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Back in the summer of 2000, I bought the first issue of O magazine with, I admit, the intention of mocking it. Much as I’ve enjoyed Oprah’s talk show over the years, the idea of a magazine just seemed so dramatically self-indulgent. Plus there was an article by the author of a book called Mitten Strings for God, which I thought was probably the most ridiculous book title I’d ever heard.

Then…I sat down to read the magazine and fell completely in love with it. It’s so much more intelligent than any other women’s magazine I’ve ever read. Plus it’s inspiring, beautifully written and even pro-feminist.

So I love it as a magazine and I look forward to reading it every month. But it also changed my life.

Finding Joy, Every Day

The theme of the May 2001 was “Joy”. Now joy wasn’t something I’d ever given much thought to, but so much of the issue resonated with me. “When was the last time you felt real joy – that down-to-your-toes tingle of pure delight?” the writers asked. (And that’s a direct quote – I’ve got eight years-worth of issues lined up along the top of my bookshelves.)

I didn’t know when I’d last felt real joy, but the question couldn’t have come at a better time. I’d just turned 30. I’d also just graduated from a university (which I attended as a mature student). And the following month my husband and I headed off on a three month tour of the US. I spent that trip thinking about joy, thinking about what gave me pleasure, what made my heart sing, what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

I knew then that I wanted to write.

Following Your Joy and Changing Your Life

When I got home, I started to read about joy. I signed up for joy-mongering newsletters and tried to fit as many “moments of joy” into my life as possible. I made a list of some of the most joyful moments of my life and found that water, birds, music, good books and small children were some of the things that made me happiest. I vowed to spend more time with and around all of the above. Later, I added dancing, even if I have to do it alone around the house. I also put together a collection of my favorite joy-filled DVDs, for when I was feeling down and needed inspiration.

I read Martha Beck’s The Joy Diet. I discovered Suzanne Falter-Barns’ books How Much Joy Can You Stand and Following Your Joy. One line in Falter-Barns’ first book led me to the next stage in my journey: “If you can manage to leap off the cliff and trust yourself to fly, you will experience a fine, effortless joy like nothing else”.

I signed up for life coaching with Suzy Greaves, whose company is called The Big Leap, and that was probably the best decision I’ve ever made. Suzy helped me focus my goals. She mentored me in my journalism, supported me when I chose to give up my tedious job in administration and continues to encourage and inspire me to this day.

What Joy Gave Me

In 2001, I made joy the guiding principle in my life and, seven years later, it still is. Since reading that issue of O, I’ve had a child, bought a house, passed my driving test, finished a novel, signed a book deal, and make my living as a writer. Of course, I might have done all of that anyway, but I doubt it.

Each month I look forward to reading O magazine and each month it adds just a little bit more to my life. Not bad, for a magazine I originally bought as a joke.

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