Things That Give Me Joy and Meaning

“If we want to live a wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth.  -Brene Brown

Things that give me joy and meaning

  1. Loving others
  2. Obeying God
  3. Living with a under-full schedule
  4. Loving myself – sleeping enough, eating healthy, exercising consistently
  5. Sitting on the deck
  6. Enjoying quiet
  7. Taking long baths
  8. Reading books
  9. Making time for reflection and writing
  10. Spending time with family and friends
  11. Being a present mom
  12. Having meaningful conversations
  13. Going on vacations, weekends away, dates
  14. Walking, hiking, being outdoors
  15. Laughing
  16. Having family game night
  17. Hanging out or watching tv with the family
  18. Leaving enough space in my day to be available for family and friends
  19. Organizing and cleaning my house so we can enjoy life in it
  20. Making wise choices with our money

I was surprised at how 18 of the 20 things that bring me joy involve use of  my time and only 2 involve money.  This exercise made me realize time is my most limited resource. It appears it is more valuable than money when it comes to living a fulfilled and joyful life.  I don’t have to wait until I am retired to live the life I dream of. I can live it today.

I used to think a good day was one where I completed my to-do list and I was productive.  My new definition looks like this:

A good day is one would be one where I’ve filled my soul up so I have an overflowing cup to give to those around me.  Then making space to allow life to happen with grace, laughter and love.

10 Comments

  1. I enjoyed your list and your insight into what truly makes you happy. As I write my list tonight, I’ll likely include many of the things you’ve listed – except #19 (I’d rather have someone else clean my house so we can enjoy it.) 🙂

  2. Love your positive thoughts here — it’s one of the reasons why I chose to do this writing prompt, as I felt people would naturally write about things that make them happy.

    This exercise made me realize time is my most limited resource.

    Yes! I realize this every time I write a “Things I Like” list (I do this exercise regularly).

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