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?

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