Journey to Joy

"The journey to joy begins with acceptance." ~ Margaret Feinberg

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? Kinda makes you cranky, doesn't it? But what if you just accepted it and laughed it off? Could it be possible to find joy even when life seems to be unraveling?

Let’s get one thing straight about this week’s quote, it does not mean that you should settle for whatever or wherever you are in life. But rather, I believe it means that once you face where you are with acceptance of the situation – whether good or bad – you can put your energy into adapting and advancing. In other words, instead of wasting time and energy staying stuck in the problem, you just acknowledge it and then you can begin to shift your focus to the solution and moving forward into a more joyful life.

Let’s face it, life does not always turn out exactly as we’d like. There are plenty of mistakes, disappointments and failures all along the way. The secret to being content is accepting that your current and past circumstances are just that – your current and past circumstances. They do not have to be your future too! When you free yourself from any resistance or negative attachment to them, then it frees you up to refocus your attention on the opportunities in front of you, what you have to gain for your future and how you can get there – rather than focusing on what you’ve lost, where you’ve failed or the problems that seem to be keeping you stuck. The shift in those emotions – from despair, regret or sadness to hope and joy create a higher vibration of energy. Which not only changes your outlook, it can change your life. Even if your circumstances haven’t changed in that very moment, when you choose to change your focus, then your emotions and energy can change and that will put you in the right space to get yourself moving in the direction you want to go.   

So how do you find joy when things seem to be going wrong? That is the challenge, isn’t it?

What have you been resisting or avoiding lately that it’s time to acknowledge and accept so you can move on? Accept where you’ve come from and let the lessons of the past help guide you to a better future. Accept where you are as a starting point and find joy in the present moment. Choose where you will put your focus and your energy. Remove it from spinning in the moment and redirect that focus and energy to whatever actions you need to take to propel yourself forward. Even if you must just begin with being aware of your negativity when you do have “one of those days” and work towards finding happiness and laughter in your present life as you begin to create the joyful life you desire.

***Want more happiness and joy in your life? It's not as difficult as you might think. Get started on the journey by checking out the Heroic Performance App today.