Written by: Janifer Wheeler, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We hear a lot about how to be happier, but in reality, you need more JOYfull moments to improve your overall well-being and protect your mental state. As many of us are mired in intense and heavy information from the news and social media, financial instability, and political and civil unrest, it’s become more and more difficult to find peace internally and externally. Furthermore, for those of you who are dealing with life transitions, on top of everything else, life might have started to feel like you’re trapped on a never-ending hamster wheel.
Maybe you are taking care of both your children and your parents. Maybe you’re transitioning into a new career. Or grieving the loss of a loved one. Joy is difficult to find when you are living on that wheel. You are not alone.
I’m a coach who helps my clients find JOY in their lives. I help them get off the hamster wheel and live their best life. I would like to share with you some tips that have helped my clients Do Less and Be MORE joyfull in their lives.
What Is Joy?
By definition, joy is a feeling of happiness, satisfaction, or pleasure. It is internal and doesn’t rely on external circumstances or situations. It is fully yours, and NO ONE can take your JOY unless you give it to them!
It’s that simple! And yet, in our ever-busy world, choosing joy and allowing money to follow are truly new ideas.
As humans, we are wired to receive instructions. We love recipes and steps. We are constantly following something. And often, we miss the point! We have all the answers. We know when things bring us joy.
As humans, we experience many emotions throughout our day, but choosing to handle challenging situations through the lens of JOY helps keep our mental health in check.
Here Are 6 Tips From A Joyful Coach On How To Live A Joyful Life:
1. Connect with your intuition
Science tells us our brain & gut are connected via neural pathways. It also says that intuition is the 6th sense. Use that ability to make aligned decisions. When your gut is telling you something, listen.
2. Get clear on your values
Your values are like a personal constitution. They guide everything you do — or don’t do.
These principles and beliefs guide your behavior, actions, and decisions. Consider what you ALWAYS have time & money for. These areas could reflect your values and are a good place to start thinking about what’s important to you.
When you know what they are, making decisions becomes so much easier!
3. Stay the course
Do not allow self-doubt and fears to interfere. Go for it when you know what you want and why you want it!
Think about the last time you got disappointed.
Did you do something that was contrary to your values?
Which values were broken, exactly?
Deep inside, did you really want to take that step or be with someone with that kind of behavior?
4. Make your decisions from a place of joy
Making decisions from joy is powerful because joy is yours. It’s not dependent on outside circumstances or situations.
You can find joy in the simplest things — a beautiful sunset, your favorite book, or a conversation with a good friend. There is also joy in using your gifts, skills, abilities, and experiences in every aspect of your life.
When you make decisions from a place of JOY, they are authentic and aligned with your highest self.
Ask yourself, “If it’s not JOYFULL, why the hell are you doing it?”
What if you have obligations that are not joyful?
Pain is inevitable. But suffering is optional.
It’s hard to find joy when you’re bogged down by obligations that are not joyful. When this happens, find ways to add more joy or fun. Play music. Wear a tiara. Remember, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!
5. Become your own best friend
Take inspired actions that will help you know yourself better. Going for a walk and listening to the sounds of nature can help you generate conversations with your inner voice. Journaling, meditating, and spending time alone are also helpful so you can hear your own thoughts and feelings.
6. Journal
Try journaling your first memory of pure joy. What did it feel like? Look like? Sound like? What were you doing? What was going through your mind? Who else was there? What can you take away from this memory that you can use now?
Practice Joy: How To Add Joy This Week?
Where and how you invest your most valuable resources will help you see if there are gaps. Are you participating in groups, activities, or events that don’t serve you or bring you joy? Are your tasks & to-dos overwhelming, hard to handle, and sucking the joy from your life? How do you know? Make a quick list of the top 10 things you need to do this week and rate each one 1–10 based on how much joy it brings. 10’s are keepers, but 1’s gotta go.
About Wheelhouse Lifestyle Solutions
Wheelhouse Lifestyle Solutions is the headquarters for Joy Full Productivity. With the launch of The JOYFull BadApp, you will find solutions for introverted, badass, GenX women who want to add more JOY to their lives, careers, or business.
It’s not possible to completely separate personal from work, but each area requires something a little different. Most of our strategies and solutions apply to both areas, but if you want to focus:
The JOYFully BadAss Business Academy™ was created to help female business owners win the burnout battle using JOYFull Productivity as a business strategy.
ConverSOULutions provides non-trepreneurs with support and resources for personal growth and connection that apply at home or in your workplace.
Our work-at-your-own pace of micro-courses cover various development topics and are delivered via bite-sized mini lessons making it easier to integrate into your daily routine.
Founder Janifer Wheeler recently shared her story of how she discovered more joy in her life, as well as her tips and advice on how others can do the same, in the bestselling book Creating Joy: Changemakers Share Wisdom, Rituals & Practices For Living A Joy-Filled Life. The book, which features chapters from 13 authors from across the globe, hit multiple number 1 spots on the Amazon bestseller lists when it was published.
As a former teacher-turned award-winning productivity and e-learning consultant, Janifer has spent over 25 years helping schools and small businesses get their shift together around delegation, process development and documentation, workplace culture, and micro-course design.
She says, "I am proud of the support and services I provide for my clients. With my help, they have been able to document all of their processes for more accountability and clarity, design digital courses & micro-learning for training and passive income, and develop delegation strategies and plans for offloading tasks that aren’t in their joyful zone of genius.”
Janifer Wheeler, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Janifer Wheeler is a former teacher turned entrepreneur. She’s spent over 25 years helping schools & small businesses get their shift together through process design, internal structure, education, and workplace culture.
She started The JOYFull BadAss Business Academy™ to help other BadAss female biz owners win the burnout battle using JOY as a business strategy. Her work-at-your own pace courses are delivered via MicroText, making them easier to integrate into your daily routine.
Her clients have gotten trapped by their own brilliance and believe the hype that you must hustle & grind or you will never be successful. No one at the JFBBA believes that BS. If it’s not JOYFull, they aren’t doing it.
As an advocate for JOYFull alignment, she facilitates a process that ensures you are working in your JoyFull Zone of Genius more than you aren’t. And for the rest of the shift that needs to be done, hand it over to staff or an assistant.
It sounds scary ‒ giving other people control, but the JOYFull BadAss has your back. She will help you create the process, structure, and workplace culture you need to effectively and efficiently build a team that will help you avoid business owner burnout and realize the goals & dreams you set for yourself.
Janifer is an award-winning international speaker and facilitator who can infuse your organization, conference, workshop, or event with joy and BadAssery.
She enjoys connecting with people through her global networks that including Netwomen.co, Mums at Work, Amazing Women Alliance, The JOYFull Badass Network, Polka Dot Powerhouse, Brainz Magazine, FEM, and Entrepreneurs Rocket Fuel. There’s no limit to what can be done when we lift each other up.
