The Ultimate Guide To Living Your Best Life

Living your best life can take effort. It’s necessary to act to ensure you’re achieving the happiness and satisfaction you want.

Let’s explore a range of topics, from nurturing relationships and setting personal boundaries. To the benefits of lifelong learning and the importance of being grateful for life's simple joys. These conversations underscore the significance of mindfulness and intentionality in your life. By prioritizing your well-being, and embracing new experiences and activities you enjoy, you can lead a more gratifying and enriching life. These insights serve as reminders that the pursuit of happiness and personal growth is not an elusive destination. Rather an ongoing journey rooted in self-awareness and a willingness to engage with the world around you.

To live your best life, there are some activities you can do to make it easier to promote better living each day.

Make sure you nurture the right relationships in your life.

Nurturing the relationships in your life is essential for your emotional and overall happiness. These connections provide you with a sense of belonging, support, and love that enriches your life in profound ways. To foster healthy relationships, you must invest time and effort into understanding, communicating with, and empathizing with those you care about. This involves listening, being present at the moment, and showing genuine interest in the thoughts and feelings of others. By doing so, you not only strengthen the bonds you share but also create a setting where trust and intimacy can flourish.

Moreover, nourishing relationships extend beyond mere communication. It also involves making a regular effort to spend quality time together, whether through shared experiences, shared laughter, or simply being there during challenging times. Celebrating each other's successes and offering support during difficult moments are the cornerstones of a strong and enduring connection. When you invest in nurturing these relationships, you build a support system that can weather the vicissitudes of life and celebrate the joys together. Making your journey even more meaningful and fulfilling. Ultimately, the nourishment of your relationships is an investment in your happiness and of those you hold dear.

Make time for activities you genuinely enjoy.

Whatever your favorite hobbies, activities, and pastimes are, give yourself time to enjoy them. Making time for activities you genuinely enjoy is a vital aspect of maintaining a balanced and satisfying life. These pursuits provide not only moments of joy but also opportunities for self-expression, creativity, and relaxation. Whether it's reading a book, painting, playing a musical instrument, or engaging in a favorite sport. These activities can serve as a refuge from the demands of daily life. Setting aside dedicated time for them is a form of self-care that nourishes you mentally and emotionally.

Incorporating enjoyable activities into your routine can boost your overall productivity and happiness. It provides a much-needed break, allowing you to recharge and return to your responsibilities with renewed energy and focus. Moreover, pursuing your passions can lead to a sense of accomplishment and personal growth. It's a reminder that life isn't just about meeting obligations but savoring the moments that bring you genuine pleasure. By making time for these activities, you prioritize your happiness and well-being. Which in turn positively impacts all other aspects of your life.

Say “No” like a pro and transform your life.

If you feel pressured to say “Yes” to others’ requests, it can be tough to feel like you’re living your best life. Establishing personal boundaries and having the courage to say "No" when necessary is an essential practice for maintaining your overall well-being. Boundaries act as a protective shield around your physical and emotional space, blocking others from overstepping or taking advantage of you. They’re the foundation of healthy relationships and self-respect. When you set clear boundaries, you communicate your needs, limitations, and values, which fosters respect and understanding with others.

Moreover, setting boundaries and declining certain commitments or requests allows you to prioritize your needs and goals. It's a way of managing your time and energy level efficiently. Preventing burnout and overwhelm. Without boundaries, you may find yourself constantly overextended, sacrificing your well-being for the sake of others or societal pressures. Learning to say "No" respectfully permits you to make choices that align with your values and goals. Ultimately leading to a more balanced and fulfilling life. It's a powerful tool for self-care and self-preservation, promoting a sense of agency and control over your destiny.

Make your physical and emotional health your top priorities.

Prioritizing your physical and emotional well-being is a fundamental aspect of leading a healthy and fulfilling life. It's the basis upon which your ability to thrive, both personally and professionally, is built. Here are some key points to consider when making your well-being a priority:

1. Regular self-care practices, such as exercise, adequate sleep, and a balanced diet, are the big “three” for maintaining physical health. Combining relaxation techniques and mindfulness into your routine can contribute to mental well-being.

2. Learning to manage and cope with stress effectively is vital. High levels of chronic stress can have detrimental effects on both your physical and mental health. Consider meditation practices, deep breathing, or seeking professional help when needed.

