Joyous energy
Katie Driver
Putting Thinking First | Helping leaders working for good to make a difference the quiet way | Thoughtful coaching, training & facilitation | Thinking Environment
I've been thinking about joy recently.
Too often it seems like a 'nice to have'. Lovely, but, in a busy world with some unbelievably challenging challenges, we think there isn't time for it and we must cut it out of our days.
Even worse, it might be seen as frippery, a distraction, something to feel guilty about feeling, given all that's going on around us.
And anyway, us quieter or introverted folks don't tend to walk around looking visibly excited about stuff, plus leaders are meant to be serious aren't they? So maybe joy is just not for us.
And yet.
The more I think about it, the more I think joy really matters.
Because I think joy unlocks energy. And it sparks and sustains hope.
Just think about that little buzz you get when something goes right. It can be the tiniest thing - a sentence that neatly forms itself into exactly what you wanted to say, a smile on a colleague's face when you listen to them for a moment and they figure something out, some positive feedback on a job well done.
It's a positive energy that buoys you up, lifts your spirits, helps you keep going a little longer.
As I write, I'm reminded again of why I particularly like using the Strengths Profile tool with clients rather than some of the other Strengths psychometrics: it distinguishes between the things you're good at and enjoy doing, from the things you've learned to be good at but which make your heart sink a little each time you do them. A day using more of the strengths you enjoy is far more energising and motivating, even if you're working on really difficult stuff.
And what about the hope part?
Joy reminds us that we can feel uplifted, not only downtrodden, that the world continues on somehow no matter how hard we seem to be trying to stuff it up, that people out there are looking out for each other and doing good things where they are. And that's what really matters.
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As Desmond Tutu said:
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
You can't always make joy happen.
But you can look out for it.
And you can turn towards it. It will help you see possibilities and ways forward. It shows the cracks where the light gets in. It gives you positive reasons to keep persisting.
It's most definitely allowed in your day, no matter how hard things may seem and especially if they seem hard. Because the alternative is, well, joyless.
What do you think?
Co-Founder Odyssey Consulting Ltd - Executive Coach | Culture strategist | Developing Leaders
6 个月Joy has become one of my core values. I think your values can change as you encounter more life experiences. It's so much more than happiness and fun. I totally agree it's an active state, it energises me and others. I try to lean into it whenever I can. I love what you say about hope too - for me there is something about growth here. From the darkness and the less good moments, come learnings and the aspiration for the future.
Coaching with Love ???? ICF Leadership and Life Coach, Group Facilitator and Coaching Supervisor. My secret power? My daily nap!
6 个月Joy is one of the key emotions in the film inside out! Feeling joy is different from feeling happy, it’s an uplifting spark you get when something goes well and it can sustain you through the rest of the day ?? I agree with you, Joy is closely connected to Hope, a hymn that I learnt at school comes to mind!!
Putting Thinking First | Helping leaders working for good to make a difference the quiet way | Thoughtful coaching, training & facilitation | Thinking Environment
6 个月For those interested in reading more, I just came across this Harvard Business Review article about Joy in the workplace: https://hbr.org/2024/08/finding-joy-as-a-manager-even-on-bad-days?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_campaign=weeklyhotlist_Active&deliveryName=NL_WeeklyHotlist_20240902
ICF Master Certified Coach | The Listening Coach | Time to Think Faculty | Leadership Facilitator | Author | Speaker
6 个月Thank you Katie for another superb piece and reflection on the quality and experience of joy. I think we can be open to joy and it shows up everywhere, sometimes when we least expect it. Often it is in the unexpected moments of joy that fulfill us for the rest of our day.