Self-Care for Inner Peace

First Published on The Wellness Universe blog on Sept. 4, 2024.

As I write this article, we are in the middle of a bathroom remodel. My husband is doing the work himself, and things are taking way longer than we anticipated. So, our home is in chaos. Did I mention this is our only bathroom? It requires lots of planning and logistics to make sure we are able to use the facilities for the bare necessities of life.

We are also expecting our son, his family, and their 100-pound puppy to be visiting us early next week. My momma and nana hearts are so thrilled, and I wish our home was in pristine condition. It’s not.

Does this sound like a recipe for inner peace?

I could choose to be in a snit because things aren’t happening according to my timeframe, making me and my husband miserable, or I could pause and take a moment to make an intentional choice for peace.

I choose to nurture my inner peace; very empowering indeed.

Did you know that inside the eye of the hurricane is the most peaceful part of the storm? There, amidst the swirling gale-force winds, pounding rain, and potential destruction of things it encounters, inner peace and stillness are found inside.

We’ll use the eye of the hurricane metaphor as a reminder that inner peace is an inside job. We generate inner peace when we focus on it, not just when everything is perfectly peaceful and serene in our lives.

So even if there are boxes everywhere and the bathroom isn’t perfect by the time they arrive, I plan to be filled with peace and focus on the precious gift of having my son and his family’s presence in our home. I plan to generate love and contentment so that they are comfortable and feel welcome so that we all remember this visit with fond memories for years to come.

I could choose to focus on the negative, that our home is in disarray and not perfect for our loved ones' arrival, or I could focus on what matters most to me: visiting my family and being a beacon of love and welcoming light.

I’ve made my choice for the most peaceful and loving me I can be because I am the only one who has any control over my own inner peace. I choose to use my personal power for my desires and not give it away to external forces or conditions.

My peace of mind is an inside job, and so is yours too, dear reader.

We can be at peace inside the proverbial eye of the hurricane. No matter what is happening around us or how big the storm of life appears, we have our center, our inner peace, our inner sanctum of contentment despite it all. That is nurturing peace from the inside out. That is stepping into your power and shining. That is how to be brave.

Creating peace from the inside out involves cultivating a harmonious inner state that radiates outward into your life despite the noise or obstacles in our way. Here are a dozen ways you can nurture your inner peace:

1. Create Sacred Space

• Designate a physical or mental space that allows you to connect with yourself deeply. This could be a quiet room, a favorite chair, or a moment of mindfulness.
  
  

• Carve out a sacred space in a corner of your home, workspace, desk, or car that holds meaningful objects that help bring you peace and tranquility.
  
  

• Create a sacred space playlist of your favorite music or meditations that bring a sense of peace and tranquility when you need it most.
  
  
  

2. Good Self-Care

• Prioritize your well-being by eating nourishing foods, getting enough rest, exercising, and engaging in activities that rejuvenate your spirit.
  
  

• Remember to give yourself grace if you don’t live up to your expectations; you can always start again in the next moment. Be good to yourself.
  
  
  

3. Breathe

• Practice mindful breathing. Deep, slow breaths help calm the nervous system and bring you back to the present moment.
  
  

4. Intentional Action

• Move through your day with purpose. Consider what actions align with your values and contribute to your overall peace.
  
  

5. Being Present

• Focus on the here and now. Let go of past regrets and future worries, anchoring yourself in the present. I often stop to look at the beauty around me, listen to the windchimes, watch the hummingbirds at the feeder, or watch the clouds float by. Even popping out to the yard for a few moments helps tremendously.
  
  

6. Focus on Priorities

• Identify what truly matters to you and dedicate your time and energy to those priorities, letting go of distractions.
  
  

7. Find the Humor in the Situation

• Lighten your heart and mind by finding humor, even in challenging situations. Laughter can be a powerful tool for creating inner peace, and it’s true that laughter is good medicine.
  
  

8. This, Too, Shall Pass

• Remember that all things are temporary. Accept the changing tides of life to help release stress and maintain peace. All storms eventually end.
  
