Opening to joy

One of the questions I often get asked is: "How do you maintain a positive attitude? How do you actually keep it going, from day to day?" In truth, it's not always easy - some days are tougher than others! But it is possible, and there are some simple steps you can take, so let me share with you a few things that work for me...




Some inner guidance...
When I was on a retreat last year, I did a meditation with the intent of receiving an affirmation to guide me in my daily life. Maybe you've tried affirmations for yourself - these are positive statements that, when used consistently, can help you to overcome negative thought patterns and create new ways of being in your life. Most people use affirmations when working to create something, such as greater abundance, improved relationships, better health or more satisfying work.

When I meditated on this occasion, that's the sort of message I expected to get - something I needed to work on. But what came, while it clearly was an indicator of where I needed to place my focus, was quite different in tone. Here's what I received:

Every day I live in joy.

A very simple message yet, in essence, truly profound. Put aside for a minute all the more this/better that stuff that we often spend all our energy trying to manifest - all the things we think we need to DO to be happy. This is about simply allowing yourself to BE... in a state of joy. How great is that?

Putting it into practice...
So how do you put that into practice? Well, it's easier than you may think. When I first got this affirmation, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what the words meant for me. What does it really mean to "live in joy"? What is JOY anyway? Look it up in the dictionary and you'll see words like gladness, rejoicing, pleasure. But I've come up with my own definition:

JOY = Just Open Yourself

To me, living in joy is about being grateful for the good things in life - bringing your focus back to the present moment, and being open to the flow of life, rather than concentrating on the future (what you still have to do or want to happen) or the past (what you may or may not have done). It's something you feel in your heart centre, in the middle of your chest. When this is open, you feel warmth radiating out to the rest of your body - you feel centred and relaxed...

The present is always where the point of real power is, so enjoy what you do have in your life right now! In doing so, you're sending a message to the universe that this is what you want more of, and so that's what you'll get. You know the saying: "what you resist persists"? When you spend all your time thinking about what you don't want in your life, what you're actually unconsciously doing is continuing to create it. Instead, by simply allowing yourself to be joyful as you go about your day, it's like you set up a forcefield of positive energy that magnetizes good experiences to come to you.

Try it for yourself...
Why not try it out for yourself? Tomorrow, when you first get out of bed in the morning, make the choice to "live in joy" today - in whatever way has meaning for you - and see what a difference it makes to your day. Use the affirmation above (or create your own) to support your positive mindset. Allow yourself to be open, and en-JOY your day!


Like to find out more?
Read the article 3 Steps to Affirmations that Work on the Resources page of my website for some tips on how to create and use affirmations for yourself.