It is safe to say that no matter what age you are, where you are in life, or what you are going through, there is always a way to find joy. Although, what does it mean to actually be joyful, and is it a bad thing to sometimes be sad? Life has all kinds of twists and turns, so I want to discuss some of the ways I stay joyful in life and when it’s OK to be sad.
My Daily Life
In my daily life I wake up between 7:00 am and 8:00 am. Then, I typically get ready for work, grab a bite, and leave for my hour and a half drive into Buckhead. You could say it is hard some days to be joyful when I really do not feel like sitting in a car for the next hour and a half.
It can be difficult to be joyful.
Alternatively, I know just as many people who get up between 9:00 am and 10:00 am that have an open agenda and nothing to fret, yet they can not seem to find joy in the morning. This brings me to my first point.
Being Busy Simplifies Your Expectation
When you are busy, like I am, you really do not have to worry about anything additional other than accomplishing your predetermined task. For instance, I do not have to really worry about when I wake up. That is already decided. Similarly, I do not have to worry about where I will be or what I will be doing throughout most of my day. That is something called work.
When we simply our day and reduce the randomness of expectations, it can be easier to be joyful. Why is this so?
If you have less to think about, you have more time and brain power to put toward understanding yourself. If you are waking up daily without a plan or with out a mission, you have a lot to think about and tons to worry about if you do not discipline yourself. It is easy to waste more time then to use it.
Understand Yourself
When you simply life, there are less things that can cover up your emotions. For example, I can wake up, spill my coffee on my shirt, get stuck in traffic, my computer can crash, and this can all make me feel sad.
To most people, these are all reasons to get frustrated right out the gate at yourself. To a trained mind, these are obstacles preventing you from realizing the true underlying problems that are effecting your spirit.
This day in particular I had gone to bed at 2 AM, forgone breakfast, and there was a high pollen count effecting my allergies which made me feel horrible. After calming down and reflecting internally on, “Why do I REALLY feel bad today? Why do I not feel joyful in the mist of chaos?” I had my answer.
My answer was simple. Run downstairs and grab a quick bite, drink some coffee and take some Zyrtec. My mood and attitude were fixed. You see chaos does not control you. Additionally I thought, there is no reason to be sad about spilled coffee or traffic, that is just the randomness of life which is beautiful. A life lived without a little spark or trouble is a boring life, and I thanked God for the little things that make this life exciting.
If there were never “bad” days, there would never be “good” days. Smile in the chaos.
What About the “Bad” Days
The same with joy and sadness, there will clearly be bad days to accompany the good days. If we aim to always reflect, understand ourselves and reach for joy, when then can we be sad?
You see, sadness is not a bad thing when used properly. Sadness is a natural reaction to unfortunate events. If something happens that is impactful or detrimental to yourself or another person, allow those emotions to be realized. The process of becoming a joyful person is not the process of covering up your sadness. It is the process of understanding yourself so well, that you are in control. Regardless of the chaos around you there is always a way to be in control.
For instance, Spilled coffee should not make you sad. Be joyful through the spills of life!
A lost loved one or a co-workers health problems should let you reflect some level of sadness. Being sad is healthy if you use the emotion properly. Joyfulness and sadness or not opposites, they are compliments that when used in a life correctly, lead to becoming a healthy and loving person.
How to be Joyful
To reflect, small problems should not effect your internal joy. Your life is good, you are blessed and God loves you. To be joyful day by day read the word, reflect on your spirit, and understand yourself. If you have certain problems like road rage then reflect on that and understand your anger. When you understand it, you can change it. Constant reflection and constant effort is the only way to truly become your best self.
