This month, the topic of discussion with my Fishful Thinking peers is Multiplying Joy. Dr. Reivich states:
“By responding positively to others’ good news and sharing in their joy you are being a Joy Multiplier. On the flip side, when you do not show interest in the joy someone is sharing with you, you become a Joy Thief.”
And while the initial question asked was “When are you a Joy Multiplier? What time of day do you respond most positively? What kinds of good news do you celebrate most with your children?” it kicked off some absolutely wonderful conversations!
My answer was:
I’d LIKE to say that I’m always a Joy Multiplier – whenever I hear good news I ask questions and get excited for the other person. And for the most part that’s true…except that whole “I’m *so* not a morning person” thing. Especially before I’ve had coffee…So, afternoons and early evenings are probably the time of day that I respond most positively.
I celebrate ALL good news with my children! Especially if it’s *their* good news. I’m all about celebrating even the “small” stuff – if you wait for the really big stuff, you may not ever celebrate – and that’s no fun. We’re always dancing 🙂
Of course, my fear is that I’m also a Joy Thief because there are definitely times when I’m just unable to celebrate at the exact moment my kids come running in with news. Someone else brought that up in their response and I was quick to point out that it sounded like she celebrates LOTS of stuff, so perhaps she’s just a Joy Postponer and not a Thief.
Do you see how this ties in with last month’s discussion about being your own biggest critic? I was immediately able to let this other wonderful mom off the hook and see how she isn’t a Joy Thief, but when thinking about myself I go right to that.
Anyway…back to Joy. I’ve been thinking about ways to increase being a Joy Multiplier. I’m going to TRY to drop everything when my kids come to me with something to celebrate; but realistically, I know that I’m not always “in the mood” or simply able to drop everything. Plus, I’m not sure what kind of message that sends to them when they’re “allowed” to interrupt each and every time they have something exciting to say (like, if I’m on the phone or talking with another adult).
And I think if we start writing out our Joy List more often … adding to it each and every time there’s something TO celebrate, we’d be multiplying it not only at the time of the initial joy, but each time we reread it.
Oh, and did you know that Happiness is Contagious in Social Networking? If you multiply your joy online, you’re making not only YOUR day, but a whole lot of other people’s days too! Pretty cool, huh?
Filed under: fishful thinking | Tagged: fishful thinking, joy multiplying, spreading joy |
The Zimmer Zoo 
I love that your always dancing with your kids whether it’s celebrating or “shaking off frustration”. 🙂
Joy Multipliers ROCK!