Tracee Ellis Ross, actress and daughter of music icon Diana Ross, is known for her bubbly personality, and seems to keep an optimistic attitude while juggling her responsibilities.
“I feel like my natural state is joyful, and yet I work at it,” Ross, 52, said during the New York Times Well Festival earlier this month.
“I think joy is different from happiness. I feel like happiness is something you can get at 7/11, and joy is something that you earn and work for and takes practice.”
Prioritizing joyfulness daily is a choice that requires intention, she said. Small moments like making up catchy tunes when she’s feeling overwhelmed are what helps her to shift back into a positive state.
“I have a group of friends that I have a gratitude and fear list that we write together every morning,” she said.
“To acknowledge and name and put words to the things that actually light up your soul and your heart. I think they allow a balance and a perspective.”
I think joy is a lens through which I live and look at my life.
Tracee Ellis Ross
Actress and Entrepreneur
Sharing both what she’s grateful for and what she’s nervous about with her close friends allows Ross to accept that life is a mixed bag of good moments and not-so-great ones.
“But if you can mix them in with the right kind of perspective and focus on the stuff that is working, I find that I can have a space of joy in my life,” she said.
Ross shared an example on how she shifted her perspective when faced with a challenge. The night before the festival she couldn’t sleep well and was only able to rest for four and a half hours, despite the eventful day she had planned.
“Instead of saying I feel overwhelmed, I use the word, ‘My plate is wonderfully full,'” she said.
On her ride through New York City before arriving at the festival, Ross wrote on her gratitude list that she was grateful for a bright blue sky, career abundance and “spring New York energy.”
“I think joy is an attitude. I think joy is a perspective, and I think joy is a lens through which I live and look at my life,” Ross said.
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