One Surprising Way to Create More Joy

There’s a lot going on in the world and it can be seductive to wallow in all that’s wrong.

I won’t spend time here sharing all the things us mamas are worried about, within our own homes and around the globe.

It’s easy for us to focus on the negative. It’s how our brains are wired, which is why it’s essential we’re aware of that default programming and have tools at our disposal to counteract it.

I mean, we all deserve more joy.

Don’t we?

Yep. More Joy Please.

I recently decided to share on social media some things I was grateful for this year. And I thought how fun it would be do share 22 things given it’s ‘22 and all.

But if I’m being honest, the thought of coming up with 22 things I’m grateful for felt daunting.

I immediately pared back my expectations and settled on 3 - 5 things.

Gratitude Can Snowball

As I started writing my list, I felt compelled to write more than 3 -5 things, yet still doubted I could come up with 22 things.

To my surprise, it was like a snowball effect…the more I wrote the more I wanted to write. In fact, I could have written more than 22 things, and actually had to stop myself.

22 Things I’m Grateful for in 2022

This is the list I shared on social media:

1. A loving family

2. My health

3. The safety and warmth of my home

4. All the opportunities that came my way and the ones I hustled hard for

5. The Mysterious Benedict Society (A fun show our family enjoys together on Disney+)

6. YouTube and all the incredible humans that post anything and everything I'd ever want to learn

7. My happiness

8. My challenges (for making me a better human)

9. Mexican food (our fav place so far is Agave and Rye in Huntsville, AL)

10. Books, books, and more books

11. All the incredible humans who would pivot in a second for me

12. Life coaching tools that help me live a life I love

13. All the incredible humans advocating for women's rights

14. Pens that have the perfect weight and shape and that glide across a page

15. Electricity and running water

16. Pictures and the memories they capture

17. Travel...and a life I don't need a vacation from

18. Christmas ornaments that have a story to tell

19. Social media to connect with friends, family + strangers across the globe

20. Carbs, especially desserts

21. All the incredible people that inspire and motivate me

22. Stretchy pants (particularly important around Thanksgiving!)

This exercise really gave me such delight, more so than when I simply state a handful of things I’m grateful for (and I consider myself a pretty seasoned gratitude practitioner, if I do say so myself).

This one was a game changer because it felt like it shifted my energy, as if I were snuggling up in the coziness of joy more so than my typical gratitude practice does.

Let’s Give Ourselves the Gift of Joy

There's so much we can and do worry about. And with the holiday season upon us, there’s an increase in stress and demand.

Practicing gratitude is a great way to tend to our own mental wellness as it helps us show up for ourselves and those we love in the most loving and connected of ways.

So go on…grab a pen and some paper (or your digital device) and give it a go!

And the benefits don’t end at home. The more joy we feel in our own lives, we can emit that energy out into the world and help shift things for the greater human collective, one breath, one vibration at a time.

Cheers to more collective joy. 🥂