The Following Your Joy blog is officially a year old! Woohoo! So much gratitude goes out to my visitors and readers who have consistently cheered me on and waved the flag for me to keep on going. That support has literally fueled me throughout the year!

The birth of this blog began last spring when I tagged along with Bill on a business trip to Southern California. I had one end in mind while he was at the office during the day: Hang out by myself in the trendy, comfy hotel room and make sense out of all the papers I brought with me in a folder titled “Life.”

Inside the folder were random quotes that inspired me, business ideas that jazzed me, and personal goals that challenged me.

Most importantly, though, there were pages of journal entries that needed to be shared somehow. How did I know they needed to be shared? Because every time I recounted one of my amazing stories to friends, they would routinely say: “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” or “I can’t believe that happened to you!” So I knew I was on to something.

They were joyful stories that included winning tickets to the Caribbean, getting front row seats to concerts over and over Read more »

Have you ever been so overcome that you simply couldn’t speak? That just happened to me a couple weekends ago. Yep, me—the one who loves to talk, isn’t afraid of public speaking, and has a degree in Speech/Communications.

I had the pleasure of being a presenter at the Illumination Event here in Minneapolis. The event’s tagline: “It’s Time to Shine!” What a perfect place for me to share the Following Your Joy message and soak up all the inspiration of the day.

What happened to me there probably wasn’t a big deal to the participants in my session, but it was to me. A few minutes into my presentation, I became so short of breath that I could barely get my words out. I had never experienced this before and was completely stunned—I wasn’t nervous, I had done this before, and I was speaking on a topic I was passionate about.

Why this day was different

To-date, the majority of my presentations had been geared toward business groups and associations, focused on Time Management and Work-Life Balance. Some of what I talked about previously was based on the research of other experts, so it never felt too personal for me; I could easily keep my personal beliefs and ideas at an arm’s length from Read more »

Introducing guest blogger—and lovely client—Jen Antila. She is full of life and a poster child for following your joy! Joy isn’t something she even seems to “choose,” though; she simply embodies it and lives it. During our coaching relationship, Jen courageously made the leap from her corporate job (which didn’t bring her joy) into the world as an entrepreneur (where she knew joy would abound!). Watch Jen’s bold adventure unfold as she captures it all in her blog.

 
“To inhale Paris preserves the soul”—Victor Hugo

I went to Paris with five dreams in mind…
To reconnect, to fall in love, to unwind
To figure out my future career dreams
To begin new plans and create new schemes.

After two days, I had a choice to make
Pick three of the five – or fun forsake.
I chose to defer making future career plans
I chose my husband and fun – as Paris demands!

I engaged with Michelle upon my return
I was the student, ready to learn. Read more »

When was the last time you experienced great customer service at a restaurant? Or the last time a service professional went over the top to help you out? How about the time someone did something really nice for you, just to make your life a little easier?

Most importantly, though: When was the last time you told someone how much you appreciated their extra special service or their over-the-top help?

Joy is like a boomerang

Within 24 hours I was reminded that the key to joy in your own life is to share joy with others. It’s a cycle: Dish it out, it comes back to you. Like the Law of Attraction states—put good energy out there and watch it come back like a boomerang.

Bill and I have a favorite deli near our house. And every time we visit, we’re greeted by Read more »

You know how it’s so easy to talk about “surface” issues with people; about the stuff that doesn’t really matter? Well, with my grandparents, Rollie and Doris, it’s the complete opposite. All throughout my life with them, I’ve had the pleasure of going deep and being ‘real’ during every single interaction. What a gift!

And what a thrill it has been for me to include Bill in on this joy and share life together as couples. The four of us have recently developed a little tradition a few nights each winter that we call our “Fireside Chats.” On these nights, Bill and I bring over dinner and enjoy a candlelight meal at the kitchen table with our two favorite elders, discussing the latest and sharing news about what’s happening in our lives.

Then we move downstairs for our ‘chat,’ where my grandpa has a semi-circle of four chairs set up around a roaring fire for us to begin.

Man, these two have the market cornered on sweetness, and if you need any supporting documentation or want to be inspired, just go here!

Master communicators

My grandparents both grew up in Scandinavian homes, where not much was ever shared Read more »

Editor’s Note: Introducing Following Your Joy’s first guest blogger! The honor goes to my favorite guy in the whole world—my husband, my cheerleader, my best friend, my soulmate, my live-in comedian, my fellow joy-follower, Bill Stimpson.

A new lesson for me is that gratitude and joy go hand-in-hand. Where there is joy, gratitude is always present. And when I come from a place of gratitude, joy will certainly follow. After seeing this idea in writing now, I feel a bit silly making such a simple announcement!

But until this past week, though, I never really understood it.

I don’t know that it’s possible to live a life that is joyful in all moments, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. Just like everyone else, I have those rough days, or sometimes rough stretches of days, when joy seems like a foreign concept. I recently had a particularly challenging week, culminating in a Friday that I thought would never end. However, it all changed in an instant, with a simple expression of gratitude.

An office getaway

That day, I needed to get away from the office for lunch. So along with a few of my co-workers, we Read more »

A few years back, Bill and I attended a Treasure Mapping workshop. This class involved creating a vision board—a creative and fun way to set the intention for what you desire in life. And this new and softer method of goal-setting was a breath of fresh air for me.

Putting together a vision board encouraged me to connect with my heart, while randomly pulling pictures, headlines, words, images, and phrases out of magazines that matched my vision, or, what I wanted in life. The task was simple in looking through magazines: Go for what grabbed my attention, what resonated with me, what beckoned my spirit.

Noticing what was “calling” to me

In paging through the magazines I brought to class, I was particularly drawn to a photo of my favorite guitar hero, Pete Townshend of The Who, in action. I knew I had to have him on my vision board. For me, he represented living life out loud and giving life all you’ve got. I love that!

Then, the word “backstage” jumped out at me. I had to Read more »

Since February is the month of “Love” (well, every month is about Love, but if you step into a mall or Hallmark store–you know what I mean!), I wrote a guest post called “What Do You Love?” for my friends at Empoword.

Have you ever noticed how one word can get you into a certain mood? This is the strategy behind Empoword. Their products and services—focused around the ‘words’ in our life—help to strengthen us in our journey.

For example, I have one of their cool window clings up on my bathroom mirror that says “Gratitude.” So when I’m drying my hair each morning and my brain drifts to all kinds of trivial stuff (which it does), the word “Gratitude” always catches me. Instantly, it centers me and helps to remind me how grateful I am to be me, to be healthy, and for the day ahead. Of course, my morning isn’t necessarily always that profound; sometimes the word “Gratitude” simply reminds me to be grateful that I am having a good hair day or that Bill wiped off the counter when he was done. It’s all about the little things!

Back to “Love”: You can check out my post here. Special thanks to Stephanie and Wendy at Empoword for inviting me to write a Love post; but more importantly for helping the world choose positivity by becoming more conscious of the words we use.

What’s the word that helps you stay centered and focused?

Hello! As you can see from the photo above, I’ve been working hard and preoccupied with thoughts of how to make my blog better.

I could use your assistance! What got me thinking about this is a great quote by W. Somerset Maugham which is posted on my business website: “It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”

See, I’m not interested in just “having a blog” or “being a blogger.” I’m only in this to make it rock. One of my friends recently said, “Of course you are going for the best—that’s how you roll!” My intention for this blog is that it creates huge ripples in the world! And if you’re not sure about that…well, just stay tuned.

A blog is driven by its readers, and that’s where you come in. Read more »

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 Read more »