December 27 - Ordinary Joy / December 28 – Achieve

I am very behind on these, and am uploading the whole thing today!  Sorry for dragging it out so long...thanks for bearing with (and humoring) me.  Chalk this up to another one of my projects that I take forever to complete! 

December 27 – Ordinary Joy
Our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?

Roll your eyes if you must:  I am going to answer running AGAIN.  When I have dragged myself outside or on the treadmill, and my body has started moving, there is a moment where the adrenaline starts and I feel good.  I feel happy.  I feel light, and free, and joyful.  This lasts.  It is so much more than a moment, I can actually carry it forward and keep it.

I first felt this (and still do) when I met my husband, this lasting joy that I could carry with me.  It felt tangible, oddly concrete.  I would stop and think "ah ha, so THIS is what it feels like."  And so I offer these other small moments - snuggling on the couch, playing around while making dinner, making something, seeing someone succeed or get an idea, singing with the radio, a really good cup of tea, getting a comment, uploading a post I've worked on all night...

December 28 – Achieve
What’s the thing you most want to achieve next year? How do you imagine you’ll feel when you get it? Free? Happy? Complete? Blissful? Write that feeling down. Then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

I want to more actively create.  When I make things, I feel amazing.  It feeds on itself, and I begin to think more visually, I come up with more creative solutions, I express myself better verbally, I feel clearer about what I want and where I am going.  When I am not creating, I feel mucky-muck, trapped, empty.  The trick is, its hard to balance making with my job - even though I am trained to be an art therapist! 

1. Take photos every weekend, anywhere I can.
2. Practice looking, even if I don't take a photo.
3. Join online challenges, and follow along with the prompts.
4. Share with others, even talking about it.
5. Make art with other people.
6. Break creative tasks into steps so I can achieve even something small on a daily basis.
7. Redefine what it means to "make art" and let it be teeny tiny, imperfect, and with whatever materials I want.
8. Think about the different tasks and brainstorm whenever I can (driving!).
9. Do try to make or do something daily.
10. Include writing and reading and researching in the concept of creating.

Two tools to help plan the year ahead:
Start Your Own Happiness Project
The Next Step After Vision



The first link feels a bit like marketing, I didn't have too much luck pulling something from there to use immediately.  I will admit, her book is on my amazon wishlist, and others seem to benefit from her words.  The second link resonates a bit more with me.  The author points to that moment when we articulate a new direction, like "I want a new job".  Instead of jumping on it, wrestling it to the floor and asking it what steps I'll need to take, we should welcome it, acknowledge it, enjoy it, be with it.  And then see what it has to tell us.  Which resonates so strongly with me, because I have a bunch of those visitors right now, and I can't wait to see what they have to say.





Join Here:  Reflect on this year & manifest what's next