3. Finding a healthy work-life balance is essential. Dedicate time to activities and relationships that bring you joy and relaxation outside your work commitments.

4. Nurturing meaningful social connections is necessary for mental well-being. Make time for friends and family; they can support you when facing challenges.

5. Don't hesitate to seek help or counseling when dealing with mental health issues. There's no shame in asking for assistance; it's a sign of strength to address your mental well-being proactively.

6. Regular health check-ups with medical professionals can help identify and address physical health concerns early, preventing more serious complications later.

7. Set clear goals for your well-being. Whether achieving a fitness milestone or working towards improved mental clarity, having objectives can motivate and guide your efforts.

Prioritizing your physical and emotional well-being isn't selfish. It's an act of self-love and self-preservation that ultimately allows you to lead a happier and more fulfilling life. Remember that taking care of yourself enables you to be at your best for you and those around you.

Experience or try something new each day.

Experiencing something new can be a transformative and enriching practice that brings many benefits to you. While you might not be going on an extreme outing each day, there are small ways to experience that sense of adventure and discovery. First, it keeps your mind engaged and sharp. When you encounter novel experiences, whether it's trying a new food, learning a new skill, or exploring a different place. Your brain is challenged to adapt and process new information. This cognitive stimulation can enhance creativity, problem-solving, and overall mental agility.

Additionally, daily novelty adds excitement and variety to your life. Preventing the monotony of routine from setting in. It helps you break free from your comfort zone, fostering personal growth and a sense of accomplishment. Whether big or small, these new experiences can increase self-confidence as you navigate unfamiliar situations successfully. Lastly, they can broaden your horizons, expose you to different cultures and perspectives, and create lasting memories contributing to a rich and fulfilling life. In a nutshell, the pursuit of daily novelty promotes personal development and a greater appreciation for the world around you.

Endeavor to be a lifelong learner.

• First: lifelong learners have a voracious appetite for knowledge. They maintain a deep interest in the world around them, always asking questions and seeking answers. Whether through books, online courses, podcasts, or conversations with others, they actively seek opportunities to learn something new every day.

• Second: lifelong learners are open-minded and adaptable. They embrace challenges and view failures as opportunities for growth. Instead of shying away from unfamiliar topics or difficulties, they approach them with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn from their mistakes.

• Third: lifelong learners are able to manage time and goal setting, ensuring that they allocate time each day or week to their learning pursuits. This discipline helps them stay committed to their educational journey and consistently make progress in acquiring new knowledge and skills.

Ultimately, the habits of a lifelong learner revolve around a mindset of continuous growth, a persistent curiosity, and a commitment to constant self-improvement. Exposing yourself to new topics, information, and skills is an excellent way to keep your mind active and learn well beyond your school days. Pick up new hobbies, ask a friend to teach you a skill they know, and sign up for free classes – there are plenty of ways to live your best life through learning.

Gratitude: how small things can change your life.

Life can be busy, making it easy to forget how many wonderful aspects of your life you can experience each day. Taking time each day to recognize everything good in your life is a lovely way to increase your overall satisfaction.

Being grateful for small or simple things in life is a powerful practice that can bring immense joy and contentment. Often, you get caught up in the hustle and bustle of your daily routines, chasing after grand achievements and material possessions. In the process, you overlook the beauty of simple pleasures. Take a moment to appreciate small joys. A warm cup of tea on a cold morning, a heartfelt conversation with a loved one, or the sight of a blooming flower. All of which can promote a profound sense of gratitude.

Moreover, acknowledging and cherishing the small things can shift your perspective towards a more optimistic outlook. It reminds you that happiness is not merely contingent on milestones or accomplishments. Instead, it resides in the everyday moments that make up your life. When you express gratitude for these simple pleasures, you become more present and attuned to the richness of your existence. Fostering a sense of contentment and fulfillment that transcends the pursuit of material success.

My final thoughts are:

You have seen the importance of balance, mindfulness, and mindset in your daily life. Whether it's nurturing relationships, setting boundaries, embracing new experiences, well-being, or practicing gratitude. These principles can help you to lead a more fulfilling life while also contributing positively to the lives you touch.

For more information, read these posts.

20 Ways To Live Your Best Life.

Taking Action On Your Intention.

