photo credit: escuder0_paul0
It is easier to create a balance when you take time to do things you enjoy. Pure enjoyment opens your mind, lifts your spirit, and heals your body. Today I welcome you to be present and engaged with a joyful activity.
During this cold and long winter, my joyful moments include playing with my children, reaching out to a new or old friend, providing an opportunity for someone to have an ah-ha moment, or curling up and watching the new season of American Idol (yes, American Idol is joyfully entertaining).
Choose to take time for yourself. Life is not all about routine tasks and to-do lists. Choose to renew your energy and feel the joy. Your body, mind, and spirit will reward you with more energy, more focus, and more resistance against stress.
Enjoyment is like art, it is in the eye of the beholder. Do what makes you happy.
Take time today, even if it is only five minutes, and thoroughly feel the sense of enjoyment .
This is Your Moment
1. How will you commit to spending at least five minutes today feeling the sense of enjoyment?
2. What do you enjoy doing?
3. How do you find time to do what you enjoy?
I enjoy taking time with my son, mostly to tickle him. It makes me happy. I also enjoy quiet evenings watching a movie with my wife. Little breaks are key to my stability.
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I commit to it every day by getting up and saying that it will be a great, joyful day and that I am grateful for plenty of things.
Today I went to a special children’s play with my kids and just watching them experiencing all these emotions from fear over excitement to fascination was the joy of my day.
Being in the moment, thinking happy thoughts, intending things before going somewhere or doing something usually already get you in the right mood for enjoyment.
Thanks for the post. Enjoy your day.
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I spend 75 minutes every evening with my wife and a few select friends at our neighborhood park. We walk, sit on adjoining benches and pull each others legs and without fail come back home charged up. Come rain, or bad weather, we do, even if we have to sit under umbrellas and get partially wet. All of us find it joyful and look forward to it.
I enjoy cooking for my family and taking care of them.
When I enjoy doing things, the time appears by itself.
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Hi Stacey. I give myself an hour “away”… not meditating, not reading, walking, or even doing yoga. No… I watch The Young & The Restless. It gives me a good workout and practice laughing at their predictability and the idiosyncrasies of life.
Davina´s last blog post..Self Help Me
I enjoy taking a walk. I love seeing the changes of the seasons.
How do I get to do this? Like temporarily ignoring my task sheet. So now, off I go, while the sun is shiny ^_^
Hi Stacey
Everyday I do something that brings Joy to me. Sometime it is 20 mins. sometime is 3 hours. I enjoy going to ride my horse, play with my dogs, doing my exercise, talking with my friends, listening to music…
Thanks for asking the questions. I enjoy answering it 🙂
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect action is better than no action
Giovanna Garcia´s last blog post..How I rebuild my relationship with my mother?
First of all – I, too, find great joy in American Idol. I’m not ashamed to say it. 🙂
I wake up early – 5:30am so I can sip my coffee, write, meditate and exercise before my day begins. I give myself a good couple of hours to just enjoy the silence (mind), my writing (spirit) and my exercise (body).
I find it most effective to take this time in the morning – otherwise I just never know what the day will bring.
Ryan – “Little breaks are key to my stability.” – I love that! Spending time with my sons make me happy too.
Mimi – I love your morning mantra and your level of awareness.
Rummuser – Wow! I love this morning ritual. I’m picturing this beautiful community enjoying each other in the rain.
Davina – I hear you…General Hospital can be my hour away at times too.
Akemi – I love walking too. Today was -28 degrees (that’s negative 28 degrees) outside and yet I still took a walk. My nose froze but it was still refreshing.
Giovanna – Welcome to the Create a Balance community! I enjoyed reading your answers.
Stacey Shipman – American Idol is joy! I’m not ashamed either. Thank you for sharing your morning routine, it is very inspiring.
Hi Stacey!
What a lovely message to give everyone!
Besides spending time with my child and giving the last hug for the night, I will most likely enjoy and languish in a warm bath enjoying the flicker of candles around me:)
Thanks again for your inspiring words.
Baxk soon,
Henie
Ooops, I don’t like typos “Back”…btw FYI I am now following you on Twitter:0)
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I took 30 minutes today to indulge in reading poetry, and learn to recognize my feelings while reading it. It was the absolute joy!
