Finding Joy…
If you are struggling right now and getting overwhelmed and finding that your joy is gone, this might be just what you need to hear today. This may be just for you. I have written on gratitude and celebrating life, but is there something else we can do to bring back our joy, our love for life? Is there something else we can do to live a beautiful life?
There is.
Here’s a little secret to finding joy in your life again.
Give yourself something to look forward to.
Give yourself something to get excited about.
Sometimes we do not even realize that we have stopped living a life of planning, dreaming, and looking forward to beautiful things. It just happens, and we begin to forget what it is like or how important it really is.
We can find ourselves more focused on and dreading the bad than we are being intentional about the good. And it does not help that life can become so busy…and so cluttered. While some of these things we have to do, we can become habitually busy with things that are not as necessary as we think. We can forget what it is like to live any other way. It becomes our new normal.
The problem with continually being focused on and dreading the bad and being chronically busy is that life can be hard sometimes. We need to have something to look forward to, something that feels good, something that rejuvenates us. Not only do we get the benefit of actually doing it, but we get the added benefit of the joy it gives us looking forward to it, planning it, dreaming of it. When we deal with health problems, financial problems, family issues, and more, and then we add to that constant busyness, with nothing ever to look forward to, we can begin to feel overwhelmed and unhappy with life and feel that something is missing. We need to make room for these good things and to have these things to look forward to in life. It will make everything else a little better and easier, and perhaps even put everything into perspective for us helping us to realize that we still have an amazing life no matter what else we have going on in our life. We NEED this. It can be a game changer.
Give yourself something to look forward to.
I am guilty of not always doing this enough in my life, but I am getting better about it and learning to be more intentional. This is part of the reason why I began The Art of a Beautiful Life. I have blogged before, but I felt like they were all missing something and perhaps they were all a journey to this…the art of a beautiful life…a way to live life. I wanted my blog to be a place I wanted to live, a WAY that I wanted to live that pretty much encompassed my whole life and everything in it. Even at times when life was hard and did not feel beautiful, I wanted to take a road that inspired me and others to live more beautifully anyway. When life didn’t seem beautiful, we could be the beauty. Let’s be more intentional about planning these times and special days.
As I have started doing this a little more in my life, I am realizing just how desperately we all need a little of this. It is a wonderful feeling to have something to look forward to, and sometimes it doesn’t even need to be something big. One day I planned on taking the day off and watching my favorite British comedy. I was thrilled just knowing that I was going to get to do this. I hardly ever take that kind of time to really get into watching something I love, and it is a totally different experience than watching a few here and there. We even had special snacks. But it was wonderful just looking forward to this.
I sometimes wonder if this is part of what makes holidays so special. We plan something special and have time to look forward to it. We plan special food around it. We light special candles. We play special music. We need to do that more. Let’s make more days special. Let’s celebrate more. Let’s live the story we want to tell.
If not now, when?
When will we have something good in our life? When will we have something to look forward to? When will we live the story we want to tell?
While there are many things we have no control over, there are many things we do, including if we are dreading life with no hope or if we are intentionally giving ourselves something to look forward to, things that give us joy and just put a smile on our face when we did not think we had one.
We might surprise ourselves and find our joy again, our love for life. When we are in love…even in love with our own life, everything seems more wonderful. This could make you more aware of all that you have to be grateful for and all the reasons you have to celebrate. This could be a game changer.
So whether it is a holidays, a big game, a road trip, a vacation, Friday, or a day off to do something you love, make time for more of this in your life.
Yes, even a day off to treat yourself to something you hardly ever do. When I took a whole day and watched my favorite British comedy on DVD, it was pure bliss. It was a guilt-free day of enjoying something I love that gave my brain a wonderful and relaxing day. And it did not even cost anything.
And now I am planning a vacation this month with my sons. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this. Time with my two most favorite people in the whole world. It just does not get any better than that for me. We just got tired of talking about the things we want to do “one day” and decided to just do them. We had just forgotten how exciting it was to plan it and look forward to it. It made everything else in between a little easier and gave us something happier on which to focus.
This is one of the changes I am making in my life…being more intentional and giving myself things in life to look forward to and plan and dream, living the story I want to tell. When we get too busy, we have to really look at that and ask ourselves if we are living the story we want to tell.
