The phrase “does it bring you joy?” is often associated with the KonMari method, popularized by Marie Kondo, which encourages individuals to evaluate their belongings based on whether they “spark joy”. Joy, in this context, is a feeling of happiness or delight, and the question is a tool to help people identify what truly matters to them and create a more fulfilling environment.
The KonMari method, outlined in Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” emphasizes decluttering and organizing by asking the core question: “Does this item spark joy?” This method encourages people to hold each item and assess whether it elicits a positive, joyful feeling. If an item doesn’t spark joy, it’s discarded or repurposed.
Joy as a Guiding Principle
The concept of “sparking joy” isn’t just about happiness; it’s about identifying things that genuinely resonate with you and contribute to your overall well-being.
It’s beyond material possessions. While the KonMari method is often applied to physical belongings, the principle can extend to various aspects of life, such as relationships, activities, and commitments.
The method emphasizes that joy is a personal experience. What brings joy to one person may not bring joy to another. By intentionally choosing items and experiences that spark joy, individuals can create a more positive and fulfilling environment.
The process of evaluating what brings joy can also foster a sense of gratitude for the things that do bring happiness and a greater awareness of what is truly important.
So, does it bring you joy? Have you ever asked yourself this question?
Why do you allow things in your life if they don’t bring you joy? Instead of ignoring all the stuff around you, noticing whether something brings you joy or takes away from your joy will help you create a happier you! The more things you have around you that bring you joy, the more happy moments you get in your day. When something doesn’t bring you joy then you need to figure out how to reconfigure it and make it work for you…or figure out how to let it go. Essentially, re-purpose it, donate it, or let it bring someone else Joy!
Through this exercise, you become more aware of what’s around you and you become proactive in creating a positive environment for yourself. If something is in your life but it doesn’t bring you joy or serve you, then why are you letting it stay? Moreover, noticing what brings me joy every day makes me grateful for all I have. Most importantly, the more proactive you are in creating your happy life, the more empowered you feel. The more you are aware of God’s blessings.
Self-care is an essential precursor to well-being. Yet in order to practice self-care that truly fills up your well-being bucket, you first need to know what it is that you love to do. I know that a few years back I would have been completely lost if someone had asked me – “So what is it you like to do for fun?”
Doing what we love helps us feel alive inside. Filling our lives up with things that fill us up seems so simple, yet it has a big impact on how happy we feel.
This post is for those of you who have no idea what you love. Perhaps you’ve never given it any thought? Or perhaps the idea of just stopping and rattling off a list of things you love to do leaves you feeling clueless. Trust me, I hear ya.
When you’re ready, grab a notebook and use these 4 question prompts to help you compile a list of things you love. It is this “Things I Love List” that forms the cornerstone of my self-care practice.
I’d encourage you to put your list somewhere accessible and to keep adding to it as you remember or discover new things you love.
Here are 4 things to think about to help tap into the things that bring you alive and make you feel warm in your heart:
- Brain Dump – List all the things that immediately come to your mind that you love.
Give yourself 5-10 minutes and scribble out a messy list of all the things that come to mind when you ask: What do I love?
Don’t censor yourself. Write everything and anything that comes to mind. People, things, places, activities, etc. etc.
Often a big part of the problem is that we don’t give ourselves the time and space we need to identify the things we enjoy. We never really reflect on what it is we need and what fills us up.
Some of the things I love: the smell of freshly cut grass, my dogs, making art, tacos, beautiful flowers, fuzzy blankets, naps, plants and more plants, twinkle lights, music, hummingbirds, blown glass, antiquing and thrifting, farmhouses on the horizon…you get the gist!
The list doesn’t need to have any form or sense about it. As you can see, mine is a mix of all sorts of things. If you want to organize it later, you absolutely can. The main aim of this question is to give yourself the uninterrupted space to reflect and think through what you enjoy.
- Think back to your Childhood – What did you do in your spare time?
Think back to your childhood and teen years and ask yourself, what did I do for fun? What were the activities that you were interested in when there was no pressure from the outside world? What were the games that you most loved to play?
For me, I rode bikes all over our town, wrote short stories, did art and craft projects with my mom, when I was younger I was in dancing for quite a few years and I read a lot of books.
There are no restrictions to what may come up for you. Write from your heart. The aim of this question is to help you remember the things that used to bring you joy, that perhaps you’ve forgotten to make space for in your life as you’ve grown.
- What are you Curious about? What are some of the things you’re interested in learning more about?
Grab your notepad and ask yourself – What am I curious about? What would I like to know more about, or perhaps try doing?
In Western culture, we don’t put enough value on the things that simply just interest us a little bit. Instead, we have come to overvalue things that are “productive” or move us towards a specific goal. We don’t allow ourselves the time or space to explore that which we might find interesting.
Yet just like children, adults need to “play”. To feel truly happy in our hearts, from time-to-time we need to do things just because we want to – not because we have anything to gain from it. Brene Brown talks about this deep need within us.
A list might include: additional Bible study, glass blowing, painting, fishing, traveling, mission trips, yoga, specific areas of serving.
The main aim of this question is to help you tap into the things that you might not yet know you love. If you follow your inbuilt sense of curiosity, you may just find a whole new bunch of things that are worth trying that you may truly love.
- What would your Dream Day look like?
Ask yourself: If I was away from all of the pressures of real world stuff, and money and time were no object, what would my dream day look like?
You can go into as much detail as you like, but I’d encourage you to immerse yourself in what this could look like for you. The main aim of this question is to help you picture doing the things you love, rather than being forced just to list them.
Once you’ve asked yourself these 4 questions, and given each of them the time and thought they deserve, I would encourage you to come back and reflect on your list.
We all deserve to have a life thoroughly sprinkled with things we deep down, enjoy. These are the types of things that revive and restore us, and give us the energy to keep going and giving our best to the world.
Over the past year, my husband and I have asked ourselves more and more, “Would this bring me joy.” As he winds down into retirement, he is beginning to judge projects offered to him, by ‘Would this bring him joy.” If no, he passes.
As I’m offered new opportunities or commitments, “Would this bring me joy?” No? Pass.
In a lot of ways, we crowd our lives with people, activities, things and more things. No wonder, it’s hard to hear God among all this chaos. Too much clutter!
When you begin only filling your life with things that bring you joy, your life simplifies and your gratitude grows.
Of course, there will always be the tasks of life – laundry, dirty dishes, commuting, doctor appointments. Where’s the joy in that?
Well, some of this is simply learning to find joy in all things. In other words, the joy has to emanate from the doer, not the task and joy exists according to the person perceiving it. Experiencing joy is about how you see life, not what you have or do.
Living a life full of joy doesn’t mean only doing joyful things. If you can find joy not in the things you do but in the way you are, you can find joy in anything. And you’ll be on your way to living a life full of joyful things.
So, my thought? Clear the clutter – people and things, bring in the joy, and do it with a happy heart. Praise to the Lord.
Good luck.
Deb Bostwick
Singles Blogger