What Do You Want?

The Joy Diet is a book by Martha Beck, life coach and columnist in the Oprah magazine. Far from being about carrot sticks and cottage cheese, the Joy Diet is a collection of practices that, when done regularly, lead to a more joyful and fulfilling life.

Menu item #3 on the diet is Desire and it invites readers to identify and explore one heart’s desire. After getting still and centered on your connection to your deepest wisdom, ask yourself “What do I want?” As answers bubble around in your mind, choose the one that is most appealing to you at the moment.

Take some time to consider the desire of your heart. Is there a deeper desire below the one you identified? If you want a chocolate milk shake, is it because chocolate is your favourite flavour and you’re craving something sweet?

Or could it be that milk shakes are special because your grandfather took you to the malt shop when you were a child? Could it be that the milkshake represents a desire to have someone listen to you the way your grandfather did?

When you find a desire that is a true reflection of your heart, you’ll know it because it will be joyful and open, fulfilling and expansive.

Once you’ve identified a desire, set an intention that you will experience it; shift from “I wish” to “I will.” Nothing more need be done than identify a heart’s desire and start to believe that you can experience it in you life.

Martha Beck recommends spending a few minutes each day contemplating the question “What do I want?” You may come up with a different answer every day. That’s fine. And you don’t need to take action to experience the desire until further on in the Joy Diet.

So, what do YOU want? What does your heart and soul long to do that you haven’t pursued yet? Take a few minutes to get still and get some answers.