  

9. Find Your Sanctuary

• Identify your personal sanctuary—a place or state of being where you feel safe, calm, and at peace. This might be a physical location or a mental state you retreat to in times of stress.
  
  

10. Retreat to Nature

• Spend time in nature to reconnect with the earth and yourself. The natural world has a grounding effect that can help put our cares in perspective and help calm and restore our inner peace.
  
  

11. Balance

• Strive for balance in all areas of your life. When your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met, you create a stable foundation for peace.
  
  

12. Shifting the Narrative from “I Can’t” to “How Can I?”

• Change your mindset from one of limitation to one of possibility. This empowers you to find solutions rather than dwell on obstacles.
  
  

By integrating these practices into your daily life, you can create a lasting sense of peace that begins within and radiates outward.

I hope that these tips and this article will benefit you, dear reader, as you nurture your peace from the inside out, which is excellent self-care because you are worthy and deserving of every good thing flowing to you always.

Get your Self-Care Strategies PDF booklet, which includes ways to begin or enhance your self-care routine. It's my gift to you, and it includes affirmation cards and a word search puzzle, too. Sign up HERE.

If you'd like to map out a personalized self-care plan, prioritize your well-being further with a 1:1 session with Janette. Find out more HERE.

Decluttering, Remodeling, and Positivity

We have been remodeling our bathroom, our only bathroom. With the heat and doing the work ourselves (mostly my hubby), it's a long process. It also requires lots of coordination when using the facilities.

There is dust everywhere. We try to keep it to a minimum, but it finds its way into every little nook and cranny of our home.

We shopped for new wall and floor tiles, a bathtub, a medicine cabinet, towel racks, and lights ahead of time, traipsing through several home improvement stores and specialty tile warehouses.

The process can be overwhelming, exhausting, and messy.

We have lots of home improvement projects to do, and my husband is ready and anxious to get them going. I’m blessed to have a handy husband who saves us lots of money and does high-quality work.

He had to go into the attic to replace the exhaust fan piping and clear a path of clutter to do so. 

That meant we were finally beginning to deal with the years of clutter up there. So many boxes and bags of things we tucked away over the years were being excavated and re-examined. 
It's messy and dirty and requires action.

What do we do with all of this stuff? 

A lot of it is going away to bless others. Baby clothes we never used were tucked away up there. 

I've washed and folded them all, and they were donated to bless other families. 

It felt good to have a car full of items to bless others with.

Some are "treasures" our son needs to look at and decide their fate when he visits next month. 

It'll be great when the remodeling and decluttering are finished, but right now, it's messy and chaotic. For example, our new bathtub was delivered last week and is on the patio in its cardboard box, about the size and shape of a coffin, until my hubby is ready to install it. 

He joked around that we could save the box and bury him in it when his time comes. We are finding ways to enjoy the process, and humor helps a lot.

Another concern is properly disposing of the construction debris. Our current solid waste services don’t take or hold everything, so we’ve got homework to do.

We have a local metal recycler who will be happy to have our old tub and metal medicine cabinet once they’re removed. That’s a win-win for us and him.

I've been taking good care of myself during this whole process. Staying hydrated, cool, and well-rested has been a priority. My husband's health, safety, and nutrition are also priorities. 

A huge part of my self-care is seeing the big picture and knowing that today's inconvenience and mess won’t last forever. One day, in the not-too-distant future, we’ll have a gleaming new bathroom that will not only please our eyes but also increase our home value.

We were talking about our new bathroom this morning and I teased my hubby that it will soon be Pinterest ready. He is really excited to see the final project, too.

Today, floor tiles are going in, and the plan is to also paint the wall behind where the new vanity and medicine cabinet will be.

We chose a soothing green called jojoba, and we’re anxious to see how it brightens up the room.

I write this article as a beautiful reminder to please take extra good care of yourself. There is so much going on in our world right now that can make us feel wobbly, stressed, and uncertain. 

A great self-care tip is to stop and consciously breathe in the midst of chaos to help balance and center yourself.

