WE DON’T FIND JOY, WE REMEMBER IT
Okay confessions of an English gal… I have not been watching the football! I know, I am a terrible patriot, sue me. It just does not light me up- sorry not sorry.
I also don’t have a TV, so any part of it that I have consumed has been on Instagram.
The world seems to have gone a bit doolally for the Norwegian team- in particular that blond guy- tall, smiles a lot..
Anyway, I digress!
I saw a post today, and it talked about a bet that Norwegian Airlines made with British Airways- that if Norway won, British Airways would have to switch their logo on Sunday on Instagram (and vice versa).
Norway did not win, and they honoured they part of the bet and changed their logo to British airways. The response has been fabulous to watch- and a great reminder that being a good loser is a solid marketing strategy!
british_airways
We love this new look on you
british_airways
Well played thanks for all the fun @flynorwegian and here's to our new friendship
flynorwegian
@british_airways let's stay BFFs
qantas c
felt cute might delete later xx
The reason why this has resonated so well, is because it’s fun and playful and JOYFUL. And in fact, this is why that Norwegian player Erling Haaland has tickled everyone’s fancy so much- because he takes the practise seriously AND he has fun. He is dedicated to his team AND he has fun with the other side.
We can mistake having fun as not taking something seriously- but in my experience, the more fun that I am having with whatever I am doing, the more committed I am to that thing because my joy is how I access my passion. And to me, being passionate about what you are doing IS commitment.
When I take my yoga teaching too seriously- and owning a studio has taken some of the fun away for me at times- my classes are flat. My dharmas are empty. My flows are static and beige.
When I am feeling joyful, I get more playful with my sequences. My dharmas light me up, therefore they land in the room because they have energy behind them. My classes are joyful!
Life can be tough- I get that. You can go through a rough patch where it feels like everything is against you, and joy is nowhere to be seen.
But the thing that yoga reminds us- and in fact, so does Norwegian airlines- is that Joy is not something that you FIND. It is something that you remember.
There are two sutras that help us here-
Yoga Sutra 1.20
श्रद्धावीर्यस्मृतिसमाधिप्रज्ञापूर्वक इतरेषाम्
śraddhā-vīrya-smṛti-samādhi-prajñā-pūrvaka itareṣām
“For others, progress comes through faith, energy, memory (smṛti), deep absorption, and wisdom.”
Here Patanjali reminds us of the power of remembering (memory- smṛti).
Joy does not leave us when life gets tough, we just forget to look for her. Remembering who WE are, where we find joy- that is how we progress.
The other sutra has my FAVOURTE Sanskrit word in it-
Yoga Sutra 1.33
maitri karuna muditopeksanam sukha duhkha punyapunya visayanam bhavanatas citta prasadanam
“By cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for those who suffer, joy in the virtuous, and equanimity toward all, the mind becomes serene.”
muditā = joy!!
Here Patanjali tells us that celebrating the goodness in others helps awaken joy within ourselves…. Because it is already in us, we don’t have to find it, we have to REMEMBER it!
So, well done to Norwegian Airlines and British Airways- and even good ol’ Qantas jumping in on the lark- a reminder that even big serious companies can be joyful too!