JOY
Our first Emotion to get us started.
Here are four questions to get you thinking about JOY. These might prompt you to start your hunt!
- When have you felt safe, relaxed, and joyful, utterly glad about what was happening at that moment?
- When have things truly gone your way, perhaps even better than you expected?
- When have you felt a spring in your step, an unstoppable smile, or a warm glow?
- When have you felt playful, as if you wanted to jump in and get involved?
Sometimes we need to reflect on past experiences of emotion because we might not be able to remember the last time we felt it.
As the week progresses, consider deliberately seeking out moments of Joy, remind yourself at the start of each day to be on the lookout for JOY!
You may even think about something that you know will bring you Joy and deliberately schedule in this week.
I hope you have a fabulous time cultivating JOY this week.
Things That Spark Joy In Our Community
Stephanie
“Joy for me is listening to my kids laughing – not just giggling but those really excited, happy, belly laughs that go on and on.”
Amie
“As I remade my bed this afternoon I realised that I find joy when I get to hop into my bed on a cold winters night, the bed made with clean sheets, the electric blanket on and a good book ready to go.”
Mandy
“Watching my son, David, marry the beautiful Therese last year brought me so much joy! All our closest friends and family were there to celebrate with us. It was an amazing day. A memory that I will treasure forever.”
NB. Yes, this is DJ from Mind Insurance in the photo 😀
Amy
“This song always puts a spring in my step.”
Playlists
Videos
“Music is something the has filled my life with joy for as long as I can remember. I made this playlist a few weeks ago when I needed a lift. I packed it with upbeat and happy songs from artists that I love. Every song on here is attached to a positive memory, and most transport me back to a gig or festival somewhere, surrounded by friends and thousands of other people all connected by one thing! Music! This playlist is growing every week and serving it’s purpose well, sparking joy, goosebumps, lots of nostalgia and even a happy tear or two since! Maybe some other people will enjoy this as well.”
Little Doggo Hiding In Bed – Stacey
“Joy for me is walking into my bedroom in the morning after my workout and finding that my little boy has decided to take himself back to bed in my bed. He bring so much joy to my life every day, watching him play with a toy, running around with him, taking him for walks or just simply being with him.”
Fresh Brocolli – Moira
“Growing vegetables again and finding this in my garden this week gave me joy!”
Bees On Blossom – Ann-marie
“Watching bees enjoy my blossom on a warm sunny afternoon.”
Jackie
“Sitting by the fire in my pyjamas with my alpaca felted slippers brings me joy.”
Jess
“Joy for me comes from my fur babies past and present.
Not only the joy from them directly, but I also get joy when I see other people’s faces light up when they come up and say hello to a stranger walking by or visit the neighbours.
They really have their own little lives and I’m just blessed to be a witness of it.
Looking at the red fluffy hair… I’m wondering maybe there is some truth of owners looking like their pets.”
Joffa
“The gift is giving is more than you receive.
Joy comes in the form of me giving and helping others.
In the first two photos, I made homemade linguini with a braised beef sauce which is my favourite meal. These were prepared for people who were doing it tough during this pandemic and who could have used a delicious meal and to know that someone is thinking of them. People were reaching out and I had a list of people who I knew could have used it and I went and dropped it to their doors.
The third photo is when a few mates and I went up to the Victoria high country and spent 3 days helping the fire effected communities from the recent bush fires. We had no idea what we were doing, but we were willing to learn how to build fences to come back from the devastation. You can even see the grand father looking over my shoulder to make sure I’m doing it correctly. Despite the damage done, their spirits and hopefulness were high which was so inspiring.
Moments like these leave me feeling 3 feet off the ground and provide me with feelings of elation for the next week or two. Increasing the well being of others, brings me so much JOY.”
DJ
“For anyone that knows me they know I love heavy metal and hardcore music.
While those genres probably aren’t normally associated with joy for most people, so many songs and bands bring me the feeling. None more so than Pantera.
This song makes me think of my best friend of 27 years and our shared love of music. It brings me back to my teenage years when we were exploring metal music together and we discovered Cowboys From Hell.
This song, to me, is so playful and just makes me want to get into the mosh pit with my friend.”