Place your hand on your heart, take a second to focus on taking a big, deep, beautiful breath, let it out…in…out…repeat as needed, and enjoy the sense of peace that rushes in with this boost of oxygen surging into every cell of your precious body, dear heart.

I have a gift for you to help you begin or enhance your self-care practice. It’s especially helpful during times of stress or chaos. It’s a PDF full of tips, tools, and ways to help you prioritize yourself.

Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s a way to honor the precious gift of your life. Get your gift HERE.

I am sending you so much love. 

Embracing Joy Through Adversity Interview of Janette Stuart by Katarina Todorovic

Written by Katarina Todorovic | Published On April 15, 2024 on MysticMag

In a world often shadowed by uncertainty and challenges, Janette Stuart emerges as a radiant beacon of hope and joy. As the Emissary of Joy at Angel Angles, a best-selling author, angelic practitioner, and a triumphant survivor of pancreatic cancer, Janette’s journey epitomizes resilience, faith, and the transformative power of positivity. Through her remarkable experiences and unwavering spirit, Janette has touched countless lives, illuminating pathways to inner peace and healing. In this exclusive article-interview, we delve into Janette’s inspiring story, exploring her insights on navigating adversity, embracing joy, and finding profound meaning amidst life’s trials. Join Mystic Mag as we embark on a journey of enlightenment and empowerment with Janette Stuart, a true testament to the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.

Can you share a pivotal moment or experience that led you to discover your connection with angels and pursue angelic practices?

My “why I do what I do” now came as a result of my beloved brother’s sudden illness, rapid decline, and passing in 2012. I grew up in the church and knew about Angels but didn’t know they could help “regular people” just like me. I thought you had to be a Saint or Holy One to work with the Angels. I found a woman who worked with the Angels, and her words on Facebook shared the love and wisdom from the Angels, which were like a healing balm to my soul during that difficult time of my brother’s rapid health decline in 2012. I could feel the love pouring my way from the Angels during those dark days. I felt loved, supported, protected, and held. Following a year of grief, I reached out to have a private Angel Card Reading with her, and it was marvelous and healing. It was pivotal in my life, and a mere six months following my first angel card session, I was taking classes on how I, too, could assist people during life’s challenges by sharing the love, joy, and peace I received from the Angels and became a Certified Angel Card Reader.

As a Best Selling Author, you’ve likely encountered various challenges in your writing journey. How do you navigate obstacles and maintain inspiration throughout your creative process?

When I first began my business in 2015 following a successful career in local public administration, I was afraid to put my name on my work. I came from a financial and human resources background, and switching to using my soul wisdom and guidance, I thought, what will people think when I profess to channel Angelic Love and Wisdom? I felt the imposter syndrome, with feelings of not being good, credentialed, or brilliant enough. I’m sure many of your readers can identify with those feelings of inadequacy which happen to many of us at various points in our lives.

I wrote my first book in 2016 as I was guided by divine inspiration. From the age of 8, I knew I would be a writer and author. I self-published and didn’t even know there was a whole process to get your words out to readers. I had several thousand followers on social media then and thought I would sell a thousand books easily. Boy, I was in for a surprise!

Although disappointed in the initial sales, I wasn’t deterred from my mission to release a series of devotional books in my volume set, “On a Path of Joy.” I felt guided to release four volumes before I became ill in the fall of 2018.

In early 2019, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and for a few months, my writing was put on hold while I underwent treatment. I began blogging about my journey to provide hope for others also experiencing that difficult physical and emotional healing journey. Today, I am thriving, and I am so grateful.

I write every day to express myself and obtain clarity. I share my writing as inspired, and I am in quietude daily to nurture and fill my cup with divine inspiration. As an empath, I require much time in solitude to recharge my energy and nurture my creativity.

What type of services do you offer?

I’m happy to provide private 1:1 Angel Card Readings and 1:1 Self-Care Strategies sessions on Zoom.