I appreciate you taking the time to read this post.

What Makes You Feel Grateful And Happy

Gram’s wisdom 47.

Are you ready for more joy and happiness in your life? Gram had told me you won’t find happiness in stuff. That kind of happiness is short-lived because it needs constant stimulus. Instead, you need to practice daily gratitude for long-lasting happiness and contentment. I saw the truth of this as a teenager. My Gram always appeared happy with herself, and where she was in her life.

So, with Gram’s words ringing in my ears and heart, I committed to myself to write down and verbally express what makes me grateful and happy in my life. 

Consider a gratitude practice.

Gratitude sounds delightful, and you should practice it every day. Consider what happens to your brain if you don't practice gratitude and other positive emotions. Your brain is designed to give you what you think about most. In this case, if you think that your life is lacking and nothing ever goes your way, then your brain gets a mistaken idea. Your brain begins looking for more ways to decrease the joy in your life.

By turning that around, when you practice gratitude, your brain believes you want more gratitude combined with happiness and joy. It then works 24/7 looking for ways that you can show gratitude to others as it understands what you give out, will come back to you.

Now, let’s look at some fundamental ways that gratitude can make you happy today and into your senior years.

Believe in your worth.

You have several emotions that can be felt on any given day. You may have a day when you feel drained, and nothing goes your way. It leaves you floundering with your self-worth and self-esteem. This, in turn, diminishes the amount of daily happiness you feel as you struggle to believe you are worthwhile.

When this happens, it leaves you feeling like you don’t deserve what you have in life. Practicing daily gratitude for what you do well and what you currently have in life will improve your self-worth. You will start to stand a little taller and speak with more confidence. You already have enough knowledge in your life, and daily gratitude will make you grateful and start you on the path to helping others.

Remember the people you feel grateful for.

Going through traumatic experiences in life can severely reduce the amount of happiness you feel daily. Gratitude will help you regain that happiness. Emotional trauma can be caused by one person or even an entire family. When this happens, you need to remember the people you feel grateful for, like the person who stands up for you, or that friend who always listens.

Focus on the people who did not cause you injury in your life and list why you are grateful for them. Gratitude and suffering are an unusual pair; but, people who have suffered a terrible accident or illness often find gratitude helps. They increase their happiness by focusing on gratitude for what they have, what they have now, and the lessons that they have learned from their trauma.

Gratitude is like water.

Gratitude is like water. We need water to dilute liquids we find hard to drink. We need water to promote growth. We need water to soften our skin and hydrate us. Gratitude dilutes our harsh emotions, such as anger, frustration, and stress. When those negative emotions become diluted, it provides room for positive emotions such as joy and happiness to grow.

Gratitude not only helps to grow happiness but also takes existing happiness and boosts it. Think of happiness as an ice cream sundae. It tastes great and makes you feel good. But what happens when you add one or two cherries to the top of that ice cream? The flavor is now boosted to the point that your taste buds are screaming with joy.

So, gratitude and happiness go hand in hand. You experience an event such as your niece's 1st birthday party. Without gratitude, you are happy and exchange pleasant words with your sibling. With gratitude and happiness, you double down. Your pleasure now lights up the room, and people want to spend more time with you. They want to absorb the joy and happiness you bring wherever you go.

Compassion and service.

Are you a caring and sharing sort of person? If you are, happiness is part of your life because you serve others. When your gratitude bank is low, you may not be looking out for the best interests of others. It becomes harder to volunteer when help is needed.

Focus on building up your gratitude. Selflessness, when you spread your love and joy to others, can help you receive a boost in happiness. To stand by not serving others will decrease your happiness, and we know that it is not what you want for yourself. As you help others with problems, you will feel happier. In your heart, you will know that you are part of the solution to life's problems.

There are many things seniors can be grateful for.

As you age, you may find it difficult to discover things to be grateful for. Could there be a chance your family or career didn’t turn out as you had pictured it? There is also the possibility that your health will not let you do many activities that you once had done. This is where gratitude can be beneficial for you. Here are 8 things you can appreciate as you age.

