You wouldn’t think you could find joy in the midst of difficult life events, but you can if you know how to look for it. Today’s episode is an interview with someone who did just that.
Stuck in the world’s busiest airport after her flight was canceled, Our guest today, Jennifer Uren, shares what she did while waiting on standby for another flight, anxious to get to her destination for a speaking engagement the next day.
Besides being one of the most interesting stories I’ve heard in a while, it illustrates a relationship lesson the rest of us can use to find joy even when life takes us in a direction we’d rather not go.
Welcome to You Were Made for This
If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll discover practical principles you can use to experience the life-giving relationships you were made for.
I’m your host, John Certalic, award-winning author and relationship coach, here to help you find more joy in the relationships God designed for you.
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Near the end of today’s show, I’m going to explain a new technology I want to try out that involves your participation. It has the potential to be great fun, but more on that later.
An intriguing Facebook post
To begin, here’s my interview with Jennifer Uren. It starts with why I contacted her in the first place.
[I’m sorry there’s no transcript of the interview. Please consider listening to it by clicking on johncertalic.com/180. Here though, is her Facebook post which prompted me to contact her.]
“Monday I was delayed and hung out at the airport all day and people watched.
“When you pay attention, you can find connections and ways to serve weary travelers.
“Like the older gentleman making calls and getting the runaround and hearing him say, ‘I don’t have anything to write with,’ so you jump up and bring him a pen so he doesn’t have to call back.
“Or the mom standing in line to talk with the gate agent while her toddler explores, and you make eye contact to let her know you’ll be her second set of eyes.
“Or the gentleman who has been on standby all day with you and just needed someone to hear his story and how he misses his dog.”
So what does all this mean for YOU?
I sure enjoyed my conversation with Jennifer, and I hope you did. too. I love how her Facebook post illustrated the ORA principle of relationships I’ve talked about on this podcast. Observe – Reflect – Act. Her action at the airport was the result of her reflection on what she observed while waiting all day to catch her flight.
Today’s episode also makes me wonder how you can use what you’ve heard today to find more joy in the relationships in your life.
I suggest that instead of looking outside of yourself to find more joy in life, look inside and ask how yourself, how can I create a small measure of joy for others? By becoming a source of joy for people, you’ll create it for yourself. It’s an unusual place to find joy, I know. It’s counter-intuitive. But it works. Give it a try.
Here’s the main takeaway I hope you remember from today’s episode
To find more joy in life, don't limit yourself to the usual places you go to. Entertainment, sports, family, close friends. Those are sources of joy we draw from, which are all fine. Instead, expand your horizons and see if you can find joy in difficult circumstances by creating it for others. Maybe even for complete strangers. Because when we create joy for others, we create it for ourselves.
Closing
In closing, I hope your thinking was stimulated by today’s show – enough to try creating a little joy for the people you meet.
I’d love to hear how this goes for you, so please contact me with any stories of what you try doing. Stories similar to what you heard in today’s episode.
And this is where the new technology comes in that I mentioned earlier. To contact me with the brief stories you want to share, go to the website Podinbox.com/John. There you can record a voice message with your response from either your phone or computer. Include your name and where you’re from. It’s that simple. Nothing to write at all.
I’ll then play a few of the responses in a future episode. Who knows, I may pick yours! It will look good on your resume if I do! That website again Podinbox.com/John.
Well, that’s it for today. If there’s someone in your life you think might like to hear what you just heard, please forward this episode on to them. The link is JohnCertalic.com/180. Or scroll down to the bottom of the show notes for this episode and click on one of the options in the yellow “Share This” bar.
And don’t forget to check out Jennifer’s podcast, This Mom Knows. And while you’re at, spread a little relational sunshine around the people you meet this week. Spark some joy for them. And I’ll see you again next time. Goodbye for now.
Related episodes you may want to listen to
085: Finding Joy at the End of 2020
103: The Secret to Great Relationships
139: Why Should I Listen to This Podcast?
021: The Most Important Relationship of All
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