Far too often as I am looking within, I find myself getting lost in the myriad of emotions of the daily grind.

I wonder if it is frustration, boredom or the fibro foggy brain but no matter what the culprit, I am determined to bring back long term joy in my life. 

It’s easy with the confabulation in social media and television these days to get your mind all in a wad. We all know the correlation between what we perceive and our emotions so why can’t everyday be a joy if mind is over matter?

For me, as I navigate the waters of self employment, motherhood and thirty-something, I realized the odds are not necessarily in my favor. What is in my favor is my determination that derives from my deepest human desire to live out what my faith says about me. The Lord, my Creator, wants me to live an abundant and loving life and that I shall live it fully. What the world says about how I should live is pretty much the opposite and that’s why we struggle so hard to find joy in our lives. It doesn’t take a miracle, it takes intention.

My first endeavor is to connect daily with the things that fulfill and don’t take away from me. Gardening and reading are two of those things. While some people rely on other external and less geeky things like the upcoming episode of Empire or binge watching on Netflix, those are guilty pleasures. Those pleasures are like a fabulous cocktail, its emotional provisions are fleeting. This takes me back to why too often we find the grind unbearable and daunting. We can’t seem to find “great happiness” anywhere for a substantial amount of time.  Merriam Webster dictionary defines JOY as

: a feeling of great happiness

: success in doing, finding, or getting something  

So how do we do it?

How does one find lasting joy?

I believe the first order of things is to come to an understanding and develop a relationship with your Creator. Knowing where you came from, what you believe in and who loves you is a basis for finding yourself and ultimately your happiness.

Secondly, I won’t tell you to give up all of your guilty  pleasures, but I will tell you it is wise to limit your choices and the amount of time that you invest in these as it is crucial to finding genuine happiness in life. See a guilty pleasure is just that, something that you simply don’t get anything out of it. It is an empty relationship. I love to surf Pinterest and catch up with the latest Tweets, however, limits and choices are key! You don’t want to spend unreasonable time and precious energy on things that are fleeting and one sided, ever. That includes relationships and jobs. For example, gardening gives me a physical and spiritual well being. I connect with the earth and it in turn supplies food, energy and  respite. Reading inspires me, educates and in turn, I share feedback with the author and my findings with those willing to listen.

Lastly, research your archive of anecdotes. Those meaningful times and things that pull at your heart strings. Whether it’s creating, volunteering, meditating, exercising or baking…find your joy! Joy keeps us going. It impacts our existence, connections and footprint. 

May the framework of your legacy and mine be JOY and I leave you with an excerpt from the book, The Law of Divine Compensation by author Marianne Williamson;

“In summation, there are four rules for miraculous work creation: Be positive. Send love. Have fun. Kick ass. Amen.”

-LipglossedLeo