Being Joyful

What brings you joy in life?

What came to mind immediately as I read this question for today was that cleaning lady or organizing lady, whose name I do not know. The idea is when it comes to cleaning things out, you should grab an item and ask yourself “Does this item bring me joy?” If you respond positively, the item remains with you and it the answer is no, you discard the item. Simple enough. I tried it once, and it worked. I got rid of lots of useless pieces of clothing.

Then I thought, could this same question be used or applied to activities of our daily lives? Obviously not for your job if you work, although it could be applied if you are looking to switch jobs or professions. But what I am talking about is, the decluttering our lives with those activities that bring a hint of dread to our daily lives. You know, the ” I don’t really want to go but…or I said yes, sooo, and “I didn’t go last time so this time I have to” activities. These activites suck the joy our of life. Not only do they suck the joy out of your life they leave little room for you to engage in the actual activities that do bring joy to your life.

Now if you have children, it can be said that you derive joy from doing activities with and for your children and family. But the joy that is being brought here is one that is not necessarily directed to the self. As parents, husbands and wives, we derive joy from doing activities as a family. But we too, as individuals, must take time to indulge in acitivties that bring joy for oneself, something that parents lose sight of. Here the question would alter a bit from “Does this bring me joy?” to more like, “What have I done this week, this month that has brought me joy?” Maybe it’s reading a book for an hour, or taking a walk or getting a massage or tinkering in the garage, whatever it is, it is necessary for sanity and happiness. Speaking purely from life experience.

Currently, writing this daily blog is bringing me joy, I have recently picked up on my reading and I am making a conscience effort not to neglect myself. I guess without realizing it, I have been applying my own question. “Does this bring me joy?”

What do you think? Can this question be used to help bring more joy to our lives?