Yay is a journey, not a destination
If you conceived of your way to yay as somewhat of a straight line when you picked up this book, I hope you are now able to see it as more of a chaotic scribble meandering all over the page. Importantly, I hope that you aren’t disturbed by this change in perspective. Instead, I hope you find it reassuring to know that a happy, fulfilling life simply isn’t meant to be straightforward or one-dimensional. The more tangents you have been off on along the way, the more well-rounded and open-minded you are likely to have become. The more tumbles you have endured and survived, the more resilience you are likely to have developed. And the more you can objectively evaluate and correct the course of that scribble as it advances across your page, the more you are likely to be able to adapt to change.
I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, but I also believe these happenings are subject to our own choices and control, provided we are brave and supported enough to exercise them. Each of us is constantly evolving, as is the world around us – at a pace that is faster and more overwhelming every day. We tend to search for one static moment of fulfilment and happiness, forgetting that it is the journey to get there that makes it beautiful.
We measure our lives against predetermined metrics based on amassing money or ticking boxes of ‘success’ while forgetting how to find comfort and satisfaction in play or pure stillness. We merge ‘want’ with ‘should’ and forget how to identify those moments we are invigorated or completely unstimulated. We glorify being busy then feel guilty when we do the basic things our bodies and minds need to thrive. There are many forces at work in our lives that can make it very difficult to focus on what truly lights you up, but if you are prepared to do the work and take the time to peel back the layers, it is not impossible to do this.
Seizing your yay turns the spotlight back on pure joy and happiness. It restores parts of the unburdened childlike sense of wonder that we somehow let go of as we grow older. I hope that this book, or at least parts of it, have provided a gentle push closer to that delightful sense of joy for your wonderful life. I hope I’ve encouraged you to start thinking about the way you are thinking in positive ways.
I sometimes feel like I’ve fully come into my own and started on the pathway I was born for, but simply beginning the process of writing this book put so many of the lessons I’ve shared in these pages to the test all over again. Writing, and eventually finishing, this book involved even more profound learnings than I anticipated – of old lessons and brand-new ones.
I’ve remembered how much joy I get from writing. I’ve realised how quickly self-deprecation and the throes of doubt can creep back, how I have more to say than I thought I did and how my philosophy has become deeper and more developed than I even realised. Reflecting on my village has made me grateful all over again for the many incredible humans I am lucky to be surrounded by, and how much they have impacted who and where I am today. I’ve realised how many different phases I have gone through, not just in the years since launching our businesses but also in my life to date, and how each of those phases has left me with something important – a lesson, a friend, a new tool. I have been reminded that this is an ongoing journey and not a destination.
To quote Einstein and finish on a high, ‘No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.’ Ultimately, every part of your life will and should look different from anyone else’s. What works best for each of us is such a personal, unique thing to decipher and, as in my case, doing this can take quite some time and deep metacognition.
You might need to lean on your yay-bourhood at times, for a hug, a stomp or a shoulder to cry on. Other times, you might need to put on some heavy blinkers or journal aggressively to get you through some challenging and confusing times. You may veer towards or away from your yay over and over throughout the process of finding it as you experiment and navigate. It doesn’t matter what your ultimate destination turns out to be so long as you remember to find some yay in the journey.