Your blog, Angel Angles, serves as a platform for spreading positivity and spiritual guidance. How do you ensure authenticity and relevance in your content while catering to diverse audiences?

My Angelic guidance is to spread love, joy, and peace through the content shared on my blog, and I like to remind the visitors of their divine heritage and that they are not alone. Lately, Self-Care and Self-Love have been a huge focus to share the reminder we are never alone; the Angels have our back. We each have at least two guardian angels who are with us our entire life and love us unconditionally. We don’t focus on any one religion but share universal love and compassion. Our audience has a diverse community of Angel lovers worldwide, and I rely on divine guidance regarding content and frequency.

Your work encompasses both spirituality and practicality. How do you reconcile these seemingly contrasting aspects in your teachings and writings?

For me, life is very simple. I am a spiritual being living here now, and so are you. It feels like we are more alike than dissimilar when we focus on the truth of our nature. I like to remind myself and others that we are here to shine our light and to live a life of love, joy, and peace. We came from Love, and that’s where we’ll return when this journey is over. I try to remember to view my world through the Divine lens of Love. I don’t always remember that concept, but I can begin again and lean into Love.

As someone who helps others connect with their divine inner wisdom, what advice would you give to individuals who feel disconnected or lost in their spiritual journey?

We are all unique individuals who came here for a specific purpose. Being our most authentic, true selves and sharing that bright light with the world brings fulfillment and joy. It doesn’t matter if you are excited about painting, cars, decorating, writing, music, cooking, crafts, technology, or animals…we all have something that sparks our creativity and makes us feel happy and grateful to be alive. We should point our compass to what brings us joy. Be your “you-est you” and I’ll be my Janette-est Janette.

We go amiss when we give away our personal power by hiding or shrinking our truest selves by turning from our joy and catering to others ideas of what is best for us, what we “should” do for a living, how we should live our lives, dress, behave, what we should acquire, attain, or how we should conform. That’s where we get disconnected or lost in life.

Decluttering: Your WOW Message of the Week

Here’s your Words of Wisdom (WOW) Message of the week for Aug. 13-20, 2023.

Outer order contributes to inner peace.

Definition: purging, letting go, releasing, clearing away.

Other: lighten up, visual peace, freedom.

Opposite: hoard, hold onto, stifled, chaos.

Both Becky and I have been decluttering our homes recently. Perhaps you have too.

Decluttering is an act of transformation and requires a lot of effort. It is tougher on some of us than others.

Just the everyday maintenance of balance in our homes is a task. We’ve all been spending much more time at home and perhaps ordering more items online which comes with additional packaging to get rid of. It seems we have so many cardboard boxes at the end of the week! Thank goodness we have a curbside recycling program which makes disposal easier.

We are remodeling our bedroom this month. We’ve lived in our house for 32 years and have not been good about releasing items. We tend to hold on to things too long. We have way more stuff than we need.

We have boxes of our son’s toys from his childhood, books, and photos that require my attention. The good news is that we are making progress.

Decluttering can be healing and invigorating. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.

My former boss shared a funny sentiment with me, our items are stuff, and our partner's stuff is junk (to us.) It’s easier to get rid of someone else’s items because the emotional attachment is not there.

I recently decluttered my workspace and the difference is dramatic. Not only does it look better, it feels better. Clearing away has created a spaciousness that has enabled more creativity and prosperity to flow to me. I am loving it. I’m definitely feeling that outer order contributes to my inner peace.

Marie Kondo, Founder, and Author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” talks about releasing anything that no longer brings you joy. She invites the reader to hold an object in their hands and if it no longer brings joy, it’s time for it to go. It’s a good question to ponder. You can find out more about her process by visiting https://konmari.com/

Our items may have tremendous sentimental value or market value. They may have no value to you any longer. You can bless another person with your cast-off items or they can be recycled, repurposed, or disposed of.

By clearing away the excess, we gain a sense of spaciousness, a feeling of freedom.

This week’s invitation is to do a bit of decluttering. Start small, your purse, a drawer, your workspace, a computer file… I have committed to decluttering at least 15 minutes a day and I even manage to do that most days.