1. This is an amazing opportunity as you are already retired or soon to be. Many seniors lament the feeling that without a job they are now useless. Others sit at home and complain that they have nothing to do. If you didn't plan for activities after retirement, get started now. Working and looking after children can be time-consuming. As a senior, you can say, "my time is my own.” Make a list of things you are grateful for that you can do but couldn't do in your middle age. This could include travel, volunteering, or even going back to school.

2. Count the friendships you have had over the years. Some have come and gone for different reasons. You may have even ended a few because you realized it was an unhealthy relationship. Now be grateful for those long-lasting relationships you formed and take the time to make the bond stronger. Be there for each other as you age and express your gratitude for each friend verbally and with written notes. Make time to meet for lunch or maybe coffee occasionally.

3. As we go through school and 40-odd years of work, we may lose a sense of who we are as people. The pace of life was hectic. Now that you are older, you can reflect on your overall makeup, and if you see a need to improve areas of your attitude or mindset, you can do that. Be thankful for the opportunity to fine-tune who you are. Next, find ways to show your gratitude and wisdom to younger people who may be struggling in different areas.

4. Hitting senior years means that you will now get small rewards. There may have been times in your life when you wished you had a discount at the drugstore or for something such as travel. Yes, the senior's discounts are not huge, but something is better than nothing. Feel gratitude for having made it this far when so many do not and being around to get that freebie just because you have silver hair.

5. This is a golden opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones, including children and grandchildren. While they love seeing you, they are also grateful that you are there to lend an ear or even do something special for them. Social media shows us several videos of elderly parents doing special things for their children. One video shows a father driving to his daughter's house and spreading salt, so she doesn't slip on her way to the car. Feel the gratitude that you are here and able to treat your children with love and respect. You may have had a career that cut down on the amount of time you could spend with your children. Now is your time to shine.

6. As you move along in your senior years, you now have time to spend going through your positive memories. One special activity you can do is build a collage or scrapbook of old photographs. Take each special photograph and consider why you were grateful for that moment. Flesh this scrapbook out by writing down the details such as names, dates, and places. Once you have built your collage, have a special dinner with your loved ones and share what you have done. They will be grateful for your love, and in time it will be a keepsake for them.

7. You now have the time to pursue not just one hobby but many. Working on hobbies will keep you mentally sharp. This is also a chance to be grateful for the grandchildren, and you can even share your hobby. For example, woodworking is an amazing hobby; any grandchild would love to do it with you. A hobby shared across a table is one of the best ways to talk with a grandchild.

8. While technology can sometimes be overwhelming, it is something you can be grateful for as a senior. Think back to when parents had to write a letter to one of their children who had moved to another country. You can connect instantly with your children no matter where they are. You can also be grateful for the amazing advancements in medicine and overall self-care. You have specialized vitamins for seniors to keep you healthy, whereas your grandparents did not. Think about how technology is helping you and be grateful for it.

My final thoughts.

Gratitude has played an immense part in my life. It was my Gram who shared with me that gratitude is a feeling of the heart and mind. I have seen and felt throughout my life that happiness and contentment are a direct result of the gratitude in your heart.

For further information, read these posts.

Six Benefits Of Practicing Gratitude For Seniors.

3 Awesome Benefits From Daily Gratitude.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Pass it on to someone you know who would find it beneficial.

Cultivate Your Gratitude Then Practice Daily

Changing your life with gratitude

While most people are unaware of the amazing power that gratitude has and how it can transform their lives for the better. Yet, some believe in the ability we all have of improving our lives by expressing gratitude for what we already have. When you practice gratitude each day you will see changes in your life very quickly and be amazed at the transformation that it makes.

This article is meant to provide you with some examples of how gratitude can make your life a lot better. You need to have the complete inside track on how gratitude can transform your life so that you’ll be inspired to make this significant change in your life. So read these examples and then get working on your attitude of gratitude right away.

Gratitude helps you maintain a happier mood

It’s easy to fall into a bad mood if you don’t have an attitude of gratitude. If someone has done something that upsets you, rather than becoming angry at them why not express some gratitude towards them instead?  Understandably this is not an easy thing to do and it does require some practice, but the results will certainly be worth it.

You will find when you do this that your mood will change from a negative frustrated or angry state to a happier state of being. This is especially useful in your relationships with coworkers as well as friends and family. Don’t allow things they do to annoy you, put you in a bad mood, or provoke an argument. Instead, think about how grateful you are for the helpful or nice things they normally do and tell them this. You and they will feel better for it.

