Does this spark joy?

I had the pleasure of meeting someone for coffee this morning; she's about a year into retirement and trying to figure out this next phase of her life. A friend of mine had given her my book and so she reached out asking to pick my brain (which I love, by the way, never hesitate to reach out to me). Her story is similar to mine in that she wants to lead professional development workshops and ideally become a keynote speaker. Also like me, she has a lot of experience from an impressive career and could probably speak on a dozen different topics. Unfortunately, having a versatile skill set is a double-edged sword.

When we are good at many things, many paths are open to us, but they are not always the path we should be walking. The road worth traveling is the one that spark joys; the one that makes us feel alive and reminds us of our purpose in this world. Just because we are good at something does not mean we should be doing it.

Now I know that is a very romantic idea, and while the creative side of me is a romantic I'm also very much a realist. When it comes to business, sometimes the thing that sparks us joy is not the thing that pays the bills. So, there is, of course, a balance with this that we must find. Often, we need to make room for some of the less-than-ideal work, because it pays for the other things. Some of us live to work while others may work to live. One is not better than the other as long as at the end of the day you are leaving space for the things that make you feel the most you.

Marie Kondō became famous for teaching us one simple question: does this spark joy? The goal here is not necessarily to discard all the things that don't give us joy, but to rather make space for the things that do:

"The important thing in tidying is not deciding what to discard but rather what you want to keep in your life." -Marie Kondō

So, what is it that you want to keep in your life? What brings you joy and therefore warrants prioritizing? For me, it's writing. I know this. I live this. And yet it is still so easy for me to let other things take over my schedule. Knowing what sparks joy and making space for what sparks joy are two very different things. This morning, take a minute to not just define the joy in your life but to do a little tidying. Cancel some plans. Say no. Throw it out. Do whatever you need to do to live the life you have been called to.