Choose JOY
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or some, that may feel like way too big a leap. But what if I let you in on a little secret? Choosing JOY can be easy!
Recently I had a great conversation with Paula Jenkins on her podcast Jump Start Your JOY. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. We talked about choosing JOY one step at a time. We talked about Abraham’s “Scale of Emotions” and how JOY is at the absolute top, while fear is at the absolute bottom.
If you are feeling like you are at the very bottom of this scale, then even thinking about trying to move to the top to “JOY” is going to seem overwhelming -like contemplating the thousand mile journey.
However, what if you were to just look into how you could move up just a few levels – perhaps up to anger? That might feel better already.
Imagine you are feeling fearful about what is going on politically in our country right now (and a lot of us are!) That is the most dis- empowering feeling there is! Now imagine that you consciously choose to get angry. While I agree that is not the ultimate goal, but you moved. If you are now feeling angry, perhaps you begin to take some action (whatever that looks like for you, as long as it’s non-violent and non-harming). Now you’re feeling more empowered and you may be feeling frustration. Now you’ve moved up into the upper level of the “feeling bad” realm. Then, perhaps you begin to use Coping Skills (CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE COPY) to help with the frustration, stress and anxiety. Now you’ve moved up to the level of contentment – into the “Feeling Good” zone! You are way closer to the “JOY” feeling than you were just a short time ago!
But JOY is not an end destination: we don’t arrive there and then stay in that state of bliss. It’s a state that we drop in and out of. On the podcast, Paula and I talked about “Tree pose” in yoga.
I shared that I still remember the joy I felt when I first learned tree pose. My teacher said “a wobbly tree is a good tree”. We have a dead tree behind our house – it doesn’t move in the wind. But the healthy trees around it bend and wobble in the wind.
Choosing JOY is not an end destination:
it is the daily, ongoing and regular practice of choosing to move toward the emotional feeling of JOY and away from fear and the other lower emotional vibrations.
Paula asked me 3 ways to “Jump Start JOY”:
- Gratitude! Before your feet hit the floor in the morning, express gratitude for at least 3 (or more) things) They don’t have to be big, like winning the lottery. It’s enough to say “Thank you for a great night’s sleep”. “Thank you for a roof over my head.” “Thank you for food in my fridge.” (Joe Vitale and I talked at length about this on my podcast-(CLICK HERE TO LISTEN) Then say “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” (Learn more about the “Power of 3” here)
- Smile! I shared a true story about how a simple smile was like throwing someone a life line. CLICK HERE TO READ THE STORY
- Becoming aware of what you are feeling is the foundation to be able to then begin to choose to move toward JOY and away from fear.
I’d love for you to begin to Jump Start Your Joy: what action steps will you take? I’d love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Are you ready to experience freedom from the past and embrace what’s possible? Click here for a free 15 minute consultation.
Blessings,
