When my friend Hitch decided to chronicle his training and his battle with Meniere’s disease he aptly named his blog “Do What You Love.” Hitch loves to swim, bike and run and so he immerses himself in that. Even through the drudgery of his 9-5 job, he embraces his passion, making what he loves the most important part of his day.

It’s amazing the power that focusing on our joy can have in our lives. But some days, finding the joy, let alone focusing on it, can be frustratingly difficult. It’s the emotional equivalent of a “body at rest stays at rest, a body in motion stays in motion” principle. It’s an opening for doubt to creep its way into my mental chatter start feeding me it’s clearly branded campaign of pessimism.

What to do?

Try turning toward something new.

In a funk the other day, I picked up a copy of Lemonade the Movie. The short documentary about people who were laid off from their jobs only to discover happier lives was sitting on a shelf in my living room for the better part of a year, just waiting to be watched.

I tuned in and found myself going back to write down quotes which sparked my interest:

Sometimes, there’s things you love to do that you forget about. So put your energy in the things you love. Put all the energy you can into those things and see what happens.

I think it’s easy to fall asleep in your own life and just kinda take what you have and assume that’s the best you’re ever going to have but you can make huge, huge profound changes and it can be the smallest thing.

While I didn’t start turning cartwheels or fist-pumping the air with enthusiasm and excitement, I was inspired to movement. Instead of taking my four-mile easy run back to the treadmill (again) I took advantage of the 50-degree temperatures, put on my rain coat and did my run outside. Springtime city roads are generally not pleasant as the melting snow and ices leaves not just puddles but months worth of debris, garbage and general junk. But there was something energizing about being outside, letting the air hit my face, watching the blocks go by instead of being fixated on the blink of the red light on the treadmill display.

The run made me feel better, though I still was not on some rah-rah energy high. But that didn’t matter as much. I started doing little pieces of projects, moving forward with small steps. After all, a body in motion stays in motion.

Sometimes, the jump off the cliff is valuable.

Other times, I just need to get out the door.

Both actions, though, keep me moving in the direction of the life I want to live.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJltcT7DH7g]