Powerful, inspiring, moving, oneness...these are but a few words that attendees used to describe JOY Day 2021 which we celebrated on Friday October 1st. We really hope you were able to make the event and experience JOY Day first-hand. But if you missed it you can either watch a free recording right here or keep reading for a summary of highlights.
If you didn't make it you may wonder, what is JOY Day anyway? Why should I make a point to make it to JOY Day 2022? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
JOY Day is every day, yet here at JOYVIAL, we have made an event out of it to share space with you and connect. We want to empower you to recognize the best in yourself, and know that we see you and we celebrate you as you are on your journey.
We have given it a name and a date and a time. But one takeaway from this year's JOY Day event is that JOY can be found all around you every day of your life; no matter where you are, who you are, or what your circumstances may be.
And, yes, we understand that not everything in life will be sunshine and rainbows. Jennifer Cooper, President of World 50, Inc., said it best, “We aren’t all going to smile and be cheerful everyday, and that’s a ridiculous bar to hold ourselves against. This is about showing up as a real person and seeing others as real people and appreciating that.”
I know what you’re thinking, ‘Okay, okay. So JOY is everywhere...I get it. But what about when I’m experiencing one of those Alanis Morissette Ironic, it’s-like-rain-on-your- wedding-day, kind of days? How am I supposed to actualize gratitude in those challenging moments that are bound to happen?
JOYVIAL health coaches, Liani Greaves and Lisa Engle discussed JOY and what role gratitude plays after our panel discussion concluded. Liani explained that, “We can hold space for gratitude for all of our experiences. We can experience gratitude any time. It’s not just a switch that we get to turn on when things are going well, but we get to experience gratitude as a beacon of light when things are dark and difficult.”
Lisa agreed with Liani, “Just because it’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean it’s negative. It can truly be a gift that generates the energy and the intention and the clarity to move towards that place of peace.”
Wow. Powerful insight.
Another esteemed panelist on JOY Day, EVP/Chief People Capital Officer of the Atlanta Braves, DeRetta Rhodes, PhD opened up to us about some of her tough times.
DeRetta was able to forge through by finding JOY in the little things when the bigger things in life seemed to be going awry.
“In order for you to use that gratitude muscle you have to practice it daily, and I can tell you when there were things I’ve gone through...going through a divorce and the death of my grandmother...it’s hard to feel like you have gratitude. So I have a journal and I make sure I write in it every day….”
Liani shared, “as a coach one of the valuable things I get to do is help my clients build and develop the muscle of awareness around emotions. All emotions are data, it’s a signal.
What signal is that emotion sending you about what you value? What need isn’t getting met here? What am I meant to learn here?” These are helpful questions to ask yourself.
Author, Speaker, Executive Coach, and Leadership Consultant, Jill Ratliff gave JOY Day attendees some invaluable advice. “If you want to change anything that you do, you
have to first understand that 85% of what you do all day every day is a habit, you don’t think about it. You go through life doing what you always did.
So if you want to become a person who lives your life with JOY you have to figure out how to make it a habit. How?
JOY is not something that requires a catalyst in your life to create it. It is something that’s there all day every day. All you have to do is notice it.
It’s a cool breeze on a hot summer day, it’s a bite into a sweet apple or the smile on a kid's face. Recognizing these things is something you need to practice.”
Daniela Campari, Head of Brand Innovation at Honeywell expressed, “I have been told that I am really good at giving positive affirmation to others but not very good at accepting kindness from others or from myself.
There’s no question that when you give it you get those highs. When you give it to yourself it’s kind of tough. Practice it and concentrate on what you did well. You’re doing a good job. Be thankful for your personal power gifts”.
Some of you may already know my personal story. I learned that sometimes hard situations are opportunities for growth. For me, it was a divorce in 2008. I put myself in a hole for 2 ½ years.
Without that hole, JOYVIAL, our company, would have never existed. It was that heartache that propelled everything forward to something really really powerful and good.
No matter who you resonated most with throughout JOY Day or wherever you see yourself today, start there.
One bit of research we shared on JOY Day is that every time you think a thought, that thought goes down a certain connection in your brain. The more you think that thought, the thicker this connection becomes. So when you think negative thoughts it becomes easier for your brain to use that same pathway to lead you to more negative thoughts.
Positive thoughts and gratitude creates new brain wiring. The more you use those connections the easier it is for your brain to automatically shift to that way of thinking no matter what may be going on in your world.
JOY Day 2021 big takeaways
Keep a daily gratitude journal or develop a daily gratitude practice.
Keep an empty jar, some scratch paper, and a pen around the house. Every day ask everyone in the family to write down one thing that you and they are grateful for about one other person in the family and drop it in the jar. Read them out at the end of the week or at the end of the month and I guarantee you will feel such tremendous joy.
Practice gratitude and share it with others around you each day through positive affirmations.
Send a gratitude text when you’re busy - “You’re never too busy to just pick it up and send a quick note and appreciate someone.” ~Jennifer Cooper
Acknowledge that you can control your energy and actions and you cannot control other things around you.
Keep an Emotions Awareness Journal reminding you to assess how you feel and why. This way you can connect to that space within yourself to recognize and honor your needs.
Find your JOY in what some consider the mundane. It’s the simplest things in life that can bring us JOY.
Remember to hold yourself to realistic expectations and be grateful for what you are accomplishing.
Like health coach Liani said, “My clients are not broken or needing to be fixed. They already possess everything that they need in order to be resourceful and to thrive. Our work is to help them find that place.”
- JOYVIAL Health Coach Liani Greaves
“Trust the process...the data is on the road. Things are unfolding for us and in us and it is a process that we are all involved with.”
- JOYVIAL Health Coach Lisa Engle
Tough times will happen. That's a fact of life, however, we at JOYVIAL are here to help you look ahead so you reach a place where you are living your healthiest, most JOYful life.
Want to have more JOY in your life? If so, we are here to help. Our JOYVIAL team of professional executive health coaches help you find the time in your life to do the things that bring you JOY.
We keep you energized every step of the way as you integrate new habits and start living a life you love. Click the 'Contact' button in the top right corner or simply send us an email to info@joyvial.com to schedule your free discovery session.
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