Joy Leaves Clues
“I don’t know where I’m going, but I know exactly how to get there.”
– Renias Matanjana Jampatchas Mhlongo via Boyd Vardy in The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life
Renias (mentioned above) is one of the Shangaan trackers at Londolozi Game Reserve.
Established by the Vardy family in 1926, Londolozi believes that “to have an encounter with wild animals in the African wilderness is to discover an essential truth about ourselves and our world.” (source) The trackers and guides at Londolozi have been working to restore the land and wildlife in the area for decades, and I can imagine that their deep wisdom of the wilderness creates a safari experience unlike any other.
The tradition of tracking is tangible, teachable, passed down through generations. It’s “the art form of following an animal across wild terrain and learning how to be attuned to the language of the wilderness.” (Boyd Vardy)
Although we aren’t all living among lions, there is much we can learn from a tracker’s navigational prowess.
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In this episode of Tim Ferris’ podcast, Tim interviews Boyd Vardy, a member of Londolozi’s founding family and the author of the book The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life. Throughout their conversation, Boyd explains how he uses tracking as a metaphor to navigate life’s most transformational processes. He says,
“That idea became very important to me. The idea that there is information in your life [to attune to]… And so, what do you need to attune to…? Things that make you feel expensive, things that make you feel alive, letting go of your rational idea of what you should do and noticing what you move towards. Noticing what you’re curious about, noticing the people who energize you, the activities that make you feel more alive.”
In other words, you attune to and track your Joy.
Take this Why Joy Matters newsletter series as an example. We’ve learned from a Pixar cartoon, two spiritual leaders, a neuroanatomist, and now a lion tracker. If that’s not following my Joy, I don’t know what is!
But it’s not like Joy is walking around leaving dusty paw print clues for us to follow. Where do we start? How do we learn to track Joy?
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We track Joy by learning to follow the feeling.
I know this might sound ‘woo woo,’ but please don’t forget what we’ve discussed in past newsletters. Remember that the eight pillars of Joy are aligned with many right-brain characteristics. And remember that your nonverbal right hemisphere takes in information experientially.
As Boyd suggests in the quote above, start by noticing the things that make you feel expansive, alive, curious. Notice the people and activities that energize you.
These are clues - tracks, if you will - toward your big Ideas and towards your best life – pay attention to them! Figure out ways to connect, multiply, and share them with others.
Still not sure where to start? Try these prompts:
What was the highlight of your day today? (track your responses over time and reflect on trends, themes, & commonalities)
What did you daydream about as a kid that you’d like to make a reality?
What were you doing the last time …you lost track of time? …you felt a sense of flow? …you wanted the activity to never end?
Notice the things that pull rather than push you forward.
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As you learn to track your Joy, you’ll likely find a correlation between Joy and curiosity (another common right-brain characteristic). And your curiosity might lead to your creativity. And your creativity might just lead to some big Ideas!
In her new book, Beyond Anxiety, Martha Beck posits: “As you become more creative than our society deems prudent, you’ll make the choices that will lead to your own greatest happiness, and your best contribution to the world.”
