4 Quick Tips to Live a Joyful Life
Let’s lay some truth on the table.
I am sure there are misconceptions about me floating around. People see me in person or on social media and assume that I am a super-exuberant, always happy, extra-joyful person.
The truth?
The reason why I’m so obsessed with joy is that I have struggled to find it even though I am confident that it exists. Grasping onto joy and allowing myself to experience it has felt impossible. Resigning myself to depression, self-hatred, and even death seemed easier than trying to find a scrap of elusive joy in the middle of my broken, crisis-filled life.
Is this you today?
Are you trying to cultivate joy in the middle of uncertainty?
Then, start small. Living a joyful life doesn’t have to be hard. It’s the tiny joys of today that provide the foundation for more joy tomorrow.
In this blog post, I outline four quick tips to cultivate joy today and help you live a joyful life.
Define What Joy Means to You
The first step to living a joyful life is figuring out what it even means. Define the word joy for yourself.
What is joy?
Would you describe yourself as joyful?
Spoiler alert – there is no correct answer. Each of us must learn for ourselves what it means to be joyful.
To me, joy is a choice and a journey. Joy is what I choose to make room for, and carry with me wherever I am in life – regardless of the uncertainty or adversity I may be facing.
Joy is the force that helps us survive and thrive through crisis, and it looks different for everyone.
Remember, it’s your life, and your joy. Joy is not a one size fits all experience. Joy is alive, organic, and flexible. Spend time focusing on what joy and happiness looks like for you, instead of trying to fit into someone else’s version.
“Each of us must learn for ourselves what it means to be joyful.”
— VANESSA JOY WALKER
Acknowledge Pain
This tip probably sounds counterintuitive, but to live a joyful life, you must get real about suffering.
Most of us have a limited understanding of joy. Early on in life, we are conditioned to focus our energy on avoiding anything that might endanger our comfort or happiness. We exhaust ourselves trying to avoid the unavoidable obstacles of life, and then have little energy left to learn how to recognize and cultivate joy.
Acknowledging your pain is an essential step in defining a joy that is possible during the complicated moments of life.
Take a moment, and then without judgement, evaluate.
Where are you hurting today?
How hard do you work to avoid pain?
Painful moments remind me that in life, we have two choices. We can either choose hope or remain hopeless. When we choose hope, we choose joy.
“The smallest moves toward hope can bring joy and light into the darkest spaces of despair.”
— VANESSA JOY WALKER
Get Practical
Listen, sometimes it is impossible to hug your best friends, quit your job or ignore your responsibilities. Instead of focusing on the cant’s, try to focus on the can’s.
When you are struggling to cultivate joy, set yourself up for success by creating a reasonable plan that addresses your immediate needs.
Without judgement for yourself, I challenge you to dig deep, and take a look within yourself.
What do you need to live a joyful life today?
What steps can you take to cultivate joy?
Write them down and make a plan. Get real with your feelings and needs, and take the appropriate steps to make the changes needed to live a joyful life.
Celebrate & Live a Joyful Life
The most important tip I can give you if you’re trying to live a joyful life is:
GET UP.
Sometimes we need to curl up in bed, and that is okay. But please don’t stay there. Living a joyful life requires us to shift our mindset toward hope, and look up!
Once you do get up – celebrate!
Life is complicated and beautiful. There is pain and suffering, but there is also hope and joy. Life will try to make us choose joy or sadness, but I choose to grab onto both. I like to think that this is why God gave us two hands. You and I need to grab the hand of joy, and the hand of sorrow at the same time. There is true beauty in this complicated relationship.
So, I urge you to celebrate the beauty of life in all its glory.
Choose hope and cultivate joy, experience living a joyful life.
If you would like to read more on my story, and how I chose to live a joyful life amidst crises in my life, read my book titled “Make Room for Joy”.
LET’S CHECK IN
Let’s check in with one another.
How are you living a joyful life?
How are you cultivating joy today?
What steps are you taking to ensure a life of joy for yourself?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
