I’ve been working on something.  It’s called a Joy Plan.

As many of you know, I’ve been writing a weekly guest post for Stratejoy.  I started a few weeks ago, and I’ve been having an amazing time with it.  As part of the gig, I get to try out the different offerings from Molly’s site.  (Molly’s the Director over there.)  So I asked to try a course she calls The Joy Equation: A 30 Day Guide to Living Life on Purpose.  The Joy Equation is a four week course with audio sessions, journal prompts and a workbook that helps you figure it all out — decide where you want to be, then set a plan to get there.

And guess what?  It’s been SO much fun!

Before I get started telling you about the experience, let me just put this out there:  Molly didn’t ask me to write a review about the plan, and I’m not an affiliate or anything.  I’m only sharing because I’ve been having a great time using The Joy Equation, and I want to share my excitement with you!

I just finished my first week, where she encourages you to take the time to connect with yourself — your true, deep-down, heartfelt self — the one you know is in there but perhaps you lost somewhere along the way.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you probably know that I’ve already spent a lot of time connecting with myself.  I’ve done a lot of soul searching, attempting to figure out exactly what I want my life to look like — so that I can go out there and actually get it.  Given this, I wasn’t sure this part of the equation would have a lot to offer me.  Though, after completing the first week, I can honestly say that I really got a lot out of it.  Molly walked me through lots of questions and exercises in an effort to help me connect with and label those things that make me feel alive, excited, happy, exhilarated.

It was awesome setting aside time to work on this.  I really believe that taking time for yourself, to do something good for you on a regular basis, is key to living a fulfilled life. If you don’t take care of yourself, there won’t be much left to take care of anyone or anything else.  This, in itself, is a powerful habit.

But anyhow, back to what I wanted to share with you today.  The result of one of the exercises was a list of the values I hold near and dear to my heart — the things that matter the most to me.  I love this.  In trying to live an authentic life, one that really feels like me, it’s so important to know exactly what it is I really care about.

Here’s the funny thing — not so long ago, I really didn’t know the things that mattered to me. I mean, I thought I did.  But the truth was, I never really stopped to think about it.  I just went with what people taught me while growing up, and I picked up a few things that mattered to other people I knew.  I figured, if those things were important to all those people, then they should probably be important to me also.  Like I said, I never really thought about it.

That was mistake number 1.  (Or, maybe that was mistake number 351, but who’s counting?)

In the past few years, I’ve changed this.  I’ve thought a lot about my values.  I never really wrote them down.  I wrote some down, when I was thinking about it — mostly when I was writing this blog.  But for the most part, I kept them in my head.  I didn’t make a definitive list or anything.  But this past week, I actually sat down with the intention of coming up with my core values.

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So here they are — the top 8 values that tickle my soul (in totally random order):

Exploration:  I want to travel — to explore new cities, countries and cultures.  I want to explore new interests and find new hobbies.  I never want to stop the process of discovering new things.  Explore, discover, unearth — I just love delving into new, exciting journeys.

Creativity:  I LOVE being creative.  These are truly the times when I experience flow — when I’m lost in life, lose track of time and think of nothing but the present moment.  I want to fill my life with writing, making art, dancing.

Education:  This is one of my absolute, most heart-felt values.  I love, love, love to learn.  And you know what else I’ve discovered?  I love to teach.  It’s the most amazing thing when you share your knowledge with another person and you see that spark come alive when they really ‘get it’.  Learning new things, sharing what I know — these things will always be center in my life.

Community:  being surrounded by supportive, amazing people — it’s, well, amazing.  I want to take the time to really cultivate strong friendships, connect with people that have similar interests and a similar outlook on life and build a strong support network.  I want to live in a place that really feels like a community.  I want to build a community on this website.  Positive relationships are paramount.

Love:  What is life without love?  My goal is to be open to being loved (always) and to give even more love than I receive.  Everyone deserves to be loved.

Nature:  There’s something about reveling in the outdoors that speaks to me.  I love to spend time outside — walking, jogging, hiking, camping.  Honestly, I don’t do this near enough.  And I plan to make a conscious effort to get out there and see it all!

Wellness:  I can’t imagine a full life without health and vitality.  I want to live healthy, to eat healthy, to find balance in my work and play.  Being physically active is one of the most important parts of wellness for me.  I love to move, to see how far I can push myself — it makes me feel alive and vital.

Freedom:  I seek autonomy in my work.  I love having control over my schedule, my projects, my priorities.  I want to be able to take vacations when I want and work where I want.  I seek to do work that is location independent.  I revel in independence and flexibility.

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Those are my core values — the ones that speak to my heart and my soul.  If I’m living my life authentically, those things will all be there.  If I’m feeling fulfilled and happy and joyful — you can bet, those things will be there.

Here’s my two cents — I think the Joy Equation is wholly worth your time and effort. If you can afford the program, definitely do it.  If you can’t afford much right now, I totally get that too.  But, still, do something.  Find ways to connect with yourself.  Take time to figure out who you really are, what you really want.

You’ll never regret time spent bettering yourself. At least, I never have.

Join the conversation!  What are some of your core values?

photo credit: atomicity, Tigr