If you’ve been following me on social, maybe you have noticed my unintentional whimsical latte art posts. 

Actually, there is a lot of intentionality behind that fun coffee art.

I’ve been prioritizing little pockets of my day for bursts of fun like that. Those moments are about more than just the love of a good coffee.

I’ve been focused on my word for the year and reminding myself about it every day through my coffee.

My word for the year is SLOW.

So when I make my coffee with my new fancy Breville espresso machine, before I pull the espresso shot, I actually pause for a moment to breathe it in. I take the time to really inhale the fresh ground bean aroma. That extra couple seconds has become a powerful part of my coffee-making routine. It is like a punctuation point in the experience that helps me really enjoy the moment, rather than rushing onto the next thing on my list that day.

As you’ve also probably seen, I take the time to make some fun “art” as I pour the steamed milk over the espresso. It’s one way to pour out some of my creative energy each day (pun intended). You may recall that I created a “spark list” about a year or so ago. On that list was the intention to create more time for art. My daily coffee has become a bit of a fun outlet for me to do more “art.” The truth is, I wish I knew how to make those beautiful latte hearts and leafs in my coffee and no matter how many tutorials I’ve watched I just cannot get it down. But, I keep trying and I’ve decided to just make it my own.

Every day, I’m excited to go through the entire process, from grinding the beans to pouring the frothed milk into the cup.

I really do love my new coffee moments. That was actually the intention behind getting the new Breville. I wanted to carve out those at home coffee moments in my day.

When you can create little changes like this in your routine, it can bring new life to your day.

As I’ve said many times before, I pay attention to how things make me feel, and where there’s joy, I pour more energy into it.

In life, we have so many essential to-do lists. If we are too focused on those lists, it can be a bit boring or even draining. Appreciating these little non-essential moments can help us be more energized for the bigger things. It also breaks up the monotony of repeating the same routines every day.

When you add in different moments of joy, like coffee-making, you avoid the Groundhog Day effect. Even when you have good friends, great family, and a lot of amazing things happening in your life, daily routines, when repeated over and over again, can sometimes feel monotonous. The routines themselves aren’t bad, and they’re usually all part of a wonderful bigger picture. The days can just use a little extra spark.

This week, half of February is already gone. We’re almost two months into the new year. Can you believe it? That just shows how fast time goes. And that’s all the more reason to bring more meaning to your days and not just let each one slip by as just another day in your life.

You may think you have to make big changes or decisions to accomplish this but that’s not the case.

It really can be something as little as making yourself a really good coffee each day or growing a little herb garden inside your house.

For Christmas this year, my sister bought me what I think is the best Christmas gift that she’s ever given me. She gave me a little state-of-the-art indoor herb garden. We just started it two weeks ago. My kids and I spend a few minutes each day going over to check on it now. Each day, it’s growing little by little and it’s really exciting to note its daily growth. In just two weeks, it’s already popping! Soon we’ll be able to add herbs to our meals and that will be exciting too.

These little joys can mean so much.

A little joy could even be something as simple as changing the wallpaper. That’s why you may have seen me post about my mini bathroom reno. I just spent less than an hour putting up a beautiful wallpaper pattern and now, every time I look in that bathroom, it feels different. I feel a spark of joy at how that room looks.

When you bring new energy into those little areas of your day, it can really improve your energy and add a spark to your whole day. You literally breathe differently and think differently…and feel differently.

Sometimes we need reminding of the power simple joys have to make us feel.

When you’re busy, it can be too easy to fill your day up with to-do lists. And, let me tell you – I have LISTS. But what little joys are you filling your cup with?

When you slow down and focus your energy, you can find little in-between moments to insert these joyful pleasures. 

You have to be intentional about it, though. It won’t happen on its own. You have to intentionally slow down and look for that space.

If you’ve been reading for a while, you may remember that back before I had knee surgery, Dr. Risher at The Rehab Lab prescribed “an hour a week of fun” to help me reduce my knee’s inflammation. He said it helps relieve some of the tensions that can contribute to chronic conditions like inflammation. Thankfully, my surgery has since helped my knee feel 100% again, but I think there’s something to his advice that applies beyond helping my knee.

Little moments of joy and fun benefit our lives in more ways than we may realize.

This year I’m slowly finding more and more fun and creative in-between moments – every day. Just a few moments here and there can add up to something great. 

So what area of your day can you create these moments for yourself? 

PS – If you like what I’m delivering each week, you will LOVE what is inside a Mental Game program I developed for you called MINDSET RESET. It’s a members-only email series of tips and teachings delivered directly to you every two weeks. A bit like this, but even better!! There’s focused teachings around specific areas to build up your mental strength. There’s videos for each teaching and so much more! It’s only $27/mo and it is PACKED with much more value than that! It’s the perfect outlet for you to work on your mental game and have my coaching come straight to your inbox! If you’ve been wanting to work on your mental game, now’s the time! I’ve taken away your excuses.