SEVEN WAYS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR JOY MUSCLE by Pennie Hunt

Have you lost your joy for life? Have you experienced so much pain that you feel like joy is impossible? Does the idea of the holidays spreading joy make your eyes roll? Is it time to strengthen your joy muscle? I wrote a book on joy, but at times, I still need to work on my own joy.
​Here are some ideas that we can all use to pump up our joy.
​

1. BE AN OBSERVER OF JOY - If you need a refresher course in joy, spend time with a child. Act like them. Watch an ant carry a tiny crumb or a ladybug land on a blade of grass. Jump through the sprinkler, eat ice cream, and enjoy puppy kisses. Relive the magic of childhood and join in the joy.
2. BE A JOY FINDER - Find one small thing you can do to find joy in your day. It doesn’t have to be flashy acts of indulging. Reading a book while you sit in the sun on your lunch break, stopping for a skinny vanilla latte at your favorite coffee shop, taking a walk after dinner, meeting a friend for lunch, sleeping in or staying up late on the weekend, or taking a luxurious afternoon nap may bring you joy. Be creative. Add simple snippets of joy to your life. Be a joy finder!
3. COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY - Comparison will skew reality and steal your joy. Learn to like, live, and love in your own home and your own heart. The more time you spend liking yourself, the less time you have to compare yourself to others. The less time you spend comparing yourself to others, the more you will like yourself. Don’t allow comparison to steal your joy.
4. JOY OF LAUGHTER- Any day you laugh is a great day! Laugh at yourself. Share laughter with others. Laughter flushes the body with joy! Don’t go a day without laughing.
5. DEFINE YOUR HAPPINESS - To find joy and happiness, you must know what you are looking for. Can you define “happiness” for yourself? We need to relearn what our hearts and souls already know. Contentment, joy, and happiness should be our natural state. Once you define what will make you happy, you will have the roadmap to find and create joy in your life.
6. LOVE IS THE ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION! Being here in this body, on this Earth, and at this time is a privilege. Be humbled by the magnitude of it. Do not take anything for granted. The basis for all of life’s lessons is LOVE! Life begins and ends with love. Love yourself. Love others. Love animals. Love nature. Love your life. Love your heart out! A life of gratitude, joy, and happiness is created by love
7. GRATITUDE COMES FIRST - Once life becomes filled with joy and happiness, we will be grateful, right? It doesn’t work that way. Gratitude comes first! The more gratitude you feel, the more you will receive in life. The more gratitude you show, the more happiness and joy you will feel. Be grateful for every moment, every breath, every experience, and every lesson learned. It is not happiness and joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us happy and joyful.

 
Don’t waste your time wishing for and wanting joy. You must work for it. You must exercise and strengthen your joy muscle. Through the steps I outlined, set your mind on practicing intentional joy. Pump up your joy muscle. It is possible to increase the joy in your life.
                                 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                      Pennie’s Life Lesson:
             You hold the power to strengthen and increase joy in your life.
​                               Fall in love with the process of joy building.
​                                              ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

---

​YOUR TURN...        
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below.  And please feel free to email me  at:
 [email protected]. 
                                                                 Thank you!  ​
                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
                                                         All Rights Reserved
                                          Copyright © 2013-2024 Pennie Hunt
                             This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
Feel free to forward and share this post.  Please keep the entire message intact, including  contact, logo, and copyright information.
#CornerofSpiritandBrave #LoveYourLifeNoMatterWhat #JourneyThrough #PennieHunt #IAmGoodEnough #grief #Love #Joy #HowToBeHappy #Happiness