Life is simply amazing. The fact that we can breath, that we have our senses, our focus, our creativity, our mobility is something to be cherished. Life can also be very challenging. It can be very busy, distracting, stressful, painful and lonely. How much joy do you feel on a daily basis? What if we could feel more joy in our lives?
For some it might seem like a pipe dream or a carrot on a stick. Always searching for it, working harder and harder, but from one year to the next it seems just as far away. What if it doesn't come from working harder, doing more, making more money or having more friends on Facebook. A more joyful life is possible.
Joy comes from within. It comes from living in the present moment. It comes from being in the here and now. It comes from a quieter focused mind. From a relaxed mobile body. From emotional balance and awareness. It comes from feeling a sense of connection and purpose. It is more than just happiness. Happiness is more of a short term feeling. We can be happy now, frustrated the next moment. Joy is an underlying foundation beyond the moment to moment, day to day, ups and downs. It is a state that too few people experience let alone live in.
What would the world be like if that became the goal for more of humanity? To live in more joy. Let's work towards finding joy in our lives. Over the course of the next few weeks, start doing more of an ongoing inventory of how you feel, how you breathe, what you think about, what your emotional state is. Don't try and change anything just start to become aware of the dominating and repetitive patterns that are a part of your everyday living. Notice what joy means to you. Reflect on how many times you have felt joy in your life and what were the common factors at those times.
Without awareness, we have no choice or control. Awareness is the starting point.