Decluttering also applies to our hearts and minds. What are we holding onto that no longer benefits us? It could be time to release a grudge, forgive someone (maybe even ourselves), or a belief that weighs us down. Are you tired of lugging that heavy burden around all the time? If so, now is the time to release it.

How can the act of decluttering bring more peace, love, joy, and ease in your life?

Find the Good,
Becky and Janette


Originally posted on Aug. 12, 2020, written by Janette Stuart.

Check out the Words of Wisdom Guidance Cards HERE. 52 Inspiring words and messages to help you live life better.

Find out about Well-Being for ME in 2023. A year-long program of self-discovery to Live Life Better through peace, love, joy, and ease HERE. It’s not too late to join us. This month we focus on SELF-CARE.

You can also sign-up to receive my free Self-Care Rituals ebooklet to give you more ways, tools, and practices to prioritize self-care in your life. You are so worth it, dear heart. Get it HERE.

Remember, self-care is not selfish. It is a way to honor the precious gift of your life.

Blessings of love, joy, and peace.

Love,

Janette

Prioritizing Self-Care and 10 Fun Ways to Begin

Self-Care isn’t just an occasional bubble bath or spa treatment, although both can be ways to nurture yourself. Self-Care is the way you honor the gift of your life and stand in your personal power.

Self-Care isn’t selfish, even though that is what I was led to believe growing up.

It was a badge of honor to work yourself to a frazzle, have a jam-packed calendar, going, going, going all the time. A good mother, wife, daughter, and employee put everyone else’s needs first, and hers dead last. Giving, giving, giving, until there was nothing left.

Living from that place of deprivation, was awful. I would never treat anyone like that and yet, I lived from that place for many years. It was so much pressure and exhausting. I was so depleted that I ended up with a health scare, which was a real wake-up call. Maybe you have lived from that place too, dear heart.

I love how we are shifting as a culture to give ourselves the gift of down time, rest, and self-care is being spread far and wide. Self-Care is being normalized!

By taking good care of ourselves, we are great examples for the next generation as well as those we interact with. Self-Care not only benefits us, it benefits every relationship.

Prioritizing our self-care and “filling our cup” increases our energy, raises our vibration, makes us feel better, and benefits all of our relationships.

Each Sunday, I like to remind others to treat themselves to some self-care and that they are worthy and deserving of this treatment. If Sunday doesn’t work for you, pick another day that will become “your self-care day.”

Here are some Self-Care tips you may want to try:

• Go Outside

• Rest

• Create something

• Play

• Dance

• Do something you loved as a child

• Inspiring content

• Unplug from technology

• Have a favorite snack that brings you joy

• Buy yourself flowers

Schedule some “you-time” now. Even 15 minutes of self-care can make a huge difference in your life. Grab your planner and prioritize your self-care now. You won’t be sorry.

My friend, Becky and I, have a venture called Well-Being and Wonder and the mission is Living Life Better through peace, love, joy, and ease. We do this through offering inspiring content, programs, and reTREATS.

We’re offering a year long program called Well-Being for ME in Twenty Twenty-Three. It’s an inner journey of self-discovery. Each month, we’ll focus on a key topic beginning with clarity in January and during the month of August are taking a deep dive into the topic of self-care. Find out more HERE.

You can also sign-up to receive my free Self-Care Rituals ebooklet to give you more ways, tools, and practices to prioritize self-care in your life. You are so worth it, dear heart. Get it HERE.

Remember, self-care is not selfish. It is a way to honor the precious gift of your life.

Blessings of love, joy, and peace.

Love,

Janette

Trusting Signs of Love from Above

A couple of days ago, my son asked me to pray for him about a specific area of his life. I was on it, let me tell you! It was an honor to be asked and did my Momma's heart a world of good.

I was so grateful for the trust and privilege he bestowed upon me as he shared his heartful request.

That same day during my weekly free angel readings, we received the Divine Guidance and Power messages from The Healing with the Angels deck by Doreen Virtue.

