#18 - What Brings You Joy

This week we are going to build awareness of what is empowering, to build you up. Our goal is to do more of those things on regular basis. We are going to recognize those positive activities, especially those demanding which would give positive results in the long term.

Possibly you will be able to discover your true passion or even find a new one, moving towards something that you would really enjoy doing.

You probably heard it many times - to think positively. But how?

There is power about it, but there is more power in active positive doings than you can imagine. So we're going to discuss how to think positively and let simple things bring more joy.

We like to contemplate the future, thinking about different ways we want to experience joy and happiness. When we get especially busy with our dreams, we stop appreciating those small things that make our lives magical. It can be listening to some particular song, drawing, sewing, painting, drinking your favorite beverage, embracing silence, walking with your pet, or anything that it's simple yet so meaningful.

Life is made of those small positive moments, and if we will turn our minds to be glad to have them, therefore the quality of living will increase!

Be thankful for small achievements, ask yourself what did I do well today? What was my favorite moment of today?

Even a small but comfortable car that you drive to work might be the best thing to feel thankful for, especially when it's rainy or cold outside, but thanks to your metal horse you'll get from point A to point B. Even though you thought that you'd like to have a bigger and higher class car, take a moment to express gratitude for now and what you own. No future, no past moment, when you're safe and sound, and happy right now.

If you seek happiness that is enduring, you need to distinguish the difference between ‘fun’ and ‘joy’. Yes, fun and joy both feel good, yet they are two different concepts that you experience in life.

Fun is something you experience while taking some action. You may be watching a movie in the cinema, spending the day at a spa, or trying that new restaurant in town. You have fun doing something. Yet fun is momentary. You DO something that is fun. And then you are done doing the fun activity. The memories may last a long time but the event itself has ended.

Joy is more passive. You feel joy when thoughts (good emotional interpretations of events) cross your mind. Joy is more of an inner experience, a silent knowing of peace. You tend to experience joy as feeling content. You feel joy inside. Joy is watching your planted seeds grow into beautiful flowers, seeing your cat and dog, or enjoying the nice summer breeze on your skin. No one else necessarily needs to be present. Joy is unique to each individual.

Make sure you can understand the difference, as it's going to be needed for exercise for this week.

It would be just amazing to just enjoy your life and just make living on it, right?

It's not fantasy or science fiction. There are dozens of people in the World, that actually do it. Passion is connected to something you enjoy doing. Once you will be able to figure out what brings you joy, with constant repetition of activity, you can become very good at it and possibly monetize it. Just like with everything, consistency is a key to master any hobby that you enjoy - everyday routine can help you to make it happen. You can, but you don't have to think that way, maybe you just want to do it in your free time. Ask yourself, what is the core of this belief?

You might recall some activities you did as a child that you would like to come back to or have an interest in some specific activities that you've heard of or know. It might be photographing, dancing or archery, or anything else in arts, sports, or education. If that's possible, before you pay a year's admission, you should try to go for a trial session to see if you really get pleasure from what you do.

Kaizen plays a role here as well, start from small steps to fully understand the activity and observe if you enjoy it. Put a lot of effort and make this earn you a living, someday. Start reasonable, you don't have to start from the most expensive equipment. Research the topic and choose an optimal one to start with, then with consistency and training, you'll become more skilled to invest in the best quality to start making money on that.

Few tips on how to recognize passion:

• Identify the high points of your day - Try to note when you’ve got that happy, joyful, “in the zone” feeling. Or reflect back at the end of the day to see what made you feel good. Then try to do those activities more often.

• Find out what brings you in a flow state - (more about it in future months)

• Loose track of time, the time passes so quickly in this passionate state of mind, it actually seems that time does not exist. You have great fun and get things done.

• Have a look at what you spend hours exploring: reading, watching videos, browsing information on that particular interest of yours. You can find browsing about it for hours.

• Find the answer to the following questions. They will bring you closer to finding your passion:What drives, excites, and fascinates you? What truly matters to you? How do you want to bring value to people’s lives? What would you do if money weren’t a thing? Who inspires you? (and why)

We will talk more about finding passion in future months...

• Find some time.

Life is not only about achievement, hard work, paying bills, buying new things. Stop postponing life for later and start experiencing joy. It's good to allow yourself to slow down and relax for a moment. It will be much more effective and beneficial in a long term. It will definitely help to avoid burnout and lowers the chance of depression.

• Do stuff you loved to do as a kid.

Many of us lost that childish excitation about small things. Time to invite this playfulness back to life. It's very helpful to take things less seriously. It might be that you abandoned doing something because someone stopped you to do it by telling you discouraging things. Now when you're an adult, you can take up an activity with a wider perspective than you were a child perhaps.

• Do something you always wanted to do.

Nowadays, we have access to so much information, if you don't know how to do something - simply search for it. Do not let lack of knowledge stop you, it's one of the most common excuses.

• Look for creative activities.

Something that requires time to finish, like writing, will help you to learn patience, understanding that everything in life needs time, and get rid of this instant gratification program many of us still hold.

• Stop looking for excuses.

It's time to change your mind program. Whenever when you will think that "Something it's not possible" embrace this pattern and instead of not taking any action, do something about it. Get into habits of solving challenges and looking for an answer.

Start with reminding yourself of this amazing feeling of happiness, warmth in your heart, passion for being alive. Reminisce, rewind your life more, even the time when you were a kid. Why did you stop doing things you enjoy?

For the full week from Monday till Sunday - be mindful, aware of how you feel inside while doing, experiencing things. Every evening, before going to sleep, note down everything which brought you joy today. That's a perfect grounding exercise.

After these 7 days, you can obliviously continue exercising for as long as you need. Our goal is to create a DO LIST.

Create DO list:

Life is about fulfillment and happiness. Let's write down all positive activities which bring you joy and you know, that they will benefit you positively, and let's start doing it more. Put it into your daily habit tracker.

What I want to try:

Write down all those things, you want to try or you did before but you stopped for some reason. Work towards, incorporating these activities into your daily routine.

It is important what you spend your time on. Accept that is not about how much do you possess, but how joyful you are.

Money gives you comfort in life, but true happiness doesn't lie in things manufactured like riches or luxury. Simple joy does more for the body and mind than the best doctors in the world when it comes to your wellbeing.

Knowing that this week is a mini-manual on how to find your passion and do more of what brings you joy and lets you experience genuine happiness and peace.

Moreover, you got an exercise for the next 7 days to train consistency on the way of improving your 24 hours to transform your life and to become your own guru. Now you yourself can answer the question of why it plays an important role to find passion and develop it.

This new habit serves as one of the many factors in your life that will make a big difference on a bigger scale. With time, by exercising repetitively you will notice how positive you become because you're slowly learning to notice, observe things not only outside but inside as well. So remember to be joyful and talk positively to others. Start doing things that bring your joy. Have fun!