Seek Joy and Be Happy
“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
~Abraham Lincoln
Seek Joy and Be Happy
“I will be happy when XWYZ happens” is a condition-based existence. Letting the exterior situations dictate how you feel.
Do you tend to think that you will be happy once certain things in your life change? If so, I invite you to shift your thinking and say, “why wait?”
The thing that you want to change may never change. And once it changes, you will have another obstacle to attaining happiness.
You see, happiness is a temporary emotion. You can be happy for a time when you reach the goal you want, then what? It is normal to want more, so then you will find yourself chasing another situation to be happy.
The alternative is to seek joy in Life, despite being happy. HAH? For example, you may not be happy because you and your honey are having disagreements. But you can still be joyful that you are in a relationship with an excellent mate.
Joy is evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune.
When you seek joy, you seek inner fulfillment despite what is happening around you. You know there will be good and bad days, but you decide your emotional state will remain joyful.
You have a mental faculty called Will. With Will, you decide to take action on finding more joyful-filled situations and opportunities.
Seek joy and be happy means the joyful moments will provide happiness.
How to Seek Joy and Be Happy
Have daily practices that make you feel that “life is good.” Create habits that provide joy, emotional well-being, and confidence to you.
Here are some joyful experiences I’ve built in my day. I do one or more of these when I need to be uplifted.
- Have exchanges with my husband that makes us feel loved and appreciated.
- I send my daughter and son impromptu texts with love and encouragement messages.
- Make it a point to make others feel good, like calling a new person by name, asking about their day, or complimenting them. Their response to my actions makes me joyful.
- When I feel rushed or anxious, I disrupt that energy by taking in a moment of stillness. It is like stealing a mini moment in time to appreciate Life.
- Enjoying a flower’s beauty and watching my dog’s playful nature only takes a minute. And to admire the flight of butterflies and birds (I love watching hummingbirds), or to find shapes of things in the clouds.
Sprinkling these moments in my day makes me feel engaged with Life and connected with Spirit. I feel joyful, happy, and grateful for the life all around me.
Sprinkles of Joy Lead to Gratitude
When you experience sprinkles of joy, you can’t help being happy and grateful.
One of the best parts about this is that at the end of your day, you know that you were present in Life. If only for those special moments.
Living is not about the to-do lists but about your attentiveness to Life. And at the end of your day, you know you did what you intended to do. To be present for Life.
Next time you have a bout of grouchiness or catch yourself, say, “I’ll be happy when…” you have a choice. Remember that you can choose your emotions and seek Joy.
Explore this concept and see how it up levels your life experience.
Seek Joy and Be Happy
Joy and Gratitude are high-energy emotions; they release hormones in your body that make you happy.
If you are feeling down, what an excellent opportunity to experiment.
Start with remembering the joyful moments in your life, write them down, and replay them in your head.
Discover through that exercise what brings you joy. Create habits that will cultivate it.
Stay with it, practice it for a week or more, and see how differently you feel. You will experience happiness without waiting for the right conditions.
You will understand that external results do not direct your internal emotions. You can be happy, even when XWYZ is in transit.
Believing in You!
