“Connect to your essence, to your soul, and choose joy every day!”
—Nancy Salmeron
What does it mean or look like to be joyous? Joy is defined as an emotion of great pleasure and happiness. We express it by jumping up and down when we win a competition. We scream in delight when we accomplish a dream or desire. These joyous moments may be a result of big life commitments, yet joy can also be found in the simple pleasures of life—like drinking your favorite tea or taking a cold shower on a hot day—simple things that show up in our lives. What is the difference between joy and happiness? It is believed that joy goes deeper than happiness. Joy is more intense and profound; joy is connected to the soul. We all have access to the emotion of joy, yet experiencing it is a matter of choice. It is rare when we stumble onto joy. You can decide to savor the present moment or you can decide to invite joy into your life. But how do you cultivate joy? How do attract it to your life? I believe that we are the creators, directors, of our lives. We create joy with our thoughts, which can transform into emotions that result in beliefs. Joy means different things for different people. We may not have control over the challenges that show up in our lives, but we do have control of how we see and react to those challenges and how we can find more joy in our lives. Today, let’s talk about three simple things you can do to invite more joy into your life.
Work on your thoughts and beliefs.
We are constantly creating our reality with our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. Some of us are fully aware that by having a belief system of positivity, faith, and joy, we attract more of those elements into our lives. Those who understand that we are never exempt from the challenges of life, know how to handle the challenges of life with a proactive approach. Those individuals who have not learned how to silence or ignore false thoughts or beliefs, for example, beliefs that they are inadequate or unworthy, have a more difficult time engaging with joy. When limiting beliefs take you away from joy, ask yourself where those thoughts and beliefs come from? Question what you are telling yourself. Question what you are believing.
Focus on the thoughts and emotions that make you feel good.
One of the biggest challenges humans face is that we focus on the negative more easily than zeroing in on the positive pleasures that make us feel good. We are junkies when it comes to negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. We believe the criticism others have told us, yet doubt and question positive feedback. To attract more joy into your life, engage in thoughts, emotions, and beliefs that make you feel good. Engage in optimism when things are hard or dark in your life. Believe in best-case scenarios and ignore worst-case scenarios. Know what makes you happy and excited to be alive and do more of that.
Notice the small, wonderful things in your life right now.
To attract more joy into your life, you need to recognize that you are blessed. You need to focus on the little things that bring a smile to your face. When I am feeling down or when joy is not present, I look at my children and smile. They remind me that all is well right now. Another thing that I do is to wake up with an attitude of gratitude. I make my bed and thank my source, my God, that I have a bed, food, and home. I stay focused on my moment—second, minute, hour, day at a time—and try not to get ahead of myself. Look forward to a beautiful future, but live your life now.
Ultimately, joy means different things to different people. Joy is found in what we find pleasurable in our lives, like a walk in nature in the mornings. Joy is found in our thoughts and beliefs. And joy is found in gratitude. To have joy be a part of your life, you need to know how to cultivate it and invite it into your day to day life. Joy is a matter of choice and does not always appear by chance. We can recognize the difficult realities of our world in these times, but we also have a choice to be grateful for the blessings we do have. Connect to your essence, to your soul, and choose joy every day!Until next time, Believe, Change, Become.