My One Little Word for 2019 is JOY.
Trust me, I did not make the decision lightly. I mean, I wrote a book about joy. I naively thought, What more did I need to study?
Turns out, a lot.
I won’t pretend for a moment that I am perfect or that I have all the answers figured out, because I don’t. In fact, I recently took one of those couples personality tests. It declared that my husband is a labrador (“dependable, loyal, and reliable”) and I am a rabbit (“often unsure of what they want or need,” with ever-changing needs and trust issues).
Awesome.
But even those of us whose needs are constantly changing, we still need to be consistently working toward adding more joy to our lives. It isn’t one of those “SMART” goals that we can measure and attain by a predetermined date. Nope. It is a goal of growth. It’s kinda like swim lessons when the instructor tells you to swim towards her but keeps stepping back. It feels cruel, but it helps us become better swimmers. It works.
Our quest for joy is very much the same.
This year I have set out to focus on a different way to add more joy to my life each month. I offered the journey as a year-long course and I am so glad I did because it has pushed me to be consistent and intentional in my efforts and to share my struggles and my growth. I have been motivated by the fact that I am not only working towards my own joy, but I am working to try to inspire joy in the lives of those who signed up for the course. I have received some fantastic emails from this group of friends who have taken a journey toward more joy with me. They have shared their struggles and successes in emails and instant messages and I have been honored to walk alongside them.
I loved the content so much and got such great feedback, that I felt selfish holding on to it. I have converted each monthly focus into its own mini-course.
So far this year, we have focused on six specific ways to add more joy to our lives: forgiving, listening, budgeting, finding an escape, serving, and not judging. If you look back at this year’s blog posts, you may notice that each month’s posts fall into a greater focus on a particular topic. It’s because that is where my mind and heart have been.
So what have I learned so far?
Here are three things that came to my mind.
1-Keep going.
It is so easy to find a trouble spot (forgiving can be hard!) and focus on our failures. The best thing we can do is to push forward. Keep going. If one point of entry seems impossible, back out and try another spot. I honestly don’t think there is one “right way” to do most things. We have to figure out what works for us in our unique circumstances.
I guess since it’s summertime, I have swimming on my mind. I’ve been thinking that the key is to keep moving. Sometimes our best efforts only maintain our position–we are treading water, occasionally taking in accidental sips, and our forward movement may be tiny or non-existent. But other times, those same efforts will propel us quickly across the water. the key is to keep trying, regardless of the conditions. We can’t sit on the shore and think, “I’ll get in and swim across when the water stops moving.” It never stops.
2-There is no mastery, only progress.
We don’t reach the end of joy. Joy keeps encouraging us forward to deeper waters and greater accomplishments. If you set a weight loss goal, you can eventually reach that number and measure your success. If you set a savings goal, you can save until you see that number in your account and measure your success. The goal to publish my novel has an end in mind (and that goal is teaching me all kinds of patience). But the goal to add more joy to my life? Not the same. It is a change in the way I choose to live. It is making the conscious decision to shoot for a life that surpasses “normal.“
3-One doesn’t mean done.
In March, our focus was on listening. I worked hard specifically on listening to my husband and children. I focused on keeping my mouth shut a bit more and my ears–and heart–open. I think I made some progress. But
All my life I have heard the phrase “Joy in the Journey.” I have considered our lives to be winding journeys. I thought we should seek to find the joy along the way. But this year I am starting to see that joy is the journey. Each step we take–whether easy or excruciating– is progress. And it is progress–not arrival– that brings us joy. When we recognize that we are somehow improved versions of our yester-selves, that realization is
There is no final destination in our journey to add more joy to our lives because there is no limit to the amount we can have. Regardless of our circumstances, we can always invite more joy into our lives. Wherever you are on your journey today, I hope you’ll make the decision to invite more joy into your life. I hope you’ll see that joy really is the journey.
{Please note all blogiversary giveaways have now ended.}
Giveaway
Since we are celebrating TWO years, today’s giveaway will have TWO sets of winners!
First Prizes
Two winners will receive any TWO of my Joy On! mini
Second Prizes
Two winners will receive ONE Joy On!
**This giveaway has ended! Congratulations to Monica, Carol, Elizabeth, and Gaylene!**
Party Favors
But what’s a week-long celebration without a party favor? My Joy On! Intro mini-course is available for FREE to everyone!
And this weekend, in honor of my blogiversary, the Kindle editions of Joy On! Ten Ways to Add More Joy to Your Life and A Nace’s Adventure are FREE this weekend on Amazon! {Check back! I try to make them free once each quarter–that’s as often as Amazon will let me…}
And, don’t forget to get your FREE download of Leslie’s (from Moments by Mae) brand-new ebook Intentional Home Design: a Guide to Blending Family Memories & Values Into Your Home!
Can you believe we’ve come to the end of the blogiversary week? I can’t! In case you’ve missed any of the days, I’m listing them below.
Monday- The Grand Tour: Some Thoughts & Stories from Our Home
Tuesday- A Tale of Two Summers
Wednesday: Christmas in July
Thursday: What’s Normal? And Is That Really What We Want?
Friday: Meet My Friend Jenn: Gift Giver Extraordinaire
