Do You Want to Experience Joy
Today, can you focus on spreading joy? Can you find ways to delight people you don’t know, probably won’t ever be friends with, and show them you see and appreciate them?
Why, you ask? Hang on – I’ll spill the beans. First, full disclosure – one of my current dogs is a therapy dog, the third one I’ve had the privilege of living with in my 40+ years of owning dogs. There’s something quite special, calming, and joyous about a therapy dog that they’re born with. You can train behaviors – therapy dogs are born with a heart and ability to connect that’s stronger than the normal dog.
There’s a holiday today inspired by a therapy dog. Since 2017, August 22nd has been designated as “Never Bean Better Day,” named after Bean, a medium-sized Golden Retriever who lived and warmed hearts in Morgantown PA. If you saw the Animal Planet show “The Haunted” Bean played Riley, the dog who could see ghosts and used his famous wooo wooo to announce a sighting. Between Never Been Better Day 2022 and today, Bean made his final therapy dog visit to the local human hospital to warm some hearts, and then departed for the rainbow bridge, where he’s undoubtedly spreading joy, and maybe just a bit of angelic dog hair.
Let’s get back to you and why focusing on spreading joy is a worthwhile goal, today and every day.
Did you know that all you have to do is see another person smile and your mood gets instantly lifted? The amazing chemical factory inside each of us is set up to respond to visual emotional cues with the hormones and enzymes appropriate to the situation. In a way, you could say that we’re designed to synchronize with those around us. You’ve probably felt it when you attended a great concert, where the energy of the crowd raised your own feeling of excitement and fun.
It works the same way when you focus on spreading joy. Whether you’re feeling joyous or not, when you see someone and give them a compliment, they usually smile. When you see them smile, your body responds with serotonin and dopamine, and maybe even a small hit of oxytocin. Those three substances work to lower your blood pressure, raise your mood, and create a feeling of wellbeing inside you. And the bonus? You’ve done all of that for the other person, too.
- Want to learn the fine art of doing drive-by’s? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that! (hint – no guns are used in these drive-by’s!)
- Need help finding the humor inside the irritation? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
- Need to make your way back to your childhood joy? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Can you make today the first of many Never Bean Better days in your life? Can you set a goal of making at least three people smile every day? When you can, your heart and ability to connect will be as big as a therapy dog’s, too.
#success #leadership #joy #wagalicious
