Welcome to The Joy Diet, a menu of ten behaviors you can add to your way of living and thinking to enhance every day’s journey through the unpredictable terrain of your existence. You can add these behaviors gradually and watch your life become steadily more vivid and satisfying. Or you can go on a “crash Joy Diet” to help you navigate life’s emergencies.
The ten menu items are:
• Nothing: Do nothing for fifteen minutes a day. Stop mindlessly chasing goals and figure out which goals are worth going after.
• Truth: Create a moment of truth to help you unmask what you’re hiding—from others and from yourself.
• Desire: Identify, articulate, and explore at least one of your heart’s desires—and learn how to let yourself want what you want.
• Creativity: Learn six new ways to develop at least one new idea to help you obtain your heart’s desire.
• Risk: Take one baby step toward reaching your goal. The only rule is it has to scare the pants off you.
• Treats: Give yourself a treat for every risk you take and two treats just because you’re you. No exceptions. No excuses.
• Play: Take a moment to remember your real life’s work and differentiate it from the games you play to achieve it. Then play wholeheartedly.
• Laughter: Laugh at least thirty times a day. Props encouraged.
• Connection: Use your Joy Diet skills to interact with someone who matters to you.
• Feasting: Enjoy at least three square feasts a day, with or without food.
No matter what your long-term goals are, The Joy Diet, written with Martha Beck’s inimitable blend of
wisdom, practical guidance, and humor, will help you achieve the immediate gift of joyful living in the here
and now. Begin your journey today.
Another “wow” from a very special author People who visit my site often assume I’m getting commissions from Martha Beck. I wish I were: I’ve recommended Finding Your Own North Star to just about every client and every person I know.
An excellent follow-up to “Finding Your Own North Star” I was thrilled to see a new book from Martha Beck, and since I work in a bookstore, I was able to start reading it before it was released. I meditate, so although I wouldn’t say that the first “menu item” is easy, I was able to skip to week two automatically. Don’t skip it if you don’t do it! It certainly is essential to my life, and helps me stay focused. Each week/chapter adds another dimension to the “diet”, and expands your life in some other way. As I am impatient, I can’t simply read a chapter a week, so I am finishing the book and then incorporating the weeks as I go along. I appreciate Ms. Beck’s sense of humor and frank honesty. She has been a lifestyle coach for quite a few years and offers excellent advice. If you missed “Finding Your Own North Star”, be sure and check it out.
a prescription for joy I’ve been through a really trying year and after reading Martha’s columns in O magazine I decided to try this book.I don’t really like most self-help books because their advice usually evaporates soon after reading.This doesn’t. It sticks. I keep it by my bed and have been reading and re-reading it as needed.Whenever I need a boost or a reminder to keep on track, I pick it up and get re-inspired. Hers is a very refreshing practical approach to making your life more joyful. Her writing style is funny and direct with a common sense attitude that is very appealing. Buy it!