How To Spark Joy in Your Activism

Author
Recent Posts

Follow Me

The Activist for Activists. Author of Make a Difference with Mental Health Activism and The Happy Activist: Journey the 5-Step Activism Path to Focus Your Passion and Change the World. Teacher, Psychologist, Environmental Activist, Animal Lover.

Follow Me

How To Spark Joy in Your Activism

Spark joy in your activism. Because if you are motivated by doing activism you love, you will make a difference for your cause over the long term.

Marie Kondo created the term ‘spark joy’ as part of her bestselling book The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up. In her process, you gather your things and only keep those things that spark joy. How you know whether things spark joy is hard to explain, but Kondo reassures her readers that you can sense when an object brings pleasure or weighs you down. I’ve used her process to tidy my belongings, and it was evident which belongings I treasure.

However, the lifechanging part comes after the tidying:

“…pour your time and passion into what brings you the most joy, your mission in life. I am convinced that putting your house in order will help you find the mission that speaks to your heart. Life truly begins after you put your house in order.”
Marie Kondo

Spark Joy In Other Parts of Your Life

Now Kondo has applied her process to work in her new book with Scott Sonenshein, Joy at Work. Yes, they suggest that you hold your office supplies and decide whether they spark joy. But her more significant message is about whether your career is joyful. By putting your house in order, you can better see your ideal work life.

I enjoyed putting my office in better order (who needs three staplers?) Also, I whittled my file cabinet down by over half. The biggest impact was on nonphysical items like digital storage and phone apps. For example, getting media and files in order is a huge timesaver.

But all this sparking joy and tidying led me to wonder how this process applies to activism.

In my book, The Happy Activist (formerly What’s On Your Sign?), I guide new activists with a 5-step path that pays off in impact for your cause. Along the path, you find your passion, use your unique skills, do work you love, make an impact, and change the world.

Does tidiness apply to activism? Yes! In this post, I’ll show you how to apply Kondo’s process.

[Are you ready to follow the Activism Path?]

Steps To Spark Joy In Your Activism

Spark Joy With The Cause Closest To Your Heart

Step 1 in my Activism Path is to find the cause closest to your heart. Kondo loves a tidy environment, but tidiness is simply a metaphor for being on track to a joyful future. It is a mindset that impacts your work performance, relationships, and physical health.

In my path, your first step is to visualize your ideal life, and then work on how activism fits in.

One way to apply this approach is to use Kondo’s example of bringing together all of your things from a category, such as shoes. Then you find the ones that spark joy and discard the rest. Your closet floor isn’t cluttered anymore.

The same approach works for the myriad of causes that capture your attention. Bring all the causes together and find the one that sparks joy. That will be your activism focus, the cause closest to your heart.
Use Your Unique Gifts

The second step in the Activism Path is to consider the gifts you bring to activism. Gifts are skills, knowledge, and motivation. Using the skills and knowledge you already have means you’ll be more effective. And doing work that motivates you will keep you engaged.

Kondo is quite clear that she believes tidying physical and nonphysical clutter and getting clear about the work you do improves your performance. For example, tidying up gives you a sense of purpose. The process itself hones your decision-making ability. And examining the tasks you love to do means you can cull those you don’t enjoy.
Protesting Not For You? Do Activism That Sparks Joy

Step 3 is considering your options for activism methods. There are many different ways to make change. By understanding your gifts, you can choose a technique that sparks joy.

For example, some people like to work in a team, while others prefer working alone. If your relationships with other people bring you joy, make sure your activism involves a team setting.

If marching, lobbying, or fundraising don’t spark joy, try a creative approach such as crafting, writing, or art.
Get Satisfaction from Making a Difference

When you have matched your passions and gifts to a method that sparks joy, make sure the work you choose impacts your cause. In this step, you measure the potential impact of your activism choices, so you can pick the one that helps your cause the most.

In essence, making this decision is a form of sparking joy. By being clear about the change you can make you naturally feel a spark of joy. Then, enjoy the satisfaction that comes from making a difference.
Stay Joyful

The last step in the Activism Path is to change the world! Set yourself up for success and stay motivated.

First, motivate yourself by setting goals. Your goals keep you focused on achieving the best results from your work. Set goals that motivate you and take joy in your progress.

Then, make sure you stay joyful by developing a sense of stress awareness. Kondo says that honest self-reflection makes it easy to see what tasks spark joy and those that don’t. Sometimes activism is hard, and it is vital to take care of yourself. By identifying when you are stressed and managing it before it overwhelms you, you’ll be able to make change for a long time.

Kondo found in her work that tidiers often realized they were not living their ideal life. Many chose to make dramatic changes. In the same way that she recommends changing jobs if you don’t feel joy, consider changing your activism focus if you feel stressed or unmotivated.

Activism Should Be Joyful

Yes, activism can spark joy. And taking joy in your activism work makes you more effective and more likely to make a difference for the cause closest to your heart.