The Joy Journals

Are you feeling connected?

We, by our very nature, are social animals. So, for most of us these last two years have felt unnatural to say the least. We miss spending time with our friends in the same way we used to. The travel planning needed to visit far-away family has made it challenging given the unpredictability of the pandemic. And we’re all exhausted trying to predict the future. If it’s of any comfort, it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. The entire planet is feeling the drain. And in that way, we are probably more connected than we realize. We have a common goal – survive the pandemic. So even though we aren’t able to see all those we want to see in person, it’s still vital that we stay connected, if not for our own mental wellbeing, but for that of the other person as well.
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How would you rate your connection?

Do you feel connected to yourself – to your spirit? If you do, you likely feel confident in the decisions you make because you are allowing source energy to guide you. On the other hand, when you aren’t connected, you may feel displaced, scattered, and have difficulty relaxing when you’re by yourself. This month’s theme is all about connection and why it’s important to your emotional, physical, financial, and spiritual wellbeing. In this first week’s post, I’ll be talking about self-connection. If you read my monthly Joy Matters newsletters, you’ll recall from the January 1 issue, that I shared a personal story about the power of connections that changed the trajectory of my life. By developing a deeper relationship with my spirit and my intuition, I was able to recognize those relationships that would be of the most significant to my wellbeing. Like with all things, connection starts with acknowledging the self with the understanding that everything is connected and that you are significant to the world. I’m going to share a story that I read in a special book I adore by Mark Nepo - Book of Awakening, to illustrate my point.
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Are you afraid of change?

Honesty, truth, and acceptance all help to foster humility and bring forward the light during turbulent times. And we certainly have been living with massive changes these last two years. In my experience, the best way to mitigate the feelings of powerlessness when faced with a crisis is to stop feeling like a victim. That only brings about more anxiety and does nothing more than contribute to the chaos. Yes, it’s been challenging. After the first and second waves of the pandemic, we could feel life as we knew it begin to shift. And the third and fourth waves seem to have accelerated not only the disruptions to normal life, but the urgency in addressing our relationship with the planet. But change can be difficult for many people. It is much more comfortable to hold onto old ways of thinking and being because it’s what we’re familiar with, it feels safe, whether in reality it is or not.
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Do you show humility to nature?

Why is showing humility to nature so important? All month I’ve been posting about the joy habit of humility based on Chapter 35 of my book Being Joy™. I’ve shared my thoughts and several quotes about showing humility and how judgment and ego can get in the way of your relationships with others and yourself. What about your relationship with Mother Earth? When you take a walk in the forest, along the beach, or in any place that nature has blessed, you can’t help but be humbled by the healing power of its vibration. And as you feel more relaxed and balanced, you’ll reduce your anxiety and thoughts that put up resistance to your allowing what you were always meant to experience – that of love and joy. Nature does that.
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Is a dandelion a flower or a weed?

I love quotes. I marvel at their poetic profoundness and admire those who have authored them. And because words hold great power, I always try and find just the right ones to share each week. When I discovered the one I’ve chosen for this week’s post about the joy habit of humility and its relationship to non-judgement, the human being who immediately came to mind was Mother Teresa. She, more than just about anyone could see the humanity in the faces of the poor, and said, “If you are judging people, you have no time to love them.” As I said in last week’s post, humility really is about kindness and the love for all living things. When you’re living in the high frequency of love and joy energy as Mother Teresa clearly was, you are living in alignment with your soul. And in that sacred space, you can bow your head in humility to your fellow traveler, seeing them only as flowers.
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What does humility look like to you?

When you hear the word “humility,” what image first comes to mind? I immediately see a bowed head. But you might think that portrays a lack of self-esteem or a gesture of shame. I see it differently. I see a bowed head as a leaning in towards another and as a symbol of respect. In that brief instant, you are taking the focus off yourself and signaling to the other person that you see them and that you honour them – not for something that they’ve done, but just because they are a fellow traveler on this great big journey of life. They too have had their own share of struggles and for that instant you see their humanity. That in itself is worthy of respect.
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Do you admit when you are wrong?

Are there people in your life who have a hard time admitting when they’re wrong? Are you one of them? I know it’s not easy to swallow your pride and come clean when you’ve made a misstep or defended a position that was later found out to be false. We’ve all done it. That’s what makes us human. But when you can rise above your ego and show genuine humility when exposed, then you are actually showing your strength of character and not weakness, as some might attest. You see, to be honest first to yourself and then to others, demonstrates that you are secure enough within yourself to accept and love yourself no matter what. To thine own self be true, as they say.
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What facts do you accept as truth?

I’m going out on a limb here. All month I’ve been sharing my thoughts about the subject of truth, how to interpret it and how our perception of truth adapts over time when our beliefs shift. But some truths are universal. This is what I mean. As this is the last blog dedicated to the joy habit about truth from Chapter 34 of my book Being Joy™, I wanted to cap it off by talking about truths that we can all agree are legitimate, like the sun and the moon. We see them and accept that they are real. We may give different meanings to them based on our spirituality or scientific understanding, but nevertheless, we agree that they exist.
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Are you a good listener?

You’ve likely heard the question: “Why do we have two ears and only one mouth?”  You guessed it. Because we’re supposed to listen more and talk less. But we love to tell our own story. And many of us are only too willing to share our opinions whether asked for or not. For some reason, we feel compelled to defend them at all cost! Like I wrote in last week’s post, truths are based upon beliefs that we accept. But that doesn’t mean that my truth is yours or that your truth is mine. We all come to this place in our own way. So why do we think we need to convince others of our truth? Are we really only trying to convince ourselves? Instead, we should, like the opening quote suggests, that we let our truth loose as it will defend itself. It will find its own audience of those who share the same belief. Back to why we have two ears and one mouth.
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What do you hold true?

How do you define truth? There are as many definitions and theories about the word truth as there are probably “truths” out there. Although, there is one that really struck with me:  truth – a fact or belief that is accepted as truth. What a profound way of looking at it. There are two words in that definition that interest me most. The first is “belief” and the second is “accepted”. Whose belief? Accepted by who? Since this month’s theme is based on the joy habit of - Be Truthful - from Chapter 34 in my book Being Joy™, I want to explore the consequences of untruths a bit further. You see, the thing to consider is this. What happens when your belief about something changes, either because of a shift in your perspective or new knowledge that comes to light? Are you willing to accept a new truth or hang on to old ways of looking at things because you feel safer in that space? And what are the consequences of either?
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