How To Maintain Joy In Your Life

How did you start you day?  Did you greet the morning with the expectation of good things, with the intentionality of happiness, or did you feel like pulling the covers over your head, and like chicken  little, just burying yourself?

Your thoughts as you begin your day, is a major factor in determining the level of joy you’ll experience during the day. If you dread what awaits you outside of your door,  you may be tempted to stay in bed. I know, you’re saying, ”I can’t stay in bed all day. I have too much to do.”

Please understand that you don’t have to be lying in bed to be asleep. If your mind is consumed by negative thoughts, it will rob you of all the joys of life and you will sleep on your blessings.

Every day is filled with all kinds of people and situations that can keep you from the wonderful life that you have been given.  With all the stress and pressures of life that can come your way, you must make a conscious decision to enjoy your life regardless of your circumstances.

You must begin to recognize the “joy stealers” in your life.  What are some of your triggers that can rob you and cause you to make a 180 degree turn in your attitude?

1. Anxiety – anxiety plays such a pivotal role in your life as an adult. As a responsible adult, you can’t help but worry about “stuff” that’s going on in your life.  Whether it be  bills, your spouse, your children, your job, or even what you’re going to fix for dinner- there are countless people and/or situations in your daily life that can cause you stress.
2. Family – nobody has the perfect family. As much as you may love your family,  problems in your family can arise that test the limits of your patience. Squabbles and internal strife can creep into your spirit and rob you of the joys of life. As a nurturer, it is impossible for you not to internalize what’s happening in your family’s life.
3. Anger – how many times have you been angry at someone for something that happened in the past? You can’t change it, the offender has gone on with their life, yet, you have allowed seeds of malice to take root and bloom in your heart! Anger is one of the worst joy stealers. It can rob you of not only your joy, but also your health.

You have to take responsibility for your joy and happiness. If you depend on other people or the lack of drama in your life to provide you with that, you will always be chasing that elusive dream of fulfillment.

You are the only one that can steal your joy.  You  may not always be able to control things that happen in your life but only you have the control over how you internalize and react to situations.

You have an endless supply of wonderful things inside of you and no matter what’s going on around you, you can pull from that supply. Everyone has joy stealers in their lives.

They are the people that walk around blaming other people for their unhappiness. You know who they are. You probably have some co-workers like that or maybe even someone in your family.

They want to diminish your possibilities by instilling a sense of hopelessness into your life. You have a choice, will you choose to make your life an adventure or settle and lament in the rut you have built for yourself?

There are ways to either find or recapture that joy:

1. Look for what’s right instead of what’s wrong. You can always find something wrong in every situation, circumstance or person in your life.  If you truly want joy in your life, take an extra moment and look for the good in life. If you oversleep in the morning and are late for work, don’t let that ruin your day.  The joy is that not only did you wake up but you have a job to go to!
2. Live your life on your own terms. It’s natural to want to be accepted and liked by everyone. But, in order for you to do this, you would have to live up to the expectations of everyone you want to like you.  Forget what others expect you to do or what they expect you to be. In order for you to find the beauty in your life, you have to choose what you want out of it and what you want to do with your life. Find your passion and your purpose!
3. Enjoy this journey called life. How many times have you felt a little let down when you’ve reached a destination or accomplished a mission? Oftentimes, the excitement is in the journey.  That’s what your life is, it’s a journey to be enjoyed every step along the way.  Life is full of lessons and sometimes those lessons come from failure and disappointment.  Look for the lessons in your life, learn from them, grow from them, then move on.
4. Master the art of forgiveness. Forgiveness if single greatest weapon to fight your joy stealers.  It has nothing to do with the other person.  Forgiveness is a selfish act. It allows you to cleanse your spirit to release all of the toxins that build up in your body and cause you to be unhappy and miserable. Forgiveness frees you from the control that someone else still has over you to “push your buttons.”

Your joy is not found in others, therefore, you should not allow “others” to steal your joy. Your joy is found in your heart and what’s in your heart feeds your thoughts which ultimately fuel your life.

Take personal responsibility for your happiness.  Everyone is not a Beethoven, but you do have a voice! Make your own music.