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Today, I took 2 hours, put myself in a no noise zone and just worked through my dreams (sleeping). I have not had time to do it all week. It was so relaxing to take some time to do something that helps me get to know myself better. It was great!
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Henie – I love my evening time with my sons. Snuggling, reading books, and debriefing the day. It’s priceless. And, thanks for following me on Twitter.
BC – Poetry! How magnificent!
Jay – Thanks for sharing your dream practice. Cheers to the no noise zone!
Stacey,
This is a good reminder for me right now because I’m getting busier and busier with Google reader as I subscribe to more and more great blogs. These days I pamper myself with a good fiction read – stop everything, plonk down on a comfy sofa, and just read until I don’t feel like reading anymore. I find great joy in that!
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Hi Stacey,
Like the other Stacey (Shipman) – I find much joy in the early morning quiet. Before the craziness of the day gets going, this is a great way to start the day.
And…I enjoy very immensely…bedtime with my children. Those moments as they are getting ready for the rest that awaits them. Moments to singly be with each of them. Experience them. Connect with them. Love them…
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Daphne – There is a lot of enjoyment in getting lost in a great book. Enjoy your Google Reader and be aware of its ability to disrupt your practice of life balance.
Lance – We are in sync. Early morning quiet is bliss. Bed time moments with my children are priceless.
Hi Stacey,
I began reading a new book last Sunday, “The Joy of Appreciative Living” by Jacqueline Kelm.
In a nutshell she suggests you:
1. Write down 3 things you are grateful for. Spend a couple of minutes with eyes closed thinking about these 3 things.
2. Write the answer to, “What one thing could I do, no matter how small, that would increase my joy?
3. On the weekend spend 15 minutes writing down, “What my joy-filled life looks like.”
She suggests you do this for at least 28 days and you will learn how to incorporate more joy in your life.
Today is my third day. I’ve had gratitude journals for the last five years. I’m going to do this instead. I’ll let you know how it goes. You can find out more at http://www.appreciativeliving.com
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Tess – Thanks for sharing this joyful resource. I can see how meditating on the things you are grateful for can bring you more joy.
I enjoy watching “American Idol” too but it is being screened at a time when it is difficult for me to watch. Don’t laugh but “Desperate Housewives” is now my outlet.
Most certainly, I welcome the idea of renewing my energy through a variety of activities. I totally agree with you that it is “easier to create a balance when you take time to do things you enjoy.”
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My sense of enjoyment and balance comes from behind the len of my camera, Travelin’ Local. In fact, the camera is teaching me to see things I never saw before.
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Evelyn – My television outlets are Survivor, Lost, General Hospital, American Idol, and Desperate Housewives. These shows are purely watched for entertainment value.
Lisa – We just ordered my new camera last night. I look forward to getting behind the lens again soon.
Hi there Stacey – I enjoy going for walks – particularly in the local parklands, and sitting around talking to my partner. Cheers – R
“How will you commit to spending at least five minutes today feeling the sense of enjoyment?” – I talked with an old friend today, over the phone. We haven’t talked in years. We probably talked for about 20 minutes. It was pure joy!
I try to enjoy everything i do.
If it’s something I don’t naturally enjoy, I make it a game or I pair up with somebody to make it more fun.
Part of it is mindset, but the other part of it is changing the approach. I found something I enjoy more if I find the right metaphor, for example, mastering my craft.
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Taking time to do the things you enjoy makes a lot of sense, providing you have evolved to where you realize what enables you to feel good. People do not always make the connection about how certain choices affect their moods, energy level and state of mind. You encourage people to review their lives with a sense of joy. This kind of outlook enables people to see through the fog.
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Hi Stacey, nice article.
I’ll spend at least five minutes today feeling the sense of enjoyment with a cup of tea and playing with my daughter. Anyway what do you think if we enjoy on work instead?
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Robin – I’m counting down the days to be able to take warm walks again.
Vered – Sometimes it just takes 20 minutes to check up with an old friend. The joy of those 20 minutes can last for days, months, and years.
J.D. – Good for you for incorporating joy into everything you do.
Liara – Your right, some people have not made the connection between choices and how they affect our moods, energy level and state of mind. I do believe that level of awareness is growing and more and more people are developing the skills of personal awareness.
Arswino – Since I gave up caffeine 20+ days ago, I have been enjoying my cups of tea. I also think embracing joy at work is critical to practicing the art of life balance.