Jump Start Your Joy®

Are you looking for ways to define what brings you joy, and identify your passions? In this episode I'm sharing 2 exercises to help figure out what you're passionate about and 10 ways to bring more of that passion to your work and your life.

Read the full show notes on my website

1. Introspection - Using the tools above, or working with a coach, a mentor, or a journal can provide a lot of insight for you. It's also important that you take time to heal any sort of past trauma or issues that might be making it hard for you to define or get in touch with your passions.
2. Just start moving and working on things. Lots of times people think that they need to have everything all figured out before they can take the first step. Instead, think of the first logical step and give it a try.
3. Let your passion stand on it's own. If you're interested in something, give it a try. Sometimes, instead of taking a first step, you may think that you need to have a plan to monetize a hobby, or have an end goal in mind for why you'd begin working on it. Passion and creativity are often most joyful when they are done for the sake of being fun and playful. You don't need an end "result" on the horizon to begin.
4. It's OK to make bold moves. You often learn the most when you try something that is out of your comfort zone. Many people worry that they will "fail" when they try something they haven't done before. What if you removed that idea from the equation, and decided that there was no such thing as failure when it comes to following your passion?
5. It's OK to "go back" to something if your first try doesn't work the way you'd planned. If you are working on building a business, and it doesn't work the way you'd envisioned the first time, it's OK to go back to work that supports you and your family. There's no shame, and nothing lost in continuing your quest as a side hustle, or starting over with a new focus.
6. Notice if you've had "enough." You might discover that something that once brought you joy no longer does. Or, you might realize that you've had enough at a job that isn't serving you, or that you're no longer interested in continuing a hobby or a business that you once enjoyed. This is natural and part of being human.
7. Look for the pivot points. I also call this being "well planned and loosely held," but notice when you see something shifting before your eyes in your plans. Often times, as you begin to build something your focus changes. You can also shift your business or your hobby or your interests to match those changes.
8. Follow what feels right. If you've grown tired of doing something, stop. If something else feels interesting or bring you joy, do that. Resist staying with something just because you "should."
9. The universe will give you opportunities to show you that you can do it. As you begin to grow your hobby or your passion or business, you'll see that the universe will show you that you're very capable of doing something. Looking back, you'll be able to see that you overcame challenges to get to where you are. Stop to celebrate those wins. You grow and change as your interests do, and it's always good to notice that you did something you once thought might be impossible.
10. You'll get more of something when you're ready. This may have to do with manifesting, or with growth. You'll see that once you've got a grasp of how to do something, you'll often be faced with opportunities that allow you to grow. Be intentional about the growth. You might find that old versions of what you thought you wanted resurface. It's OK to say no to things that don't fit you, anymore

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Resources

Resources

Brene Brown's "Living Our Values" Exercise

ClaimPodParity List and Website

Heather Hall, Coach for Introverts

Interview with Lauren Artress about Labyrinth

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I'm really excited to have author Renee Linnell back on JSYJ!. This is her second time on the podcast, and in this brand new conversation, we're talking about her book that came out on August 16, 2022, which is titled "Still on Fire: A Memoir."

Renee first came on the show when her first book, "The Burn Zone," came out. This book was was all about how she found herself in a cult several years ago. Her new book is a delightful continuation of her amazing craft of storytelling. The themes that come through in her new book are all around trusting your intuition, manifesting things in your life, and the idea that this life is a continuation of your soul's ongoing journey.

Of course, these are some of my very favorite themes and there's such joy and delight in this conversation with Renee.

Resources:

Renee Linnell's first interview on JSYJ

Renee Lineell's book: "Still on Fire: A Memoir"

Renee Linnell's book: "The Burn Zone"

Emma Loewe is the co-author of The Spirit Almanac, and she is the senior sustainability editor for mindbodygreen, and she has released the amazing book, Return to Nature: The New Science of How Nature Landscapes Restore Us. In it, she shares the different kinds of landscapes, how they effect your mental health, studies about why they improve your mental health, and things you can do to counter-act the effects of climate change on these landscapes. This discussion fits so well into this month's theme of "finding home," and I hope you love this conversation about the return to nature with Emma Loewe.

Read the full show notes on my website.

