August | 2018 | Wake Up To The Joy of You

“You carry all the ingredients to turn your existence into joy. Use them! Use them!” -Hafiz

I meet so many people, all the time, who say to me, “I’ve lost my joy and I got lost in my achievements.” As a child, I was always the life of the party. I wanted to make people happy and used every tool in my little pocket to bring joy. I would dance, clown around, and find ways to make people around me smile. Then, school came, and joy flew out of the window. Then, life happened, and I drew the curtain over the window. Seriously, who has time for joy when you have to deal with all the things you have going on?

In order to get back to your joy, ask yourself: “What’s preoccupying me? What’s making my heart unhappy? What are my concerns? What feelings do I need to address and let out to experience joy? Is it sadness, anger, disappointment, fears, hurt feelings, or am I just plain old tired and I need a good night’s sleep?” You can’t just choose to feel joy. You need to express those other feelings first.

We all need joy triggers to awaken our joy. Start to think of the things that made you joyful as a child.

Here are some other tips to help you awaken your joy:

Take this week to make joy your priority

Build an inner environment of joy and express any concerns and emotions to guarantee that your joy will be welcome. Sing your favorite songs or play funny scenes in your mind! You don’t have to tell anyone, just do it in your head and delight yourself.

Make a list in your journal of the things that spark your joy (and trust me there are many more than what you can think of right now)

Be very creative and write down at least 12 things that are doable, then share your list with a friend. Remember to always keep friends who can uplift you close to you. Keep yourself inspired!

Keep things around you that only give you joy

Is that your clothes, your favorite treats, your books, or photographs? Keep objects that mean something to you closeby. Bring joy into everything you do. Believe me, your joy is there. It may be sleeping – but don’t wait for Prince Charming to wake it up. Prince Harry recently got off the market as well! So, take it upon yourself to awaken your joy.

Reaffirm that joy is not something you earn, it’s inherent in your nature!

When you are not living in your joy, you are denying yourself your birth light. Don’t wait to earn joy – it’s already inside you!

And remember, if you ever need a jolt of joy, listen to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” There is a video on YouTube with a thousand voices in the choir. Honestly, if you’re ever down, upset, depressed, or worried, put on your headphone and listen – it will change your brainwaves.

Please also listen to the meditation “Awakening Your Joy,” as you make your intention clear to ignite your joy!

— Published on June 27, 2018 on Thrive Global

Start your week off right with this meditation.

“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” -William G.T. Shedd

A mistake we all make is that we want to feel confident before we embark on something. However, confidence is a by-product of taking action and finding the courage to go beyond our fears and self-doubts. There is a scene in the movie Chariots of Fire (which I highly recommend you see), where the English runner Eric Lidell is running in an Olympic race. As he runs, he asks himself, “Where does the power come from, to see the race to its end?” He then hears his inner voice respond, “From within.”

Confidence is an outcome of connecting to that inner power, combined with taking action. You’ve got to step out, risk your pride, and risk not knowing the outcome. The reward is finding your confidence. You don’t know what you’re made of until you take the plunge. Life tested me by giving me experiences that didn’t at all match my expectations. But I also learned that I always had a choice. I could either collapse and give up on myself or pick myself up by my bootstraps, break through my fears and find my confidence on the other side.

Confidence is discovered beyond your comfort zones. When you break through the fear of failure and realize that it’s part of the process, you will discover that you can conquer almost anything if you keep going. Always be bold and mighty forces will come your way!

Here are some tips for finding your confidence:

Get back to connecting with your inner power:

Reach within and grab hold of your core. Reach outwards and ask for help. Find people who believe in you and are your cheerleaders – even one will do!

Move into radical self-acceptance:

Appreciate every little thing about you, reinforce the positive and refrain from focusing on anything negative. Write down a list of all your positive attributes and make it as long as you can.

Don’t wait to be perfect before you take action:

Don’t second-guess it! Remember, your willingness to do gives you the ability to do. Take microsteps daily and always remember that there is no such thing as failure. Everything is a step towards your success.

Keep your heart present in your daily life:

That is the secret sauce to your confidence and will let you abstain from passing judgement on your process. You are bound to succeed because in your blueprint you have the codes to your success. Don’t sabotage it!