You Get Better at What You Practice
You Get Better at What You Practice
This is a sentence I have thought about many times, and one I need to remind myself of again and again: You get better at what you practice.
Even when we practise, we rarely become perfect, but we do get better. And this also applies to our ability to experience joy.
When I lost my husband Jonas, joy was of course far away, and I wondered if I would ever be able to feel joy again.
But slowly, I began to find my way back to it, and an important part for me was practising noticing the small moments in everyday life.
Things around me that made me happy, that I appreciated, or that made life feel a little lighter, even if only for a moment.
That has been crucial for me.
This doesn't mean that we should deny our other emotions. We are allowed to be sad, to struggle and to carry grief, but at the same time, we also need to allow ourselves to feel joy, and we can actually influence, often more than we think, what we direct our attention towards.
Whatever we direct our attention towards, our brains help us experience more of. Like a magnet, where like attracts like. When we start noticing small moments that bring us joy or that we appreciate, it becomes easier to discover more of those moments.
It can take time, but just like with so many other things, we get better with practice.
This has also become an important tool in my coaching, helping people rediscover joy in everyday life and find new ways to live after grief, breakups, disappointments and other difficult changes in life.
We may simply need to learn how to experience life again. To allow joy to be there, while still carrying the difficult things we have been through.
So this is what I wish for you this September: Start noticing the small things in everyday life that make you happy. Notice them, count them, remember them.
And see what happens when you start practicing joy!
With warmth,
Coach Elin Debora
Certified Coach & Speaker
I help you find new ways forward