Gratitude improves your love relationship

The number of break-ups and divorces in the world today are rising at an alarming rate. People are frazzled and tend to fly off the handle with their partner over the smallest of things. If you are someone that frequently criticizes your partner for their failings, then try changing your approach and show them gratitude instead.

It should be easy for you to recall things that your spouse does that you are grateful for when you put your mind to it. Hey, it could be you are grateful that they ignore your failings. But whatever it is tell your partner why you are grateful they in your life and make them feel warm and fuzzy. Notice how their face changes and what words they say in reply. Gratitude will certainly help you make your relationship stronger if you give it a try.

Parent better with gratitude

If you have children, then it’s easy for you to become frustrated with them. They do things that you don’t want them to do and this leads to anger and disappointment. In this situation, most parents express their disappointment to their kids which just creates a negative atmosphere.

Rather than criticizing your kids and having them feel bad about themselves, think about why you are grateful to have your children and tell them this. This will lighten both your moods straight away and everyone will feel better for the experience.

Gratitude helps you cope with the loss

If you experience a loss in your life be it losing a loved one, your job, or something else important then think about the people and things remaining in your life and express your gratitude for them. We all face major knocks in life at some time or another and the most important thing is that you don’t allow it to overcome you.

When expressing your gratitude for the people and things that you still have in your life it will be easier to move forward positively. In the future as the pain of your loss recedes you should begin to feel grateful for the happy memories of the past.

Cultivating your gratitude

We lead busy lives these days and it can be a challenge to take time to ponder about the things in your life that you can be grateful for. But doing this is fundamental, as you will receive some incredible benefits from being grateful and for expressing your thanks for what you have in your life right now.    

Stop and look around you

Commit to pause several times during the day and ask yourself the question “what am I truly grateful for in my life?” You can also ask yourself “who are the most important people in my life and why am I grateful for them?”

When you ask yourself these questions your subconscious mind will arrive at any number of answers for you. Take these answers and evaluate why the people or things are so important for you and express your gratitude for having them in your life. This should not take you long to do each day and will improve your habit of looking for things to be grateful for.

Take a long look at yourself

Being grateful for the qualities that you possess is a powerful way to cultivate your gratitude and increase your self-esteem. Think about what you have achieved recently and the challenges that you’ve had to overcome. You can think back to your past for some good examples of this as well.

You can look beyond the things that you have achieved as well. What other traits do you possess that you are proud of? Are you compassionate and kind to others? Do you have good empathy skills? Are you dependable and loyal toward your partner, your family, and your friends? There are always lots of things that you can come up with about yourself.

What do you take for granted?

When people are starting on their attitude of gratitude journey, they will usually think about the bigger things in their life to be grateful for but please don’t limit yourself to this. The little things in your life are often more important to you.

Just open your eyes and look around you. If you are at home, then notice the wonderful things that surround you to make your life beautiful, easier, and more enjoyable. Take a walk outside and look at the beauty of nature as well.

Have a morning and evening ritual

It is easy to forget about expressing your gratitude in modern life. So, if you want to have plenty to be grateful for, you should create a new routine where you will think about things to be grateful for in the morning when you wake up and before you go to bed at night.

Think about 3 things that you can be grateful for at these times. It does not matter if they are big or small things. In the morning it could be the simple fact that you are grateful for a new day ahead while in the evening it can be that you accomplished your goals. Write down the 3 things in the morning and evening in a gratitude journal so that you can reflect on these later.

My final thought

I have noticed that some people feel like everyone else has things to be grateful for while they have little or nothing for which to be grateful. They take for granted their good health rather than expressing thanks for it. It is this attitude that prevents them from having more. Simply put, when you express gratitude for what you have you will receive more to be grateful for.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your family and friends.

Commit Yourself To Perpetual Joy

Gram’s Wisdom 19: Joy, it isn’t a little thing

My Gram helped me to understand that joy in life is about the little moments, the little things, the little conversations, the little kindnesses. They are mostly seen as minutiae moments, if you’re not looking, they can pass you by without you even noticing. Rather, Gram told me, they are the keys to the kingdom. When you get to experience those moments in all their fullness you will never want to go back to the mundane. It is in those somewhat rare moments when you feel your heart light up, you feel the warmth of your soul set ablaze. That is when joy is almost touchable.

