Time to Read: 4 mins
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of coaching at a multi-day event for women building incredible businesses.
We kicked it off by having the participants share their biggest goals for 2026, and as you’d expect, traditional goals immediately flooded the conversation...
Revenue targets, team growth, bigger impact, new offers. It was all there.
But then, one woman shifted the energy in the room by declaring…
"I just want my business to feel lighter. I want to enjoy my days and get back to having fun. That’s my biggest goal this year. To have fun again."
It was something we all understood, all too well.
Because being a business owner (or a driven professional at this stage of life) is no joke!
The responsibility is real. The stakes are real. The mental load is real.
And the weight of it all often leads to the joy being squeezed out by pressure, deadlines, and the constant push to do more.
But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:
Hard doesn’t have to mean joyless.
But here's the thing... Somewhere along the way, many of us absorbed the idea that if we’re enjoying ourselves, we must not be working hard enough. That if something feels light, it must not be important.
So we unintentionally squeeze the fun out of our days in the name of being responsible, productive professionals.
But the research tells a very different story.
A study on workplace fun and positive emotion shows that when people experience more enjoyment and lightness in their work, they’re actually more engaged, more energized, and more likely to take initiative and step into meaningful contributions.
✨✨ Joy doesn’t distract us FROM our work — it fuels the emotional, cognitive, and physical energy we bring TO our work! ✨✨
And from a self-leadership perspective, this makes so much sense.
When everything feels heavy and high-pressure all the time, your nervous system shifts into survival mode. You start leading yourself with urgency and force instead of clarity and intention.
But joy changes that internal state.
It broadens your thinking and replenishes your energy. It helps you stay present instead of bracing for the next demand. And it creates a space where you feel safe enough to operate at a higher level.
That’s not slacking off. That’s sustainable performance.
And the beautiful part is this: joy doesn’t have to come from big vacations or life-altering changes. It lives in the ordinary, everyday moments of your work.
✨ The playlist you turn on while answering emails.
✨ The walk you take between meetings.
✨ The way you turn a routine task into a small personal challenge.
✨ The decision to pause and laugh with someone instead of rushing straight to the next thing.
These may be tiny shifts on the surface, but they create lasting, meaningful impact over time.
💡 Practionable Takeaway
But don’t take my word for it!
Run a small experiment and prove the power of this practice to yourself.
Look at your calendar or to-do list, and choose one task or activity to intentionally infuse with joy.
Then, start a Joy Journal (this can be as simple as a note in your phone):
1️⃣ Write down the task.
2️⃣ Jot down what you did to sprinkle joy into the equation.
3️⃣ Describe the shift that occurred as a result.
Why write it down?
Because you’re gathering data on what naturally fuels your energy and engagement — and this is self-leadership (pillar #3) in action.
You’re not passively waiting for joy to magically appear, but creating conditions where it’s integrated into your everyday tasks so you can reap the research-backed benefits.
And sprinkling a bit of joy into every day makes leadership and life a whole lot more fun.
🎥 Want to Go Deeper?
If this idea of working WITH your energy instead of against it resonates, you might like this video about how grinding harder can quietly erode your leadership capacity.
And, as always, I coach you through what to do instead.
You can watch it here.👇
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To Your Success,
Laura 💜🧡
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