My new favorite word that can fix almost any problem I may have. I never gave it much thought before until I read Spark Joy, but now it has become the measure of what I want in my life and what I don’t.

When in doubt, I do a joy check. Does this person, thing, situation bring me joy now? Will it in the future? Has it brought me any joy so far? If the answer is no, it’s quite clear I have to ditch it. True that sometimes some difficult situations are temporary, but when you have dragged it a while you can easily tell what to do.

Things that may no longer bring you joy and you should evaluate:

• A relationship.
• A friendship.
• A car.
• Your job.
• Your home.
• Your diet.
• Your weight.
• Your hairstyle.
• You name it…

I try to approach everything I do by whether it brings me joy. If it doesn’t align with that I won’t have it.

Sure there are things that must be done that are sad and uncomfortable and by all means, we should. But things that are optional and not in support of others I would consider letting them be.

You may want to take note, even mentally of all those things and people that bring you joy so you spend more time indulging in them.

My joy list would go:

• Spending time with friends.
• Watching a sunset.
• Walking in the woods.
• Wearing T-shirts. (I had ditched those for a while.)
• Watching TV series that actually are funny and well written.
• Spending time alone.
• Hugging pups.
• Travelling and meeting new people. (this one is a new one!)
• For years, I thought of sleep as an inconvenience and a waste of time. Now I finally enjoy waking after a long sleep and often I’ll stay in bed longer not feeling guilty!
• Shoes (guilty!)

How about you? Any list of things that don’t bring you joy and those that do?