Quick. Stop what you’re doing right now.

Take a slow, deep breath in. And b-r-e-a-t-h-e out.

And notice:

What’s right with this moment?

Maybe it’s the gentle breeze coming in from the window. Or the fact that there’s not much on your schedule today. Or the great song that’s playing in the background. Or the excitement you’re feeling about an upcoming event.

What is it? What’s right with this moment?

[Pause here to think about it and let it soak in]

Got it? I love asking this question. In fact, I routinely ask it on the Following Your Joy Facebook Page and on Twitter. And I love seeing the answers people come up with.

Often times, it’s simple things like: “The smell of a vanilla candle,” “It’s a good hair day,” “The laughter of my baby,” or “My dog snoring.”

Occasionally they’re big things, too, like: “I’m alive,” “I’m healthy,” “My wife loves me,” or “I have a roof over my head.”

Remember, the more you focus on the good stuff (from enjoying a day in your PJ’s to a day free of pain), the more the good stuff multiplies. The more you celebrate what’s “right,” the more there is to celebrate in life.

One of my all-time favorite quotes is by Arthur Rubinstein: “If you love life, life will love you back.” So true!

So. Back to the pop quiz.

What’s right with this moment?

Revel in it. Breathe it in. Honor it.

Share the good news and leave your answer below. You’re sure to get an “A” for playing and for focusing on the good! Can’t wait to see what you all have to say.

P.S. Wanna do some more celebrating? Check out this post.

Got a friend you’d like to take this quiz? Pass along this along and let’s keep celebrating the good stuff!

This morning I woke up agitated for no particular reason. It was a beautiful sunny spring morning and the birds were singing. I had a great night’s sleep. It was Saturday. I have an amazing life. What more could I want?! Regardless, something was bugging me. Nothing special came to mind; it was just a rare mood I happened to be in.

So poor Bill woke up with a perma-smile as he usually does. We had our breakfast together in our usual spot, but we were having trouble connecting (of course we were, because I was in a “mood”!). Whatever he would say, I didn’t understand. Whatever I would say, he didn’t get.

Not connecting

We proceeded to go upstairs to get ready for the day ahead. And then I laid it on him: “I don’t like how our morning is going” and “I don’t like the way we’re connecting.”

Now, I did feel a little silly for saying that because we both knew that I was basically the reason for the disconnect between us! The two of us have this crazy relationship where 99% of the time we’re on the same page with everything and we get along phenomenally! In fact, we love being together 24/7 and still—after 18 years together—can’t seem to get enough of each other.

After my announcement, I figured we’d sit down, hopefully analyze what was bothering me, and figure out a solution to help me move ahead. I wanted to talk it out. That was me, getting stuck in my head.

Instead, though, in response to my “I don’t like how our morning is going,” Bill raced over to me with a big smile and said, “Then let’s change it!” He reached over and pushed the “On” button on our clock radio and started dancing his butt off, with over-exaggerated moves.

He got in my face and said, “Come on, let’s dance!”, looking goofier than ever.

Thankfully, a great, rockin’ song came on; one of those that you just can’t help but move to. I tried not to smile (after all, you’re not supposed to smile when you’re in a bad mood), but I ended up laughing because Bill looked funny—he hadn’t gotten in the shower yet, so his ready-for-a-haircut-hair was messy and he was wearing an old Miller Lite t-shirt and boxers. Even though I wanted to smile, I wasn’t ready to give in and dance.

But Bill kept up his crazy moves, circling all around me, not giving up until I joined in.

Turning things around

So I caved and busted a move.

That moment took away all my agitation. It took away my need to talk, analyze, and figure things out. It brought me out of my head and into my heart. It helped me engage and participate in the beautiful morning that was upon us; it would have been a shame to let it slip by.

From the observer’s perspective, I’m sure we looked ridiculous. And just to be fair, I should mention that my hair was messier than Bill’s and I was wearing my XXL Who concert t-shirt, big enough to be a dress, and fluffy yellow socks. Quite the dancing duo!

It’s easy to overcomplicate life and try to figure it all out. And not everything needs to be analyzed or picked apart anyway. Besides, there isn’t always an answer.

Make the proactive choice for change

Life is short. So handle what’s bugging you, change what you don’t like, enjoy a sunny day, get on the dance floor when you hear music (the photo at the top is of Bill whistling his own tunes and forcing me to “tango” at the headwaters of the Mississippi River).

Following your joy doesn’t need to be a big to-do. You don’t always have to prepare for it or dress up for it. It can be embraced, spur-of-the-moment, as a joyful “come as you are” party. I’m a big planner, and this moment with Bill was another reminder to me of the power in following the joy of the moment.

