Each month this year, I will introduce and expand upon various topics concerning YOUR personal growth and expansion. This will include two monthly newsletters and video blogs* to complement the topics. My objective is to provide tools, tips, suggestions, and guidelines to assist in encouraging YOU to be your best SELF.

January’s topic? FINDING JOY in the EVERYDAY!

Let’s admit. If we could choose to be happy ALL the time then we would be. Right? Pretty simple. Unfortunately, we have to take into account that one minor piece that plagues all us humans: LIFE. And we all certainly know how the story goes. We start our day off on the right foot (or not, some days… and that’s totally ok). Take a shower, get dressed, have our coffee, head out the door and BAM!!! We step in dog poop. We forget our work at home. Our kid gets sick, so we have to cancel appointments. You name it. IT happens.

Well, in response to IT, here’s an encouraging surprise. We do not have to search for happiness or joy. It is already within us. We just need to re-learn how to find it, even at and especially in (!!) the most seemingly inopportune times and places. Note for your bathroom mirror: HAPPINESS STARTS IN THE MIND. JOY IS FOUND IN LOVE, COMPASSION AND FORGIVENESS.

Here are 4 incredibly useful tips that you can use daily to re-define your own JOY:

1. GRATITUDE. When you wake in the morning, first thing, think of all the things for which you are grateful. Just ponder for a minute. Consider how you want your day to go – what you want to see transpire. Example: I want my day to be productive, fun, inspirational.

2. ACCEPTANCE. As you are passing through your day, you will be tested. Remember that life is like a classroom. The catch is you cannot fail; you can only learn from your mistakes and apply what you’ve learned. Accept that you are human, and you will accept that others make their mistakes too. When we accept, NOT JUDGE, we are at peace and, therefore, HAPPY!

3. PERSPECTIVE. When you are tested, notice that you do not feel at peace. Notice WHERE you do not feel at peace. In your heart? Stomach? Head? Tell yourself, “I do not like how I feel right now. How can I see this differently?”

4. REFLECT. Before you go to bed at night, consider and/or journal what you experienced during the day.
– What were some of your challenges (i.e. opportunities for growth)?
– When and how did you respond well?
– What could you improve upon or do differently moving forward?

I promise, if you do these 4 things daily, you will begin to see the joy in the everyday because you will be working from the inside out. And that, my friends, is where the magic begins! Good resource on JOY? “Smile for No Good Reason: Simple Things You Can Do to Get Happy NOW” by Dr. Lee Jampolsky. EnJOY!!

Much love,
Jess

*To sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter and download my free stress and anxiety releasing meditation, you can visit the website at jessicamangum.com.  You can subscribe to my YouTube channel here.