Category: life curation

life curation

The Joyful Journey: 7 Things I Do To Activate Joy Daily

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I found this charming mug in a Dollar Tree (of all places!). I saw it and knew it had to come home with me.

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As I reflect on my journey, I noticed that I intentionally inject joy into every day. It wasn’t always this way: I had a little help. Earlier this year I participated in the Joy Challenge hosted by Amina Makhdoom. That experience highlighted how much my daily life lacked joy. Since then, I’ve created a daily practice that makes sure I activate feelings of joy regularly.

Here are the 7 daily practices I engage in order to feel joyful.

1. I listen to my body. I may not always be able to honor what my body wants, but I give my body what it needs as soon as reasonably possible. Maintaining balance and refusing to overextend myself makes each day better.

2. I maintain some organization. I find it hard to remain joyful when I’m surrounded by clutter and confusion. As a result, I use various tools to stay organized. I have a leather-bound daily planner, hour-by-hour planning sheets that I use during days when I need to be extra efficient, and I also dedicate 10-15 minutes to tidying each of the rooms in my home (this never exceeds an hour). This helps me stay organized and makes physical, mental and emotional room for joy.

3. I indulge in at least one self-care practice daily. This can be as simple as taking a nap, reading a good book, or taking a little more care to moisturize after showering, or it can be as lavish as a weekend getaway, a massage, or an exquisite meal. I just make sure that every day includes at least one thing that I do just for the pure enjoyment of it.

4. I wear perfume. Nothing makes me feel as elegant and feminine as perfume. My scents vary, but I always wear one and I can’t help but smile every time I sniff my wrists.

5. I daydream. I allow myself to ponder all sorts of delicious possibilities. I don’t worry about the present, and I don’t mourn any missteps in the past. I just joyfully consider, “What if?” and think about all of the good things that can happy. I ONLY focus on happy, incredible scenarios, and how it would feel to enjoy them.

6. I start every morning with a cup of tea. I used to be a coffee drinker, but I find tea is much more mellow and matches my demeanor much better. I still get my caffeine but in a gentler way. I purchase high quality teas that aren’t bitter or have otherwise overpowering flavors.

7. I count my blessings at night. This is key to ending the day with joy. I have my gratitude journal where I log what went right with the day, but I also make a mental log of how blessed I am. Ending my day with gratitude gives me sweet dreams and sets me up for a positive day to follow.

Those are my 7 tips for a joyful journey. Do you have any daily practices that activate your joy? Please let me know in the comments below!

 

life curation

Choosing Joy

MstldelanoLeave a comment

The road to a joyful existence hasn’t always been an easy, smooth one.

I only got to this place after spending nearly a decade without focusing on what emotions I was choosing. When you don’t mind your emotions, they will RUN your life.

My default method of operating included ignoring my emotions and focusing on the “work” in front of me.

Yeah, that wasn’t a lot of fun. Stuff got “done” but I wasn’t nearly as satisfied as I expected to be.

So, instead of checking in on my emotions, I set my goals higher. Maybe, just maybe, if the accomplishment was big enough, I’d feel satisfaction when I got it.

Then one of my biggest accomplishments – finishing my degree – happened. And I only felt slight satisfaction, not the deep, exhilarating feeling I anticipated.

Fortunately, I came across a lot of conscious creation guides. When I found out that tapping into and improving our feelings was key to satisfaction, I didn’t believe it.

Then I tried it.

It worked.

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So now, I choose joy, almost every day. I create feelings of joy by asking, “What would bring me joy right now?” I have a mental list of things that bring me joy. And whenever I need to, I tap into one of those things.

That could mean making a cup of rooibos tea. Or taking a nap. Or eating a piece of chocolate. Or walking around the block. Or calling a friend.

For me, joy comes from a series of small, delightful actions that give me moments of satisfaction. When you put a lot of moments together, you eventually get a body of experience.

In my case, I’ve been building a strong body of experiences, all attesting to the fact that I’m actively creating a joyful existence.

On the days that I don’t choose joy? Well, those days just ARE what they ARE. I don’t judge myself for them. I honor my feelings and allow it to be whatever it will be.

This life can be a good one, if we take time to mold our lives to what we want them to be.

 

 

 

(photo courtesy of Pinterest).

life curation

Today’s Thoughts …

MstldelanoLeave a comment

I am working on a few goals at once, and while I’m excited to accomplish them all, I still feel overwhelmed sometimes.

I often wonder if I can *really* do it all. Is it possible? Am I crazy for wanting to savor every moment and craft a crazy, beautiful journey? Is it silly to want so much?

Then I saw this quote, and I knew that I would be alright.

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We’re all on the cusp of our “big win”. We can choose to be happy NOW, knowing that our victories are guaranteed. We can’t get it wrong, and we cannot fail.

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy of PictureQuotes)

life curation

Maintaining Joy: Gratitude Journal

MstldelanoLeave a comment

I don’t recall where I heard about this first: perhaps it was from an Law of Attraction podcast, or maybe a YouTube video. But I’m thankful for whoever shared this tip with me first.

Most of us forget how good our lives truly are. We could have 10 or 20 amazing things happening at once, but we focus on the one thing that isn’t going our way. The fact is, most of us have lots to be grateful for, even when life doesn’t feel 100% perfect.

To stay in the mode of appreciation and joy, I keep a gratitude journal. For every day, I list 3 things that I appreciate and feel thankful for. I try my best not to repeat gratitudes, but if I must, I don’t get upset about it. The truth is, some days are duller than others: I won’t always be able to name a “new” reason to be thankful.

I make an entry for every day, but I often forget days here and there, and I have to try to remember what went well for me on the days where I skipped an entry. During the earlier part of this year, I missed nearly two weeks in my journal, since I was traveling and living in the moment. In those cases, I simply do my best to remember as much as I can, listing my appreciation in no particular order.

I’ll be finishing my current journal this year, and I’m already looking at a few other designs. I’m considering purchasing this lovely set of four journals, all with soft, beautiful watercolor designs.

Do you maintain a gratitude journal? Please let me know in the comments below!