Measuring Joy

A few weeks ago I had a horrifically shitty week.

Seemed like I could do no right, from being a calm parent to a supportive spouse to a thoughtful friend to a focused business owner.

I was flailing.

It was the week leading up to my Mama Retreat weekend. I left town with red puffy eyes, a lingering headache, and a low feeling I hadn’t experienced for almost a decade.

I saw the weekend away as an opportunity to reset and regroup.
To treat myself to hot baths, good wine, sleeping in (basically anything past 7am 😅), and the foreign sound of quiet.

I hadn’t experienced silence in what felt like years.
One thing that broke the silence over the two days was *finally* listening to Untamed by @glennondoyle, which somehow managed to simultaneously escalate my pulse while bringing about a long-lost comfort of being truly heard and seen and understood. Thank you, Glennon, for that.

My 3 hour drive back home on Sunday was full of resolve. Ready to smother my husband, babies, and pup with giant snuggles of appreciation and hope.

Last night I heard @trentshelton say “Sometimes the only way to add to your life is to subtract from it.”

I needed that break from everyday responsibility and routine.
Everyday thought patterns.
Everyday excuses.

I needed to subtract the noise from my narrative.
And add in the unbridled joy.

I say Hustle Takes Heart. And joy plays into that so damn much!

I invite you to, just for a minute even, examine your life, your business, your commitments from the lens of joy.

Then start subtracting out the junk.
Add joy back in, babe.

We can do this!

Ana Manzano

Mentor Mama Bear and Creative Strategist

http://www.yourhustletakesheart.com
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