choosing joy

To tell the truth, being a postive & joyful person is a lot of hard work. I completely and whole-heartedly believe it takes a lot less courage and a lot less work to be a Negative Nelly, so to speak. Don't get me wrong, I have days when I feel down, and there are many times when I slip into negativity--Lord knows, I am no where close to perfect (and thankfully I'm so over trying to be) but overall, I would consider myself a very positive person whose intention is to always see the positve in myself, my life, and others. This is because I do the hard work and I make the choice. I consciously choose to contradict every negative thought about myself or others with a positive one. I consciously choose to celebrate the little things in life as well as the big ones. I consciously choose to see the opportunities in the challenges. I consciously choose to trust life. I consciously choose to give thanks every chance I get. I consciously choose to practice yoga and take care of myself. I choose my attitude, outlook, and approach to life on a daily basis. It is very hard work. But, it's oh-so-very worth it.

Do the work. Be courageous. Choose joy.

Namaste'
Leslie

lions in your home

Wired for Joy is one of the books I'm currently reading. It's written by Laurel Mellin, and while interesting, quite honestly, it has a bit too much of a text-book type feel for my personal preference. With this being said, I continue to read it because the topic is fascinating, and I'm learning. Essentially it's about rewiring the circuits in our brain to be joyful rather than stressful.

I do believe that being "stressed out" is almost celebrated in our culture today. Even as I write this I am thinking of how ludicrous that statement sounds, but I personally believe it. Seriously, if a person isn't busy and stressed there must be something wrong with them or missing in their life, right? We can become completely identified with our "stressed out" selves and our brain can become wired to be habitually stressed. Being stressed is a bad habit--period.

So, I'm working on this...it's a process, that's for sure. While Laurel Mellin wrote an entire book on the topic, so far I think there are two poignant statements that sum it all up quite simply:

"'Stress is optional. There are no lions in your home.'"

I'm going to try to remember this next time I'm feeling like there are!

Namaste'
Leslie