Episode 22 – Happy Living
Joy isn’t just a happy thought, it’s deeper than that.
Haven’t we heard that? It’s not about being happy, it’s a set of soul.
Yet, I want to challenge you that we can cultivate a lot more every day joy into our lives and it looks very similar to happiness when it’s in action.
How would you like some happy in your life?
I think we could all use a little more happy.
So, the good news is that everyday joy is a skill your brain can learn. A habit you can cultivate. A practice.
Our brains work in patterns and your brain has patterns around all sorts of things. You can conjure up feelings of joy immediately when you consider certain events, and then you can be reduced to tears by other circumstances.
We each have patterns of thought and feeling that we circle around. Choosing joy is a way to begin creating a new habit in our life. At first, it will feel fake, uncomfortable, odd. But as we continue to practice over and over, choosing joy becomes something that we do without thinking about it.
Here are three ways you can practice the skill of joy:
1. Think big picture.
When we zoom out and look at things from God’s perspective- eternity, the main themes of love, truth, mercy, and grace- it is much easier to rejoice even in the midst of a difficult moment.
Take some time to consider your life from God’s point of view today.
2. Think on “these things”. Philippians 4:8 is our instruction manual for cultivating happiness into our everyday life.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worth of praise, think about these things.”
If you were to chart your thought life, how would you rank it? Higher on the “whatsoevers” or higher on the worries? It’s not a big deal, it’s just a skill you can practice. Start where you are and move towards joyful thoughts today!
- Celebrate with your physical body.
It seems that we have specific moments when we are allowed to celebrate with our emotions and our bodies. When our team wins the super bowl or the World Series- that’s a time we are allowed to celebrate. When you win on a game show, get an awesome birthday present, or win an award of some sort- it’s ok to jump up and down and scream for joy. And some people choose to do a fair amount of celebrating during worship time at church.
Why must our celebrating be limited to these culturally accepted events? Why not throw your hands out in delight when you see the beautiful snow? What if you danced around the kitchen just because you were enjoying the connection with your children. How about we scream like we won the winning point when our child does chores without being asked?There are so many times we can celebrate the goodness of God- and actually feel it.
Smile.
Open your arms wide.
Sing!
Lift up your eyes and delight in the Creator of the Universe for no apparent reason.
So what if someone looks at you like you’re crazy! Would you rather look sane and feel discouraged, or nuts and feel elated at the blessings of Almighty God?
Today is the day to get started on this skill.
What one next step will your take towards joy today?
One action you can take is to sign up for a Joy and Peace Makeover Call with me.
Simply go to http://maryaldrichcoaching.com/apply and fill out the application.
This is a FREE one hour call to help YOU
– Create a sense of clarity about the Joy and Peace you really want to have in 2020.
– Discover the #1 thing stopping you from having the happiness you long for
– Complete the call with the excitement of knowing EXACTLY what to do next to create the happy and content family life you truly want.
Apply today! Spots are limited!
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