People:
People can definitely usher and leverage joy into your life. The problem is when we confuse the what of someone with their who and expect more experienced joy from what they are over who they are. I believe who someone is always shines brighter than whatever position or label they may hold in our lives. There’s a woman in my life that is my wife and she is also my beloved. Which label do you think leverages more joy for me? Exactly.
Places:
There’s a little place that is 15 hours by car east of where I live that looks out over the ocean. Thought it’s hard for me to get to, it’s currently my favorite place on Earth that awakens the paint, the easel, and the artist in me. I’ve physically gone there twice this year. I also went there in my mind a few nights ago when I couldn’t sleep. Sometimes you just need to buy the plane ticket and go to that place of joy. Sometimes you need to get in the car and go. Sometimes you just need to close your eyes and go there. How beautiful that there are both physical and mental places of joy that can sing you to sleep and sing you awake?
Practices:
Stillness, pausing, quieting the mind, gaining awareness, and prayer. Most of us would rather look at our phones than look into what’s going on in our chest. Nevertheless, that jukebox powering the melodies of your heart is full of records tracked in and for the purpose of joy. Stillness may be our hardest practice to cultivate today. This is why we should leverage it all the more.
Possibility:
This is all in how you see your moment right now. If you don’t see the potential and the possibility for joy in the now, chances are you won’t find it in the moments, days, and years ahead. Right there – in that last breath you took – was an inhale and an exhale given to you for your joy. Did you take it? Or did you pass?
This is big if we’re ready for it. But these joy levers will never do the leveraging until we touch them.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein
Ashton.Gustafson 