A Higher Love: Prioritize Personal Joy to Stay Fired Up from the Inside Out
Art Direction and Photograph by: Catie Menke. Model: Danielle Carruth.
Copy by: Neeley Neal
Model: Danielle Carruth
Creative Direction: Catie Menke
As a child of the 80’s, Whitney Houston’s greatest hits were naturally part of my life’s soundtrack. When I was 9, the performer in me made her debut. I would don my dazzling gymnastic leotard, and drag my parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles into the living room to gather for my “shows” - so I could freestyle dance moves to “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” on repeat. For the big finish, I’d hit some awkward pose at the end and hold it...signalling their chance to applaud (and make a swift exit) after patting me on the head.
Recently, one of my favorite Whitney hits had new life on the airwaves - a remix of ”Bring me a Higher Love”. I felt the familiar tug to plug back into my source of joy, as she belted out the soundtrack of my life. Though it’s been about 3 decades of adulting since my “show” debut, I am transported back to my living room, going full out for everyone and no one …making it up as I go, and completely connected to joy.
Whitney’s music inspired the magic and the life lesson that I stumbled on in my living room: Doing what lights you up, what brings you personal joy….for no other reason than it feels like home, like you’re where you’re meant to be, co-creating, being in LOVE...there is nothing higher.
Art Direction and Photograph by: Catie Menke. Model: Danielle Carruth.
Give yourself space - not just for scrolling, or sitting down with a hot cup of chai for 10 minutes - but really investing in yourself and that THING that lights you up. Prioritize & energize yourself. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s a MUST, now more than ever.
We get so busy adulting that we don’t leave time for a recharge. We don’t leave time for plugging back into our source of joy to refill our cups. In order to be our best, in order to show up, in order to serve others at the highest level...we MUST prioritize our connection to joy. It’s a renewable energy source to stay fired up from the inside out.
We’re only able to serve others at the highest level and make the impact we’re meant to make - when we come from a place of being whole ourselves first. So the question is, how do you recharge, reconnect to your source of joy? Only you know.
Today, my roles & responsibilities have changed quite a bit as a mom & a career woman, but I still set an intention to go FULL OUT everyday. Now it’s my daughter that shows off her dance moves in our living room. I’m not just there to give her a standing ovation and pat her head when she strikes that final pose - I’m dancing too.
If you’re unsure where to start in taking the first explorative step to find that spark again...try your living room, and let your 9 year-old-self lead the way. You can borrow my Whitney soundtrack anytime.
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