What Brings You Joy? (Envisioning Exercise)
Reading time: 2 minutes and some change.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve sat down at the end of the year (or beginning of the next) with a journal and envisioned the year to come—and beyond. What visions do I have for my life? What excites me? What do I want to experience more of? Less of? What do I need to let go of? How do I close the gap between my visions and day-to-day life? Once I get a handle on what I’m looking to create in a big picture sense, I check in with myself monthly, weekly, even daily, if it feels good. (Greg and I envision together regularly now. Lawd, at first that man resisted! But now he’s hooked.)
Reality is: time slips away quickly and easily. The practice of envisioning is about feeling into what your long-term visions and personal joy might look like right now. You may need to course correct and adjust to life ebbs, flows, and changes. That’s why it’s called envisioning. It’s not meant to be a static exercise, but an ongoing life practice. If it weren’t for this practice and taking small daily steps towards my larger visions (plus doing the inner work to unravel old programming/fears that pop up along the way), I wouldn’t have changed careers, let go of outdated relationships, met my twin soul, written a book, started my own freelancing business, communed with shamans in South America, traveled to nearly 50 countries (and counting!), started this blog, and spent the past 5 years vagabonding the planet, among other things.
Most importantly, and ironically, without this practice, I may not have realized that reaching “all the goals” and “doing all the things” isn’t necessarily the way to true fulfillment. After a lot of trial and error, I finally understand that the deepest form of satisfaction and joy in life can only be found right NOW, whatever now happens to look like—including wanted or unwanted situations and emotions—while I go about envisioning, learning, growing, and creating my life art.
Here’s a quick ENVISIONING EXERCISE to try:
1. Find a time to sit for 5-10 minutes when you won’t be bothered. Consider lighting a candle, burning Palo Santo (my favorite), or playing meditation music. Woo-woo optional, but there’s something to be said for creating a sacred space and clearing the energy. There’s a reason why shamans, healers, and priests have infused incense, set altars, and practiced ceremonial rites for thousands of years. That said, it’s entirely unnecessary as I’ve also done this on the metro on my way to work.
2. Grab a journal, tablet, laptop, whatever your preferred mode is. (I’m an old school paper girl myself. I have piles of journals from over the years, eye-ball high!)
3. At the top of a clean page write: WHAT LIGHTS ME UP. Then just write, don't censor. What passions and hobbies have you sidelined, maybe even ones you enjoyed as a child? What do you want to learn about next or try? What subjects or ideas turn your crank? Consider small joys that brighten your day like listening to new music or inspiring podcasts, reading a few pages of a novel in the morning instead of news, doing 10 minutes of yoga, exploring a new type of food (takeout counts), indulging in more power naps, cutting down on social media. And I repeat—think small—even when it comes to larger long-term projects, visions, and adventures. For example: instead of “get healthy,” how about committing to a gentle cleanse of a glass of lemon water every morning to alkalize the body? Instead of “write novel” or “master guitar,” how about 15 minutes a day (or week) writing or practicing an instrument? Instead of get a 2-year degree in whatnot, how about a 2-hour workshop to feel it out? Volunteer four hours a quarter. Set aside time the first Sunday of every month to dream about (and plan) near- or long-term travel. Or what about simply doing a lot more of nothing? Often what we need most in this productivity-obsessed and busy, busy, busy, go, go, go culture is a lot less doing and more being: more rest, more silence, more reflection, more flow, more quiet time in nature. (Just reading that sentence made you feel better, didn’t it?)
As you write your list of What Lights You Up, narratives may show up like “but I don’t have time,” I’m “too old” or other baloney sandwiches. Hit IGNORE on those mind stories. I guarantee you can find 10+ minutes somewhere and age is irrelevant unless your passion is competitive ski jumping. Might be time to let that one go.
4. Look over what you wrote. Which ones MOST excite you? Don’t listen to your mind; pay attention to your body—it never lies. Circle the top three.
5. Start a new page. Write TIME/ENERGY VAMPIRES at the top. List distractions, people, work tasks, and other ways your life force gets sucked away from the kind of doing/being that brings you joy. For example: not delegating tasks you could be delegating, checking social media too often, rabbit holing on bad news, online shopping, putting off that vacation or sabbatical you’ve been meaning to take for years, indulging fear/negativity/complaining, binge TV, saying yes to certain things or people against your own intuitive knowing, giving in to guilty “I shoulds” vs. “I would enjoys,” not scheduling time blocks for your priorities, and/or not being ruthlessly honest about what and who sucks your time and energy.
6. Circle top 3.
7. Review. Anything to add or change?
If you’d prefer: fill out this worksheet or click button below.
VOILA! Now you have your top joy bringers & top joy interrupters. What’s it going to be? Take the small, daily steps to prioritize YOURSELF (aka joy)? Or let old patterns, noise, stress, distractions, pointless time wasters, other people, martyr/pleaser tendencies and past conditioning run your life? Sometimes what we tell ourselves is a non-negotiable obligation or a harmless distraction is really a deeply-embedded mind story that says we don't deserve to enjoy life, have what we want, and be at peace.
Life is short and can turn on a dime. Gift yourself the gift of yourself. Open to the possibilities.
If not NOW, when?
KB
