How often do you allow yourself to fully experience joy?
One of the rather stealthy causes of people’s misery is the subtle believe that joy is not possible. Moreover, some people subconsciously feel they deserve pain. Or that pain somehow pain makes them a better person or will provide a reward. It goes back to a lot of the stories heard in childhood, like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and the beast in Beauty and the Beast that needed rescuing from one special person who offered “real love”; or Wonder Woman, Rocky, Superman, and stories about capitalist heroes that pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and only triumphed after difficulty).
These stories help frame the way we look at suffering—and love—in our lives. Sometimes we become so attached to the suffering that we sabotage ourselves and our relationships and miss out on experiences that offer joy. By doing that, we inadvertently numb ourselves to the fullness of life and the joy it offers in this very moment.
Check in with the stories and fantasies that might be holding you back. It doesn’t mean you’re a self-centered hedonist if you allow yourself to experience real joy in this present moment. It’s okay. Life is full of experiences with ups and downs, just don’t be afraid to experience the ups. You do deserve it. Honor yourself by releasing suffering and embracing your bliss. You might be surprised to discover the love pouring forth from your heart and all around you when you do.
Inspiration for the Day: “Love to faults is always blind, always is to joy inclined. Lawless, winged, and unconfined, and breaks all chains from every mind.” -William Blake
Note: This is an ongoing series to help provide support during these challenging times. These daily readings are part of an overall book on balance, which includes 12 essentials for maintaining balance to support resilience and your best self. The 12 essentials include mind, body, love, service, self, family, intimacy, purpose, environment/living space, nature, social relations, and spirit. This series is sharing 30 days of lessons about love. It will examine multiple aspects of love and provide knowledge and inspiration for hearts to heal and love to flow. It is designed as a daily reader to allow time to reflect, process and incorporate.
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