Lucia Knight
A Joy At Work Experiment: I’ve Always Wanted To…
When someone says “I’ve always wanted to”, it offers a glimpse of their dreams, unfulfilled desires, and untapped joy. But here's the thing. We often push these dreams aside. And in doing so, we quietly quash a spark of our potential joy. This week, let's change that.
Sometimes work feels like a never-ending loop of things we just have to do, doesn't it?
Endless meetings, looming deadlines for tasks we've procrastinated on until they become have-tos. Work events that we'd swap in a millisecond for an evening snuggled up with one of our favourite box sets.
But today, let's hit pause on the have-tos and shift our focus to something new.
Over the last eight years of helping clients design more joy into their work, I've noticed something magical. It's subtle, easy to miss if you're not paying attention. It often slips out as an afterthought, almost shyly. And yet every time I catch it, I know I've stumbled upon something extraordinary. It begins with these four simple words.
“I've always wanted to…”
When someone says this, it's like a window into their soul opens. It offers a glimpse of their dreams, unfulfilled desires, and untapped joy. But here's the thing. We often push these dreams aside. We label them, Someday goals, too frivolous for today's practical demands, and we bury them under the avalanche of our to-do lists.
And in doing so, we quietly quash a spark of our potential joy.
This week, let's change that.
The Joy At Work Experiment: Finish the sentence “I’ve always wanted to…”
This week's experiment is simple. Write down one thing you've always wanted to do.
It doesn't have to be big, just one little I've always wanted to. Bring this thought from the back of your mind to the forefront.
Write it down on a phone, on a post it note, even the back of a receipt. It doesn't matter.
The act of writing transforms this fleeting thought into something real. Something you can hold on to and something tangible to revisit.
By simply writing down one of your I've always wanted to ideas, you're giving it space to breathe.
These aren't just bucket list items. They're little doorways to joy, creativity, and connection. And they're uniquely yours.
And who knows where this small step might lead? Because your always wanted to might just turn out to be the best thing you've ever done.
Next Steps:
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment. It's a 30-minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down. I call it Derailed and it's a fabulous place to begin a joy-at-work redesign.
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Joy At Work Experiment: I've Always Wanted To...
The Never-Ending Work Loop
Lucia Knight: You're busy, yeah? There's never enough time to focus on your future work happiness. But if you don't focus on it, things just stay the same, don't they? In these short episodes, I wanna give you some tiny ideas, some mini experiments to try out this week to either dial down a pain point for you at work or dial up your potential for joy at work.
Let's dive in.
Sometimes work feels like a never ending loop of things we just to do, doesn't it? Endless meetings, looming deadlines for tasks we've procrastinated on until they become have tos. Work events that we'd swap in a millisecond for an evening snuggled up with one of our favourite box sets. But today, let's hit pause on the have tos and shift our focus to something new.
Discovering the Magic
Lucia Knight: Over the last eight years of helping clients design more joy into their work, I've noticed something magical. It's subtle, easy to miss if you're not paying attention. It often slips out as an afterthought, almost shyly. And yet every time I catch it, I know I've stumbled upon something extraordinary. It begins with these four simple words.
The Power of 'I've Always Wanted To'
Lucia Knight: I've always wanted to. When someone says this, it's like a window into their soul opens. It offers a glimpse of their dreams, unfulfilled desires, and untapped joy. But here's the thing. We often push these dreams aside. We label them, Someday goals, too frivolous for today's practical demands, we bury them under the avalanche of our to do lists.
And in doing so, we quietly quash a spark of our potential joy.
Let's change that. This week's experiment is simple. All I want you to do is write down one thing you've always wanted to do. It doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be perfect, just one little I've always wanted to. Bring this thought from the back of your mind to the forefront.
Write it down on a phone, on a post it note, even the back of a receipt. It doesn't matter. The act of writing transforms this fleeting thought into something real. Something you can hold on to and something tangible to revisit. If you're driving or running, press the pause button now and just say it out loud.
I've always wanted to, and finish the sentence.
If you're struggling to unearth one of these little or big dreams, here are some ideas. I've collected these from my clients over the years and I've put a few of my own in.
Bake bread. Write a book. Visit a chocolate factory. Learn to dance the rumba. Create a YouTube channel. Teach someone how to code. Do a talk in a local school. Swim naked in the sea. Volunteer at a local charity. Wear ruby red lipstick. Spend a weekend doing absolutely nothing productive. See your favourite painting in real life.
Taste tequila in Mexico. Perform an ayahuasca ceremony. Climb the Eiffel Tower. Ride a horse threw the waves on a beach. Write a blog. Start a podcast. Audition for a TEDx talk. Go to the cinema alone. Talk to a good grief counsellor. Grow a beard. Or maybe stop growing a beard. Get a tattoo or a belly button piercing.
Build a wall. Upcycle a piece of old furniture. Share the experience of caring for your parent with dementia. Treat the kids to a picnic in the snow or an ice bath in the greenhouse, try therapy or pickleball. Work in a coffee shop or figure out how much it might cost to open a high end tea shop. Enter the Boston Marathon.
Cycle through a paddy field. Visit a concentration camp. Listen to every song your favorite artist ever recorded.
These aren't just bucket list items. They're little doorways to joy, creativity, and connection. And they're uniquely yours. You've only got one life, or as my friend Tom likes to say, L I N D R, life is not a dress rehearsal.
By simply writing down one of your I've always wanted to ideas, you're giving it space to breathe. You're increasing your potential for joy at home, at work, on holiday, in relationships, everywhere. And who knows where this small step might lead? This week, take a chance. Write it down. Say it out loud. Dream a little. Because your always wanted to might just turn out to be the best thing you've ever done.
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my Life Satisfaction Assessment. It's a 30 minute program where I guide you through a deep dive into 10 areas of your life to assess what's bringing you joy and what's bringing you down. I call it D Railed. It's a fabulous place to begin a joy at work redesign.
