What brings you JOY?

This is my favorite exercise: Write down 100 things.

When I hand over this homework, I always imagine the shocked faces of my «JOY-students»: Whaaat 100 things? Are you crazy???

I was teaching food technology for 12 years at a professional school, where my students studied for 3 years while they were working in food factories which produce chocolate, pasta, ice cream, cookies, beer, sweets, powdery goods etc. The easiest homework was always the one I 100% and totally and absolutely believed in. Even though they moaned and complained, I knew, this is the perfect exercise or the perfect task to work through to understand the meaning of a problem or discover new things.

With the 100 things which bring you joy exercise it's exactly the same. I know that this simple exercise can change so much for you. I just force you very gently and kindly and persistently (like the annoying but very nice teacher you hated and loved at the same time... : ))

Just start. 10 things are easy, right? Then you go big, like:
11. Walking on the beach in Bali
12. Bungee jumping
Not everyday stuff you can organize right away except you live in Bali!
13. Vacation in....
But then go also small again like:
14. Walking bare foot.
You can do that every day you want everywhere you are, right?
15. Having my feet in water (lake, stream, sea)
....
Go through your everyday like:
16. drinking coffee out of my most favorite mug
17. having a shower by candlelight
I do that every day in wintertime and feel like in a lush spa at 6:30AM in my tiny bathroom!

And then go through all your hobbies, the seasons, the year, your workday.

I promise: You'll get to 100 before you know it and maybe you even want to let the list open to write further points down as soon as you think of something which brings you joy. 

Writing down all these things are very joyful already. Actually, DOING or implementing or experiencing them is your to-do for every day! Not all of them every day. I'm not that big of a dreamer. But let's say do three, 3 things per day, which bring you joy. That's not too much to ask for, do you agree? I would aim for more, but 3 is a good starting point.

Let's CREATE joy for us and the people around us. Your joy is independent of circumstances and people and just needs your attention. I wish you so so so so much fun with writing this list and implementing it.

This is the first exercise of my free 21 day Joy Challenge. If you didn't join yet, sign up here: www.joyismycompass.com/jre. JRE stands for Joy Ripple Effect. That's my goal for this challenge. That you create joy for yourself first and then for the people in your house, in your neighborhood, in your city and slowly but steadily the waves of your joy ripple its way around the world. I deeply and absolutely believe in this concept. Every kind word is saving the world a little bit. Join me in this quest and sign up for the Joy Challenge and come over to my free «#joyismycompass Membersclub» on facebook, you just have to answer the questions to enter the group. Without answers I don't let you in. : ) But this exercise is the best preparation, because one of my questions is: Tell me 5 things which bring you joy. : )

Long story short: Write the list of 100 things which bring you joy (I should change that to 111!!!) and post it into the facebook group! I always read through each and every list of 100 things and I'm always inspired. One person wrote: The smell of freshly baked bread. Mmmmmmh! I stole that one immediately and wrote it on my list too!
Join the Joy Challenge here and I can't wait meeting you in person in the group!
Oh, and fill out the Joyometer! It's pretty and finally in color too! (Download it here)
Oh and check the new Joy Card-design to place the cards everywhere in your neighborhood and your city or village and spread joy!

THANK YOU for being YOU! Thank you for being here!

Lots of Joy to you from the annoying teacher who gives you too much homework every week. : )

Love yooouuuuu,

 This is what I wrote on my list. Will you show me yours too? I'd love to see it. : )

This week's Joyometer that I filled out: