I think that in today’s society there is always this need to be busy and productive. We run around like crazy, commit to things that we don’t really have the time for, and often don’t realise just how empowering it can be to take a step back from everything. 

It has taken years for me to come to the realisation that as much as I wish study and work could always be productive, the reality is it can’t. There are going to be days when you are in the mood and there are days when you’re not and that’s okay. As I get older I’m beginning to see the value in rest, and I hope I can inspire you to do the same. That said, practicing this is very much a work in progress for me.

I love this quote by George Bernard Shaw - “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” I want you to think now about what you do for play. Do you think that you do it enough? I know I definitely don’t.

At the moment I am really into this concept of ‘choosing joy’. There is a fantastic talk on Netflix called Brené Brown: The Call to Courage. In it, she tells the story of her son who did really well on a school project. As a reward, the teacher said that he could choose to get points added to his final grade or choose the ‘secret treasure.’ When he came home from school all excited Brené asked him how many points will be added to his grade. He replied, “I chose the secret treasure.” In other words, he chose the joy. I find myself doing this more and more. I choose the sunrise walk on the beach over the gym, the time on the phone with the friend over that documentary everyone is watching, to make a mess in the kitchen than to just chuck something in the oven. I don’t choose it every time, but I am so much more aware of it. I even have a ‘stickie’ on my laptop screen that says “It’s okay to choose joy💫🌈” 

I hope that this week you choose something just for joy. Remember, it doesn’t have to be productive. This is about finding something that warms you up inside and makes you smile.