Are you finding you’re too busy, too exhausted, or too fed up too often these days?
With so much opportunity brimming over your coffee cup from our digital technology and AI seeking to be of constant service 24/7 you might be forgiven to think “hang on a minute, isn’t all this supposed to be making our lives easier?”
But how often does technology let us down? Last week, I spent 40 minutes face-to-face (we couldn’t work out how to make it happen over the phone) working with an IT person and two HR staff to help me gain access to the online staff portal at an institution I work at part-time, so that I can get paid for my services.
And don’t get me started on those “your call is important to us” automated phone responses, or the “your internet is unstable” message just as you’re in the middle of an interaction with someone you’ve been trying to pin down for a Teams call for weeks.
The problem with these first-world problems is that they are annoying. And the more of these soul-sapping events you encounter, the greater the annoyance generated, which then translates into general irritation, frustration and anger.
This is where I have to go back to the 1970s TV series ‘Kung Fu’ and channel my inner David Carradine’s character Caine to remind myself, “Patience, grasshopper.” “Slow down, untwist those knickers and focus instead on what matters more.”
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
Because if we allow all these irritations to get the better of us, we miss out on all those other moments of joy and wonder that otherwise pass us by.
More moments of joy = more time in a positive mood = more happiness, hope and optimism.
(Jenny’s mantra)
We don’t find happiness; we create it from stitching together those tiny moments. The key is to determine what those tiny moments look like to you and then work to capture as many of those as you can each day.
In two weeks’ time, I’m taking a walk for a good cause. I’ll be walking with my Happy Thrivers teammates for Coastrek, the charity walk that raises funds for good causes. This year it’s for Beyond Blue.
We’ll be walking 20 km on part of the Cape-to-Cape coastal path in Australia’s Southwest.
It’s a walk I look forward to greatly, anticipating the joy of being out in a beautiful environment with the camaraderie of our team and 1200 or so other women walking for the same reason.
It’s a Big Day Out that feeds my soul. It reminds me of the beauty of our natural world. The wildflowers have been spectacular this Spring and the whales are already out frolicking in the waves on their migration.
It also reminds me how good spending time in nature is for our general and mental health. Our big walk while tiring, yes, the feet are always glad when we reach the finish line, is mentally energising. You go home on a high, which can last several days! You make new friends along the way, exchange stories and laughter and generally have a good time, because we’re all in the adventure together.
If you’d like to donate to this worthy cause, here is the link to do so.
I get that not everyone loves walking and hiking as I do, but there are a multitude of other ways you can reclaim more joy in your life.
Is it,
- Being creative. Do you paint, sculpt or draw?
- Playing or listening to music.
- Attending a concert by your favourite band
- Hanging out with friends.
- Going to a yoga or Pilates class.
- Going for a run/swim/cycle
- Creating a culinary masterpiece in the kitchen
- Gardening
- Dancing
- Spending time with your loved ones
- Going to an art show, the theatre, or the movies
- Taking your children to watch “Beauty and the Beast” or to the zoo, or to play in the park.
- Taking a kayak out onto the river
What do you do that creates more moments of joy and happiness?
This is something I always ask my clients. I love hearing the myriad of things I get told. However, they then usually look a bit sad and admit that these are the things they no longer do because they lost the habit, usually because of time pressure and or fatigue.
Is this something you’ve struggled with too?
What if you could reinstall these moments?
They don’t have to be big.
They don’t require a complete overhaul of your life.
All they need is a big dollop of desire, three tablespoons of confidence that you can make it happen and a good dusting of support to keep you accountable, on track and making progress.
And that’s what helps restore your inner peace.
It’s time to leave the chaos, hustle and bustle behind, and celebrate what matters the most to you.
Do you enjoy enough calm and serenity in your life?
