Ahhhh…. The ever elusive notion of joy.  Just when we think we may have found it…..the dog decides to soil on our brand new bathroom rugs, our car won’t start the morning of an important meeting, or we discover a family member has become ill…..

 

Finding joy in the hustle and bustle of our world today is something we need to continuously work at.  Or do we?  Is there a way to walk a joyful path every day while working full time and taking care of a family?  Can we slowly shift our thoughts and reactions to align with a joyful way of life without selling everything and moving to Hawaii?

 

There is a way. 

 

The way begins with understanding what joy is.

 The definition of joy, according to Merriam-Webstar is: an emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; delight, the expression or exhibition of such emotion; gaiety, a state of happiness or felicity; bliss, a source or cause of delight.   

This sounds like a simple feeling, and most of us have experienced a joyful moment, or maybe even a joyful day or week on vacation. However, we have lost the ability to hold onto this joy for very long.  When we were children we played and laughed for hours, then, as we moved through life, we allowed ourselves to become sidetracked.  We learned that we could not play all day, we had work to do.  So we slowly stopped indulging in hours of joy and decided that life is just not that easy.  Finding your joy again is just a process of remembering how to experience the joy that we once felt.  The journey to rediscovering our joy is one that only requires an open mind and willing heart.  So I present to you a simple journey – through an ordinary day – one that we can all embark on – you won’t need money, or more time, or anyone to join you.

 The Beginning 

We have fallen into a structured life filled with expectations.  There is nothing ‘wrong’ with this life – it is here for a reason.  We have much to accomplish on the planet at this time.  We wake up in the morning, and immediately start thinking of all we have to do.  The beginning of our journey starts with your first breath of the day.  Spend a few minutes before you get out of bed and breathe in deeply and slowly.  Appreciate the air that is filling your lungs and the possibility of a day full of tranquility and happiness.  As you complete your morning routine - try to continue this deep breathing.  Pause as you turn the knob of the faucet, as you pour your morning cup of coffee and as you turn the key in your ignition – and breathe in deeply and slowly several times.  This simple practice allows you to (in those brief seconds) quiet your overactive mind and tune back into your body and the energy that surrounds you at every moment.

 The Middle 

As you continue to work, or whatever your schedule brings you for the day print and cut out this prayer (or even more powerful – copy it with an intention of joy - on a piece of beautiful paper).  Breathe in deeply and slowly as you rewrite the words – feeling yourself breathe in each sentence.

 

Dear God,

 

Please help me to see only the good in every situation today.  Help me to see only the beauty in each person I interact with.  I surrender my day to you.  I surrender all my worries, my fears and my pain.  I surrender to you my goals and my expectations.  Allow me to be in complete service to you with every word I speak, every through I think and every action I take.  Please allow me to notice all the beautiful joyful things that are around me.  Help to show me the happiness where I see sadness, help me to release the fear from my heart when I judge others, help me to see only the beauty when I see ugliness.  God, please allow joy to enter my heart, I am ready to release the pain in my life.

 

Take this little prayer out a couple of times throughout your day and read it slowly.  Take some of those same slow, deep, breaths and then…..

 

….look for the wildflower on the side of the road, listen to the birds chirping, taste a fresh raspberry, smile at a child, sip a cold drink while standing with your face in the sun  ….

Whatever it is, find your joy in some way today.

 The End 

Of course, there is never an end, and yet each moment is an end in itself.  Enter into your evening knowing that the end to each day is just an opportunity to collect yourself and prepare for a fresh beginning.  Treating your evenings in this manner will bring rapid transformation to your life, because they lead you to focus on joy again at the end of each day while thinking about your aspirations for tomorrow.

 

Take 15 minutes at the end of your evening and find a quiet and clear space.  Begin with the same deep breaths that you have been practicing all day.  Once you feel relaxed ask yourself :

 

What do I need to release from today?

 

You can release anything that happened in the past that you do not want to carry with you into tomorrow.  Write down the first thing that comes to mind. Allow whatever enters your mind to be, don’t judge yourself.  It may be something related to work, or relationships at home.  After all your thoughts have been recorded – slowly rip up the paper.  Then walk to your trash can OUTSIDE and throw it away.  You have brought this energy outside of your home and gotten rid of any influence it may have had over you.  As you walk back inside, breathe deeply with every step you take.  Know that when you enter the house – you will have released the garbage of the past.  Feel yourself a little bit lighter.  Breathe deeply again and feel a little more relaxed. 

Next ask yourself,

 

What will bring me the greatest joy tomorrow?

 

Breathe deeply and write down the first thing that comes to your mind.  Do not judge yourself.  Accept yourself if the first thing you think is, “take a vacation!”, even though you know that is not possible tomorrow.  Whatever has come to your mind is a message from your soul.  Joy lies within the highest vibrations of feelings – so that when your soul is aligned  - you are experiencing joy.  So your joy aligns you with your soul.  Joy is an emotion only evoked by wellbeing.  So, listening and following this inner guidance to align with your soul is the key to experiencing joy. 

 

Take this paper and put it somewhere you will have to look at it tomorrow.  It could be on your bathroom mirror, your nightstand, or in your car.

 

Now, you need to make it happen.

 

Find a way to do something tomorrow that will bring you your greatest joy.  If it is something that you cannot do in one day (like quitting your job and moving to Mexico) then set aside time to make that joy a reality.  Know that moving towards those parts of our life that bring us joy is central to our evolution as humans.  We are given our greatest creative insights and highest state of health when we tap into joy in our lives. 

 

Think of the last time you really experienced joy.  Think about what you were doing, who was around you and where you were.  Close your eyes and imagine that time.  Now ask yourself: where was the joy really coming from.  If you dig deeply you may be able to glimpse that the joy was truly not coming from anything happening on the outside – the joy was already within you.  What was happening is you were in a place that aligned perfectly with your soul at the time and so the vibration was so high – you felt the emotional equivalent of this high vibration.

 

Once we can guide our lives towards joy at all times, we can begin to experience the true intention of heaven on earth.

 

This journey is just your first step.  By infusing little changes into your life everyday to bring more joy in, you will slowly begin to shift your energy, and begin experiencing glimpses of total joy, heaven on earth and bliss.

 

***

 

I would like to leave you with the story of the hummingbird.  Native American Shamans in indigenous cultures revered the hummingbird as an animal messenger of joy.  Hummingbirds have an instinctive sense of beauty and move through their lives traveling from one flower to another suckling the nectar to give them sustenance.  They only reside in peace and fly away from any disharmony.  Shamans would call on the Hummingbird to help someone who needed to bring more happiness into their lives.  The hummingbird would bring loving energy to the wounded soul – and in a short time the person would be smiling again.  You can experience the joy of Hummingbird simply by calling on her energy.  You need not find a real hummingbird; find a picture or small charm to remind you daily of the joy in finding the beauty in all the little things life has to offer.  She will help you to remember in your own life to fly towards joy and harmony – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  Allow her energy to remind you of the magical nature of life. 

Aimee Shea is a Holistic Counselor and Healer in Southern California helping children, teens and adults come into alignment with the live they were meant to live.  Visit www.indigorisingonline.com for a complete description of services and classes available.