Wow – do I feel great!!! Why?? I’ll tell you why… Letting go! Feels like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders…. Sometimes we depend on other people or things to give us validation. To make us feel important or loved, but in reality as my lovely friend Sheila Viers pointed out to me, we need to “find our joy by not looking for it outside ourselves, but instead looking within”. Powerful stuff right… I’ve had such tunnel vision lately that I feel like I had myself locked in a little box of crazy. No, I’m not sharing 😉 The point is, I finally snapped out of it. I needed to get a fresh perspective on things or like Ms. Viers mentioned in her latest blog to “change” my perspective. We can’t control other people or things, but we can change how we let those people or things affect us. Oh a choice, fantastic right?? And then I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this article written by Phoebe Fox about “Finding your Joy” and suddenly it was like a light bulb went off… She starts by saying “Have you ever stopped to wonder, in the middle of a busy day, where your joy has gone?” “… Have you ever felt as though you lost your sense of self somewhere along the way?”… Who hasn’t right, but guess what? We can fix it! People, life is too short to be so serious about all things – finding balance in our life is what will bring us joy and happiness, and approaching life with joy takes practice. I have been so wrapped in doing and doing and doing, I forgot to have fun – and boy, that can wear a person down… I love that she says that Joy is not a destination, but a journey that we choose to take one day and one moment at a time. What a beautiful concept, oh and another choice.
Next she discussed “Work and Play as Joy”. She starts with some definitions “Work is whatever a body is obliged to do. Play is whatever a body is not obliged to do.” Oh heck, she did such a great job I’m just going to let you read the rest for yourself!! ……….
“Too often, we live our lives by doing only the things that are required of us without making time for the things that reward and rejuvenate and replenish us. Making the shift in our behavior from the one to the other does not always feel so easy, especially for those of us who were raised to believe in what is referred to as this country’s protestant work ethic. This is not a religious concept, but rather a determination that hard work brings success and work comes first.
Malcolm Forbes, the American business tycoon, said that “success follows doing what you want to do. There is no other way to be successful.”
“If you want your life to be about certain things, start living your life as though it already is about those things, and pretty soon that is what your life will be about.” My baby sister said that a few years ago. “Begin today to live the life you wish to be living tomorrow.” I saw that on a bumper sticker….”
Joseph Campbell put it more succinctly, “Follow your bliss.” Wisdom is everywhere around us, if only we are looking for it.
Meeting one’s responsibilities is a positive thing to do, but it can also be a joyful way to live as long as one remembers to make joy a daily part of the process.
Living in joy is a conscious choice, not an accident of circumstances. Only you can discover your heart’s joy; only you can follow your bliss. While your life may not appear all that blissful now, recognize the joy you already have in your life and begin to seek joy in other areas of your life. You don’t have to bite off everything at once. Take baby steps, if you must, but look for ways to incorporate joy into your everyday life.
When your work is your play, it no longer feels like work and you won’t resent the time you spend doing it. Think of the people who say they are getting paid to do what they love. This is what they are talking about.
Give yourself permission to rediscover your childlike sense of play. Start with what makes you smile, and go from there. Notice what else makes you feel good inside, and build on that. Pretty soon you will begin to find ways to reward yourself through the work you do. And soon after that, you will discover a way to earn your living by doing what you love to do. That is when you will have found your bliss.
W. Somerset Maugham wrote, “When love and duty are one, then grace is within you.” May you find your grace.”
So what brings me joy??? My Family, especially little Miss Charlee – such a beautiful baby, my cats, the beautiful ladies from my RCR forum, being able to support two of my favorite trainers, Val in the forum and my hubby at home at boot camp, seeing clients for skin care and fitness coaching, etc. etc. Looks like my life is pretty full of joyful things, just needed to take a step back to see them all clearly… Life is good people, life is good!!
http://www.positive-way.com/finding_your_joy.htm
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