More Joy: 365+ Ideas

  1. Accept where you are
  2. Desire less
  3. Tell someone you love them
  4. Call your mother
  5. Go for a solo walk
  6. Write down 3 blessings every day
  7. Give to someone in need
  8. Meditate for 10 minutes
  9. Act kindly without being seen
  10. Develop a child-like curiosity
  11. Read an inspiring book
  12. Listen to the sound of silience
  13. Do the most difficult thing in the morning
  14. Develop a morning routine
  15. Develop an evening ritual
  16. Breathe mindfully in this moment
  17. Watch the animals
  18. Cancel your appointments
  19. Say no when you are unsure
  20. Go all in when you say yes
  21. Learn a new skill without being “good” at it
  22. Let go of other’s opinions
  23. Do less
  24. Treat a friend
  25. Rediscover where you live
  26. Gaze at the Ocean
  27. Be kind to someone unkind to you
  28. Let go of regrets
  29. Detach from material desires
  30. Accept the challenge
  31. Open yourself to new ideas
  32. Reinvent yourself
  33. Be a designer of your life
  34. Let go of assumptions
  35. Create more than you consume
  36. Abandon the shopping cart
  37. Fully procrastinate
  38. Do one thing at a time
  39. Love, love, love
  40. Say Hi to your Neighbor
  41. Embrace emptiness
  42. Clean your workspace
  43. Exercise vigorously
  44. Lean in to your emotions
  45. Let your thoughts come and go
  46. Build one good habit
  47. Do the most important first
  48. Sleep and rise early
  49. Put away your phone
  50. Ditch your computer
  51. Create on a piece of blank paper
  52. Accept spontaneity
  53. Create space in your life
  54. Keep only the essential
  55. Simplify
  56. Play
  57. Recognize you always have a choice
  58. Bring your attention back to the breath
  59. Smile
  60. Write a list
  61. Journal
  62. Make a choice and move on
  63. Do what you are called to do
  64. Develop a spiritual dimension
  65. Use your 24 hours everyday wisely
  66. When you eat, eat
  67. Limit your consumption
  68. Deactivate your social media accounts
  69. Always choose freedom
  70. Take the courageous path
  71. Listen intently
  72. Cook a dish
  73. Reflect every day
  74. Design your life
  75. Resolve to be better than yesterday
  76. Think A and B
  77. Challenge old assumptions
  78. Find joy in ordinary work
  79. Deprive yourself modestly
  80. Study philosophy
  81. Work on a project without expecting a reward
  82. Pay attention to life around you (plants, animals)
  83. Be a rebel
  84. Adopt a growth mindset
  85. Ignore the lagging indicators
  86. Attend to your body
  87. Engage in non-doing
  88. Listen to the little voices
  89. Ignore the sunk cost
  90. Develop virtues
  91. Confront your fears
  92. Quit comparing
  93. Adopt a beginner’s mind
  94. Be a child again

Accept where you are

We spend much energy resisting what’s going on. We often wish things to be different. We resist the pain and suffering in this present moment, thinking that happiness is somewhere down the road. That we lack this and that: And if we have this thing or that thing, we will be happy.

To be close to joy, we must learn to accept where we are at the moment. Accept who you are as a person, wholly, because you are already perfect, and worthy of love, no matter what the world tells you.

Tell someone you love them

Call your mother today and tell how much you appreciate what she has given you life. Thank your friend, or partner for the blessings you have share with them.

Write down one thing you are grateful for everyday

Keep a small journal. Write down at least you think you are grateful for today. Just one. Which moment gave you joy today? Was someone kind to you? Did you do work you were proud of today? Did you overcome a challenge? Was it a beautiful day today?

When we write down what we are grateful, we train our mind to notice. We reframe our perspective from what we have, instead of what we lack. We only have what we see. The blessings we receive each day remind us life is worth living despite its pain and sufferings.

Act kindly without being seen

So often we do something in order to be We get so much more when we give without expecting anything in return.

So much of our society is transactional: an exchange of value. I do this because I expect a reward. I work to get a paycheck.

Adopt a beginner’s mind