Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to make function fun. When you are
Speaker 1: choosing a functional object, whether for yourself or as a gift,
Speaker 1: let it be a source of joy and delight if
Speaker 1: you can. Today's tip is inspired by Ingrid Fatil Lee's
Speaker 1: book Joyful, The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to create
Speaker 1: Extraordinary Happiness. In the book, Lee, a designer, enumerates ten
Speaker 1: factors contributing to joy, things like abundance, play, surprise, transcendence,
Speaker 1: and celebration, and she gives specific examples of items that
Speaker 1: reflect each. For instance, Lee points out that confetti, polka dots, stripes,
Speaker 1: strings of Christmas tree lights, even skittles tap into the
Speaker 1: joy that comes from abundance. She says, balls, hula hoops,
Speaker 1: googly eyes, and other round shapes evoke the joy of play.
Speaker 1: The pop of a champagne cork, an inflatable tube beIN
Speaker 1: like the ones you see it used. Car dealerships lead
Speaker 1: the mind towards celebration. The Joyful book has lots of
Speaker 1: ideas for injecting more fun and joy into your life.
Speaker 1: Some of these ideas are about pure delight, like keeping
Speaker 1: a drawer full of confetti, as a person described in
Speaker 1: the book does. However, if you are aiming to acquire
Speaker 1: less stuff, you might most practically aim to incorporate some
Speaker 1: joyful aspects into everyday objects in essence you make function on.
Speaker 1: Let's start with office supplies. For instance, why not keep
Speaker 1: a container of felt tipped pins in a rainbow of
Speaker 1: colors on your kitchen counter. There's no reason your grocery
Speaker 1: list needs to be in blue ballpoint, inc When a
Speaker 1: pin jar full of different colored pins can bring the
Speaker 1: joy of abundance. I know someone with a bright lime
Speaker 1: green stapler. Yes, it means she can identify it if
Speaker 1: someone has walked off with it, but how fun to
Speaker 1: see something in bright colors on a rainy day. Fun
Speaker 1: coffee mugs and water bottles can be another source of joy.
Speaker 1: Whimsical dish towels and cooking utensils can be delightful, and
Speaker 1: whisks and cooking spoons designed to evoke people, animals or
Speaker 1: plants always make me smile. There's no need to home
Speaker 1: edit your whole house or apartment and put your entire
Speaker 1: life into clear containers in rainbow order. But it can
Speaker 1: be fun to use clear containers for brightly colored things
Speaker 1: you already have, like apples, oranges, and bananas on your counter.
Speaker 1: If your kids have marbles, maybe those go in a
Speaker 1: glass jar, or you get a clear container so you
Speaker 1: can see all of your colorful spools of thread displayed.
Speaker 1: An umbrella is another great place to bring in some joy,
Speaker 1: which is especially welcome on a dreary, rainy day. Go
Speaker 1: for bright colors and fun patterns, or the traditional black
Speaker 1: umbrella on the outside with a surprising and delightful blue
Speaker 1: sky and clouds printed underneath. Especially in the winter when
Speaker 1: you are wearing boots, have some fun with your socks.
Speaker 1: Wool socks come in plenty of colors and patterns, so
Speaker 1: why stick with solid black or gray. Consider adding some
Speaker 1: pizzazz to your workout wardrobe. Two. The gym or the
Speaker 1: running trail is a place where you are free from
Speaker 1: any constraints of looking serious or professional, so aim to
Speaker 1: dress in a way that makes you smile. The next
Speaker 1: time you need to buy a functional item for yourself
Speaker 1: or as a gift for someone else, choose something that
Speaker 1: marries fun and function In little but meaningful ways. You
Speaker 1: can add joy to your daily life and the lives
Speaker 1: of those around you in the meantime. This is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pot that's b E the number four, then
Speaker 1: breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an
Speaker 1: email at before for Breakfast podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com
Speaker 1: that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For
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