Today I had spontaneous joy!!!
That is certainly an odd lead-in for a post… but I had an unexpected pocket of free time today thanks to a scorching heat-wave that made my son’s baseball game a health hazard and therefore cancelled. Two of my friends found themselves with unexpected time as well and we had an impromptu gathering in an unfinished new office of a dear friend who is mid-move.
In just 90 minutes, my cup was full, my energy was replenished, I didn’t feel as burnt out. I was shocked at how great I felt from just 90 minutes of connection with friends with no other purpose other than joy (unlike the sideline of a youth sporting event, a fundraiser, or what tends to fill other “non-work” hours.)
It reminded me of this article I recently read in Harvard Business Review: How the Busiest People Find Joy. I strongly suggest the read. (I connected with Maria in the piece.) In summary, the article talks about how people rank their satisfaction with life and how it is comprised of three 3 factors:
- Achievement
- Meaningfulness
- Joy
Joy is the interesting one. They conducted a study of professionals to determine how many hours a week were considered “free time” and then evaluated how people spent that free time. Those that maximized joyful personal experiences within that “free time” ranked themselves as having a more satisfying and joyful life. It didn’t matter if they had 1 hour or 40 hours of free time per week… it was those that maximized the personal, joyful experiences that were more satisfied with their life!
I am an extremely busy person… many comment that I am too busy. However I do enjoy the fast pace, variable experiences, and people that my busy-ness offers… running a company, volunteering with non-profits, managing my son’s busy extracurricular schedule, volunteering at school, helping a friend or neighbor, or attending family events, fills the non-work time quickly. However, those seemingly rare moments of spontaneity, impromptu gatherings, a walk on an evening when the air is perfect and fireflies are out… these moments of no expectation and sheer joy and contentment can be cultivated by consciously leaving “white space” in our free time as much as possible.
I hope you can find your moment of joy more often!