Today, we are going to be talking about stepping fully into Joy. If you need help giving yourself permission to be joyful or need a little boost to get your post COVID mojo back, this blog is certainly for you!!! Joie De Vivre is a french phrase meaning "Joy of Life". We were meant to live life fully and joyfully. Life is meant to be enjoyed.

How do we Capture Joie De Vivre and Create Happiness Daily?

I have been thinking about this concept for quite a while now and one of the first realizations that I came to was, I couldn’t step fully into joy if I was still attached to those things that were holding me back. So, I began to explore the concept of non attachment.

Life is impermanent. Life is a river, constantly changing. Impermanence. It is one of the hardest concepts that I am learning to live by but this is what growth is all about my friend. Do not let the past be an anchor. Do not compare. Detach from the brokenhearted and just stay in the present moment of each breath. Can I stay centered in my heart space in the present moment, not living in the past or projecting what the future might hold. If I can truly master this, I know at my very heart center, this is exactly where freedom and authenticity live.

Understand that non attachment it isn’t about pulling back, retreating or disengagement. To practice non attachment in a healthy way, we must be able to be in a loving relationship detached. Letting go of the outcomes and waiting to see what happens. This involves healthy boundaries and knowing it’s OK to let go and love people from a distance. Also, when talking about non attachment, it has less to do with what you materially own or what you emotionally hold on to versus what holds on to you. Non attachment doesn’t mean that we don’t own things. It just means we don’t allow things to own us. I think that is worth repeating. It just means we don’t allow things to own us.

For a long time I had real misunderstandings of things being impermanent. But I began to realize everything breaks and non attachment is our unwillingness to face that reality. Can you tune into the rhythms of the natural cycle of the seasons? Because give it time. Everything changes. Nothing stays the same - ever. Just look at the trees outside your window. It is spring and leaves are budding and branching with the promise of full bloom into summer. I reflected and embraced witnessing impermanence at the physical level just as I will witness the turning of these same leaves go from bright green to yellow and red hues and ultimately to brown and faded as they fall and decay back into the earth in winter. A tree honors the natural cycle. Are you at a place in your life that you are living your life experiences in those same natural patterns of birth, growth, release and death to start anew? Are you holding on to anything that is past it’s time? It is important to ask yourself this question. So, I ask again. Are you holding on to anything that is past it’s time?

To illustrate, I give you the story about the Buddist monks traveling through the forest from one town to another. Along the path, they find themselves at the edge of a river. They built a raft to navigate from one side to the other. Once they safely crossed the stream is it wise or unwise for them to continue to carry that raft as they continued their journey. This lesson really hits the nail on the head for understanding non attachment. By letting go of the raft, they are letting go of things that are past their time.

These can be physical objects in your home that are worn or broken, It can be in relationships, friendships, even moment to moment experiences. By accepting non permanence, we ease fears and open out hearts. Accepting this concept will not only benefit ourselves but even more importantly those around us. Let me be clear. This is not indifference. This is not self denial. This is about not allowing things in your life to own you. I myself had a hard time going through this door. The key to non attachment is staying witness to the impermanence of things and given time everything changes. I will give you a tool. It’s a journal prompt. Jot it down if you like: “What is the best possible scenario for you this year and what can you do now to help realize it?”

Life is about flow. Life is a river. Do not let the past be an anchor. Do not compare. Detach from the brokenhearted and stay in the moment of each breath. Stay in your heart space where freedom and authenticity live.

Live life fully. How? Let’s break it down into 6 simple steps:

:: Acknowledge the Joy of living

:: Slow Down/Mindfulness

:: Accept and reveal that fact that you are not perfect

:: Find the miracles

:: Joy in everyday things

:: Contentment

Let’s Break it Down!

#1 Acknowledge the Joy of living.

