Choose-joy

Choose Joy

It doesn’t always seem like it, but we have a choice in how we choose to feel.  We can choose joy or sorrow; we can determine victory or a setback that seems like defeat.  Henry Ford has been quoted often with versions of the statement, “Whatever you think, you’re right.”  What does that mean to you?  How can we apply it in our lives to remind us that we always have a choice?  Let’s discuss this briefly.

I enjoy remembering Henry Ford and his life.  He had only a third-grade education yet became one of the world’s richest men in the world and was friends with the Rockefellers, Carnegie’s, and others.  If you were able to sit with these men, you would notice that they choose joy among many traits that we could discuss.  Even when faced with difficulties in business, they were joyful to be around.  True, they may be taskmasters, but we can say to ourselves, I may have just been insulted or experienced a setback, but this will not steal my joy.

I will remain joyful in my life.  Some philosophers now believe that many of our circumstances choose us to be a part of our spiritual development.  Maybe we cannot prove this, but think with me for a minute, what if it were true?  How would you look at some of your difficult moments?  What would you do differently?

So often, we are our greatest critics.  I know that I am and can easily slip into thinking that I am somehow ‘less than’ because of my faults.  Cat Cora says, “Take chances.  Mistakes are never a failure–they can be turned into wisdom.”  If we can turn our shortfall into wisdom, then there is no reason to be unhappy; instead, choose joy, choose to be joyful.  Wisdom is the stuff of life; maybe we have been looking at our faults wrong all along. With just a bit more time, we can turn them into teachable moments.

When we are full of joy, we are solid and full of energy.  We are fun to be around, and people naturally are attracted to us.   We all have a pocket full of concerns, put them aside, and choose to be joyful.  It is that simple.

Decide today that you will choose joy to have a good outlook on things regardless of your circumstances when things go awry, as they will, train yourself to pause and take a closer look at what you can apply from it.  What can you learn, change, or do differently next time?  Maybe you can write a blog about it and help others; who knows; the possibilities are endless. If you make this a substantial part of your daily practice and teach it to your kids, you will notice the energy that exceeds your own, that lifts you beyond others.

People will see it too and ask you what you are doing that makes you rise above the daily circumstances of life.   Try it, and you will notice a difference.

Here is another post on Simple Joy and Pleasure for you, Simple Joy and Pleasure – Dr. Rich Patterson (pattersonphd.com)

Just Between Us.org has a post on How Do I Choose Joy Every Day?  Read it here, How Do I Choose joy Every Day? – Just Between Us

Yours for a better life,

Rich