SEIKO Clear Mind, Clear Vision - Cultivating Joy and Positivity

Joy is often associated with big events, but in reality it is found in small, meaningful moments that happen daily. By becoming more aware of these moments and learning how to create them intentionally, individuals can improve their overall sense of wellbeing. In busy environments, joy can easily be overlooked or deprioritised. 

However, small positive experiences can have a powerful impact on mood, energy, and resilience. When we actively notice and create joy, we shift from simply getting through the day to experiencing it more fully.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Thank you for joining us for this 10th session, Clear Mind, Clear Vision. This is brought to you with the support of Seiko Optical and with our fabulous host, Sheena, from Inspiring Success. Today we're going to explore how we can actively cultivate joy and positivity in our everyday lives. Over to you, Sheena.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Thank you so much. And yes, welcome everyone to this session with Clear Mind Clear Vision. And yes, today's segment is all about the journey of joy, how we can implement joy and just understanding joy a little bit deeper. And I love that it fits in so nicely with June and June being that journey of joy as well. So as always, wherever you are listening, let's just take a couple of seconds just to ground ourselves so we can let go of the morning we've just had and let go of anything that we're thinking about in the day ahead of us, just by taking a few deep breaths in and out. So just relaxing yourselves, making your legs uncrossed if they are uh crossed and your hands nice and relaxed by your sides or on your laps, but with your palms open, just taking a couple of nice deep breaths in and out in your own space and time, and you can lower your gaze or close your eyes just so you can take a moment for you. So just a breath in and a breath out, just a couple of more in your own space and time, and then as you lift your gaze and open your eyes, just trusting that just for the next 14-15 minutes, this is exactly where you need to be, and nothing else matters whatsoever, which is a beautiful place to be right now. So let's focus on the journey of joy, the power of joy. And my very first question for you so if you've got a pen and paper nearby, you can write your answer down. If you haven't, just making a mental note of your answer. But my very first question for you is how would you define joy? So if I said to you, how would you describe or define joy? What would you say? What would you write down? So I just want to give you a quick little moment to think about what joy means for you. If you had to describe or define joy to somebody else, how would you do that? Just taking a moment to think about what joy means. Certain words come into mind, certain thoughts.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

How are you defining joy?

