Summary: <br> <br> 10 WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR JOY<br> <br> EPISODE #74<br> Today’s episode is going to cover:<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> 10 ways to increase your joy and your happiness<br> 7 joy killers you must avoid<br> 12 small ways you can spread joy to others in big ways<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> WE’RE TALKING ABOUT JOY THIS WEEK!<br> WHY JOY?<br> The idea of joy changed my life. Ok, it was the word JOIE itself that moved me most, and the French phrase JOIE DE VIVRE. The day I realized joy was a choice was the day everything about my attitude towards life changed. I became happier, healthier, more confident and optimistic.<br> WHAT IS JOY?<br> Joy defined: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness; keen pleasure; elation<br> _____________________________________<br> A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness. – John Keats <br> _____________________________________<br> <br> RELECTION QUESTIONS:<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Have you found joy in your life?<br> Has your life brought joy to others?<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> _____________________________________<br> Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. –Greg Anderson<br> _____________________________________<br> My answers to those questions:<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Yes – I find it in my relationship with God, I find it in the small pleasures of life – les petits plaisirs, I find it in writing, I find it in movement, I find it in optimism, I find it in the celebration of things, I find it in learning, I find it in the sunrise, I find it in the cool breeze of the fan above my bed, I find it in brushing my teeth, I find it wherever and whenever I can.<br> I make this question a part of my conscious daily goals.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> I believe, no matter your circumstances, you CAN have joy in your life.<br> <br> <br> THE JOY BLACKLIST:<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Perfectionism<br> Underestimating Your Worth<br> Striving for External Measures of Success<br> Try to Do it All<br> Agonizing over Past Mistakes<br> Focusing on Shoulds and Shouldn’ts<br> Comparing Yourself to Others<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> INVEST IN YOUR JOY:<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Gratitude journal<br> Bring joy to others<br> Decide that happiness is part of your character<br> Set goals, work towards them<br> Let go<br> Live our your values<br> Change “I have to” to “I get to”<br> Let go of feeling busy<br> Celebrate the good you see in others<br> Reframe your fate positively / expect the best<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Countless studies have shown the effects of gratitude exercises on positive outlook. One study conducted by positive psychologist Martin Seligman asked participants who considered themselves severely depressed to write down three good things that happened to them each day for 15 days. Ninety-four percent of subjects reported a decrease in depression, while 92 percent said their happiness had increased.<br> <br> <br> SPREAD THE LOVE:<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Compliment freely – every time you think of something positive about someone, share it out loud!<br> Thank your parents for loving you unconditionally<br> Be a mentor (and think about 360 degree leadership)<br> Appreciate loosely (show appreciation to the little people)<br> Choose happiness and set the example<br> Sprinkle kindness wherever you go<br>
