Do you remember how, a few posts back, I mentioned that I was taking Stratejoy's Joy Equation e-course? I just completed it and wanted to briefly share my experience with you all on the off (or maybe not so off) chance that someone out there is currently going through a kind of quarter life or identity crisis like I did. After all, if there's anything I've learned from Stratejoy it's that community can mean a world of difference.
Though I highly suggest going to the Stratejoy (pronounced like strategies for joy) website and checking out what it's about for yourselves, in summary it is an amazingly supportive collection of mostly women (many bloggers included), a majority of whom have been or are going through their own QLC. Stratejoy -- and it's brilliant and inspiring founder Molly Mahar -- offers a bunch of different resources including small business coaching, group coaching, much much more, and...the Joy Equation e-course.
So the reason I literally jumped at the chance to take the Joy Equation was because my life, to put it mildly, had been a complete mess over the last 6 months...or possibly 3 years. Somewhere during that time, I lost sight of who I was and the things I wanted, the dreams I had and any sort of real, long-term goals for my life. I was neglecting everything that's good and healthy and worthwhile (like Nate and our relationship and my overall well-being), feeling stuck and useless and helpless and hopeless. Throw in some severe depression, some therapy, and some self-given ultimatums and I was ready to kill for something -- anything -- to help me figure myself out.
And then, through a series of blogs I stumbled upon, I started hearing about this company called Stratejoy.
Now, I will admit that when I began the Joy Equation I was also beginning to implement new and healthier changes in my life on several other levels (i.e. therapy, as I said, healthier eating habits and a financial overhaul among them), but I'm not sure any or all of them would have been successful had I not done the things the Joy Equation asked me to do. I'll be the first to say it's intense -- 30 days of self-reflective journaling? 90 min sessions each week spent trying to really get at who you are and what you want? There were definitely some uncomfortable moments and some days when I called my mom and was like, "What do you really think of me???" in between sobs. But sticking with it was worth it.
So I journaled (and became addicted to it once again) and I spent 2 hours each week on the weekly audio sessions, and I read the Stratejoy blog from beginning to end and started joining in on that community of awesome women, and I talked about the Joy Equation and the things I was re-learning about myself nonstop to Nate and my friends and my dog. And I started feeling better. I started realizing that the things I thought I wanted I maybe didn't, and the things I thought I couldn't have I totally can. I realized that my dreams are not mutually exclusive of my reality and that having plans is good, but having flexibility within those plans make them even better. I learned that there are certain things I can't live without (like joy and travel and purpose and passion and faith and family) and there were definitely areas of my life that didn't honor those necessities. I'm seeing myself again -- it's a little like meeting an old friend and feeling that, even though you haven't spoken in a while, the closeness and support is still there.
And the really great part is that all of this information was already in my head or heart or wherever. I just needed some help finding it.
But things aren't perfect and never will be (now that was a hard lesson to learn). There's still a lot I have to work on when it comes to myself, and a lot of work to do to get to the places I want to be. So I don't mean to make this sound like some magic button that you push and all of a sudden all of your problems are solved, because it's not. Instead, for me, it was more like a guide, a friend to support me as I got down and dirty. I will probably be writing quite a bit more about the things I got out of my 30 days, including some awesome goals I've got to work towards and some habits I'm trying to get into. But for now I think this is as good a starting place as any.
