The Phone Call Experiment is an awesome way of creating your own joy in your life and it was introduced to me by my good friend and mentor Michael Essery. It is one of the simplest methods I have come across on how to create your own joy.
Since you are consuming this content in text format, you should read the instructions below and then try the experiment for yourself, unless you are able to read with your eyes closed (which would be very impressive).
Close your eyes and imagine that you receive a phone call from a really good friend or family member and they give you a piece of amazing news. This news is entirely personal to you and can be whatever you want it to be. It’s something that you have been wanting to happen for a long, long time. Let them relate all of the juicy details to you. Imagine the excitement in their voice, and let it pass through you too. You’re elated. Ecstatic. Overwhelmed with joy. You might even notice yourself smiling or add in a fist pump or a dance around the room. Feel what it feels like to receive this amazing news. Once you feel yourself in this joyous state, open your eyes again whenever you are ready.
The Phone Call experiment is incredibly simple and is effective at changing your entire mood in less than a minute. The point of it isn’t to fool yourself into thinking some amazing thing has happened and then to come crashing back to the reality of your life, it is to demonstrate to yourself that you can create joy in your life whenever you want.
Many people have the common but mistaken assumption that we are victims of our emotions. It is an illusion that you have to wait for happiness to roll around or have to go out and obtain something for it to arrive. The truth is that you are the co-creator of your own reality. And happiness – whatever form that takes – is always a choice. And choices are always made in the Now.
However, it is important to highlight that you shouldn’t bypass emotions. Most of the time, if you are persistently experiencing anger, anxiety, being upset, depression, frustration or any other ‘negative’ emotion, it is a sign that there is important inner work to do. There is something going on in the background and you need to bring it to light in order to let it go.
If you have done this essential work though and you just need a little pick-me-up throughout the day, the Phone Call Experiment can be an extremely effective and fun way to bring joy into your life. Just like with any habit – positive or negative, practical or emotional – the more you experience it, the more your body and mind align with and get used to these things. In other words, you start to do them automatically.
Why would you not want to wire yourself for joy as much as possible?