The art of joyriding

We begun 2023 with almost daily announcements of people losing their jobs and headlines reminding us about the tough economic climate, and I thought it would be prudent to talk about wellbeing.

A few years ago we had the privilege of Jacqui Lewis coming into the amaysim office to teach our team about lots of things, including the importance of ‘joy riding’ and the value of constantly talking about daily ‘joy rides’.

At the risk of butchering her incredible content, a ‘joy ride’ is a simple activity that brings joy and can be done each day. It doesn't have to be the same thing each day but it needs to be daily. She also explained to us that talking about it was just as important as doing it because it creates a multiplier effect. As we encourage others, we remind ourselves how much joy we had, meaning that we're more likely to do it again. Plus as others get into the spirit of it, the likelihood of us being inspired also increases.

At the time, my daily joy rides were quick swims at the beach in the morning, rain, hail or shine. It didn’t matter whether I was in the water for 10 seconds or 10 minutes, the mere act brought me joy.

Over time, we got pretty good at sharing quick messages about our joy rides via our team slack channel. This sharing was just as important as the ride itself because it meant that everyone felt comfortable and empowered to do the same. The team loved it and we all felt better for doing it. As the team leader at the time, I was very conscious that I had to start it and I think it helped that my joy ride was first thing in the morning.

When Covid hit and we went into the first lockdown, joy riding became even more important for our team. We amped up the banter and encouraged each other to keep up the practice.

As the fever pitch of the pandemic subsided and we ‘got back to normal’, we lost track of our joy rides and the associated banter is barely noticeable. I’m equal portions embarrassed that we dropped the ball on this beautiful habit and proud that, as a team, we have enough self-reflection and bravery to course correct.

Therefore in 2023, the leadership team at Tiger & Bear Partners decided that it’s time to bring back our joy rides and the constant chatter about them. For us, this is picking up where we left off. For others, this post may be the start of a new habit. If you’re reading this, think of a small thing that you can do today that brings you joy. Then do it and tell everyone about it.

Given the challenges that are facing many businesses around us, I can’t think of a better time to get back to this simple daily practice and to refocus on encouraging everyone around us to spend some extra time on their wellbeing.