Sometimes it is a challenge to be positive and choose joy, when there is much sadness and negativity surrounding us.
I don’t think it’s an accident that my parents gave me the middle name JOY. 68 years later, choosing JOY is one of the ways I brand myself.
I say “choose” because it absolutely is a choice – to choose joy over sadness.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand that each and everyone of us has challenges, obstacles, fears and doubts. Some people suffer terribly and wake up each morning questioning their life choices. And I understand that there are people who feel like they can never get a break, because their days are filled with gloom and doom. And, I also understand that there is a serious problem in our world with mental illness.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, Mental illness is common. In a given year:
- Nearly one in five (19%) U.S. adults experience some form of mental illness.
- One in 24 (4.1%) has a serious mental illness*.
- One in 12 (8.5%) has a diagnosable substance use disorder.
This article is not for those who suffer with mental illness.
Mental illness is treatable. The vast majority of individuals with mental illness continue to function in their daily lives.
This article is for people like myself, who learned to look at the world from a different lens.
When I embraced the LAW OF ATTRACTION and really understood that I had a choice… to focus on what I wanted to create in my life vs what wasn’t working in my life… I had a better day.
And when I made a conscious effort to choose joy and gratitude and not focus on what wasn’t working, more positive things happened to me through-out the day.
Instead of waking up filled with feelings of despair and doom, I consciously started my day with gratitude, meditation and positive affirmations.
I love the story of the Two Wolves. It is a great illustration of the power of choosing JOY.
The story of the Two Wolves is Cherokee Legend. A grandfather is talking to his grandson explaining that there are two wolves that live inside each of us. One wolf represents the good qualities like love, compassion, and kindness, while the other embodies negative traits such as hatred, anger, and greed. These wolves are constantly fighting with each other. And this battle continues within each of us. His grandson asked, “which wolf wins”. And the grandfather responded, “the one we feed.”
This story teaches us to nurture our positive qualities and not dwell on the negative ones.
Which Wolf is inside of you? Which Wolf are you feeding?