A JOY CALENDAR! I LOVED this idea!

I was driving last night. On the radio, a host was discussing how powerful a “joy calendar” could be, and it really resonated with me!

He advised that we get out some kind of calendar and fill it out for the week or month in advance. You’d calendar out things that bring you JOY. Things you could put on this calendar (in my mind) are:

·       A night you will spend extra time playing board games with your kids
·       A special weekend trip you and your significant other might take
·       A date night with your spouse
·       A day you’ll go to dinner or happy hour with friends
·       An afternoon where you’ll find time to go for a walk in the park or take a hike
·       A race you might run
·       A night where you’ll go play a game of pickup soccer or basketball with friends
·       A time where you’ll take a bubble bath with candles and relaxing music
·       An afternoon where you’ll read a book, in peace

Scheduling or calendaring out activities and events that bring us JOY is a great way of making sure they HAPPEN. But, there’s an additional benefit, I thought. It gives us something to LOOK FORWARD TO. I’ve heard in the past that having things we can look towards- in the future- is a great way to feel and be happier. Anticipating or being excited about something that’s going to happen in the future activates a certain part of our brains where joy and pleasure are felt, so doing this, is a great way to feel better in life.

I’m a big believer in BALANCE. We can’t just work ALL the time. We can’t just ALWAYS be in production mode. Finding things that bring us joy- and investing in those things- should easily be a part of every week, if not nearly every DAY.

I already schedule and plan a LOT of time for joy in my life- but I’m going to make some modifications to how I do this by using a JOY CALENDAR starting today! 

Also- when I heard this, I was driving to a Notre Dame alumni event. Being on a board, joining an alumni club, or simply finding ways to give back to the community is SUCH a surefire way to bring more joy into your life. It’s a great feeling to give back, and I have found that when I serve others- I get MUCH more back than I give.

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