One of the attendees received the message of signs (see image below) and prompted a discussion of the many ways angels try to get our attention.

Feathers, coins, lyrics of songs, birds, butterflies, and repetitive or unique number sequences are just a few examples of signs of love from above.

This card is Signs from the Healing with The Angels card deck by Doreen Virtue. You can join us for free weekly mini-angel readings in the Angel Angles Angel Circle of Gratitude group on Facebook.

While making the bed today, I was thinking of my son and praying for him and his special request, and lo and behold; I found a dime in the bedding.

Coins are often a sign of love from above for me and hold a special place in my heart. I could have easily dismissed it as it had only fallen from my husband's pocket or discounted its importance.

Instead, I filled my heart full of love and gratitude for the miracle of finding this sign of love from above seconds after sending my petition heavenward.  

I delight in the miracles and synchronicities I find during my day. A favorite quote about miracles for me is by Albert Einstein.

"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

This special gift from the Angels is delighting my heart today, friends. I trust the best and highest is on the way for my son and am so grateful for this sign of love from above.

What are some of your favorite signs of love from above that the Angels send your way? I'd love to hear. You can post your answers in the comments section below or email me at Janette@angel-angles.com.

Blessings for a beautiful day full of love, joy, and peace.

Love,

Janette

Janette Stuart: Best Selling Author, Ordained Minister, Certified Angel Card Reader, Blogger, Military Mom, and Emissary of Joy at Angel Angles and Well-Being and Wonder will assist you to own and embrace your divinity and live a life of love, joy, and peace. Gentleness and Joy are her Superpowers.www.angel-angles.com

Bouncing Back and Flourishing

We've all lived through challenging times these past two and a half years. You have experienced so much. Make sure you celebrate your perseverance and strength, dear heart.

You are not the same person you were at the beginning of 2020. These difficult conditions have honed your resiliency.

I looked up the definition of resilience in the dictionary (yes, I do use a real, old-school dictionary) frequently. I'm forever looking up words I've not heard of before or if I'm unsure of their meaning or usage. I love words and am a self-described "word nerd." Maybe you can relate. *smile*

Anyway, the word resilient is defined as "recovering readily, as from adversity or illness, buoyant, springing back after compression or stretching, elastic." Seems like a great definition we can identify with, especially after these past two years.

I've been watching a tree in the neighborhood during my morning walks. The majority of the tree’s interior is missing and yet, she stands tall and thrives. See her photo below. She is the epitome of resilience.

See how much of this tree’s interior is missing due to disease, injury or accident? Still she thrives and continues to bounce back and flourish. Great lesson for us all. <3

Like this tree, we are all looking to bounce back, recover readily and stand firm when things are tough. One of the ways I do this is by selecting a word of the year. It is my guidepost and beacon of how I want to live each day. This practice has increased my resiliency.

During 2019, I journeyed with pancreatic cancer, which helped hone my inner strength as I concentrated hour-by-hour on healing.

My word of the year for 2019 was Flourish. Each day, sometimes many times during the day, I would focus on how I could best flourish at that moment.

Sometimes flourishing while feeling nauseous, when my hair was falling out, and when nothing tasted "right," looked like resting, taking an antinausea pill, reaching out to a loved one or friend, or knowing and trusting that brighter days were ahead.

That mindset, along with my fantastic medical support team and the hosts of family, friends, and strangers who supported my family and me during those scary days, helped forge my complete healing and enabled me to recover, thrive and become stronger and more resilient than ever before.

I am so grateful to be here today to share my story and to celebrate the miracle of my healing. In fact, my words of the year for 2020 was Celebrate, and for 2021 was Miracles. Each day during those two years, I looked for ways I could celebrate or find a miracle. It's a marvelous way to live.

My word of the year for 2022 is Wonder and daily I'm on the lookout for it. Sometimes, it's something beautiful I see, experience, or ponder. I like to take a daily walk out in nature and capture a picture of something lovely and occasionally share my wonder with others.

