Have you ever thought about the daily things you do that bring joy to your life? They could be monumental or tiny in size. These things could have deep meaning to you or they could be so simple you never even stopped to realize how much joy they actually bring you.
This week is all about self-care at The Proper Seal. Let’s take a minute to do a little self-exploration if you will.
Life is all about the choices we make. There are good choices and there are bad choices. If you are human, you have made your fair share of bad choices. Those are called learning opportunities. Do these life choices that you are making bring you joy?
If you ask anyone who knows me, they would probably tell you I am a happy, upbeat gal who is always smiling. Sure I’m not Ms. Rainbows and Sunshine every day, but more often than not life is so good!
So why is that? Why is my life filled with so much joy? That is such a loaded question and this post doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of how I would answer it. However, I did identify the little things I do daily that bring me joy and that will hopefully bring you joy!
Let’s break them down…
#1 Show Gratitude and Appreciation
This may sound cheesy, but spending just a few minutes to reflect on what I am grateful for or what I’m appreciative of really sets the tone for my day. This is something I think about when I first wake up in the morning, still lying in bed, when I’m driving to work, or while I’m working out.
A grateful mind is a powerful thing. It has taken me a long time to appreciate who I am and who I have become! Lucky for me, I have a million and a half things to be grateful for. My health, my career, my friends and family, Cape Cod chips, my eyebrows, the list could go on for days.
Take a moment every day to think about 3 things that you are grateful for or that you appreciate about yourself. I promise you, it will bring you joy!
#2 Workout
I admit it, I don’t work out every day. But when I do, you can bet it’s on like donkey kong!
Lately, I have been working out in the morning before work. Yepp, that’s right… 4:45 am wake up call. AND I’M LOVING IT! There is nothing that brings me more joy than that sweaty glow to start the day!
In addition to that sweaty glisten, a cute workout outfit really does the trick for me. I am a sucker for any kind of active gear that makes me look like a cutie batootie.
Choosing to move your body (in whichever way you can) every day can really shift your perspective. At that moment, whether you are lifting weights, running, going for a walk, doing yard work, you are making yourself a priority. You are making the choice to invest in yourself and that alone should bring you joy! It brings me so much joy! Have you moved today?
Stay tuned later in the week for at-home fitness apps I have been loving lately!
#3 Set Mini-Goals
At the start of every year, one of the first things I do is buy a new planner! I spend way too long in Marshalls or Target flipping through every planner on the shelf picking out the perfect one. It has to be the perfect size to fit in my purse, must be chic, and must have large individual blocks for each day of the week. If it comes with stickers, even better! SOLD!
Taking a moment to enjoy my morning coffee, pull out my planner, and jot down a few mini goals to achieve during the day not only keeps me motivated but it keeps me on track. I’m a big picture kinda gal and constantly working to achieve my goals in small ways makes reaching those big goals less overwhelming.
As women, we often feel there is not enough time in the day to work on ourselves. Many of us have families, kids, demanding jobs, and trying to carve out time to focus on our life goals is difficult or non-existent. Even if you are working on a small personal goal for fifteen minutes out of your day, those fifteen minutes will bring you joy! Use the printable below to set a few monthly goals for yourself. Put it in a place you will see it every day as an incentive to make time to work towards achieving those goals!
#4 Spread Kindness
Nothing brings me more joy than making someone else’s day better! It’s like a superpower, but I can make even the grumpiest of Gus’s smile.
The world can be a pretty mean place. You never know what the person in front of you at the grocery store or the barista at your favorite coffee shop is going through. Going the extra mile to ask how someone’s day is going, to compliment the gal at the checkout stations manicure, or simply smiling are a few of my favorite ways to spread more kindness.
If you think about it, how much more energy does it take out of you to be a rude, angry person?? SO MUCH ENERGY…literally it’s draining to be a miserable human being! You just feel lighter as a person when you are spreading kindness! Plus, being grumpy all the time causes wrinkles…wrinkles are for the birds!
Bring on the smiles! Bring on the joy!
#5 Value the Power of Rest
I may sound like a 30-year-old going on 90 but I love my 8 pm bedtime. I am a pretty big creature of habit, so when the clock strikes 8 pm I am well on my way to dreamland.
Making sure to get an ample amount of sleep each night ensures that the following day will be a successful one. A full night’s rest allows the body to recuperate, heal, reenergize, and reset. I’m a full 7 to 8 hours kinda gal myself! I love my beauty sleep! The amount of sleep needed for a successful day is different for everyone. It takes time and experimentation to determine how many hours are right for you. How many hours of sleep do you average a night?
How can you live your best life?
Now that you know the 5 little things I do daily that bring me joy, let’s start thinking about the things you do! Can you identify the simple pleasures in your life? There is no wrong answer here! Thank you for taking a moment to do a little self-exploration…it’s important to make yourself a priority every once and a while! Comment below on the daily things that bring you joy!
Have a great week!
