Joy

JOY

Something I have been hearing a lot over the last couple of years is, “do things that bring you joy”. Such a simple idea, but for some of us it can be a bit difficult road to navigate. Doing things that bring me joy might be hard because I live such a busy life, or for others, maybe the thing that brings them joy seems out of reach for them because of financial reasons, or maybe its time, or it could even be that they don’t have the confidence yet, or maybe we don’t know what brings us joy. Whatever the reason is, I know that I can say that 100%, if you find that thing, it will change your life.

For me, it has been so hard to find the time and the motivation to do those joyful things that are special and just for me. Of course spending time with my family brings me joy, and I am so grateful for those moments, but finding the time to do the things that are just for me is really hard these days. Having a new baby, a preschooler, and a teenager is busy in itself, add in working full time and a few side hustles and its no wonder that I am so tired at the end of the day. So for me it has been hard to work those things into my day, since I rarely have any time for myself. I have found that photography has been a great way for me to explore my creative itch. It is quick and satisfies a lot of my joys. I get to be outdoors, around new people, babies, animals, or just me and nature. I also get to exercise my creative muscles by deciding on the compositions of my subject, and the editing process flexes those muscles as well. I do miss painting, but because that requires so much time for set up and clean up, I don’t find time for that as often. However, in the fall I will be offering a meditation and intuitive painting class that will be AMAZING! So keep an eye out for that class coming September 20th. Art brings me joy, nature brings me joy and balance, music and dance feed my soul, and traveling opens doors of expansion.

In order to attract more of those things in my life, I have to say “no” to the things that block that from happening. I find that because I tend to overload my plate, I am often too tired or unmotivated to do anything, but this is the best time to push myself because if I fill my cup, I will have the energy I need. I admit, I get stuck in the couch sometimes, I turn into a big giant potato and binge watch an entire series sometimes while I am doing my work or playing with the kiddos, not my finest moments but I am all about transparency and this is my fault. I get lazy, and when I do everything seems to crumble around me. My house isn’t staying clean, it gets cluttered ( a reflection, I am sure), there seems to be a lot of anxiety that develops around all of the things I need to do, but can’t motivate myself to do, and I start getting moody. MOODY. So I need to start saying NO to the couch, I know that everyone needs downtime, and I give myself grace in knowing that maybe rest is just what my body needs, but I don’t like getting stuck there. Motivation is a huge block for me, I find that I often give up really easily when my motivation isn’t strong, and these are the times that I do my best to start small, maybe with meditating, drinking more water, getting the rest I need in a healthy way, or going on short walks to get me moving. The little actions start to add up and more and more I find that motivation, or the energy I need to accomplish something on my list. I have been dancing as a form of meditation lately, it helps my little baby with his colic and puts him to sleep, but it also gets my preschooler up and moving around freely as a way of expression. Dancing has been a complete release for me lately. I find that after I dance, I feel more confident about my body, and I feel love for my whole being, this makes going about my day so much more joyful. Practicing self love is a great way to finding your authentic self, and your joy.

I wanted to take a moment to talk about blocks here, because self sabotage is a real thing and if we allow our blocks to control us then its going to be more difficult to navigate. These blocks can be about money, about confidence, or whatever trauma happened that prevents you from getting out and doing things that make you happy. I am not a therapist, so I can only speak from personal experience here, but I will say that when you give those blocks the attention that they need in order to heal, and are able to release them, everything becomes so much easier. As you pay attention to gratitude for the abundance in your life, suddenly your bank account has enough to put away for a vacation, or a new camera, whatever it may be for you. When you bring awareness to self love and self respect, your confidence rises, and your light and energy shine. Filling yourself with light will not hurt, I promise!! We will talk more about personal blocks another day, but for now, this is a very basic explanation. Release and expand.

By doing the things that spark joy, you will be allowing for your cup to refill, filling it with self love, and respect. In allowing yourself to have those experiences and times that make you happy, you are allowing your stress to melt away, and release. You are allowing your soul to be revived. Starting small with finding ways to incorporate it into a daily routine, or maybe saying yes to more things that are outside of your comfort zone will help to get you started on your joyful path.