What does joy look like to you? It can have many faces and aspects, can’t it? How do you find joy when you just don’t “feel” like it? For starters, you already have it inside you. Today I read this quote from one of my daily encouragements, “Every single human being is meant to be in joy. It is our natural state, and we know it, because when we feel negative emotions we feel terrible. We want to be happy. And the biggest thing to realize is that happiness is a choice because it is a feeling generated from the inside of us. We have to make a decision to be happy on the inside now, to magnetize a life of happiness on the outside.”
Are there some things you can do to help you be more joyful? Absolutely!! It’s different for everyone and I have written before about how we think and it’s affect on us in every way. I love the photo here because I love sunflowers. They always make me smile and they can be huge as well. A very unique flower that looks happy.
One way to start feeling happiness and radiate joy is to be grateful. Every morning when you wake up say thank you and throughout the day, say “thank you”. It could be for being alive, getting a good night’s sleep, being able to see, hear, smell, taste, touch, walk. We can all find something to be thankful for.
Take a walk in the woods, around a lake, river or just get outside and look around. The birds are always happy and chirping, Look for the beauty in things around you. If you are a pet owner, be thankful! I am and after the loss of 2 of my beloved fur babies in about a years time, I say thank you everyday for the sweet kitty I have now. Appreciate what you have and speak blessings to them.
There are so many expectations we have in our lives be it ours or others and letting go of those brings joy. They can feel like a backpack of rocks we carry around, Journal some as much as you can. If you haven’t done it before, get a small notebook and start. It is liberating to do what a good friend of mine calls a “brain dump”. Take out the trash so to speak. And for your own sake, let go of comparison!!
I hope that helps you get started on your JOY journey. Enjoy the trip….
