I love joy and how it impacts people. How about you?
Joy shows up as that ever-present quality of a calm and content life. This time of year brings more of it out which is wonderful. You notice it in the lighter moods, the smiles, the open acts of kindness. The great part is being joyful is a skill. It’s not an illusive quality some people have or not.
Joy is about who you choose to be and the mind you care to develop and hold.
Being joyful allows you to see beauty and deeply appreciate it. You get that feeling like – Wow. I can’t believe I’m so blessed to have this life, these opportunities, this beautiful experience unfolding in front of me.
And, it doesn’t mean every circumstance that comes your way is perfect or pleasant. With a joyful mind, you can transform anything.
Joy happens for no reason.
Imagine if joy was a regular mindset you held. You committed to being joyful as deeply as you commit to your job and other ordinary commitments. What an extraordinary experience that would be.
There’s actually a science to this. Joy needs the right conditions to grow in your mind.
3 Ways Your Mindset Affects Your Joy
1. Joy only exists in a positive state of mind
It’s impossible for you to carry a negative mindset and experience joy at the same time. I personally knew I had to let go of my busy mind to make space. Joy could hardly get in with that crazy business going on. You’ve got to gain familiarity with peaceful minds. Happy minds.
The first step is to recognize what kind of mind you’re holding most of the time. Name it.
2. A joyful mindset takes practice
Imagine how easy it is to think about all the worries you have, projects going on, fires to put out. If you’re like me, you’ve practiced a stressed-out mind for a long time. There’s a switch to be made. You’ve got to gain familiarity with your joyful mind and turn down the volume of negative mindsets.
I do strongly believe in writing down what you’re grateful for. It helped me a lot over the years. That’s one step to building a joyful mind.
What’s even more powerful is literally seeing yourself express joy in your life. It’s empowering when you consciously create this self image and practice stepping into it. For example, for that next business meeting, what if you mentally practiced you and your joyful mind attending it?
3. Joy shows up when you’re relaxed
I’ve got a confession to make. I didn’t connect to what was going on in my body for years. I couldn’t explain to you what joy felt like. Now, I do a lot of work with people on their sensory experiences. It’s clear your body is in a relaxed state and your breathing is comfortable when your mind is joyful.
Why is this important? You can relax your body and your breathing right now. Try it for a few minutes. Think of something so beautiful it touches your heart. Let yourself savor that wonderful sensation. Feel the appreciation run through your body. You literally can step into this any time you choose.
In Summary
Joy leads you to your most meaningful life. All it takes is a heartfelt wish to develop a joyful mind and a commitment to practice. I sincerely wish for you to stop practicing the worried, busy one. And, you’ve got a great opportunity right now with family events and festivities coming up. Who wouldn’t love you and your joyful mind showing up.
I’d love for you to test this out. Notice one joyful moment over the next few days. Ask yourself what triggered it and how you felt inside when it happened. Keep reflecting on it and experiencing the good feelings.
I sense some wonderful things coming your way.
It’s been a joy to write this for you. Sitting here thinking about you reading the word joy and reflecting on it makes me smile. So, thank you.
With a joyful mind.
Jennifer
