The Joy Factor

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The Joy in “Being”

Posted by Trish Carr on July 25, 2010 · 4 Comments 

I’m told that joy, real full out, “Oh my gosh this feels great” joy is found by being In the Now.  I’m a big proponent of “being in the now,” I just don’t do it much.

So today I made a conscious decision to be “in the moment” and experience the simple joy of eating my Sunday breakfast.  Yes, traditional 1950’s Sunday breakfast with all the fixins’ – except the sausage was turkey, the cheese soy, the eggs organic. Welcome to the 21st century.  (Kidding – pork and real cheese –wrote that for Wendy:-)

“I’m even leaving the TV and music off. I wanna experience my breakfast,” I say.  I didn’t even pick up a magazine from the stack staring at me and from which I hear, “You gotta read through this pile already.  You don’t have time for this silly ‘being’ stuff.”  “No,” I tell that judgmental voice, “I’m focusing on my breakfast.”

OK, back to my eggs and being. I take a bite.  “Oh yeah,” I hear, “there’s tomatoes in the eggs.” The voice goes on, “You know why I don’t like tomatoes and eggs when I make them?” It’s a dialog now, “because restaurants use firm tomatoes. These are too ripe.”

I’m not supposed to be thinking, I’m supposed to be Being.  Back to being.  A bite of English muffin, the one with the nooks and crannies…yum, the buttery, crunchy taste.  “Wow,” I’m thinking, “This is joy right here.  Ooh, this is my next blog topic, eating.  No, that’s been done, maybe joy in the moment, no, wait, joy in the simple things, or…”

Oops.  Thinking again.  How on earth do people meditate?

Now I’m laughing. “You know what?” the voice says, “Stop making yourself wrong and just go with it.  You’re a thinker.  Being doesn’t mean you’ve gotta stop thinking.”  Epiphany!  I can be with me, talk with me, experience me. How cool is that!?! When I turn off the external distractions, I find joy in being with me. I like me, I enjoy me.  Give it a try.  Turn off the distractions, spend time with you today, thinking, dreaming, being.  There’s joy there – give yourself “being” time and have a ball.

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The Joy in "Being"

Posted by Trish Carr on July 25, 2010 · 4 Comments 

I’m told that joy, real full out, “Oh my gosh this feels great” joy is found by being In the Now.  I’m a big proponent of “being in the now,” I just don’t do it much.

So today I made a conscious decision to be “in the moment” and experience the simple joy of eating my Sunday breakfast.  Yes, traditional 1950’s Sunday breakfast with all the fixins’ – except the sausage was turkey, the cheese soy, the eggs organic. Welcome to the 21st century.  (Kidding – pork and real cheese –wrote that for Wendy:-)

“I’m even leaving the TV and music off. I wanna experience my breakfast,” I say.  I didn’t even pick up a magazine from the stack staring at me and from which I hear, “You gotta read through this pile already.  You don’t have time for this silly ‘being’ stuff.”  “No,” I tell that judgmental voice, “I’m focusing on my breakfast.”

OK, back to my eggs and being. I take a bite.  “Oh yeah,” I hear, “there’s tomatoes in the eggs.” The voice goes on, “You know why I don’t like tomatoes and eggs when I make them?” It’s a dialog now, “because restaurants use firm tomatoes. These are too ripe.”

I’m not supposed to be thinking, I’m supposed to be Being.  Back to being.  A bite of English muffin, the one with the nooks and crannies…yum, the buttery, crunchy taste.  “Wow,” I’m thinking, “This is joy right here.  Ooh, this is my next blog topic, eating.  No, that’s been done, maybe joy in the moment, no, wait, joy in the simple things, or…”

Oops.  Thinking again.  How on earth do people meditate?

Now I’m laughing. “You know what?” the voice says, “Stop making yourself wrong and just go with it.  You’re a thinker.  Being doesn’t mean you’ve gotta stop thinking.”  Epiphany!  I can be with me, talk with me, experience me. How cool is that!?! When I turn off the external distractions, I find joy in being with me. I like me, I enjoy me.  Give it a try.  Turn off the distractions, spend time with you today, thinking, dreaming, being.  There’s joy there – give yourself “being” time and have a ball.

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Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy — You Choose

Posted by Trish Carr on June 25, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Joy. I love that feeling. “Joy” goes beyond “Happy.” Even dictionary.com agrees – look at the difference between the 2 definitions:

“Happy” means:
1. delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing.
2. characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment.

To me that sounds like “Fine,” “OK” or “Good.”

Whereas “Joy” is defined as:
1. the emotion of great delight caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.
2. keen pleasure; elation.

How would you rather feel — pleased or elated? I’m thinking “elated” wins hands down. When I feel elated I feel a fullness in my body, almost like there’s so much inside me I’m going to burst. I love that feeling. It feels like…Thankfulness. It feels like…Power. It feels like…Love. What does Joy feel like for you?

My life, like yours, has many distractions…lots of emails to keep up with, more phone calls to return than I have time for, and more projects than I can possibly manage effectively. Yet when I remind myself to find the Joy in the moment, I see Joy everywhere. In my 4-year old nephew’s laughter, in my husband’s touch, in the rich flavor of my coffee.

Consider the Joy in your life. It’s there. When you stop and notice you’ll see, hear and feel it in the rustle of the trees on a breezy summer day, in the symphony of the birds singing, in the expressive faces of children, in the kiss from your romantic partner, in the rich conversations with your friends, in the beautiful color of your eyes, in how amazing you look in that dress, it’s all there, you just have to notice.

When I live in Joy things seem to go more smoothly, people are nicer, I get more done. I believe that like most things in life, Joy is a choice. In any situation, at any time I can choose to a least find what’s good. So why not go further than finding the good and find the Joy? I can be pleased or glad at any situation, or I can choose to feel great delight or even elated. It’s my choice. And when I choose it, when I feel Joy, there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can stop me. Choose Joy today and watch your life become magical.

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