Published:
August 1, 2023
Originally recorded:
September 3, 2022
We’re still talking about joy today and I‘m wearing my happy shirt to celebrate.
Yesterday we spoke about really seeing where you are in terms of joy and if it’s something you are cultivating or something that you are waiting for.
Today I’m going to give you two tips to help you awaken joy and keep it close by.
1) Have appreciation: when you wake up with appreciation and live your life in a state of gratitude it’s impossible to be derailed even by the difficult and unexpected things that come up. Allow yourself to be in a state of constant gratitude. It’s possible and it’s the secret ingredient for lasting joy.
2) Stop complaining: things are going to happen that you don’t want. When you talk about things you don’t want or talk negatively about the things happening in your life you’re actually awakening that energy in the world. Start stating the things you do want in your life. Happiness is the cause not the effect so you need to awaken that through your consciousness.
I am going to take you through a very short meditation to recognize and reframe your negative thoughts. Your challenge today is to create joy and inject it to those places that tend to go negative.
Yesterday, I asked you to tune into the people, situations, and things in your life that bring you happiness and joy. Today, we’ll build on ways to bring more positivity into everything we do and are. To help us get there, let's look at some of the common reasons why we sometimes fall short in finding our greatest joy in life.
It’s not our fault that we tend to seek happiness in the wrong places. We see images of people enjoying all the spoils of life (and they must be perfectly happy and content, right?)... We flip through social media and believe everyone else is living in perfect bliss (think vacations, romance, and every other curated “wow” moment)... And we all know the fairy tales and movies showcasing a “happily ever after” (which usually feels unattainable).
No wonder, then, why we turn our efforts towards things that we think will make us happy and deprioritize the things that actually do. For instance, we may sacrifice time with our families to work more, to make more money, and to secure a better “tomorrow.” While meaningful, fulfilling work is always the goal (and yes, it can bring happiness and joy as well!), too much of it can pull us away from other things that bring us joy.
How can we cultivate greater joy? The answer lies in our intentions, thoughts, and feelings around what we’re doing. That’s why it’s important to ask yourself WHY you are doing something—anything—that does NOT bring you happiness or joy.
Look at your own list from yesterday and focus on an area you found that feels less than joyful. Is it something you are doing as a means to an end (such as working just for money)? Is it an obligation? While we can’t avoid certain obligations—such as caring for an elderly or sick family member—we can bring a different kind of consciousness to this and to all we do.
Kabbalah teaches that everything we see, hold, and taste in the physical world has manifested from the world of the unseen. The world that we engage in with our physical senses accounts for only 1% of our experience. The other 99% exists beyond: in our emotions, our intuition, our thoughts, and ultimately, our connection to the Light.
Furthermore, this law states that the universe (unseen) transforms what we think about the most and creates it in our experience (seen). Think of it as the Law of Attraction. Our thoughts are powerful manifestors, so if we are always thinking, “I’ll be happy when I have ___,” we aren’t creating happiness. We are creating the experience of chasing happiness. In turn, thoughts of appreciation sustain our happiness.
Now decide in which area of your life you want to grow your joy.
Write down your answers as “Happiness Goals,” and put them in a place where you’ll see them every day.
And remember, the real source of every happiness doesn’t lie “somewhere out there.” It lies right here, inside you and me.
Tomorrow, I’ll share one more powerful tool for bringing more joy to yourself and those around you.
One of the great gifts in studying Kabbalah is that we become more aware of the energies around us. Each day, week, and month has its own unique energy with differing powers that inform us. This month of Virgo is one of the most consequential months of the year, full of the energy of deep transformation. Over the next 30 days, we will assess, evaluate, and rethink 10 of the most important areas of your life. First, we will look at what is working and what isn’t working. I will help you identify your desire – the thing that you really want for that area of your life–not the thing you only think you want, or think you should want, or what others think you should want. From there, you will make your plan. You’ll make it actionable, doable, and motivating. I’m so excited and grateful that you are all joining me on this journey to rethink, reframe, recalibrate, and re-energize your life.