I appreciate you reading my story, and I'd like to share more about being resilient and living your best life.


You are invited to attend an upcoming event hosted by The Wellness Universe, produced, created, and hosted by Leah Skurdal, which features esteemed speakers in the self-care industry: Carol Pilkington, Carolyn McGee, Debbie Prediger, Nicole Batiste, and David McLeod. It's coming on September 10, 2022, with 90 minutes of online self-care resources and how to fortify your resilience. Resilience and living a life of joy, health, and harmony go hand in hand. Mark your calendar and find out more HERE

Blessings of love, joy, and peace.

Love,

Janette

Janette Stuart: Best Selling Author, Ordained Minister, Certified Angel Card Reader, Blogger, Military Mom, and Emissary of Joy at Angel Angles and Well-Being and Wonder will assist you to own and embrace your divinity and live a life of love, joy, and peace. Gentleness and Joy are her Superpowers.www.angel-angles.com

Joyful Living Requires Bravery

Even when the rest of the world seems to be falling apart before your very eyes, don’t feel guilty for feeling and exuding your joy. Your joy is a beacon of hope for others, especially during challenging times. And oh boy, have times been challenging for us all.

Joyful living requires us to be brave. Brave enough to choose joy and shine our brightest despite what is happening around us.

Joy is the core of who you really are. Joy is your birthright, and joy is your essence. It’s also a contagion for good.

We knew this truth as children before we were tamed by society. We moved with joy and frolicked. We’d skip around from place to place just for the sheer pleasure it gave us.

We knew how to delight in the simple pleasures of nature, hello splashing in a puddle, making a wish upon a star, and using our imagination bravely. Remember how that felt? When was the last time you skipped? Do you even remember skipping?

My friend, Pam Bohlken of Healing in Progress and I enjoyed some time frolicking at a wellness retreat in Maryland last month.

Our joy was second nature to us: instinctual, and then we were taught to be still, sit quietly and conform. Joy was slowly groomed out of our lives as we learned  to be “responsible adults.”

At age 12, I remember shutting down my inner child when I became a woman thinking, Now that I’m a woman, I’d better act like one, and I put my inner joy, my zest for life, that spark of divine goodness, behind a locked and dreary door that no one could access.

Your joy is a beacon of hope for others, especially during challenging times, and oh boy, have times been challenging for us all.

Here’s my favorite quote about joy.

“It’s not just that your purpose is joy, it is that you are joy. You are love and joy and freedom and clarity expressing. Energy-frolicking and eager. That’s who you are.

And so, if you’re always reaching for alignment with that, you’re always on your path, and your path will take you into all kinds of places.”
Abraham Hicks

A way to bravely live my joy is to swing at a park. Yes, swinging in a public park when others are nearby. I love to swing, and it gives me a sense of freedom. By being brave and enjoying the gift of swinging, even if I look silly to others, I can inspire others to live more courageously and do what they love.

I encourage you to live your life joyfully by doing what lights you up. Maybe today, you’ll do one thing to spark that joy in your own life.

Joy is different than happiness. Happiness is fleeting and depends on outer circumstances, and joy is a deep-seated inner spark of divine goodness. It is possible to live joyfully amid struggle, illness and hardship. I know it’s true because I’ve experienced that joy many times during challenging times, including when my precious brother was dying and during my healing journey with pancreatic cancer in 2019.

Want to find out more and cultivate extra joy in your life? I invite you to join in my online monthly donation-based event, The Secret Garden of Joy, in partnership with The Wellness Universe, where we’ll focus on joyous living for an hour as we leave the world behind to discover, explore, and dream. Find out more HERE.

Blessings of love, joy, and peace.

Love,

Janette

Janette Stuart: Best Selling Author, Ordained Minister, Certified Angel Card Reader, Blogger, Military Mom, and Emissary of Joy at Angel Angles and Well-Being and Wonder will assist you to own and embrace your divinity and live a life of love, joy, and peace. Gentleness and Joy are her Superpowers.www.angel-angles.com