(introduction to the Feeling Absolutely Fabulous Program™)
Just recently I was making arrangements for a lunch date with my friend Joan. Joan and I sit on the Board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of Ontario and we had some business to work on and some personal “girlfriend” stuff to catch up with. You know how it is…e-mails backward and forward…gaps in between while you are out of town and your schedule changes so you start again, etc. Well, we finally were both in the same place at the same time long enough to get connected and Joan pointed out that it was nice to see that I was back in my “strong and joyful” place again. This rather threw me…because I wasn’t aware that I hadn’t been in it! I took a little time to think this through and thought I’d share with you what I came up with.
First thought…what does being “joyful” mean? Wikipedia describes joy as a feeling of great happiness. So, I guess I normally exhibit joy and am therefore sending out feelings of great happiness. And that is perceived as “strong” and therefore I am in my power. I like that. Secondly, I was wondering what had me stopped me exhibiting this strength and joyfulness…and perhaps even more importantly, why hadn’t I noticed? Quite simply, I was feeling stressed! Read more about symptoms of stress, one and two. (link to respective newsletters https://schoolofct.com/articles/articleOct2006.htm and https://schoolofct.com/articles/articleNov2006.htm ) Here I am teaching, working with clients and writing about stress and not realizing that stress was sneaking up on me—oh dear! I had plainly over-extended myself—I love what I do and can get quite carried away on occasions. I was forgetting to build in “me time”—being a busy bee looking after others and not taking the time to rest and repair. Thank goodness for friends who can point out when we are unbalanced…and honestly, not being able to find the time to get together with friends for lunch is definitely one of those signs that I am out of balance! Perhaps you can see it in your own life?
So, being joyful and exuding joyful energy is part of my normal state and when I am taking care of all aspects of my life including work, play, friends and family, time for creative pursuits, etc. I exhibit that happiness in my daily life without realizing. Not a bad way to be at all. Can you look in the mirror and say the same thing? If not or you are not sure, here’s a little quiz for you.
- When was the last time that you felt joyful? Not just okay with life, but actually “feeling great happiness’? Was it a little while ago, yesterday, a month ago…longer?
- Can you remember the last time that you felt fully joyful?
- If you can, take a moment and go back in your memory to that place.
- Where were you?
- Who were you with?
- What were you doing?
- How does it feel?
- If you can, take a moment and go back in your memory to that place.
- Now you have that memory and feeling, are you able to remember what happened to stop you feeling joyful?
- Are you able to go back in your memory and connect with that feeling of joy again?
I’m sure you can. So once there notice the other feelings that come along with it…as you are now aware for me one is strength…I feel centered and connected with spirit when I am joyful. I am more open and trusting and have less need to “control” outcomes; being able to trust in divine timing and that all will work out exactly as it should.
So, now that you have the feeling, what are you going to do with it? I suggest a little game that comes from the authors of “Attracting Your Perfect Customers”, a book based on the Law of Attraction.
The game is to notice your connection to joy throughout the day. Notice what occurs during the day that increases your connection to joy and notice what pulls you away from this feeling of joy. Just noticing will make a difference; actually taking the time to write a list of all situations, thoughts and people you come in contact with during the day that either increase or decrease your connection to joy will really help you clarify what is happening to your joy potential. (Journaling, the act of writing our feelings out, is a very powerful tool for making change in our lives.) For the more conscious we are of our sense of joy, the easier it becomes to notice when we are at risk of losing this connection…and the easier it is to make the conscious decision to remain fully connected to our joyful strength.
If this article has resonated with you in any way and you feel that you need some help connecting with your joy or you would like to explore this further, please contact me for an appointment on my cell: 206 883 3482 or email. If you want to get started now, check out my CD’s and our special summer offers. In the meantime, I’ll work on keeping joyful and strong and wish the same for you.
Keep well,
Jacqueline
