How to Find Joy in the Ordinary
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Joy isn’t only for big vacations and milestone days. Andrew and Cat share how to spot, savor, and create tiny moments of joy inside regular Tuesdays—using reframes, mini rituals, and presence.
Big ideas
- Reframe “have to” → “get to.” (“I get to make my teenager breakfast.” “I get to have coffee.”)
- Joy is a muscle. Start from where you are and build reps with small, repeatable practices.
- Presence is the new luxury. Attention given to a person or moment = the rarest gift.
- Gratitude by subtraction. Imagine losing a simple ability (driving, using an arm) to feel instant thanks.
- Choose richer dopamine. Swap “cheap hits” (doomscrolling, impulse buys) for slow joys (plants, cooking, conversation).
- Design tiny rituals. Little, reliable delights (the “third cup” flavored coffee, sun crystals, herbs growing) anchor your day.
Joy-in-the-Ordinary Playbook
- Awareness: Notice you want more joy—great. That’s step one.
- Rename the moments: Commute → “podcast walk;” dishes → “gratitude reset;” bedtime → “cozy ritual.”
- One-sense check-in: Pause to smell coffee, feel a soft blanket, or notice morning light.
- Threshold ritual: Each time you pass a doorway, smile or take one slow breath and whisper “joy.”
- Daily delight photo: Snap one picture of something that delighted you today.
- 1–1–1 gratitude: Say aloud one person, one object, and one moment you’re grateful for.
- Zero-dollar joy hunt: Celebrate what you already own (favorite mug, a comfy couch, that perfect blow dryer).
- Grow something: Herbs in a counter garden or a hardy plant (self-watering pots help!).
- Protect presence: Put the phone away with people you love; use social media as a tool, not a reflex.
- Teach it forward: Model joy-finding for kids (and delay the dopamine machine as long as you can).
Fast ideas from the episode
- Savor a “special” cup (save a flavored coffee for your last cup).
- Hang sun crystals to splash rainbows across the room.
- Try a micro-reset: inhale + exhale whenever you enter a new room.
- Keep plants you’ll actually keep alive (hello, self-watering pots).
- Practice gratitude by subtraction: what ordinary thing would you miss if it were gone?
Mentioned
- The DOSE Effect — TJ Power (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins and how to get them the healthy way)
Glimmers
- Andrew: “The glimmer is… the glimmers.” Making tiny joys a habit changed how I feel daily.
- Cat: Self-watering planters—travel-friendly and my plants are thriving. 🌿
Keep in touch
- Instagram & TikTok: @fiveyearyou (five spelled out)
- Email: [email protected]
- Site & freebies: fiveyearyou.com
Affiliate note: As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases (Store ID: amp09-20 | Tracking ID: 5yy-20).
90 episodes