I would like to challenge you to start making the things you want to do a priority. Whether it’s once a week or once a month, plan something you would not normally take the time to do.
And when you plan this thing, this life-giving, joy giving thing that you want to do, take a little time here and there to get excited about it, think on it and what it will be like and what could make it more fun. Really let it percolate and become rich in thought, like that cup of coffee you have been looking forward to all morning or that new book that is coming out, think on it and get excited about it. Doesn’t that coffee taste ten times better when we have been dreaming of it?
What is something you would love to do but never feel you have time for?
Is there some place you would love to visit?
Are there people who you are not spending as much time with as you would like?
Is there something you would love to create?
Is there a hobby you would love to start?
Are you living the story you want to tell?
If not now, when?
This is wonderful Topaz!
I just finished telling my husband that I would like two days and an evening away from the children. I’ve never done this before but I feel my mind and soul needs the break. Self-care is so important… and looking forward to something is wonderful.
I’m happy to see you here today. I’ve been missing you.
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Jennifer! It is so good to see you! I’ve missed you, too! I’ve been recovering from…well, just about everything. Ha ha! I think my hand, which has been the thing keeping me from writing, is well enough to do at least one post a week right now. I can’t wait to visit everyone’s blog and see what I’ve missed.
It feels so good to look forward to something. Good for you doing this for yourself. Doesn’t it feel wonderful to look forward to something special? And self-care is important. Do you have something special planned for your time? I used to have the house all to myself on Fridays. It was my “spa” night. I soaked in the tub with a glass of wine while listening to music or the Delilah radio show, and then I would do my nails. I looked forward to Fridays all week. As time went by, I have swapped it for various other things. There’s just apparently too many things I enjoy.
It’s so wonderful to see you. I have thought about you so many times. xo
Oh this is just so true!! Sometimes I get so buried in all my things I MUST do, or SHOULD be doing, that I lose site of the joy and the moments that I can celebrate and look forward to! I need to be more intentional about this- to allow myself the time and the emotional energy to get excited about doing something special for myself or my family!
I am leaving out of town in one week- and it’s a big big deal. My hubs and I only… it came up unexpectedly and I am a WRECK about leaving my kiddos. BUT- I am feeling that tiny thrill of excitement amidst the ‘to do’s and the pressure and the nerves.
I need to allow that tiny thrill to become a HUGE SQUEAL!!!!
Oh, I love what you said, Chris…
“I need to be more intentional about this- to allow myself the time and the emotional energy to get excited about doing something special for myself or my family!”
The part about allowing ourselves the time and the emotional energy to get excited really spoke to me. We have to allow space for this in our life. I totally related to what you said about how we get so busy with the “to-dos” and the pressures we are under that it takes some of the thrill away that we would normally feel. And LOVE the part about allowing the tiny thrill to become a HUGE SQUEAL. Perfect!!! I love that. Let’s fan the flame!
I’m so happy to see a new post from you! I really enjoyed this – loved the statement “Let’s make more days special”. This is truly why I started blogging – to have something new and exciting to look forward to. Great writing!
Lana! It’s wonderful to see you! I just LOVE that this is what blogging does for you…gives you something to look forward to. I wholeheartedly agree. I’ve been nursing my hand the last month, and I felt like a huge chunk of my life…and how I process life…was completely missing. Writing/blogging is like opening a present. It is always exciting to see how it unfolds and what turns it will take along the way. Thank you so much for visiting me on my first day back, all of you. I just adore you. <3
I’ve been saying that a lot lately – if not now, then when? It’s always today!
Hi Angie! How are you? It really is such a better way to live, isn’t it? We keep putting things off as if life begins at some distant time in the future, but it’s here. It’s now. This is it. It’s easy to sometimes forget that.
Beautiful post! I started doing this by adding a section for it in my planner and I am trying to be more intentional with finding something that makes me happy, even if it’s a goal that will take time to accomplish. Every step towards it makes me feel better about it!
Hi Ana Lynn! That is a wonderful idea. I might try that…if I can ever consistently find a planner that works for me. I think I have so much to do that I get overwhelmed with a planner. lol But maybe if I got to put more stuff like this, I would be better about using one.