You are the star of your show
What does it mean to play the starring role in life? For me, it means to co-create the script and call in all the actors. It means that sometimes we forget our lines and improvise as best we can. With each situation I see the plot develop and I see an opportunity for my character development.
Being the star means we orchestrate our own struggles and learn to grow into our joy from them. As an actor in my own life story, I try – though don’t always succeed at – accepting the challenging roles even if that means I’m not the star or hero that day. In fact, to the audience and sometimes even to ourselves, though we may not always appear to be the star, learning to appreciate a difficult decision can bring joy, as it is part of our training.
Whether you’re the star or “just an extra”, can you accept your role today? Can you use your energies to do the very best you can? Can you call in the great power of the universe for guidance and support? With a little patience, a wider view and some perseverance, you never know when your starring role will surface – and it’s best to be ready for it!
If Living on Purpose Creates Joy, Does Living Your Greater Purpose Give You Even More Joy?
I’ve got to tell you about Eric. He spent a whole day with me in the Cork & Bean during his family vacation. Mind you, it wasn’t his first choice. The transmission on his car went out and he was waiting for it to be fixed while the rest of the family went horseback riding. I admired him from the get-go because he wanted his family to have fun and seemed to have a pretty good attitude about waiting in the coffee shop. He had coffee, then breakfast, then later lunch, then a dessert. As the hours passed, he entertained himself on his computer and took short walks in the downtown area.
Eric is a dad and a father. I got the sense that his understanding of his purpose in those roles were to be a good provider and ensure that the family had a fun vacation. That purpose allowed him to be ok spending the day in a coffee shop.
But here’s the cool part – we ran out of tape in our pricing gun and no one could figure out how to reload it. I went down the street to see if any of the retailers had a similar gun and could show me how. A couple of the shops were closed and I didn’t want to get too far across the bridge away from the shop. On my way back, I ran into Eric during one of his short walks. I asked half-seriously if he could help. Eric immediately grabbed the gun and started fiddling with it. NOW, Eric had a greater purpose in his day. We went back into the coffee shop and he searched for YouTube videos on this particular make and model of gun. Sure enough he found one and got the gun working for us.
Now I don’t know what Eric does for a living or even the hobbies he might do for fun, but I do know that solving a problem and helping me gave him great joy. I thanked him with a bag of beans, but I’m sure he got even more satisfaction from getting the gun fixed, and possibly from telling the story later to his family (only after he listened to their stories about their horseback riding adventures).
Kudos to you, Eric. You showed me that living my purpose can help me be patient and even enjoy the things life throws at me!
Bernadette
What Does It Really Mean to Be Authentic?
I know a lot of people hate labels, but for me, it sometimes helps me understand a person or help someone express who they are quickly . . . IF they are authentic about it.
As a lesbian, hippie of sorts, some of my friends were surprised to learn that I enjoy Christian music. Regardless of beliefs, the message is positive and the music itself makes me feel good. Seven years ago, my partner and I went to see Christian singer/songwriter, Jennifer Knapp play at the Tabernacle in Atlanta. Needless to say, the audience was a very different crowd from us, and we expected a laid back musical show. We were pleasantly surprised when this tattooed rocker came out and entertained us with the passion and stage talent that we really didn’t notice on her CD. We had a new respect for Jennifer as she expressed her “authentic self.”
But after that concert, Jennifer didn’t release any new music. There were no tour dates and her website lie dormant for years. Fast forward to a few months ago, my partner discovered that Jennifer Knapp was playing at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur of all places. We had to go to satisfy our curiosity. Turns out, she spent the past several years disconnecting from the Christian commercial music scene and discovering more about herself while exploring Austrailia. On stage seven years later, we witnessed even more passion and a deeper connection to her music. Jennifer still has a strong faith, but her beliefs have broadened to embrace all people and the incredible world around her. What an inspiration!
I am amazed that when a person discovers more about who they are and what brings them joy, the expression of what they do and how they impact the world is extremely powerful. I am on that journey myself, and am finding greater satisfaction when I make decisions that are in sync with my authentic self. How about you?
Just Kidding Around
Whether by divine purpose or lovely accident, I have recently returned to some activities that brought me great happiness as a wee farm girl. By riding her bike, the lovely Ms. Watkins reminded my how much I loved riding my bike. So I cannon-balled back into cycling by signing up for a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society fundraiser that included a quick 100-mile spin around Lake Tahoe on June 6th of this year. Lucky me, to find myself with that fresh mountain air in my lungs, flying down hills and pumping up the tough climbs just like I did as kid on my blue Huffy. I have a lot more gears now and no banana seat, but what a ride! It was pure, wrapped in sunshine, joy that whole day.
This week, I have been ever so fortunate to travel to Hawaii with my parents and darling sister. It has been decades since I traveled with only my family of origin. Yesterday, we cruised beaches until we found a friendly looking low-riding surf. Then we paddled out to float on our backs and ride the waves with no intention of going anywhere. We just floated. Occasionally, to add interest, we would attempt some mild form of water ballet. It was more big, fat fun for me.
To add to the kid-style delight, early this morning I swam out past the breakers with my sister to snorkel. We laid face down on our bellies and barely flapped our flippers while watching fish after remarkable fish going about their daily chores. It was more ridiculous, happy stuff.
While travel is fabulous, it wasn’t the great locations that made these last few weeks especiallysatisfying. It was reconnecting with that little, barefoot girl who liked riding her bike as fast as she could and tromping around outside with no particular agenda.
Yes, work is awaiting me at the end of this week. There is much to do out there in the world of adult responsibilities and tuition bills. I can promise you that I will make more time for wind-in-my-messy-hair moments from now on. It has been grounding and spirit-filling. It has made me as happy as a mouthful of Jolly Ranchers. So here’s to reconnecting with that thing that floated your plastic, bathtub boat back when the days were long and someone tucked you in at night. May you find it and enjoy it. It’s good stuff, all of it.
Funky or Dressy?
There are times when we think our connection to our purpose has to look or feel a certain way Some days I feel like it has to look very dressy; buttoned-up and prim and proper. Those days feel like they are going less with the flow; days that I feel like I have to make things happen. I am working on my projects and with my clients and it feels like work. The “shoulds” show up and I may do things that I really do not want to do, but feel like I should. No fun, less joy!
Other days, I feel like my connection to my purpose of supporting others in being the best they can be looks more funky and eclectic. Those days, I feel more creative, more juicy, as author Sark would say. Things seem to flow more. Those are the days that my Joy Factor is way up there and amazing things happen.
What is different about those days than the buttoned-up days? Those are the days that I let go of wondering about what other people think. That is one of my personal challenges; I let that get in the way of staying connected to my purpose and my authentic self. On this journey of increasing my Joy Factor, I like wearing my funky clothes and allowing magic to happen, in connection to my purpose. You?
The Joy Factor
Welcome fellow Happiness Pioneers! You've come to the right place if you are looking to raise your Joy Factor. My vision is for everyone to live a life aligned with their passions and full of joy. The intention of this site is to offer you juicy nuggets that will increase your experience of joy and delight. Take a look around, grab something yummy and share the joy.
Follow Me
Joy Posse
Bernadette Peters (8)
Corinne Chaves (6)
Deb Cooperman (9)Derek Nowatzki (9)
Dr. Andy Vantreese (7)
Erica Burns (6)Fran Asaro (8)
Juliette Mansour (10)
Michelle Goss (7)
Rebecca Ewing (15)
Sandra Kellim (6)Sherry Wheat (2)
Tamara McElhannon (8)Tracey Lynne (3)
Tricia Molloy (12)
Trish Carr (13)
Wendy Watkins (77)