Off Our Radar

Our most ordinary things can bring us joy. But we pile. Collect. And dare I say horde to the point it can become overwhelming. They can be overlooked or lost. I discovered I needed to be better at enjoying the things I see everyday around me. Once I’ve done that for a while, I almost always feel satisfied. There isn’t really a want. The elements of things that bring us joy in our life when found again cannot be denied obviously.

We will want to celebrate them as we should, so it continues. Once it was recognized in my life I started to see more of the design around me in the world wether it was mine or not, bring me even more joy. That’s what I want to explore.

Let’s take colors that are around us everywhere from work to home. A little smudge of color or a new color completely captures my attention. The power of color around us is a powerful thing often times overlooked. It can bring to our spaces a more joyful feeling. When you’re in that feeling, you get things done. You find a creativeness that you don’t in any other spaces.

Finding a space that is like that then, should be the first thing we try to find before we settle in to do any kind of work. A drab, sucked of all color space, then will gives a depressing feeling. That’s when we will begin to look for and find other things to bring us joy. Before you know it, you’re off in Neverland of scrolling for joy, not getting anything done. That’s why to write, I pick usually my color rich room full of comic art and splashes of color. I always feel creative there in that space to do my work.

Find a place that is organized in your work and life. Create for yourself a space that you can find harmony at any time in. I’ve heard some call it a “bliss station.” I have one for studying, reading, and exploring my creativity. Like Feng Shui creates a harmonious space for us to create, a bliss station does the same for me. Try it and I think you will find joy and happiness there. It’s overlooked most often because one we can’t find time to create one and two, we’re to busy to just find time to sit in the space we create for it. But, again, it’s undeniable that we need one.

For many this space can be right when you walk in the door. For others on FB I’ve seen it as a coffee station isolated from everything else in the kitchen and sometimes like a bar, not even in the kitchen. I have a friend that has a craft beer area for his bliss station complete with fridge and place to open the bottles. It’s completely isolated from everything else. The point, coming into a pile of junk strewn around is not going to give you joy or create the same affect. We need an organized space tied and designed to honor something that we enjoy.

What can we lose ourselves in? These moments where you can completely let go of the world and lose yourself in something you enjoy is an incredible feeling. Something for me is running and LEGOs. I’ve shared very regularly that I am not running to be the best runner in the world, I run because it’s a space of joy for me. Many times it is my therapy. Same for LEGOs. I have a friend that turned me onto it. I’ve bought several kits. I love just zoning out and assembling these really cool creations from a pile of bricks. Something about those moments where we can zone out, that recharge us creatively. It’s crucial I would even say, to create some space for playfulness to happen.

Be quirky. Take your joy with you. Something to be said about people relaxing around me more when I show off my lucky Batman dress socks to them. They seem to just relax and open up more. They’re probably thinking, “This guys has some weird comic superhero socks on, I think he’s okay.” Just a touch of humor and quirkiness can help anyone relax, be less anxious, and feel honestly more joyful.

This is a portable version of all the examples above. You can’t create a space for yourself everywhere, so bring it with you. It can be socks I mentioned above, a weird tee shirt that makes people stop to read it, or a button that’s out of the ordinary on your bag or shirt. My dad (whose passed now) always had these crazy little trinkets, pins, and things he’d mobilize to bring with him. They always started conversations and helped in spaces people just relax or open up. This was his gift. It works. I’ve inherited all these gizmos and what-nots he had and created a little shadow box museum of collectibles. You guessed it, they’re in my bliss station to see. They do still, to this day relax me and bring me joy.

These are all things that are easy for work and for life you can do to bring joy or happiness into you spaces. Find them. Honor them. Never overlook them or underestimate their power to bring you joy. Keep them on your radar!

✌🏻 Shawn