Let’s not overly complicate number one. Joy is simple. It’s the acknowledgement that life is beautiful and rejoices in all of life’s experiences. It’s about tapping into the joy of the mundane like hearing the whistle of your favorite tea kettle to witnessing the most beautiful sunset or a rainbow after a storm. We all have things in our life that we enjoy and some of the sweetest moments in life are in the in between moments. Can you slow down a little bit so that you can catch them, note them, enjoy them.

#2 Slow Down/Mindfulness.

Did you catch what I just said in between moments? This is one that I personally am constantly trying to balance in my life. I have to be careful not to be so busy. When we are over scheduled there is little time for joy. Slow down. Bring in more mindfulness into your day. Did you catch that whistle of your tea pot in the morning or the gurgling of your coffee pot as you looked out your window to appreciate the morning sunrise, did you take a moment to appreciate how far those coffee beans had to travel before they could get into the cup in your hand and give gratitude for the sun and the rain that made them or where you already in your head frantic and hectic scrolling and listing all of the day's appointments and to do lists? It is hard to be present when we are in a state of crises.

Choose to spend more time with people in your life that leave you feeling happy, joyful and less time with those that leave you depleted. It is your choice to be around people that are loving and warm and make you feel appreciated or those that are sour and bitter. Why be around those who are disgruntled and obsessed with the negative aspects of our world? What we think about we bring about. Do you want the negative to dominate your outlook or do you want more light to be revealed.

#3 Accept and reveal that fact that you are not perfect.

I do think that one of the biggest things that steals our joy is the illusion of perfect. Everyone has problems even if they're not visible; some of us are just more clever at hiding them than others (and possibly even from ourselves). Can you embrace that nobody is perfect and maybe even more importantly you don’t have to be either. I have yet to find anyone with a competitive mindset who is ever rich enough, thin enough or quote on quote “good enough”. Amen to Brene Brown and her book “the gifts of imperfection.” If you haven’t read it yet, please do or at least watch one of her ted talks. Become aware of your speech, are you overly critical to yourself or to others. Are you one to criticize or compliment? Because you get what you give. A compliment leaves you feeling better and such positivity is likely to be returned leaving you feeling lifted as well just as the opposite is also true.

#4 Find the miracles

See the wonder in people and find miracles and joy in everyday things. And these miracles do not have to be extraordinary. When we get in ruts and begin to take things for granted we lose sight of the wonder in our life. When we are infused with a joie de vivre mindset we see the familiar with new eyes.

Pay attention, what and who are the things that make you smile, take inventory and you’ll begin to notice them more often. Speaking of smiles, I do miss seeing people’s smiles. Eye contact is the new smile. Make direct eye contact in a loving and curious way that lets the person across from you know that you really care.

#5 Joy in everyday things.

Joy. happiness. I want to go down this road for a moment. It is not about being 'happy', a word rooted from happenstance, which means fully dependent on a situation. We say it all the time. I just want to be happy. Let’s for a moment really think about happiness. Sometimes we think of it as an emotion, and other times we think of it as a reward that we experience when we accomplish something. The problem then arises - when we see happiness in this way, it is just a fleeting feeling that can change from moment to moment.

We are meant to experience joy and happiness every day – not just when things are going right, or we achieve a goal. Unlike short-term pleasure, authentic happiness is about lasting fulfillment, not just about having fun and feeling good. Our circumstances do not create our happiness. We do. When we take ownership of our happiness, we open ourselves to the blessings of the Universe. Take Joy in everyday things.

I have been doing a lot of gardening. Anyone who gardens, knows the inevitably of weeds. I spent several hours pulling weeds to get my yard ready for spring. But instead of the mindset of ugggh another weed to pull I actually embraced number 5 “joy in everyday things.” I enjoyed the flowering weeds. They were beautiful. I took some time to notice their blooms added a little splash of color. I even kept a few patches of shamrocks in one of the beds just for a little while while a wait for my summer blooming perennials to catch up. Wildflowers - taking joy in everyday things.