Joy, as l see it, is a condition of your heart. It is an intrinsic feeling, formed and nurtured in you followed by it pouring out of you, it is like a river fed from different sources, it continues overflowing to the outside as long as the source feeds it, but when the source dries up or is restricted the flow ends as well. To keep the flow moving, the source needs to be kept abundant.

Many activities feed your joy, they might differ from person to person, but some are universal. The more you incorporate such things into your day to day living the more those twinkling moments of intensified joy will become an all-day, everyday thing, the joy will just keep gushing out!

What are your sources of joy?

To be able to know your sources it takes mastery of self, when you spend time with yourself digging into your utmost feelings you will learn what feeds your fire. Looking at it this way you become the protagonist of your joy, you decide to be joyful and to do what makes you joyful. You become the artist of your joy.

I am going to relate nine activities that can serve as resources to feed and energize your joy, activities that keep you grounded and in alignment with your inner self and during the process get rid of all mental turmoil thus giving you peace and calm which in turn births joy.

1.      Meditation to calm both mind and body

Joy and mental health cannot be separated, when you have good mental health joy becomes a plus. When your mind is troubled, you are stressed and all anxious you find it hard to relax or to tap into your magic for life, your inspiration.

When you meditate you allow yourself to quiet your mind and access some facets and layers of yourself that you have not discovered yet. It gives you peace of mind, a moment of serenity as you harness your thoughts and focus within, which is where joy is brewed.

2.      An attitude of gratitude

When you are thankful you automatically focus on the positive, you see the bright places even when the whole world seems to be grey. A grateful heart shifts your mind to another perspective of life, you stop judging and complaining at every turn and you open your mind to all the good things happening around you.

Find something to be grateful for each morning, just the fact that you are breathing, seeing the sunrise, hearing the chirping birds, that could be enough to power your spirit of gratitude which will feed your joy for the rest of the day.

In the evening make it a part of your routine to look back on your day and remember what you were grateful for; if possible, make a list or better yet begin a gratitude journal. When you master the art of being grateful even in difficult moments you will always have a source of joy.

3.      Random acts of kindness

The thing with joy is that it has a moral compass, it is not just about the feel-good moments, it goes deeper. When we give joy and love to others it is somehow given back to us, we feel it in our insides. When you help a stranger, volunteer at a shelter, make someone laugh you find yourself more joyful than when you spend the day trying to figure out how to make yourself happy without having shared the gift.

Start a wave of love, of joy-giving everywhere you are by doing a random act of kindness to a stranger; when you start the ripple, it goes on and on from one person to the next. Imagine what a colorful world that would be, one colored with love and joy all over.

4.      Expand your life

As a naturally inquisitive species, we feed on an adventure. Learning something new daily or getting additional information on what you already know and enjoy can be an enormous source of joy. Try new things, travel, and visit new places. Begin a new hobby, monotony dulls your brilliant mind. Increase your involvement in something you love. Leap, l mean what is the worst that could happen, you find out you are not good at painting, well try hiking instead. There is immense joy in learning and trying new things.

5.      Find your purpose

Your purpose is a reason to be, it gives you something to look forward to, something bigger than yourself and we all need to be of use. When responsibility aligns with your passion, the purpose is found. Discover what lights you up, know your passion, that is the primary step. Take responsibility for that passion, daily give yourself tasks to complete. If you love writing, write something daily.

6.      Dance for no reason

There are just those little things that bring an immense feeling of joy when you come across them. We often call them breathtaking. For some, it might be bright colors, sunset pictures, nature. In ways, these things are somehow a representation of the aesthetics of joy- abundance, renewal, and celebration. Incorporate these small effects into your daily living, paint your room a bright color, dance for no reason, or blow bubbles if you want to.

7.      Take action toward a goal, an inspiration, or an epiphany

Commitment gives off a feel-good factor; when you take a step toward your goal you feel good about yourself. Find moments of inspiration from talking to strangers, taking a walk in the park. Leap towards your goal even if you fail you will still find joy in the exercise of trying.

Decide to be joyful, be intentional about your daily activities, and choose those that feed into your joy stream.

