the tone of the dinner conversation as uplifting. That doesn’t mean that I’m a fan of toxic positivity where we pretend there’s nothing wrong and “everything is fine,” – it just means that in every day, there’s always something nice that we can point to if we look for it.
The second thing is a commitment to making space for the things that make us smile and light us up. Remember that old saying, “all work and no play…” frankly, if left to my own devices, I fear my high-achiever tendencies would keep me checking things off a to-do list all day and not making time for play, so this conscious commitment to something nice helps keep the humanity in us alive.
Before we can experience full joy, we have to think through what it is we want to experience. We waste precious time if we don’t make a plan, so, creating what Lisa calls a “joy list” helps us to move forward instead. If we have a plan in place, when free time does come around, it’s that much easier to incorporate the activities we’ve already given thought to. Our lists don’t have to be complicated and can include the things we like to or want to do when we have even a little free time. If you’re stuck on where to start, one of Lisa’s suggestions is to look backwards at things you haven’t done in a while or used to do, things you’ve been meaning to do, or even dreams you have.
Several of our recent blogs have mentioned list making… I’m sensing a pattern here, are you? We love lists around here! Lists can help us get organized, get refreshed, find our joy, find our risks, lists are so useful for so many reasons! Are you a list-maker, too? How else do you use lists?
Once we’ve created our “joy list”, we have to get creative about where to put to joy. Lisa suggests finding small time slots in our daily schedule to find moments where we can add joy. She says we’re already busy, so we’re really not adding anything else. In creating your list, have some activities that take 10-20 minutes, and others that take 30-40 minutes or an hour. Then, depending on the time you have on a given day or in a given moment, add joy into the time you have available.
One of Lisa suggestions is to look at the things you’re already doing and find ways to add more joy there. Even finding something small to brighten the moment makes a difference. Lisa also says joy should be messy. It’s okay if we plan out these bright moments of joy and something else comes up or the plan goes differently than we expected. Don’t be afraid to go with the flow a little bit!
You may be surprised to find that the more you mention your “joy list” to your friends and family, the more ideas bounce off each other and you can find additional things to add to your own list. That’s what happened to Lisa, and she even plans joy-dates with others, so they can share in the joy together. She says the art of joy is as simple as asking other people, “What do you do for joy in your family?” and inviting them to be a part of the joy in your family. It all goes back to permission and mindset, of getting comfortable asking and planning, and then getting things into motion and on the calendar.
Joy is just as important in the workplace, so even by sitting down once a week to exchange ideas on how to create and experience joy, we can inspire and co-create better workdays. Joy should be applicable in all areas of our life, so find ways to inspire joy not just at home or with your friends and family, but in the workplace and with the new people you meet.
In her own pursuit of even better, Lisa is continuously asking the question, “What impact do you want to have, and are you having fun along the way?” In changing how we think about joy and our free time, we can learn to fill even the small amounts of time with joy, share it with others, and apply it to all areas of our lives.
We all want our lives to be joyful and fulfilling, and when we are joyful, the people around us are joyful too. Lisa is all about the Ripple Effect and how the positive things we do positively impact our friends and families, our coworkers, or the strangers we choose to share joy with. That’s what authentic human connection is all about – and authentic human connection is one of the core tenants of the Changemakers Certification Program. If you’re interested in more information, check out our resource page!