When I breathe deeply and ask - what am I to write? - I’m not surprised by what I hear.
What I hear:
Joy is yours for having. Do you believe this statement?
Do you?
Joy can be had as quickly as one can wrap themselves in a warm blanket on a cold day.
To wrap oneself in a warm blanket is just a matter of choosing to do so.
And once wrapped the warmth is felt, it’s much the same with joy.
Once one chooses joy as the barometer for living - life becomes warm, invitingly cozy, and exciting, and fulfilment satiates the heart.
So, back to the question - Do you believe that joy can be yours?
Do you believe it’s as simple as choosing it?
The Fallacy
There is a human tendency to believe that there is no gain without pain.
This is a fallacy!
Yes, it’s true that you can understand more after going through a painful circumstance. It helps you to clarify what you no longer want. But why would you believe it is the best way or the only way?
Pain creates tension in the body and in the mind. Whereas joy creates a relaxation of the mind and body.
Which do you suppose, tension or relaxation, would create the most beneficial opening within yourself for growth?
Think about it like this. Do you feel better when you are tense or relaxed? The answer is obvious is it not?
Much can be learned when one is relaxed.
The better way is always - to grow with joy.
Choosing JOY
Look around, go ahead and take a moment now to just observe - what in your life brings you joy right here, right now? ‘You may want to do this.’
I stop and breathe deeply. My husband comes to mind, then my family and friends, next my cats, my connection to Divine, my home, my body, and the fact that I’m sitting here writing to you.
Then I hear…
What about your desires for the future? Can you feel joy about them now?
I then close my eyes and breathe and pictures of my desires pop up, and I can’t help but smile.
What do you say, dear? Are you up for bringing some joy into your desires?
I’m giving you a nudge here friend to take a moment and breathe deeply while choosing to joyfully envision having what you want.
It feels good, right?
“Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home… it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.” ~Chuck Palahniuk
Habit of Joy
Much like developing a strong muscle, I believe you have to make it a habit to cultivate your inner joy.
There is a myriad of ways to habitually cultivate our joy:
Start your day with gratitude - take notice of what you have in your life that already brings you joy and give yourself a few moments to feel grateful for them.
Bring gratitude into your desires - give yourself the joyous experience of giving gratitude for your desires as if you’ve already received them.
Learn something new - it’s exciting to learn new things.
Play - As adults, we tend to forget how joyful we feel when playing. What brings out your playful spirit?
Be of Service - Our hearts soar when we give freely without condition.
Repeat Joy Affirmations - (Or affirmations that prepare you to open yourself to joy such as I relax and let go. Life loves me and I am safe. It is safe for me to be joyful.) I AM a being of Joy. I radiate Joy. Joy is my birthright.
And there is always - choosing joy in your moment. There are many ways to do this: memories, gratitude, showering someone with our love, petting our animals, praying/meditating, etc.
Joy provides warmth much like wrapping oneself in a warm blanket. Will you wrap yourself with joy today?
Inner Joy Compass Prompt:
Breathe deeply and smile, now you’re ready.
I know I am deserving of joy because ______________________.
Each day I will build on my joy habit by ______________.
Today I will begin the habit of being joyful with _____________.
By making joy my focus my life will be __________________.
“Be joyful because it is humanly possible.”
~Wendell Berry
Hey you, would you like some assistance in bringing more joy into your life?
I’d love to help ya.
Here are the details to join my JOY theme-based call.
Here’s how the call works:
You call in and I sit in your energy.
From a deep soulful level, I listen and ask- exactly what you can do to bring more JOY into your life now.
I do this for each person on the call.
Please know that you will receive personal, practical insight that you can begin applying immediately. Also, you may be surprisingly gifted with a surplus of JOY ideas from your fellow participants.
DETAILS:
Call Date: June 8th
Time: 7 PM Central
Length of Call: 1- 1 and a half hours.
Participation instructions:
Email me at gloriaboysal@gmail.com
Subject Line - JOY
Body of Letter - YES
You will receive the conference call number.
You will receive a reminder notice the day before and 1 hour before the call.
May your heart be gladdened with your habit of joy.
Thanks so much for hanging out with me.
I appreciate you.
With a joyful heart, I send you blessings,
Gloria