hello friends. welcome back.
today i’m going to share with you our first joyful practice. a joyful practice is an interactive assignment, one that you will follow along to as you read a post. i was always a hands on learner in school and have found that many others benefit from a hands on type learning style for personal development growth. so grab a pen and paper, go to a place you can clear your head and we’ll dive right in.
joyful practice #1.
first, i want you to take a deep breath in.
you’re here. you did it. you took the first step in bettering your life, and subsequently the lives of those around you, by coming to a place where you felt you could be guided, inspired, uplifted, encouraged and entertained (because everyone knows there’s a lot of laughing when you’re joyful)
take that deep breath in, hold it as long as you can, and then with all the force you have, push out that toxic air you’ve ben holding in for days, weeks, months or maybe even years. push out that air filled with anger, frustration, sadness, depression, anxiety, loss, pain or whatever other emotion has been holding you back from reaching your rightful god-given potential of living an unrestricted joyful life.
that’s it. you did it. your first joyful practice is done, well kind of.
this first step in finding real joy in the commotions of your life, requires you to have a physical purge (don’t worry, there will be more purging later) releasing emotions and feelings that you may have been holding on to. to create a consistent sense of joy, we must clear our minds of the distractions that are restricting us from feeling joy in the first place.
now i know, that pain and suffering, anger and disappointment, cannot all be pushed by the way side in one single breath. there will come a time when we will focus on the trials and search for ways to find joy in healing from those experiences, but for today, i want you to leave those heartaches in the past and promise yourself that from this moment forward, you’ll mindfully and intentionaly focus on the joyful things that your life is overwhelmed with. studies show that we have 3x’s more positive experiences than negative ones so i know that you can do it.
today is a new day for you and your life. it’s a new day for the joy you will start feeling freely and powerfully everyday from here on out.
still have that pen and paper? good.
what does joy look like to you now? What in your life brings you the most joy? what do you want joy to be like for you in the future?
take a minute and write down your answers to these questions.
when you’re done, put them in a safe place because I want you to be able to refer back to this starting point as you progress in your own personal journey for joy.
now ask yourself, who are you taking on this journey with you? are you going alone? will this be a self discovering journey or will you be taking your spouse, your children, a close friend, a stranger or maybe your whole support system?
whomever you decide to bring, know that eventually you will lead others on a similar journey through example. people around you will begin to wonder where this change they notice is from. they’ll start to ask questions and you’ll have the opportunity and responsibility to share, just like i am doing on this blog from my own personal journey for joy.
have you decided who you’re taking with you?
whether you’re taking the whole city of provo with you, or are starting alone, know that you are seen. individually, i see you. i am so grateful you are here. that you have entrusted me with your thoughts and fears and let me in to help you move towards the joyful life you deserve.
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post in review:
- action: physically purge the negative thoughts that are restricting you from a joyful life. breath in and release that air full of suffering, pain, sadness or whatever emotion you’ve been holding onto and for however long.
- thought: today is a new day, the start of you begining to feeling the joy you deserve.
- write: – 1) what does joy look like to you now? 2) what brings you the most joy? 3) what does joy look like to you in the future? 4) who are you taking on this journey for joy?
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