Whether shopping amongst strangers, visiting with family and friends, or celebrating at work, December is the opportune month for others to catch what you’ve got. What will you be spreading?
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With every handshake, every hug, every conversation, every brush with a stranger you are the carrier and purveyor of something. What will it be? When people are exposed to you, what would you like their take away to be that they then transmit to others?
Given the time of year, why not make it a jubilant common denominator that uniquely bridges barriers of ethnicity, religion, age, income, politics and education. What about being contagious with joy?
Don’t dismiss this as fluff. Being joyous is physiologically and psychologically good for you. At its best joy is an expression radiating from the deepest parts of our being. It serves your life well to be very good at transmitting joy. Each time you happily deck the halls, truly convey joy to a person and let light and love fill your home and your heart you imprint a meaningful measure of bliss both on your present and your future.
As you build such experiences you create biological imprints of positive expectations, preferences and opinions about the people and world around you. In doing so you imprint others with joy that is then contagiously passed on. What a gift to give to yourself and the people you care for.
The more you do this the more you are physiologically motivated to continue. Done at its most artful level, being contagious with joy turns into a way of life that adds depth, fulfilment and meaning to who we are. And it’s not hard to do. Here’s how.
Noticing
Add noticing joy to your daily agenda. Most of our days are consumed with thinking or concern about our past or future as well as what we need to be doing now. In all that thinking and doing make sure you intersperse some noticing…noticing the existence and creation of joy all around you.
Recently while having breakfast out I noticed sitting near me a father with his daughter who was about four years old. Like many young children she was asking multiple questions as she attempted to eat her pancakes. The dad responded to each question attentively and logically, prompting a true conversation between the two of them. He caringly assisted her in slicing her pancakes and responded in kind to her smiles and quiet laughter.
As I noticed and absorbed their interactions, I was suddenly filled with an enormous sense of joy and unexpected pride. I was seeing the seeds of joy and its necessary components of responsibility and reason being planted to grow in the future. I was joyous for the two of them and the prospects for their family. I also was joyous for the future of the children and families and cultures that are fortunate to have such conscientious and loving parents. I was proud and joyous for me, for the opportunity to live in such a culture and world.
As they were leaving, I greeted the father and told him how good it made me feel to see such intelligent and caring parenting. He seemed genuinely appreciative, paused, and said, “I expect you are the same kind of parent.” …Since I try my best, I too was pleased. Joy was contagious and even more meaningful because it was noticed and passed on.
Become positively contagious by noticing the contributors to joy all around you. The aroma of the coffee, the tastiness of dessert, the holiday decorations and their meaning, the amazing humans and human creations that serve you, the brilliance of the fall colors and the everyday wonderous beauty, boldness and intricacy of nature. Such noticing restores your energy, makes you happier and renews your will power for the demanding tasks of work and life. Spread those joyous observations by pointing them out and celebrating them with others.
Be More Childlike
As we take on more adult responsibilities joy does not come to us as automatically as it does to children. The childhood stage is naturally one of wonder and wander. The young child’s eyes glow with interest, her heart melting smiles are unfettered… and she notices. Young children don’t worry about tomorrow, they excitedly explore the people and things of their present.
This holiday season be contagious with some childlike joy. Smile! A beaming smile spreads joy just as assuredly as a sneeze can spread a cold. Risk being fun, even cheesy. Be more innocent, interested and less skeptical; give the benefit of the doubt; say out-loud to the people you love… “I love you”…often. Notice, dwell on and share happy moments and memories.
December is the month of joy. I encourage you to intentionally use these 31 days to implant that spirit into your everyday way of living. As you go about your tasks notice the delights that present themselves and the successes you can joyously celebrate. A couple of handfuls of 5 second smiles, 30 second pats on the back to others or yourself, a minute here and there to dwell on the simple or awesome wonder around you…or to just laugh. All tolled it might add up to only 5 to 15 minutes, but they can be some of the most valuable minutes of your day.
Remember, we must achieve in order to live and… we must enjoy to make the living and achieving worthwhile.
I wish you and yours a contagiously joyous December and beyond.
Jim Bird
Publisher
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Quotes
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
“If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.”
“It is possible to live happily in the here and the now. So many conditions of happiness are available – more than enough for you to be happy right now. You don’t have to run into the future in order to get more.”
Thích Nhất Hạnh (October 11, 1926 – ) is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author and peace activist.
Better to do less and enjoy more over the holidays than to do more and be stressed out. Intentionally calendar some relaxed downtime to avoid the negative tension of an over committed schedule.