I love the age old adage that tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it. Life is hard and sometimes we may find ourselves suffering from bouts of depression and anxiety, self doubt, self loathing and being depleted of happiness and joy. Life doesn’t need to stay like that! There is always a new day. Winter always turns to spring and then summer and sometimes life is just a process of learning. How can we know Joy if we haven’t known sorrow? If you are in a place of unhappiness, depression or anxiety, let me give you a few tools and tips that I have learned to help me jump forward into a new day!
One thing that I have learned from my business is that if I want to attract ideal clients, I first need to know what their characteristics are. You may say, OK, what does your business have to do with me? Well a lot, it’s a life lesson for everyone. If we want to be a different person and have a different life, then we need to know what characteristics that we want to possess, so we can attract that into our life. Like attracts like. I noticed this in school as a teenager. The cowboys attracted other cowboys, the fun and bubbly personalities attracted others that were the same, people who were unsure of themselves attracted others that were unsure. If we want to be something different, then we need to know what exactly it is that we want.
First, you may want to pull out a piece of paper and write down the characteristics of the person you want to be. For instance, I want to be happy, joyful, friendly, funny, confident, smart, peaceful, etc. Leave room by each characteristic to expand about what that characteristic would look and feel like. An example of happy might be, I smile all the time and I find happiness in nature, I love to see the birds and God’s creations, it makes me happy to serve others and I am happy when I am surrounded by people who love me. Close your eyes and imagine yourself like that. What do you look like? How do others around you react? How does it feel on the inside?
One thing that I have found that helps to pull me out of unhappy times is to Love Myself. Some great affirmations for loving yourself could include, I am seen, I am heard, I am important, my value matters, my feelings are just as important as anyone else’s, it’s safe to be strong, it’s safe for me to speak my truth, I am loved, I am lovable, I am beautiful, I matter, I am a child of God with infinite worth.
Gratitude is also a powerful force that can bring about happiness. I have found that what we focus on expands. If I focus on the things that are going wrong, then that is all I see. If I focus on the positive and good things, no matter how small they are, then the expand as well. I read a story yesterday that deepened this principle in my heart. A family was dealing with a child who had cancer, instead of focusing on the cancer, they focused on all the healthy cells in her body and were grateful for them. They still found joy in their journey and I’m happy to say that the child made a full recovery.
Another way that I find Happiness and Joy is by getting right with God. This can be different on many levels for people. For me it may be asking God’s forgiveness for past wrongs and trying to make them right. It may be burying bad habits and starting fresh. I know that sometimes those types of things are easier said then done. But, no one said we have to do it alone. Parents, teachers, friends, church leaders and those who love us are always willing to help. God didn’t put us here to grow on our own. He wants to help us and their are many people on earth that are his hands to lift us up and help as we desire.
Change seems to be the biggest help in the teeter totter of life. If you want something different, chase after it. Make those hard changes, walk away from toxic people in your life. You have the ability in you to create the life you want!! You are powerful beyond measure and were put on this earth for a reason. You have a divine purpose and because of the trials that you have gone through, you will be able to help someone else out of their winter of life to spring and summer.
“Your life does not get better by chance, it get’s better by change” ~Jim Rohn.
Check out more great tips for Finding Joy on my website at www.joyinthemountains.com and be sure to Share this article if you enjoyed it!!
