What Sparks Joy?
If you haven't heard of this phrase lately, you might just be living under a rock.
The amazing Marie Kondo (author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and Spark Joy) has a new Netflix show called Tidying Up. If you haven't watched it yet, go ahead and indulge. Your closets will love you for it.
But beyond clean closets, Marie Kondo has been impacting my life on the art of Sparking Joy since I read her books about two years ago. I'd HIGHLY recommend reading them! I found them difficult to put down as they were just really delightful.
After much thought, here's why I think she's had a powerful impact on the world today - and it's not just about having a tidy home.
Getting Back To Basics
About three weeks ago, I started watching Tidying Up. Both in her trailer, and one of the episodes shows her in this glorious transcendent moment when she opens a drawer to a mess. She seemed to gasp with pleasure.
The home owner said, 'wow, she seems really excited about this!' to which Marie replied with wild eyes, in her broken English, 'I luff mess!' I was transfixed. I felt this tears welling up as this glorious moment of her life's purpose had escaped the spirit world and expressed itself physically.
Her life's purpose had escaped the spirit world
and expressed itself physically.
It just hit me. We over complicate EVERYTHING!! Here is a woman who just LOVES to tidy!
She has created a way to manage the mess with special folding and storage techniques. She has created a system to really get clear about what sparks joy in your life (it's simple really - just pause and ask yourself).
She's written two books, and now hosts her own Netflix series. She didn't let the fact that she's not fluent in English stop her. In fact, it's part of the charm when she arrives with her interpreter.
So What's the Missing Ingredient?
We need to figure out what we LOVE doing!!
It's simple, yet we complicate the process so much. Sometimes you need to be quiet and ask yourself what really sparks joy about your work. You may be surprised by the answer.
We are all built for something amazing! We just forget sometimes. It could be as simple as tidying up. And yet we overcomplicate it.
Marie Kondo loves to TIDY! And the world knows her because of it! She can't contain her OWN spark of joy! And it's infectious.
As weird as it sounds, I actually LOVE helping people find their unique blend of Awesomesauce. It's my superpower, actually.
When I see that true joy in someone, it really feels like a spiritually transcendent moment to me. I can't help but get goosebumps, or weirdly enough, cry like a baby.
What Sparks Joy for you?
3 Questions to Ask Yourself:
- What are my natural gifts? We all have them, and as a result tend to overlook them as something valuable. We think just because WE find it easy, it must mean that everybody else has this natural ability too.
NOPE! That's all you. So start there. Make a list of all the things you're great at - even if it's in the 'soft skills' area (like making people feel good), because these are gifts too, and are often the first overlooked as we turn to more tangible 'gifts'.
- What do I naturally enjoy doing? Again - we forget that the things we enjoy doing could be worth sharing with the world. Like gardening, or a-hem, tidying. Right?
- What makes me crazy? My favourite part - the often overlooked, 'what makes you CRAZY?!" question. If you can't figure out what you love doing or what you're great at, consider that whatever makes you stark raving mad, is probably the thing you're designed to solve in the world.
No matter what you're built for, there IS something that sparks joy within you, AND the world needs more of THAT!
When you're on your life's purpose, there's nothing more satisfying and fulfilling for you, and for others.
Tell me - what sparks joy in YOU?
Reply, and let me know! I haven't had a transcendent moment yet today. Or a good cry for that matter. đŸ˜‰
