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🟡 Joy Plan Mantra: Set The Room

Inspired by wisdom shared in Jamaica, this post reframes joy as a strategy for leadership and agency. “Set the room” is a call to intentionally shift energy, lead with joy, and transform environments.

DATE
June 7, 2025
AUTHOR
Desmond Upton Patton, PhD
READ
3
 min

This morning in Jamaica, I was walking with my mom and aunt when we met Michelle, a brilliant therapist at the resort spa Hyatt Ziva

She shared something her grandmother taught her that stopped me in my tracks: "Set the room."

We asked what that meant. Michelle said, "It means taking agency over your life and the spaces you enter. If the vibes are off, you get to shift them. Your joy, your smile, your energy can change everything."

My mom, aunt, and I looked at each other like… wow. That’s it. That’s the word.

I’ve been saying joy has to be intentional. I’ve written about it, taught it, studied it. But Michelle’s wisdom made it click on a whole new level.

đź’« I am joy
đź’« I bring joy
đź’« I shift the room just by how I show up

Joy is not a vibe. It is a strategy.
Joy is how I walk into meetings.
Joy is how I respond to conflict.
Joy is how I decide when to speak and when to walk away.
Joy is leadership.
Joy is power.
Joy is the plan.

Like a radio, I can turn it up or down. But it is always on.

👉🏽 According to Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, positive emotions like joy help people build better relationships, increase resilience, and shift social environments for the better.Joy doesn't just feel good. It makes everything work better.

So here is your joy plan for today:
Set the room.

👇🏾 How are you setting the room today?
Tag someone who brings that kind of energy.

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