338 I Bring Joy To Whatever I Do | December 2017 Monday Week 2

Mindful Mondays-#338  December 4 The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast I Bring Joy To Whatever I Do In the movie The Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are chatting while sitting atop of one of Egypt’s pyramids looking at the beautiful scenery, when Morgan says to Jack: “You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. ‘Have you found joy in your life?’ ‘Has your life brought joy to others?’” I wondered what brought me joy, and so I examined all the important events in my life, and I began to question if the joy I had…was real joy. Was I more focused on what I got, rather than what I gave? Did I focus on the time that was being taken away from me rather than the time I got to spend by being with others? And it got me to thinking as I asked: was I more focused in life on what’s been taken rather than gained? Have I been more focused on myself rather what I brought to others? Because joy, can be an elusive thing, and maybe that’s because we don’t know what brings us lasting joy. Sure, we can find it in the moment of the newness of things. We find joy in the opening of Christmas presents, or the buying of a new car or home, on the day of our wedding, or the birth of our child, or getting that new job. And those can all be great things, but the excitement fades when the newness fades with it. So I came to find we’ve been looking at joy all wrong. We believe that joy’s brought to us in the new things we receive, instead of understanding what we already have is joyful. So we wait for that new thing to come, in hopes that it will make us feel better. We are bored with what we already have, and we get impatient thinking that our lives aren’t what they should be because of the idea that newness brings joy. And so joy is attributed to the getting, instead of unlocking the beauty in what already is. We’d rather be pursuing the anticipation of something new, rather than working to find and create the joy in what’s already part of our lives. We believe the new relationship, the new job, or the new circumstance will change our fortunes and our happiness once we get it. But I want to ask you this question… “if you couldn’t find joy in what you already had, how will you find it in the new thing?” It will always be an endless cycle of having to get rather than continually receiving.  And that may sound like it’s the same thing, but receiving joy from what’s already here is a different concept than an endless searching for a new high. If you are continually searching for joy in the newness of things, you will bring a heaviness with you… wherever you go. You will be like the hiker climbing the mountain with a sackful of rocks that doesn’t even know are in his pack. And if you were to imagine life as the hiker’s journey, most people want to get to the top. They want to get that feeling, that newness of what they seek, all while never understanding that it was upon every step in their journey to the top. The final destination, the top, was just a point on a map, not a fulfillment towards joy. And until you learn this, you will always be disappointed from an expectation on something you didn’t understand. Yes, we are human, and we‘ll fluctuate emotions constantly. But I want to ask you, if there’s a better way to focus on joy more often than you already are? Is there a way to leave behind the expectation of how things should be, and living in the moment enjoying things as they’re happening? I can’t tell you how to be joyful, but I can ask questions to help you find your joy. And so maybe the best reminder I can give you…is to ask this question in the moment: “Is the way I’m feeling right now serving me? Would I want to spend my time focusing this way…or is there a better way?” And if there’s a better way, decide to pivot from the unresourceful emotion or actions into more resourceful and joyful things in your life. When you see joy is already in your life, then you’ll find yourself becoming more joyful naturally. And when you are more joyful you can share more joy with others. Maybe heaven isn’t as far off as we think it is. Today’s Personal Commitment:When you’re feeling drained, upset, worried or anxious, or anything that feels like a negative emotion to you…first ask yourself, “what’s going on? Why are you feeling this way?” When we can get to the root of the problem, we usually can solve it. And if you are still finding yourself stuck, ask yourself this question: “Is this way of thinking or focusing…serving me? Is this really important to me…to stay in this emotion?” I Bring Joy To Whatever I Do     Thanks for listening.  I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together, Personal Development Life Coach- Chris O'Hearn Contact info- email: [email protected]  phone:865-219-3247     Music by: - Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. - I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide