Last week I wrote to you about Joy and the Journey to Joy that can help you feel joy and turn towards it in any moment.
Your responses have been so beautiful.
I'm thrilled many of you are already finding it beneficial.
But I also received some questions about this Joy Journey, like,
"If life feels quite joyless right now, will this help me find joy?"
"Yes, that's the point", I replied. "It's designed to help you remember what joy feels like in your body and mind and to flow it on purpose."
Because here is the surprising thing I've come to understand about joy.
It seems to be a choice.
Don't worry, I'm not going all toxic positivity on you and saying you should deny the suffering and just choose joy.
I'm talking about grounded joy.
Real, solid, in-your-cells, no-matter-what's-going-on, joy.
What this journey has been teaching me, is that joy is always available to us - even in really tough times.
It's not always an easy choice, but it is always an option.
Now obviously, you aren't expected to prance around smiling and happy no matter how bad things are.
That would be pretending.
And we don't lie to ourselves in this self-love community.
That would defeat our aim, which is to build self-trust by listening to ourselves and honouring our true needs.
So being fake-joyful wouldn't be self-loving.
And if it ain't self-loving, we're not interested in it!
But what is DOES mean, is that you have the choice to focus on whatever will be self-loving in any moment.
Frightening yourself about all the bad things that are happening, or might happen, is not self-loving.
Focusing only on what's hard and causing you suffering is not self-loving.
Just like you wouldn't keep pointing out to a child how awful everything is...
It's not kind to do that to yourself.
You can be real and honest about the hard things you are experiencing AND focus on whatever is ALSO going on in the moment that does bring you some pleasure, or joy, or comfort.
That is a self-loving choice.
The Journey To Joy package is designed to help you learn exactly how to do that more.
It includes:
Train Your Brain to Joy meditation journey,
The Affirmations For Joy meditation and
The Joy Journal Prompts worksheet
I hope you gift yourself with it now.
