“The cultivation of gratitude and joy is the way home” –Brene Brown
Have you ever noticed that inevitably what follows the feeling of joy is fear of‘ ‘the other shoe dropping’. This is driven by the fear that tells you that this joyful feeling can’t last. Wham! Joy evaporates into the wet blanket syndrome. Gone. Fear of joy sounds crazy. But, we really buy into it. With a feeble attempt at self-protection, we let fear win. Another way we mask joy is more subtle but powerful. We don’t feel worthy of joy. Joy feels so light that it’s almost kind of scary. “Who am I to feel this good,” guilt scolds.
The new energies that are birthing on earth call us to be our highest expression. They invite us to birth joy. And, joy has a soulmate called gratitude. It’s a package deal. Joyful people are always grateful people.
I am discovering that the more I practice gratitude for the little things in my life: a warm comfy bed, hot cup of tea, birds singing, sunshine and rain, joy seems to slip in also. Joy appears as a warm and gentle feeling of well-being that calls me deeply into the present moment with the intoxicating contentment of complete fulfillment. Ahhh, I’m home.
Cultivating joy and gratitude is a practice. It doesn’t just happen. I invite you to be mindful of noticing that it is your choice to call in joy and gratitude. This awareness alone shifts your focus from what’s wrong to what’s right. It creates a download of feel-good chemicals that make your heart and your brain sync together. This, in turn, reduces stress. Simply but powerfully It changes your life little by little.
I would like to share this conversation between Oprah and Dr. Brene Brown with you, “Joy: It’s Terrifying,” Brene is a highly gifted speaker—one of my favorites. Listen and you’ll know why.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a gentle and effective system of clearing self-sabotage and limiting beliefs from your energy system—this frees you to create a life you love…
Schedule a complimentary discovery call now, email Laurel Brookes at: laurelb.EFT@gmail.com