How to Find More Delight in Everyday Life (Even When Life Feels Heavy)
How to Find More Delight in Everyday Life (Even When Life Feels Heavy)
When did we get so serious?
Children don’t need extraordinary moments to experience delight. They find it everywhere—in something funny, something strange, sunlight moving across the floor, or simply discovering something for the first time.
Somewhere along the way, many of us become incredibly good at getting through the day, but not always experiencing it.
In this episode of Solving for Joy, I’m joined by my dear friend J. A. Jones to explore one of my favorite parts of the Practice of Joy: delight.
We talk about what happens to our natural capacity for wonder as we grow older, and how presence, play, curiosity, and becoming a little more comfortable with uncertainty can help us find our way back.
We also explore something I think matters deeply: practicing delight does not require us to look away from suffering. We can be aware of what is difficult and still notice what is beautiful, funny, strange, or wonderful. Delight and difficulty are allowed to exist together.
Our conversation moves through mindfulness and beginner’s mind, cynicism and humor, impermanence and uncertainty, nervous system regulation, play, revelry, and the simple practice of paying attention to what is happening right here.
Because maybe delight isn’t something we have to go looking for.
Maybe it’s a capacity we can practice returning to.
In This Episode
- Why presence, wonder, and delight are so deeply connected
- Learning to hold uncertainty—and life itself—a little more lightly
- Why delight can exist alongside grief, suffering, and difficult realities
- Reclaiming play, silliness, and revelry as adults
- How paying attention to ordinary moments can become a practice of delight
Connect with J. A. Jones
Chapters
00:00 The Nature of Delight
01:48 Childlike Wonder and Presence
04:17 Practices for Cultivating Delight
06:40 Why Delight Can Be Hard to Access
09:09 Wonder, Awe, and the Mystery of Being Alive
11:46 Cynicism, Humor, and Holding Life Lightly
14:28 Finding Delight in a Difficult World
18:17 Reclaiming Revelry, Play, and Silliness
22:11 Beginner’s Mind and the Practice of Connection
26:03 Finding Delight in Ordinary Life
30:24 A Simple Practice for Cultivating Delight
01:48 Childlike Wonder and Presence
04:17 Practices for Cultivating Delight
06:40 Why Delight Can Be Hard to Access
09:09 Wonder, Awe, and the Mystery of Being Alive
11:46 Cynicism, Humor, and Holding Life Lightly
14:28 Finding Delight in a Difficult World
18:17 Reclaiming Revelry, Play, and Silliness
22:11 Beginner’s Mind and the Practice of Connection
26:03 Finding Delight in Ordinary Life
30:24 A Simple Practice for Cultivating Delight
About Dr. Chrissie Ott
Dr. Chrissie Ott is a multi-board certified integrative physician, Professional Certified Coach (PCC), speaker, and founder of Joy Point Solutions. Through Solving for Joy, she explores the science and practice of living with greater meaning, alignment, and delight. Her work helps physicians and other high-achieving humans reconnect with themselves so they can build lives that feel deeply authentic, purposeful, and joyful.
Stay Connected with Chrissie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrissieottmd
Podcast: https://www.solvingforjoy.com
Website: www.joypointsolutions.com
Podcast: https://www.solvingforjoy.com
Website: www.joypointsolutions.com
For Physician Coaches & Healthcare Leaders
Physician Coaching Collective: https://www.physiciancoachingcollective.com
Physician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com
Physician Coaching Summit: https://www.thephysiciancoachingsummit.com
This episode explores delight, finding joy in everyday life, mindfulness, presence, wonder, awe, play, uncertainty, beginner’s mind, nervous system regulation, impermanence, resilience, and practicing joy even when life feels heavy.