Anna
“My 4 and 6-year-olds were keen to make their own Positivity Portfolios. So we brainstormed what brings them joy and made these little graphics on Canva. They have their folders in Google drive and are excited to be coming along on the ride! Start young, I say!”
Danielle
“Joy is making something from scratch and the smell of fresh baked treats! These beauties are going to be dropped on doorsteps with a message of care and love.”
Bess
“Some things that bring me joy:
Sunny days at the beach
Roses in New Farm Park
Celebrating milestones”
Stacey B
“A little late to the party, but my belated week 1 contribution is that I feel absolute joy when I’m dancing, when I’m doing something creative like painting or crafting, and when I see other people enjoy something I’ve made for them, like a tasty meal or a sweet treat.
I don’t have photos of my solo dance parties in the lounge, but I did bejazzle a face mask one quiet crafternoon, and have been doing lots of cooking and baking!
I made a giant cookie 1 for my friend’s baby (we all know first birthdays are for the parents, not the baby), and baked again tonight for my colleague who is helping me with some laptop issues. Joy for me, for them, and for my tummy!”
“So I am a bit late to the party for our first week. To be honest this was a tough emotion to start with for me as it has been a pretty tough time of late. So there are two things I will share for JOY. The first is the amazing contributions that you have all made to the portfolio this week. It has given me so much joy to see how many of you signed up, and the wonderful things you have shared. Thank you so much!
The second is my greatest JOY, having this incredible woman by my side for the last 30 years.”
Amanda
“For me it’s being in nature, especially the mountains in winter time it feels so freeing skiing down a mountain breathing in clean crisp air, definitely my happy place.”
Steve
“This song to me is JOY all over. It can change my mood instantly which brings a smile to my face and gives me a spring in my step.”
“There were few things and moments that came straight to my mind when I thought of Joy, and I’m sure I could include many of them in my portofio. But I paused. I referred back to the four questions Mel proposed in that week, and the key points to them:
Felt safe, relaxed, joyful, utterly glad, better than expected, unstoppable smile, warm glow, playful… SPENDING TIME WITH THOSE I LOVE AND THOSE THAT I CHOOSE TO HAVE IN MY LIFE gets me to each and every of these states.
Whether it is through the close contact (which I prefer, especially with lots of hugs), or spending time with them over a phone chat (which I have to do a lot as my family and lots of friends are far), it is the connection with them, in whichever way, that brings me Joy.
Here are only some of those moments… only some of the beautiful people in my life.”
Sharna
“Appreciating and protecting the beauty of nature
Seeing a dog with it’s head out the car window
An old couple holding hands
Kindness of strangers
Listening to live music and singing my lungs out in unison with the crowd
Bushwalking
A full moon
Being in the presence of a 500 year old tree
Daggy dancing
Lifelong learning”
Jarred
“I’m a bit late on the Joy front as well but I think I can kill two birds with one stone as this one kind of speaks to both Joy and Gratitude for me. It probably also gives you a scary insight into the inner workings of my mind. haha
Happy songs really give me a boost of joy and can have a huge impact on my mood or how I’m feeling. I’m drawn to happy songs like a moth to a flame. Happy by Pharrel Williams, Happiness by Pizzaman (it’s a trippy 90’s song), Can’t stop the feeling by Justin Timberlake, Everything is Awesome from the Lego movie and so many more.
There’s nothing better than alone time in the car belting out these songs a the top of my lungs and not caring what the other drivers around me think when they see the nutter in the car next to them.
There’s a particular song that tends to pop in to my mind and repeat over and over at random which happened again only a few weeks ago. It’s a song called “Life’s a Happy Song” and it’s from the Muppets Movie. (I’ve got kids… that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it haha)
The song is light fun, positive and happy but it’s also thankful and infectious. My wife often says she wishes life was a big musical and I can totally relate to that thought sometimes.
The chorus is what tends to get stuck in my head and there are two lines in particular that I really connect with:
“I’ve got everything that I need… right in front of me” and
“Life’s a happy song when there’s someone by my side to sing along”.
It’s a reminder to be thankful for what I have, that I have pretty much everything I need and that I really do have some great people around me.
I can’t help but feel happy and thankful listening to this song.”