Hello everyone and thank you so much for being here. I have spent a large part of my adult life seeking joy, professionally, personally, in tough times, in good times, etc. My hope is that I can help you cultivate a mindset that seeks joy, that can reflect and see gifts in all forms. Like anything, a joyful mindset takes practice. Practice is important, we are not born with many abilities, we cultivate and strengthen them over time, with practice. Practice leads to discipline. Discipline can be defined as the ability to control oneself and keep working on difficult tasks. When we practice challenging things, we become much better at them. I liken this to driving. When you first started driving a car, you were probably a little hesitant, afraid even. You may not have wanted to drive on certain roads or highways. When behind the wheel, you probably kept full attention with hands at 10 and 2. Fast forward, there are probably days now that you get behind the wheel and don’t even remember how you got in the lane you’re in, or how you got to your destination. Maybe that’s a little scary to think about, but you get the idea. Over time, you developed this skill of driving and became so confident that it became second nature.
Having a joyful mindset is truly transformative. Living in joy will affect you both emotionally and physically. When we can look at situations, or events, and find the gifts in those, we fire neurons in the brain that affect our physical wellbeing. Just as stress and anxiety release chemicals in the body, like cortisol, that cause us serious health issues, life-threatening health issues, the opposite is also true. When we are happy and joyful, our bodies release serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin and dopamine, chemicals that energize and heal our physical bodies. This is not a scientific site, but I will share that there are countless studies and there is an enormous amount of research that supports this statement. When we are happy, we are healthier and live longer.
Now, to be clear, this does not mean that life will not happen. This does not mean that we will not experience heartache, failures, loss, divorce…we will, we all will. My hope is that as you cultivate a mindset focused on finding joy, you will navigate those circumstances differently. Joy might come simply in the form of allowing yourself the space and grace to feel all of the feels that come with life’s heartaches. Allowing yourself to experience what you are going through, acknowledging how hard it is and just allowing it to be. Not putting pressure on yourself to ‘get over it’ or ‘move on’, but simply let it be. Joy might come in the form of memories of a loved one, cherishing all of the times spent together, building memories, and maybe even have a little laugh over them. Joy might come in the form of deeper connections to people that happen during challenging times. Joy might come in the form of learnings, what did this hard thing teach me, how will I take that learning into my future? Joy might come in the form of finding a new path, a new way of living life that might not have been accessible to you prior. The bottom line, life will happen to us all. We will have hard stuff to navigate in life that is a fact. Let’s not let the hard stuff go by without reflection, learning and growth.
There are small ways that we can practice seeking joy every day. There is however, a requirement to re-frame situations, and that can be really uncomfortable. We are all very grounded in our beliefs about ourselves, other people, circumstances, life, and re-framing is a mindset shift. Mindset shifts are hard. Our thoughts have so much power over us, more power than we can even imagine. We give away so much control by allowing our old mindset and beliefs to dictate how we behave or respond. We are the captains of our ship, the directors of our movies, we have more control than we realize. There is a need to be intentional with mindset. Go through the hard thing, but be mindful. Experience that hardship, but be mindful. Process that life change, but be mindful. You get the idea. I am not immune, I have to re-frame and shift all the time, it is a constant practice, and practice is the key. Going back to the driving example, the more you do it, the more it just becomes second nature.
If this piques your interest, if this resonates and you want to come along on this journey with me, please follow and share your email for our mailing list to receive updates. You might also consider signing up for a coaching session. I have been a coach in People & Culture for over 20 years professionally and have been in one capacity or another using those coaching skills with loved ones outside of work for decades. This is my superpower, coaching, helping people re-frame and reflect…to see the good and find joy.
Sources:
“Brain Chemistry & Your Mood; 4 Hormones That Promote Happiness”, Katie McCallum, Sept. 13, 2021
“Growing Young”, Marta Zaraska
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