Joy Multiplier

Last week, I was fortunate to attend a talk by Brian Miles, Mental Performance Coach of Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians. One of his objectives with the Indians is to “enhance the mental and emotional development of players” by focusing on improving their emotional competencies. Outside of his day job, he is passionate about helping others and routinely tweets personal development tips like this one below.

Point #2 hit home

Last week, I shared how Father’s Day is triggering for me, due to my wife and my struggles with infertility. I wanted to remind people to be empathetic to people who aren’t necessarily happy on Father’s Day. What it also made me wonder is if I unintentionally became a ‘joy thief.’

Here’s the thing: I’m proud of that post. It’s unacceptable that infertility remains an uncomfortable subject, particularly because so many people suffer from this disease. My wife and I want to permanently change that narrative and make sure nobody ever feels unsafe discussing this subject.

Having said that, it’s just as important to follow Brian’s advice to ‘Be a joy multiplier vs joy thief’. My wife and I are very blessed to have our dogs, our health and a great place to live. We have loving families, supportive friends and really enjoy being together. All these things bring us joy and we are very grateful.

Tip to be a ‘joy multiplier’

One idea Brian shared on being a ‘joy multiplier’ is to begin conversations by asking someone to share something that makes me happy, rather than simply ask how they’re doing. On Thursday, my hometown Montreal Canadiens earned an unexpected spot in the Stanley Cup Final – their first in 28 years. The following morning, I woke up with a silly grin on my face and shared how excited I was on Facebook.

Here’s my post:

I was 10 years old the last time the Habs played in the Cup final. I remember every game of that series like it happened yesterday. This morning, I feel like that 10-year-old kid again. Thank you Canadiens de Montréal for bringing me back to a simpler time.

I think that’s what being a joy multiplier means and I encourage you all to follow Brian’s advice. I intend on doing that going forward.