So I’m sticking with Bill’s simple philosophy that if you don’t like something, “Change it!” Cheers to my wise, fun, and life-loving hubby. Oh and by the way, it’s our 16th anniversary this week. I picked out a good guy, and I think I hit the jackpot…don’t you?

Note: Think Bill’s cool? Check this out!

I’ve always been enamored by the idea of “Life Moments.” Those moments in time where life stands still and you are simply and completely awe-struck. They’re times of celebration; times of pause.

What are those highlights for you?

A few that stand out for me (which all include my husband, Bill!) are:

–Swimming with dolphins in Key Largo as one of the dolphins and her calf repeatedly swam just beneath us—and with us—beckoning us to join them in their underwater play, watching and following our every move.

–Singing “Hey Jude” with Paul McCartney as he led a choir of 20,000 in a packed arena; the house lights were shining brightly on all of us, with many concertgoers in tears (“…na na na na na na na…”). Goosebumps!

–Watching the sun set from Mallory Square in Key West, where thousands gather nightly to celebrate nature’s ritual; as the sun melted into the water on the horizon, everyone stopped what they were doing and paused in complete respect and reverence—you could hear a pin drop.

–Ringing in the New Year (see photo above) on a cruise ship deck with family and 3,000 other partygoers; dancing in the warm breeze under a starry sky to Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” amidst noisemakers, confetti, streamers, flowing champagne, and fireworks.

–Renewing wedding vows on our 10^th anniversary deep in the peaceful Redwood forest, sitting on a blanket underneath giant skyscraper-like trees towering over us and sharing a bottle of wine and words of deep gratitude with each other.

Once-in-a-lifetime moments

These special moments and how I felt will never come again; not in the exact way or precise form. When I think back on these precious flashes of life, none of them were things I could have planned; each extraordinary and unique experience simply unfolded right in front of my eyes in its own glory and magnificence…and left me speechless.

Following your joy involves being open and ready for these moments to take the reigns and grab ahold of us. Moments like these call for us to be:

1) Conscious and awake to our lives

2) Intentional about how we live

3) Appreciative of all that comes our way

What an exciting and wonderful part of life! The quote on my vision board above my desk is by good ol’ Anonymous: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.”

Ahhh…perfect.

For another fun and inspiring post on a great run of life moments, be sure check out this one.

What is a “Life Moment” that stands out for you? Love for you to share!

“…People all over the world, join hands, start a love train, love train…” If you recognize this 70′s song by the O’Jay’s, and if you’re like me, you can’t help but get out of your chair and start dancing! And if you don’t know this one, you may want to add it to your library. I love that song! And from now on whenever I hear it, it will bring a “pause” to my life as I recall a very powerful and goosebump-inducing night last year.

Bill and I were on a cruise celebrating my 40th birthday. It was glorious! As we sailed the Caribbean, one of the nights on the ship was designated as “70′s Night.” That one had my name written all over it, and it was also the backdrop for some pretty cool personal experiences for me.

The party

In the interior of our ship was a large promenade area that looked up seven levels and was probably the length of two football fields. This was the grand setting for the evening’s kick-off party as no less than a thousand passengers filled the space.

Most of us didn’t know each other and many of us spoke different languages. But when that O’Jay’s song blasted through the speakers, and the music pumped through and filled every single corner of that massive interior of the ship, time stood still. There were beach balls smacked up in the air and bouncing off walls wherever you looked, everyone was smiling, some were videotaping, cruisers around me were high-fiving, and all of us were dancing. Talk about following your joy!

It was in that moment that I realized the power of celebrating “community.” I didn’t know anyone else there, and it didn’t matter. But I felt so loved and supported in that moment as we all shared in the beauty of celebrating life…together.

We were “in the same boat,” so to speak. And we needed each other throughout the week, as many of us were thousands of miles away from home—away from life as we knew it—sailing in vast open seas and visiting foreign lands.

We’re all in this journey of life together.

What a wonderful world

Another scenario that embraced this idea perfectly was when Bill and I hit the ship’s disco after dinner that same night. We walked in and the flashing disco lights halted and the more peaceful and soft slow-dance lights illuminated. Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” began.

We sat down and noticed an elderly couple, somewhere in their 80′s, emerge from their seats in the dark corner. They danced the most graceful dance together, obviously well-rehearsed over many, many years. As I tearfully watched them and wondered what type of lifetime stories they shared together, they effortlessly floated across the dance floor, never taking their eyes off one another, never letting their smiles dissolve. Yes, we do need each other. “What a wonderful world…”

Witnessing this made me reflect on turning 40 even more and on some of the many thoughtful gifts I received. One was given in my honor: a gift of food to feed a child in Haiti for two months. Two full months! I was speechless as I was instantly reminded of how essential it is that we support one other. It could even mean life or death to someone.

