GET YOUR JOY ON
Unleash Joy in Your Life, One Small Action at a Time
by Liv Hadden
A numerology-based guide realigns personal habits in order to increase happiness.
Hadden’s (In the Mind of Revenge, 2017) manual emphasizes that people tend to block their own joy. “I want you to remember that you are Joy,” she writes. “I want you to distinguish between who you are (Joy, whole, divine, eternally loved) and how you feel (depressed, angry, confused, excited, anxious).” “If you can do that,” she continues, “it won’t matter when you have a bad day or hit a bump in the road.” The bulk of her book consists of 21 “Joy Builder” activities, each designed to last 21 days under “the popular idea that it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a habit.” The author explains that although the real window of time is much longer, “21 still feels right” because it’s three weeks, doable, and not overwhelming. These Joy Builder exercises sometimes revolve around deceptively simple changes—swap “should” for “could” in daily talk (in order to emphasize personal effectiveness instead of guilt or obligation), for instance, or remove “but” from the daily vocabulary. Others consist of basic reminders, such as “Be steadfast in your boundaries and flexible with your empathy” and “Being friends on Facebook is not being friends in real life. Being friends in real life does not mean you have to be ‘friends’ on Facebook.” Many people do things they dislike every week, Hadden observes, and her useful exercises are distinctly designed to counteract this and put the emphasis back on positivity. “Every time you feel grateful for the next 21 days,” she advises at one point, “say so, and be specific.” Most of the author’s advice is recognizable and simple to the point of being self-evident—telling readers that staying affirmative is important and that taking time off is a necessary basis for experiencing happiness. Ultimately, the reminder “You are the joy you seek” becomes the book’s vibrant mantra—one that many readers will no doubt find helpful.
A clear, detailed plan to seize joy in life that offers some familiar tips.