It doesn’t matter what is currently challenging you.  Whether it is a work stress or a health scare or a family crisis – you can find joy despite any life experience.  You can challenge yourself to be your best self despite whatever is happening around you and “seemingly” to you.  All life experiences are placed in our path to help us grow our character.  Our attitude to what is happening is what determines how it affects us. 

We can find joy in our lives despite any and all restrictions – despite what anyone says to the contrary – despite what anyone says or thinks about us – despite what we currently think of ourselves.  We can learn the lesson and become better, stronger people if we ask ourselves – What is the lesson this is trying to teach me?  

There is an old adage that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.  What they left out is – Challenging life experiences can be our gifts – if we allow them to help us get stronger.  Our troubles can fuel our character flaws or they can fuel our growth.  Like a garden there are weeds in our nature and there are scrumptious fruit.  If we water the weeds and allow them to grow and fester – like anger, despair, fear, and doubt – they grow out of control just like weeds.  If we refuse to water them, and only water the alive and vibrant parts – like acceptance, kindness, compassion, wonder, creativity – those grow and grow and over grow any weeds in our nature. 

Centered Action

We have a lot of negative little bits to our character that clog our joy – like weeds that choke the life out of a garden.  Imagine plucking each negative thought as you see it and sending it to a burning trash pile to be burned up leaving only cinder and ash. 

And just like a garden that needs continual maintenance, we will have to keep burning up the negative bits of our nature as they pop up like weeds.  Whatever we attend in the garden of our mind grows.  Give attention to your Goodness and the Goodness of others and let it blossom.  Uncover Your Joy. 

If you feel this message would be useful to someone you know, please forward it to them.

Keep the Faith, Clean up the messes in Your Path, Give to Someone Else,

And Be Your Most Magnificent Self…

Jody D.