Exercise

Infuse It with Joy

Set aside at least thirty minutes to do the following exercise. I teach this as part of my How to Create an Elevated Year class each year in December because it’s a great way to prepare for the energy of a new year, but it can be done at any time of the year. You are going to look at everything you do on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis and take note of the things that bring you joy and the things that do not. For those that don’t bring you joy, we are going to find a way to fix it.

Step 1: Taking Inventory

Make a list of all the things you do daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Daily things might include making breakfast, taking the kids to school, stopping for coffee on the way to work, working at your job, cooking dinner, putting the kids to bed. Weekly might be cleaning the house, grocery shopping, and laundry. Monthly could be volunteer work or paying bills. Also, go month by month to figure out things you might do on a yearly basis. Maybe you host a Valentine’s party in February or Thanksgiving dinner in November.

Step 2: Evaluate and Elevate

The goal here is for you to make everything you do feel joyful. One by one, go through each item on your list and ask yourself the following:

• Does this make me feel good when I do it? Do I enjoy this? If the answer is yes, then move on to the next item on your list. If the answer is no, then ask yourself:
• Can I delete it? Can I stop doing it altogether or cut down on the frequency of doing it? If the answer is no, continue to the next question.
• Can I delegate it? Can I hire someone else to do it or ask for help from a friend, partner, or family member? For example, if you don’t enjoy grocery shopping, can you order groceries online and have them delivered to you? Can you set aside some money to hire a cleaning crew once or twice per month? If the answer is yes, move to the next item on your list. If the answer is no, continue to the next question.
• How can I make this more joyful? If you can’t delete or delegate, then the only option is to elevate! Ask yourself how you can make the activity you are engaging in more joyful while you are doing it. For example, try listening to an uplifting podcast or audiobook while you are cleaning the house, doing laundry, cooking meals, or commuting. You could also reward yourself for doing the activity, so after cleaning you spend an hour on a hobby you enjoy or catching up on some television shows you love watching. And, of course, you could always use the power of gratitude and list three positive things about the activity before you engage in it. If it’s weekly cleaning, you can focus on how much you enjoy a clutter-free environment once the cleaning is done, and even use the time to be grateful for all the objects you are cleaning. If you are unhappy at work, focus on gratitude for the paycheck, that your position allows you to work at home sometimes, or that the commute is quick and easy for you.

Step 3: Take Action

Now that you have discovered what brings you joy and what does not, and made a plan for what is not as joyful, it’s time to put it into action. Delete and delegate what you can, and then elevate the rest!