Joy. That's what I'm talking about.
Today is the day I’m doing it. Fortified by ¾ of a cup of Blue Bottle (for reference, that is the equivalent of four cups for most people) and a two-hour breakfast date with two of my favorite people, Nomi and Nikki, I’m ready to take the leap and start something new.
Welcome to my journey into becoming. Or maybe I should say, welcome to the window into my soul that I’m scared but wanting to share with the world.
This is the joy revolution.
Right now, as I sit in a co-working/coffee shop in SF’s financial district, I’m buzzing from caffeine and also excited to do this. To put myself out there. With my thoughts, feelings and vulnerabilities – messy and beautiful, they may be.
Life is such a beautiful, horrible, wonderful, grateful, tragic thing. And I’m happy to be living it. But is happiness the goal? Not in my opinion. I think living a wholehearted life is the goal. Or in the words of my fabulous coach, Laura, my “decision.”
 I borrow the term wholehearted living from the great Brene Brown. She writes extensively about this concept in her many books, including Daring Greatly and Braving the Wilderness. I will not try to lift her definition, but basically my takeaway is that people who live wholehearted lives are, what she calls, “in the arena.” This means they are DOING THE THING. Even though they are scared. And have imposter syndrome. And are messy. And beautiful. And perfect the way they are. They aren’t throwing stones at those who are trying. They are too busy being in the arena themselves.
This newsletter is one of my steps into the arena. I’m doing a hurdle jump (is that what you call it?) over my fear. Thank you, coffee and Nikki and Nomi and Tyler.
And thank you to me.
Most of all me.
I don’t know what this newsletter will turn into, or if this is the only one I’ll ever send out (I doubt that), but right now I can’t hold it in anymore.
I am creating a movement around joy.
It is my firm belief that joy is an act of resistance. Reading/watching the news, you know what I mean. I am creating a collective of people who are rising above the noise of the present state of things to make space for joy. To make space for laughter. To make space for laughing and accidentally peeing our pants.
But to me, joy isn’t just about the happy times. That’s only part of it. Joy exists on the sunny side of our shadow selves and without our shadow selves, joy doesn’t have as much power. I want to honor those shadow sides as well. Those sides that are scared. That are struggling through our marriages. That are worried about our inability to get pregnant. That are worried we don't know what we are doing with our lives. That are, well, fill in the blank.
This newsletter isn’t going to be a diary, per se, but more of a reflection of things I’m thinking about, learning about, listening to and excited about. And things I’m sad about, angry about. Stories that I’m bursting to tell.
I’m so excited about this, I could shout it from the rooftops. This is me shouting from the rooftops, digitally.
So join me. In this quest for joy – for wholehearted living. Lets see where it takes us, individually and together.
Very important disclaimer: I am in the “delicate flower” phase of this newsletter, so I would like to request zero feedback - Z.E.R.O. - other than overtly positive comments (i.e. “love it, Katie!” “this is awesome!”). I may want constructive feedback on this project at some point, but today is not that point. Thanks for understanding and respecting the delicate flower inside me.
“Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyway.” – Glennon Doyle
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