More Joy…
Joy is for everyone. Yep, it is true. You can have the same amount of joy as I do. The only difference is the choice that we make. It really is that simple. Our mind is so powerful and can be trained to be joyful instead of sad. How do I know? Because I’ve been in the valley of life, struggling to get out of bed before I said to my brain, “NO MORE!!!! You are going to be happy despite your circumstances today!” And then, I got my big booty out of bed and got dressed. By the time I got to the bathroom, I needed to remind myself again, “Girl, you got this! You know you deserve to be joyful today! You are worthy! You are amazing!” I kept telling myself self-affirmations until the feeling of Joy entered my mind and body. It became quite the game, and I was determined to win!!!! I was not going to let my anger, sadness, and bitterness rule my mood and control my day. Life is a gift, and I did not want to miss out on a chance to embrace the world I was blessed to be living in.
People assume that when someone is full of joy, it is either fake or they have the perfect life. Neither is true. Joy comes from deep contentment and gratitude, and ultimately, from God, if you choose to believe as I do. Joy is a daily choice, and sometimes you must choose it by the hour or minute. But eventually, joy will fill your mind and spirit, and if you practice behaviors that illicit more joy, your life will feel beautiful, even during a stressful or dark time. I know this only because I lived it. I am thankful to have chosen a mindset of positivity, gratitude, and joy. I choose activities and behaviors that bring more joy which has a ripple effect to bring others around me more joy. What you focus on, is what you find. I find JOY. Read that again.
Life is always going to change. If you are on the mountain, you will eventually visit the valley, and vice versa. That is life and there is so much joy to be found in this journey. The down periods remind us to lean into God and trust the process and plan for our life. It is during these times that you might feel the closest to Him and learn the most about yourself. I choose to be thankful for the heavy, dark times because I know that goodness is around the corner and this season is needed to move me to the next step in HIS plan. His plan is always greater than you could ever expect or imagine. So, as the saying goes, “Embrace the suck!” This too shall pass. Write down the lessons you are learning, so you can teach them to others when they pass through a similar valley of life. We are all here to learn from each other and help each other through life. Life is so good.
Here are my favorite tips to move my mindset into a JOY-igniting, self-loving, mindset:
1. Surround yourself with only people who lift, support, inspire, or empower you. That means get rid of the Negative Nancy and the people who suck the JOY out of you! Life is way too short to spend time in a negative environment. Find people who celebrate you- not tolerate you. Your people are out there, do not settle for the miserable people who want to hold you hostage in their negative world. Bye Felicia!
2. Delete or limit exposure to all social media. Yes, all of it. I know you might be thinking this is a bit over-the-top, but it is the #1 reason people suffer from anxiety and depression. We live in a world of looking at the lives of others, and those lives are not even real! Then, we compare ourselves and get depressed that our life is not as good as theirs appears to be. This could not be further from the truth. The people who post all the amazing pictures and stories are living a miserable, fake life. I can promise you that. If they were living an authentic life, they would not have time to be posting and posing for these pictures. How do I know? I was that girl once upon a time. Trust me, get off social media and see all the time you will gain for yourself. You will be happier, more joyful, and more productive in your own life. I wrote an entire book, just from the time I would have been scrolling on social media. What a waste of time that is! And, unless you only have positive people on your feed and Bible verses, you will be focusing on things that are not good for your mental health. Spend more time doing YOU. That is where you will feel the most joy!
3. Smile. Yes, that simple, I know. Smiling increases your natural endorphins and you can’t be sad while you are smiling. Smiling also looks prettier and encourages other people to smile back. So, now, you are feeling better, and you caused someone else to feel good. Winning in my book. Joy multiplies when it is spread to others! What a good deed you are doing! The more you do it, the more natural it becomes, and it will become a habit to smile more often. Smiling is a universal love language, and the world needs more smiling, love, kindness and joy. It starts with you, to make a difference.
4. Get moving. Take Action. Stop dreaming about what you would like to do or be, and just DO IT!!!! There is no better time to make it happen. Take a baby step towards your goal. Any action beats complacency and will move you forward towards your dream. You can do it!!!! Start today. Over time, the small baby steps will add up to a much bigger goal.
5. Always pay it forward. Look around you constantly in public and see who you can help. There is always something kind you can do. Most of the things you can do are free of cost. Do nice things anonymously and you will get the biggest dose of JOY ever!!! Try it!
Take someone’s trash can to their house after garbage day. Let people in front of you in the grocery line. Be kind to drivers on the road. There are millions of ways to show kindness and it starts with you. The joy you will get will overwhelm you!
These are just 5 quick tips. If you need MORE JOY in your life (and who doesn’t?), please check out my book on Amazon.
Guest Blog Article Written By: Cindi Cohn
Known as the Queen of Joy, Cindi Cohn is the author of “More Joy” which motivates distressed individuals to choose a mindset and behaviors that yield More Joy, even during difficult times. As a counselor with a Master’s degree in Education, Cindi has immense experience helping many others transform their lives through the power of how they view life. Cindi uses her education, magnetic personality and high energy to lift audiences through humor and intentionally practicing joyful actions that illicit More Joy. Cindi is currently spreading More Joy to stages, podcasts, and news outlets across the United States.