Community is to be celebrated.

A client and special friend gave me a card that birthday with a particularly poignant quote on the front. I’ve seen it many times before, but this time as I hit a milestone decade, it struck me more powerfully than ever before. The anonymous quote read: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” 

A perfect end to a magical night

That night in the disco, as Bill and I began to grow tired from our day of excitement, one more magical piece unfolded that tied everything together.

We were relaxing in an oversized, high-backed red velvet booth with our heads resting on the back, admiring the dancers. The classic “Your Song” by Elton John was playing, and the tune filled the disco to the top. The silver ball was spinning from the 2nd deck of the club, and Bill and I turned our heads to each other. And almost as if it were choreographed, we both belted out the lyrics to each other and sang along with Elton:

“I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind, while I put down in words…how wonderful life is while you’re in the world…”

I could barely get the words out without being choked up.

–And so, who is it that you need in your life?

–When was the last time that you told them?

–How can you celebrate the power of community with them?

It’s way too easy in our fast-paced world to get trapped in a silo, trying to handle everything on our own. But remember that we live on this earth together. We are here for each other.

Who will you reach out to today?

Note: Here are a few other great stories about the importance of community and how we can help each other out:

–You, Too, Can Make Someone’s Day
–Ever Wonder Why You’re Here?
–How To Help Others Follow Their Joy

One of the many constants in my married life with Bill is a tradition we started when we first began dating over 17 years ago. Our favorite thing to do is to hang out at home together, relax, and enjoy each other’s company.

Routinely on a Friday or Saturday night (when we’re not out hittin’ the town), we have what we call a “Personal Evening”:  Bill makes dinner for us (thank goodness I married someone who loves to cook!), and my role is to light the candles and put on the perfect music to accompany the evening.

The joy of music

Since the beginning, it’s always been legendary musician Herb Alpert’s tunes that perfectly fit the bill. His smooth trumpet fills the room and creates the ideal blend of relaxation, calm, and joy. And it’s just the right backdrop to complement our dinners by the fire and our deep conversations about our hopes and dreams for our future.

A few weeks ago, Bill and I were talking about how much music fills our lives and how much joy we get from seeing our favorite artists live (we’ve traveled from to New York to L.A., from Oklahoma City to Sioux City, and from Miami to Omaha to see our faves!). We got all excited reminiscing about past experiences and “feeling” what it feels like to be in the presence of live music. We also talked about the importance of continuing to make this a priority in our lives. After all, it’s following our joy in the truest sense.

The next morning to my surprise, I checked email and saw in my Inbox a last-minute announcement that Herb Alpert and his wife, Lani Hall, were playing at a local jazz club! Interesting how we seemed to “attract” that email right after talking about how important these experiences were to us (I had even tried to unsubscribe a few times previously from that jazz club mailing…but there was always a technical glitch that wouldn’t allow me to do it).

Bill’s birthday was coming up and I thought this would be the best surprise if I could pull it off. What I didn’t mention earlier is that Bill has actually been a fan of Herb’s since he was three years old. While immersed in playing with his toys, he’d bug his parents incessantly to play Herb’s records with the Tijuana Brass over and over.

The ultimate surprise

The day of the show, I asked Bill to leave work early and told him we were heading downtown for a special night out. When we pulled into our parking spot in the ramp, I gave him a card with the show tickets enclosed.

His “deer-in-the-headlights” look was absolutely priceless.

His jaw dropped and then his confused and surprised response was: “What?! Herb has been my musical hero since I was three!”

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the elegant jazz club, and smiled the entire evening throughout the show. It was pretty darn cool to see one of our faves—a legend—play in an intimate setting like this…and for Bill and me and our 17-year relationship, things seemed to come full-circle in a really wonderful way.

True gratitude

The best part was meeting Herb after the show and being able to thank him personally for the gift of music that he has given us throughout the years; music that served as a backdrop for these two soulmates navigating life together. It was a complete honor to be in the presence of Herb and Lani for the evening; a true class act.

My learning is this. Keep thinking about what you love; what brings you joy. Allow yourself to feel what it’s like to be in its presence. And then open yourself up to receiving it—or some form of it. The exciting thing is that you never know how it will show up for you or what surprises might lay ahead. When you’re following your joy, life gets richer. Life gets fuller.

As Mark Twain said: “An ecstasy is a thing that will not go into words; it feels like music.”

Cheers to your joy!