Simple Ways to Have More Joy in Your Life

Joy – a feeling of great pleasure & happiness

True joy and happiness comes from within.  It is always a feeling we recognize inside ourselves, and yet we can fall into the trap of only seeking it outside.  The tendency is to want more….more of what we think will make us happy…money, love, fame, success, stimulation, adulation, fun etc.  And yes, I want those things too, but I’ve found that in order to truly enjoy those things, we have to be satisfied within ourselves with what we already have and accepting and appreciating where we are. 

Seek JOY and you will find it!

The pursuit of our heart’s desires should come with contentment, not more of an ache in our hearts that it’s not enough or that we are fundamentally not enough.  Our heart’s desires should be the whispers of what we can accomplish – of what God or the Universe know we can become or attain.  Whatever you can dream or believe, you can become…otherwise it wouldn’t be there, calling to us.  Joy is knowing that life is attainable.  God wants us to have life and to live it more abundantly. 

3 Steps to Learning to Value Yourself

How do we value ourselves?  We are constantly looking for validation from our friends, co-workers, family, significant others and even strangers; sometimes especially from strangers.  Does this dress look good on me?  Do you think I should cut my hair?  Do you like my boyfriend?  We are forever looking outside of ourselves for the answers. 

Awareness is the first step.

It’s amazing how much we seek others opinions only to disregard them if they don’t match our own view of ourselves.  If you think you are fat, you may spend a great deal of energy trying to prove to yourself that you are.  Your loved ones can swear that you’re not and tell you over and over again how great you look, and even though you value their opinions, (on other stuff), you only see fat, so they may as well save their breath.