I have just returned from Spring Break with my family. On my holiday, I had a chance to reflect and pay attention to what brings me joy. We discovered our greatest joy came from a sunrise walk on the beach, a swim in the sea at dusk or eating an amazing plate of nachos under a palapa. It was the simple, unplanned moments we spent together that resulted in our greatest happiness.
Kerry Patterson, coauthor of Influencer and Crucial Conversations, describes happiness as:
Those precious moments of joy we all seek are often so minor in magnitude (or so counter to what the world tells us will make us happy) that we don’t seek them out. We might even miss these moments should they pay us a visit.
As we all know, holidays end and my goal was to bring this awareness of “precious moments” into my practice. I discovered there were precious moments that happened every day if I paid attention. Last week these precious moments included, a law firm retreat where the partners came together as a unified group with a common purpose, a workshop attendee who told me how the workshop gave her confidence to achieve her practice goals and a warm hug from someone who I had not seen in years.
These were precious moments because of the meaning behind each encounter. My work was making a difference, I was making a contribution and connecting with others in a meaningful way. Since my holiday, I recognize I want more of these moments in my work. I will pay attention when they happen and seek them out.
What are the precious moments of joy for you in your everyday practice? Are you aware of them when they happen? How can you seek them out?