A friend and I made a pact to focus on joy for 30 days. The funny thing is, after 18 months of pandemic, social and political unrest, climate disasters, and more, I was having trouble connecting to what brings me joy.
I decided to focus on really simple, kinda silly things. At the top of my list is watching Alfonso Ribeiro do his famous “Carlton Dance.” Makes me happy every time I see it. The dance originated on the show Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Carlton was the preppy, uptight foil to his cool and funny cousin, Will. Whenever he thought no one was home, Carlton would crank up Tom Jones’s song, “It’s Not Unusual,” and dance with abandon around the living room. The whole thing — from song choice to signature dance moves — is ridiculous but infectious because we’re watching Carlton’s unapologetic, nerdy, embarrassing joy unfold.
In a course I’m taking, Sara Landon said, “In the vibration of the problem, you will not find the solution.” She suggested that pursuing and finding our joy leads to answers.
When I look back on my 30-year career, my best, most fruitful, and most creative ideas never sprang from a place of forced concentration. They came to me in relaxed and happy moments. In the shower, on a road trip with my family, during a weekend retreat with friends. Then, too, my most successful and easiest projects, the ones that…