In this episode, Emma Loewe and I talk about:

• How the idea of this book came about
• A profound memory Emma has of a maple tree in her yard growing up, and why many of us have anchoring memories that revolve around nature.
• My resonance with the landscapes of oceans and coasts and forests and trees.
• What a forest bath is, and how to experience one
• The fractals in trees, and why that is soothing to humans
• How to handle grief and anxiety over climate change in an effective and non-overwhelming way

Resources

Emma Loewe's book, "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us" on Bookshop.org

Emma Loewe's website

Emma Loewe on Instagram

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Creativity and joy are closely related. If you're feeling stuck, and need some inspiration on how to tap into creativity - Marion Abrams of Grounded Content and I have 8 ideas for you to jumpstart your creativity and joy.

Here they are:

1. Just do the thing. Starting is the hardest part.

2. Double down on what you've been doing. Recommit to it.

3. Take yourself on an "artist's date. " (as inspired by Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way)

4. Revisit the source of your inspiration. What started you on your creative journey? Spend time with that, and DO some of it.

5. If you're creating something and have data that can inform you as to what has done the best (on your blog, podcast, social media), spend some time looking at what past episodes or posts have done the best. Go back and look at what some of your favorite past work has been, and take inspiration from that.

6. Take a break or a breather.

7. What has been the favorite thing you've created for your show / blog / art? What did you love about it, or love about creating it? Use your past favorite work as inspiration for what comes next.

8. Go pro, as inspired by Steven Pressfield's "War of Art." Sometimes, you are not going to love your art or the thing you create. And, that's when you need to go back to it and do the work.

Bonus: try "Morning Pages" as an exercise, (Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way)

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Resources:

Podcasting and Content Creator Insights / Our YouTube Show

Marion's site and Grounded Content

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

The Art of War by Steven Pressfield

Big Magic by Liz Gilbert

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The weighty-ness of the past two years means we're all working through difficult things. Joy is as important now as ever before. Joy gives you room for "overflow" which allows you to be more present & available for the things that matter most.

In this episode, I'm sharing:

1. a quote that made me rethink the role of joy in the world, and why we must keep choosing it.

2. How the current news cycle, and use of fear by many politicians and mass media keeps us stuck in feeling like we can't do anything but stay plugged in to the fire hose of fear that they create.

3. Why and how joy is important: taking time for joy-filled things like concerts, writing, creative outlets, and other things means you build overflow.

4. How overflow allows you to do more of the important things you love. And how that can change the world.

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Resources:

Episode with Sonya Renee Taylor

Support "The Body is Not an Apology"

Support "ARD (Anti-Racism Daily) Newsletter"

Find & Subscribe to The Newsworthy (a daily news podcast)

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Jenn Oglesbee is a certified life coach and licensed clinical social worker, and the discussions that she and I had last summer on Instagram Live are what me to choose the "Intentional Comfort" for season seven on Jump Start Your Joy. We had a series called "What the Hell?," and in it we discussed the events of the past couple of years, and how they impacted our lives. Jenn and I share a love of talking about joy, and have both woven it into our work.

It's an honor to have Jenn come back a year later, and share more about her own journey. In December of 2021, Jenn lost her sister to a rare form of brain cancer. She has been open in sharing about how the grief has shown up in her life, and how losing someone as close as a sibling has felt. She and I had had an interview on the books at the end of last year, and she asked to reschedule our discussion until after she felt ready to talk about things. And, she offered to dive into how finding and making space for intentional comfort in the midst of grief has looked for her over the past few months.

Resources

Jenn Oglesbee's website: https://www.jennoglesbee.com/

Our three Instagram lives from last summer: Part One Part Two Part Three

The mashup of the three Instagram Lives, as heard on Jump Start Your Joy

In this episode, Jenn Oglesbee and I talk about:

• her joy as a child, doing dance parties, writing, and playing
• the uncertainty involved around her sister's illness and diagnosis, and navigating supporting her during the COVID pandemic
• the difference between coaching and therapy
• looking for the little joys in life during hard times, even when joy feels like it is hard to grasp
• the grief and uncertainty that many of us felt during the pandemic
• surrendering to grief
• giving yourself permission to take a break for emotions other than grief during mourning
• how writing can help you process big emotions
• sharing what feels right, to the right people, when you are ready
• reconnecting with joy
• how she jump starts her joy: with downtime, making time for creativity, giving yourself permission to look weird and feel foolish

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Mindfulness is a great way to find more joy and center yourself. In this time of transition, when things feel difficult, it's great to have a few easy, go-to mindfulness tools.

