The Power of a Joy List
Coaching Tip #36
Days continue to blend one into another. I woke up at 5:30 this morning – my usual time – scanned the news, and then checked my email. At 6:00 I looked outside and it was still dark – a bleak reminder that summer is winding down and fall is approaching. Instead of anticipating the joys of the fall season, my thoughts went to how many days past the summer equinox we are (61 days) and how long until we pass the winter equinox (112 days), when the trend of light shifts upward again toward longer days.
And then, in a moment of awareness, I stepped back, and asked myself a question: How does this type of futurizing serve me? The answer: It does not. Especially right now.
If I am feeling this way, I assume that others are too. For me it is the light and the long days of summer that I will miss. For others it might be the ability to get outside and feel some aspects of normalcy. Summer this year brought a feeling of freedom that we always had, but probably didn’t value as much as we do today. As we approach the end of August and look ahead, we can hypothesize many different scenarios, but none of them return us to the normalcy of 2019.
Back in April I referred to my Covid-19 routine as Ground Hog Day. There was humor in that. As chores got scratched off my to-do list, I found more things to add. It kept me busy in the “stay in and stay safe” message we all existed by. In our neighborhoods, lots of basements were cleaned out, closets sorted, pictures organized, recipe books pulled off the shelf, and even new fitness routines established. For those that previously commuted, our offices became the kitchen table, a corner in the bedroom, or the newly cleaned out basement. For those that took on the role of teacher, daily routines centered around the structure necessary to accommodate everyone’s needs. We made it work because it had to work. There were so many unknowns. Life was just rinse and repeat.
Now we know more. There is no humor in that Ground Hog Day metaphor. We are in the middle of this, and although we see hope with therapeutics and preventative measures, they are 2021 solutions. So how do we stay both present and positive over the next few months?
Think about what brings you joy when things are going right for you. Then write those down! Create your list of joys, so on days when things are not going right you have a tool to shift a bad day into a better day. This can help you regain your power over that bad day.
Here are a few things that are on my joy list, to get you thinking. I would love to hear what brings you joy.
Connecting with another person
Watching a “hero’s journey” movie.
Hearing a child’s laughter.
Hitting a crisp 7 iron.
Crossing something off my to-do list.
Seeing someone else reach a goal.
Planning and executing a delicious meal.
Helping someone else.
I look forward to hearing about what brings you joy.
Melinda