8.      Treat yourself with love

Treat yourself right, give yourself a break when it’s needed. Take yourself on a spa date, eat that meal you love. Show yourself the care you would give to others. When you are cared for, you are joyful.

9.      Spend time with the people you love

These people often bring out the best version of us and joy spreads. So, spending time with family and friends is often a reboot to your joy.

My final thought

I truly feel that joy like happiness or optimism can and should be chosen by design. To wait on any of them to occur in a big way by accident is to miss out on all the little moments you can choose to create perpetual joy for yourself and by extension to those around you.  

I hope you liked this post and share it with your family and friends.

Don’t Allow Events To Steal Your Joy

The joy in you not the times

If you are like everyone else, you will have events in your life when things are just not going your way. The truth is life is a constant wave of emotional highs and lows.

So much of our time is spent on an even keel, mundane state of emotional blandness, interrupted by the peaks of the best of times and unfortunately, the valleys when nothing seems to go right.

Few if anyone searches for information on how to deal with the best moments of their lives. They ride the wave. Then, finding that handling the lows can be a difficult task they bemoan their fate. Today we live in very troubled times, a pandemic has taken over most of the world, and people are being affected in many profound and unexpected ways.

Everything surrounding this pandemic is based on suffering and pain, it is just the nature of the beast. Death, isolation, fear, facing the unknown and grief and loss can strip of us our joy and may lead to depression.

We cannot control what happens outside our door, what we CAN control is ourselves and how we react. There are things we can do to maintain a positive and even joyful mindset.

In the following discussion, let’s talk about three methods for doing just that.

Having the right people around you

How often have you heard it said that you are the total of the five people you surround yourselves with most frequently. If that is the case, you must make sure you have the right people around you. Especially, when going through a difficult time, it is critical to hang on to your joy. At times, when life is beating you up, retreating into the solitude of your home, wanting to throw the covers of your head, and be left alone with your thoughts, can feel like the best option.

Make no mistake; sometimes periods of solitude are healthy and necessary. Right now, isolating yourself is the norm as we fight this health crisis. However, when you discover yourself at a low point, robbed of your joy, connecting with those who make you happy is imperative.

Although it may seem obvious, avoiding people who have the opposite effect can sometimes be the real battle. Negative people are especially important to keep out of your life when you are already struggling to find joy in your current situation.

You can maintain connections during Shelter in Place orders when you are isolating at home to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Technology has seen to that.

·         Face Time on iPhones and Video calls on Android

·         Skype

·         A simple phone call

·         Email

·         Text

·         Zoom and other video conferencing software can bring together friends and family while staying safe and following health official’s orders.

·         Good old-fashioned letter writing

Remember it can’t rain forever

Nothing in life is permanent. Fortunately, nothing in life is permanent! Let’s state that again, this will pass.

Into every life, some rain must fall. Later the sun shines bright and hot. During periods of extreme highs and lows, thinking about the temporary nature of each season in life is not comfortable to dwell on.

On the contrary, keeping this truth in mind during low times can be beneficial. Whatever you are going through, no matter how bad it may be, it WILL pass.

Most of the difficult times you experience in life conclude without any extra effort on your part. It is so easy to embrace the mentality that you must put forth an immense amount of effort to make something bad go away.

Even though this is sometimes the case, most of the time, TIME is the only remedy for tough situations. If you want to increase your joy during difficult times, remember that your situation is not the way things are, only the way they are RIGHT NOW.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”

— Henri Nouwen

Choose to be joyful

Since we have discussed how life is divided into highs and lows and the fact that nothing will last forever, this leads to one last thing to keep in mind during the best AND the worst periods.

If you want to have joy consistently, your joy absolutely cannot be dictated by your circumstances.

If you let every good thing that happens to you leave you soaring on cloud nine and every negative situation send you crashing to earth, you will go through life in a state of emotional exhaustion! Stable, consistent, sustainable joy can only be created and found within yourself.

Life is far less about what happens to you than it is how you react to it. You are in charge of how you feel. Don’t fall into the trap of letting joy go to your head and disappointment to your heart.

My final thought

Adverse situations are a part of every life. Do Not allow it to rob you of the joy that should be yours. Try affirming to yourself every day, “today, I choose to feel joy in my life.”

I hope you have found this post to be beneficial. Please share it with your family and friends.