Speaking of shamrocks, do you believe that happiness is based on some element of luck? Take ownership of your happiness and be proactive. Think about times of year when you give yourself complete permission to be happy. Christmas, a birthday. You have decided that those days you are going to be happy so most likely you will be. Why can't we take ownership of happiness and choose to tap into joy everyday, in even the littlest of things, not dependent on luck or circumstance. Let go of thinking of joy as a reaction to things happening around you making us the effect instead of the cause. We can choose to be joyful everyday of the year.

I want to pause here and state that I know there are friends out there that want to be the happier versions of themselves but are struggling with real sadness. It has been my experience that sadness is an indicator of what we need to change. It is our signal that somehow we are out of alignment with what we are meant to experience in this world. Sadness is triggered when there is an inconsistency between what is going on in our head and what is going on in our heart. The key is to take ownership and move towards the experience of flow. Only then are we opening ourselves to receive so many blessings and experience the Joy of life.

#6 Contentment - All is as it should be.

Contentment - Santosha is the word yogis use. Contentment. Feeling adequate and unburdened by want. This concept of finding a peacefulness in it all. Again, I turn to Non attachment. They are the bookends to Joy. There was a reason why I began with it and will end with this concept. Non attachment. If we do not let go of the old, the new that is waiting for us can not be experienced.

Joy of Life - Joie de vivre can not be purchased. It can not be obtained by acquiring things we don’t yet possess and it certainly can not be reached if we only “fixed” x,yz. Can you embrace contentment and unburden yourself from want. Thus, rediscovering the simple joys in life. Can you notice it’s the little things that matter. I know that sounds like a needle point pillow but there is a real difference between pleasure and happiness and I think a lot of folks get them confused. I think the reason that so many find it difficult to find happiness is because they are chasing the wrong type of joy. I reflect back on my life and I look to the things that made me feel good - a delicious meal, a high paying job, a night out with my friends. These are all great experiences and they do bring me joy. However, make no mistake, that is pleasure in the moment. These experiences are short term and had me in a mind set of chasing after the next fix. Authentic happiness is about lasting fulfillment and not just about having fun or feeling good. Again, non attachment doesn’t mean you dont enjoy the car, money or experiences that bring you pleasure, But if you assign them as the source of your happiness you are setting yourself up for disappointment. I have found the way to lasting fulfillment is through growth and transformation and not external and certainly not material sources.

Let’s review….. How to Capture Joie De Vivre in 6 simple steps

Acknowledge the Joy of living

Slow Down/Mindfulness

Accept and reveal that fact that you are not perfect

Find the miracles

Joy in everyday things

Contentment

It is my heart's deepest desire that I have inspired joie de vivre. Your journey begins here. Can you bring into your life, recognize the difference between temporary pleasure and lasting fulfillment? Let’s elevate our consciousness to a realm of lasting happiness, and we open our hearts to the possibility of a transformed life. The truth is we are meant to experience Joy everyday.

Real happiness isn't something we endlessly chase nor is it brief bursts of joy. Chasing joy and happiness in the future will never make us happy in the present. You my friend have the power to create lasting happiness and it starts right now. Tap into the wisdom at your heart center. Elevate to the realm of joy where Love and light is always flowing. I hope this blog encouraged you to let go of comfort and expand into new horizons. In life, we do need to continually grow or we risk stagnation. Tap into the cycles of nature - birth, growth, decay and death. Embrace non attachment, take that first step towards a life of joie de vivre. Open wide your heart and wings and soar into a new life. Allow yourself to reflect on all the little miracles that are happening all around you. You have got this my friend. I am here to support you. I humbly offer these 6 tools for transformation to help you reach your heart center and hopefully you can begin to cultivate more compassion for yourself.

I believe that we're shards of glass broken from the same vessel. It is in looking at our own pieces of shattered glass that we seek to unify these pieces and recognize that same light in others. I am here to support you, you know where to find me, GirlfriendsGuru.com but regardless of the actions you choose to take, the essential element will be the internal gesture of choosing to remain in love, It’s all that is needed. - Until next time -

SAY YES TO JOIE DE VIVRE!!!!