SPEAKER_01 3:19

So, whatever you have written down or whatever you have made a mental note of, just considering what joy means for you. And then when I was looking at the actual in a dictionary definition of joy in the various dictionaries that we have, one of the definitions was it is a profound, enduring emotion of deep happiness, contentment, and well-being. So joy is really about that inner happiness, the deeper happiness, and not necessarily found in all the big achievements, big accomplishments, big milestone moments. So when we think about you know all the big things that we are seeking in life, and it's always great to have goals and ambitions and visions, that's you know, absolutely great to have those. But joy isn't necessarily only found in those areas. So maybe the next holiday that you go on, or the next award you might receive, or the next promotion. So those are you know some of the big moments in life. Joy is definitely found in those areas, but really joy is also about looking at the daily, smaller moments in your life, the everyday moments that we have. And it's about finding joy in that everyday, in the hour, in the hours that go by, in the weeks, the months, but just in that day-to-day routine, in your everyday, can we search? Can we find that joy? So it's understanding that joy is found in every day, and you don't have to wait for joy to come, you don't have to wait for something specific to feel that sense of joy. So, really thinking about now in the last maybe two or three days, going backwards in your week, you know, can you think about joy that you may have found in your day-to-day? So, just to give you some examples, maybe, you know, joy can be maybe a conversation that you had with a friend that felt you know quite soul-nourishing and it felt really good and it gave you that joy. It could be maybe you were talking with your children and they said something really funny and you know, caught you off guard, but you know, it's really a comical moment and it just gave you joy. Maybe you were able to just have that cup of tea or coffee, you know, in 10 minutes in the morning, but just without any phone distractions or anyone talking to you, and you were just able to enjoy, you were just able to be present and just enjoy the cup of tea for what it was and enjoy that silence around you, and that gave you joy. Maybe you're looking out in the garden, and you know, I was doing this the other day, and I saw, I have no idea what the other different types of birds, but I saw a really pretty looking bird out there, and it just gave me a really, you know, a real sense of joy that an unusual different bird had come along to my garden, and I was able to witness it in that moment, and that gave me joy. So, you know, joy can be in the most unusual moments, it can be in the smallest of moments, it can be in the in moments that maybe aren't expected, but just in things that we are doing day to day. So, again, I just want to give you a little bit of time and space just to look back on the last couple of days and consider, you know, what gave you joy? And if you can write down maybe three to four things that gave you joy in the last couple of days. So, what gave you joy in the last couple of days? Looking back on your week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I know sometimes we can't even remember what happened last night or even yesterday, but just you know, just taking a moment to reflect back on those days. Can you recall some of the moments that gave you joy and just making maybe a mental note of those, or if you can just write those moments down? And then what I want you to start considering is what part of those things that you have written down, what was it about those things that gave you joy? What was it about those things that gave you joy? Maybe you had a coffee with a friend that you met up with and you know that that gave you joy, but was it the coffee itself? Was it the conversation? Was it connecting with somebody that you hadn't maybe seen in a little while? Maybe you were in practice and you had a consultation with a patient, maybe, and something about that consultation, or was it the conversation? Was it something that the patient said that made you laugh? That maybe gave you joy. So, what part of that consultation or that interaction gave you joy? Maybe maybe you were driving somewhere and you saw something unusual, or you saw a quote, and something about that gave you joy. Which part of the journey, which part of what you saw, which part of something that maybe you felt gave you that joy? Maybe you went for a meal and there was something unusual on the menu that you really enjoyed, and it gave you again that joy. So just thinking about what it is about what you have written down, what you have chosen, what about it gave you joy? Sometimes it's important to understand why that part gave you joy, because sometimes we can then also factor those things in consciously in our days ahead of us to enhance our day with extra joy as well. Because very often in our days, you know, we can feel quite overwhelmed, it can feel quite busy, it can feel quite go, go, go all the time, it can feel like there's just an endless to-do list, and sometimes our mindset gears towards that level of thought and process, and we overlook the smaller moments of joy, or we maybe dismiss those, or you know, don't take that moment to appreciate that moment of joy in that moment, otherwise, you know, we carry on moving through that day onto the tasks, onto the jobs, onto the other things that we need to do. So it's important just to take that moment to see what gave us joy, why it gave us joy? Can we consciously move today, through today, and and seek out the moments of joy? So just understanding what gave you joy and thinking about is it easy for you to find what gave you joy in the last few days? Is it something that you are struggling to think about? And is it a struggle because maybe we weren't so present in those days that we had the moments of joy, whether was the joy there in abundance, but we aren't seeing it or feeling it or appreciating that moment? Or are you finding it quite easy to list the beautiful, joyful moments that you may have been experiencing? So, again, just understanding your own patterns, your own mindset, your own behaviors, to think about how joy is existing in your life. So, thinking about those few things that gave you joy, thinking about why you think they gave you joy, and then I'm just going to explain to you a little bit about some of the reasons that we attach those emotions with joy, you know, what it is that's giving us joy. So, is it connection? Is it purpose? Is it achievement? Is it gratitude? Is it something fun and playful? Or is it something else? Is it that you felt that you would just be present? Maybe you were able to watch a movie and nobody distracted you, you didn't scroll on your phone and you really absorbed yourself in just enjoying the movie or the program for what it was. Was it just because you were being present and your attention wasn't going in different directions? So just really understanding where that joy is coming from. So, again, just to highlight, is it through connection? So, was it with somebody? Was it an interaction? Was it a conversation? So to do with somebody else, and that gave you joy. Was it to do with purpose? So that a sense of achievement or sense of accomplishment, sense of you know, something that you're doing that was through meaning? Is it through gratitude that you felt you know appreciative of something that occurred or something that happened? Is it through because it was something that was fun? Maybe you played a game and made something that made you laugh, that made you let loose a little bit? Was it through that power and that sense of fun, maybe? Was it a different sense of achievement, learning a new skill, maybe attending a CPD session, maybe picking up a new hobby and learning something different?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Was it through that? Or was it through just being present without the worries of the hours beforehand, the worries of the hours after, just being present?

SPEAKER_01 13:05

So just understanding the power of joy, and the greatest gift I always say that we can give ourselves is understanding our own mindset, our own narrative, our own perception. What might give you joy may not give somebody else joy, what gives somebody else joy may not give you joy, but understanding yourself so you can understand what it is that gives you the day-to-day joy, that you don't have to seek joy in the bigger moments, the bigger milestones, the bigger celebrations, you don't have to wait for joy. It really is about knowing that joy is around us, joy is there in front of us, joy is there in our today. So, what I want you to do, you know, as we move on today is you know, after this session, whatever your day looks like, maybe you are in practice, maybe you're working somewhere else, maybe you're at home, maybe you've got a day off, whatever your day is looking like ahead of you. I want you just to think about joy. What is giving you joy? Where can you seek that joy when you feel that sense of contentment, that sense of well-being, that emotion of a deeper inner happiness that's that's there and embodied within you? I just want you to think about what gave me that joyful feeling today. Why is that giving me joy? And just sitting with that feeling of joy just for a few seconds longer, maybe than you normally would, whether you're going for a walk, whether you're having that cup of coffee, whether you're having a conversation, can you feel that joy? So, maybe looking today with that clear mind, clear vision, but also with that clarity, purpose, and journey of joy. So, wishing you a fantastic day ahead of you and wishing you lots and lots of joyful moments ahead of you today as well. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 15:04

Thank you so much.