What??????????? Don’t we all desire joy, happiness, delight? Don’t we go in search of those people and activities which will bring these feelings to us?
Likely, most of us DO seek joy. Yet, even when it shows up we can miss the full impact of its presence. Why is that? And why, if we all desire joy, would I suggest that you stop seeking it?
Here’s why. In so many ways, sources of joy are ever-present. Consider the beauty of the rose in bloom, the laughter of a child, the feeling after a job well-done, witnessing an exchange of two people in love. How about simply noticing that you woke up again today, healthy, with a roof over your head and a job to go to?
When was the last time you fully received the impact of these?
Today, rather than seeking joy, dare to notice and release all the blocks, both inner and outer, to joy:
- “too busy” – If this is your mantra, where are you “playing god” and not delegating? Where are you expecting perfection of yourself or others so that nothing is ever “enough”?
- “lost in thought” – Perhaps you have a non-stop tape running in your mind, or many of them, and you are wholly preoccupied when nature has revealed fall splendor or your child is nestled in your arms or a friend is ecstatic and sharing a recent accomplishment.
- “planning” – Maybe you are always lost in the thoughts of how you will relax, vacation, enjoy life “then” …
- “judging” – If comparing is your modus operandi, there is a lot of energy going into evaluating everything and everyone around you. If you wind up on the short end of the comparison, joy eludes. If you judge yourself “better”, joy may momentarily visit, until the next comparison takes over.
Today – this day, this activity, this conversation, this moment – is all we have. Today is a good day to be alive, to feel joy, to smile. Today, don’t seek joy. Rather, release your “favorite block” to feeling the joy that is already present.
What is truly more important than a moment of joy?
What is possible from the energy of a joy moment?
What is keeping you from already present joy?