Focus On The Joy
By Kathy Gates, Professional Life Coach

It's the Holiday Season --A new year is just around the corner! I'll bet you're already thinking about how you'd like next year to be a little different than the last, right? (yes, I see hands raising!) 

But instead of thinking of performance, and efficiency, and control, I'd like you to take this opportunity to think about how many things in your daily life do you do "just for the joy of it"? 

What I'm talking about here is value-based happiness (as opposed to temporary happiness). 

Value-based happiness refers to the general feeling of well being that you experience when you are doing what you perceive to be meaningful --when it's something that's important to you. 

When you do things for the Joy of It, you'll rise above problems, and move easier through life. When you love what you do, you naturally become more efficient. Make sense? 

Value Based happiness is a by product from living a life Focused on the Joy. It is the by product of doing things not for what you get in return, not because you "should" or "have-to", but because you WANT to, because they are a part of your highest goals, and what you value. Value based happiness comes from looking at things with your heart, not just your eyes.

You create value based happiness by Focusing on the Joy of life, instead of racing to the next feel-good thrill. 

So how do you Focus on the Joy? 

Usually when you're expressing your values, when you're expressing what's important to you, and living out your highest goals, you'll feel joy. So you're giving to others at virtually no cost to you. When YOU experience joy, others around you feel it too. 

With that in mind, what if I told you to throw out all your ideas about control, effectiveness, and goals? 

Instead --- 

Focus On Learning. Instead of making a goal to achieve more in your job, decide instead to read and learn how to do one new thing each week. 

Focus on Time. Schedule your time to include what's important to you, like reading time, or exercise time, or family time, or learning time. 

Focus on the Why. Instead of just forcing yourself to mop the kitchen floor, tap into the higher goal that mopping the kitchen floor supports (having a clean and healthy home). 

How does that feel? Not bad, huh! If you focus on the pleasure that a desire gives you, you'll find it easier to put in the work that it takes. (One author gives the example of giving blood - while the experience itself may be less than pleasant, the joy comes in knowing 'why' you're doing it.) 

And I absolutely guarantee that you will achieve more, maintain your efforts, and have a much better journey along the way. 

Over the next 12 months, instead of focusing on the effort, FOCUS ON THE JOY. 

Focus on the people and things that are most important to you.

Focus on the pleasure you get out of moving towards your goals. 

Focus on the process of creating something, not what results you expect. 

Invest in yourself more than you ever thought was allowed. 

Not only will you reap rewards, but those around you will benefit more than you ever believed.

Kathy Gates, Professional Life Coach, is the author of several E-books and Coaching Programs designed to help people solve Real Life Challenges, and live Happier, Easier, Better Lives. See her books and programs online at www.reallifecoach.com.