// leaning into joy
There are three ways to deal with a problem, I think.
- Lean into it.
- Lean away from it.
- Run away.
You lean into a problem, especially a long-term or difficult one, by sitting with it, reveling in it, embracing it and breathing it in. The problem becomes part of you, at least until you solve it. You try one approach and then another, and when nothing works, you stick with it and work around it as you build your organization and your life. [I don’t mean you just bully the problem, or attack it. I mean that you accept it, live with it, breathe it and whittle it until you’ve achieved your goal. Once you start looking forward to your interactions with the problem, then you’re leaning into it.]
Some people choose to lean away from the problems that nag them at home or at work. They avoid them, minimize them or criticize the cause. Put as little into it as possible and maybe it will go away.
And sometimes, a problem is so nasty or overwhelming that you just run away.
I’m a big fan of the first approach. And sometimes, quitting isn’t such a bad idea. The second approach, alas, is the one that many of us end up with by default, and the one that’s least likely to pay off.
The passage above is courtesy of the ever-inspiring Seth Godin. In it, he is obviously talking about problems. But for some of us ::joy:: is in a way, like a problem. How is that? Simply because we do not know how to embrace joy. We have spent a lifetime: having it stolen from us; hiding from it; and/or believing that we do not deserve it.
At least, that is how it has felt to me.
And so now, when for the first time in… a long time… I am beginning to experience joy; I find myself instinctively leaning away from it or running away from it. Why? Fear? Familiarity with pain? This list can go on.
But instead of worrying about all of that; instead of giving into “instinct” or habit — I am simply leaning into it, leaning into joy.
I recently stumbled upon this passage from Galatians 4:7, it says: I am no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.
And I’m leaning into it. I’m leaning all the way in.
How are you, friends? It’s been hot, humid, and summery over here the last few ways. Long days of stretching sunlight and crashing thunderstorms in the night, waking up to heavy flower petals, soaked wet with summer raindrops. I hope that you are having a most beautiful week. Remember to lean into the joy, however it presents itself to you. xo
. It had been on my “to-read” list for years, when by a stroke of fate a dear friend offered to lend me her audio copy. I plan to do a full review of the book in the coming weeks but for now I want to focus on one important element—
