Engagement: Want more joy? Get engaged-no ring required!

Engagement, may not sound very exciting unless it perhaps involves a partner getting down on one knee and a massive diamond. However, you may be in for a pleasant surprise.  

Doesn’t losing track of time sound amazing? Especially during Covid, where many of life’s activities seem to blend together?

That’s the ‘E’ in PERMA- of the happiness recipe this week: engagement. Science shows us that people who are flourishing in their lives do something regularly where they lose track of time, it captures their attention and full concentration, and they find their flow.

YES to that, YUM!

For some of us, we don’t know that kind of engagement. Life feels dull, and it lost some lustre, so how do we find it?

A couple of fun ways.

Think of what you liked to do as a kid. Were you always outdoors? Always drawing, creating or reading? This, my Beloved, is part of the clue back to that part of you that still exists.

This may take some courage to dive back into, BUT it will be worth it to find some joy and engagement back.

It may also take some discipline. You might need to book time with yourself to make it happen.

Keep reading or watch the video from Love at Lunch this week for more information:

Love at Lunch! ❤️

How do we increase our feelings of flourishing? We find ways to feel engaged in our lives. We spend time doing something that captures our attention, feels enjoyable, requires concentration AND makes us be present.

To be engaged in something, we don’t need to be great at it; we just need to be curious enough to be willing to try.

Curiosity is a great place to start looking for where we might find engagement as well. I am not and probably will never be curious about playing a musical instrument, but if you’ve been curious about that or gardening or how to develop a specific type of software, then that’s where you start.

Notice what you’re curious about and move toward that. That’s how you get ‘engaged’.

Last weekend I decided to take out my watercolours and see what I came up. I am no artist, but I know that ALL of us are creative and we need opportunities to create moments of engagement, so I made myself spend some time making cards for friends.

They literally look like a child made them. I did feel totally present and engaged. That was my goal. Yay! Sometimes creativity and engagement feel hard because most of us don’t want to engage in something that we’re not really good at, at first. I had to push myself move past that vulnerable feeling of my inadequacy and do it anyway.

Another way to find engagement is to think of things you used to do and have set them aside. Make time for them. Prioritize engagement. 🙂

If you have something, you LOOOVVVEE doing, then set aside time to make that magic happen. You’ll feel the flourishing feels, and that joyous bubble will burst on all who you have the blessing of coming in contact with (without passing on the ‘Vid!).

You’ll light a flourishing fire in your life. It’ll be delicious! Tell me where you feel engaged and if you’re not there yet, tell me what you’re curious about!!!

Lots of love in the meantime,

Leona

 

P.S. Here’s some vulnerability. Writing, decorating and ‘art’ are where I feel engagement. Here’s what I make-I hope that helps you see that you don’t need to be a pro to dive into something and find the feels of flow we all need.

engagement

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