The five are:

1. Notice your emotions, and share them with someone else.

2. Breathe, as taught by Thich Nhat Hanh. I share his practice of inhaling, exhaling, and smiling.

3. Observe (or spend time in) Nature. As discussed in my previous episode with Emma Loewe, author of Return to Nature, nature has restorative properties for humans. When you feel stressed, take a moment to look out your window or take a break for a walk if you have the time.

4. Meditate, using a visual or guided meditation.

5. Spend time walking a labyrinth, either by physically walking a labyrinth or using a hand labyrinth.

Resources:

Emma Loewe on Jump Start Your Joy

Insight Timer (Sarah Blondin) - for guided meditations

Insight Timer (my channel: Paula Jenkins) - for guided meditations

World Labyrinth Locator to walk a labyrinth

Veriditas, a non profit that offers courses on about labyrinths

Kennolyn Camp

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In tying in with this season's theme of "Intentional Comfort," and the mini series on "Finding Home," I'm excited to share about how finding and honoring your heart's second home. The idea of having homes beyond the physical place you dwell is one that hit me in about 2004, when I attended a retreat at San Damiano in Danville, CA. It became clear to me that some places feel like home, usually because of the community or the connection I had to them. In this episode, I'm sharing a few of those places, what they mean to me, and how you can also find and honor your heart's second home.

Read the full show notes on my website.

Resources

Laura Joyce Davis on Jump Start Your Joy, talking about Shelter in Place

San Damiano Retreat in Danville, CA

Kennolyn Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains

The Sea Ranch

UC Santa Barbara

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Laura Joyce Davis started her podcast, Shelter in Place, just as the pandemic shut California and the United States down on March 17, 2020. We talk about finding joy in hard times, defining the meaning of home, and sheltering in place as parents.

Laura is a Minneapolis native who now calls Oakland home. She is an award-winning fiction writer, a Fulbright scholar, a WNYC Podcast Accelerator finalist, and a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. She is a mom of three young kids who believe that anything is possible if you have a cape, a crown, and a very good book (she doesn't disagree). In past lives she's been a collegiate running coach, a Big Ten athlete, an award-winning a cappella singer, and a blue ribbon winner at the 4-H county fair. Both at Shelter in Place and in Laura's past writing are grounded in the conviction that changing our communities begins with changing ourselves.

In this episode, Laura and I talk about:

• what sheltering in place was like with children
• the overwhelming impacts of the fires in California in August 2020
• Laura's family moving to Massachusetts during the pandemic
• the first two seasons of Shelter in Place the podcast
• how we look to define "home"
• the three ways that Laura jump starts joy: playing, speaking, and listening

Resources:

Shelter in Place Podcast website

KASAMA Collective

She Podcasts Live

Claim Pod Parity

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In this interview, I am so honored to be joined by author Sonya Renee Taylor. Sonya is the author of the the New York Times Bestselling book, "The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love." She just recently released an updated version of that book, and the "Your Body is Not an Apology Workbook: Tools for Living Radical Self Love." Sonya is joining me to talk all about radical self-love and joy. And, she shares that when we start to love ourselves, we can transform how we interact with others in the world.

Sonya Renee Taylor and I talked about: – her early joys of creating radio shows with her friend – slam poetry festivals, and how entering them fed her soul – how "The Body is Not an Apology" got started – how the Genesis story in the Judeo-Christian tradition relates to shame and body image – how to tell if your joy is coming from an altruistic place, or if it may have residue on it – embracing radical self love – why radical self love is not easy work – the indoctrination of all of us in a society where the hierarchy has a vested interest in keeping us from embracing self love – giving from your overflow, and how that can help you steer clear of burnout – that choosing to spread radical self love feeds itself, and creates room for more radical self-love

Resources

Sonya Renee Taylor's Website The Body is Not an Apology Website Support The Body is Not an Apology by making a contribution Sonya Renee Taylor on Unlocking Us with Brene Brown

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