I Finally Found What Was Missing

Do you think joy is an elevated state?  For example, first comes happiness and then there is joy. Or is joy available to you all the time no matter your circumstance?

Last week I graduated from a four-month transformational program. One of things that I discovered was that a majority of the last twenty years was spent connecting with others through my suffering… the loss, the setbacks, the comebacks.

And what was missing was Joy. Yes, Joy. I woke up on Saturday and asked myself, “What if I lived from joy every day for the next 90 days? How could life change?”

So, I started my journey into joy.  I smiled at everyone as I walked through the airport, said hello to my seat mates as they got settled in and the flight attendants as they served our drinks.

At one point I noticed, I am not getting much joy back.  I got up to use the restroom and I said to myself, “Maybe, give up the attachment”. Ah, yes attachment. Let people be how they are, drop the judgement of how they need to be.  Have no expectations.

When I stepped into the galley way, a woman was standing with a shirt that said, “This is my last clean t-shirt”. I laughed when I read it and we started chatting.  She said, “I’m Joy, what’s your name?”  I was taken aback. “Your name is Joy?”  And she said, “Yes, Joy!”. I told her about my 90-day plan to take on being joy and she loved it. She said, “You are joyful”!

What would you like to create in the next 90 days? Maybe it’s joy, peace or love? Maybe it’s confidence, purpose or prosperity?

And let me tell you, yesterday it wasn’t so easy to generate joy. There were a lot of circumstances that didn’t feel joyful.  And, I stuck to my promise to live out of joy.  I didn’t run away and stuff the feelings that were coming up for me.  I felt them and let them go.

My friend Jen called and instead of going into the default of what was wrong, I asked her, “Do you have something that brings you joy today?”  And she did! In 75 days, she had created a plan to move with her son to a new place and it was coming to fruition.  My mood totally shifted as I felt joy for her, and it was that simple. Choose a new way of being.

I’d love to know what you would love to create in your life!

Let’s start where you are. Leave your comments here or reach out to me!

Together we Connect,

Louisa