In a recent post, I talked about joy – my definition of it, and the fact I want to have more of it in my life.
But what’s the point of thinking about this? What will all this joy do if I make an effort to plan some into my diary or keep an eye out for it?!
The ideal day – the vision
I’ve come across many versions of the “ideal day” exercise in the course of both being coached and reading a million personal development books. The premise is that by describing your ideal day or ideal life in more detail it helps you make that vision become real.
But for me, I’ve always found that the things in that vision seem unachievable. The mix of activities, the control over my time in particular. So as a result I’ve never understood how this exercise does anything other than make me feel demotivated – because I can’t see an easy way from here to there.
And then the other day I came across a social media testimonial that helped me see this in a new light.
Connecting the vision with the everyday
It was a post that made me realise that it’s not about the vision itself as such – it’s actually about knowing the feeling you want to have in that ideal day and ideal life – and finding ways to have that feeling now.
To do activities that have the energy of that vision, even if they’re not exactly how you picture them being in that amazing future. To have little moments of joy now and notice them and savour them, to enjoy the journey.
And that is the point of paying attention to what you love doing, what little things bring you joy – so that you can do those little things every day, every week, and be living bits of that vision now.
It’s funny, when I read these words, they’re words I’ve seen so many times written by so many different people. But for me it took a slightly different explanation of it to make me understand it fully.
My next challenge of course is to practice doing that – bringing those bits of everyday joy into every day life, and noticing the presence or absence of them.
