Learn to Cultivate Joy

I'm not really sure how to do this right now....I mean, I know it's true, but...

I do know that anger steals your joy in life. Am I really angry? No, I don't think so. I just feel uncomfortable and a little awkward moreso.

“Between stimulus and response, there’s a space, in that space lies our power to choose our response, in our response lies our growth and our freedom.” - Viktor Frankl

We need to be able to recognize that space so we can choose to get out of our habitual cycles of potential negative rumination and realize we have a choice and that choice may be to practice ways to awaken joy in our lives or incline our minds toward the good. This is not to ignore the difficulties in our lives, but just to help correct the automatic negativity bias that’s neurologically built in as a survival mechanism. Right now, I want to do more than just survive. You know? I want to live well.

But is my choice to remove myself a wrong choice? I mean, I face my other fears in life head on.
Then again, I'm probably comparing apples to oranges and giving myself a really hard time.

“We often think if only life were a little different—better, easier, more comfortable, more in my favor—then I could feel joy. We hold our joy out there like a carrot on a stick, saying, ‘When I get through this conflict with my boss or my mother, then maybe I’ll have a moment of joy, or when I get past my depression, my despair, my loneliness…’ But the potential for joy is always present, and the key to accessing it is saying ‘Yes’ to whatever is true in this moment, whether or not we like what’s going on or expect it." - Carolynn Hobbs, from the book Awakening Joy by James Baraz

But we are also supposed to take care of ourselves too. How can we say yes to something we already know will put us in a situation that would harm us or make us act out or add drama to our life somehow? But then again, drama is about perception too....we as humans create our own drama.

“This of something in your life that you’re not too happy about—perhaps a conflict, a health issue, something you wish hadn’t appeared at all. Without any judgment, notice your first reaction. Then try saying ‘Yes’ to this situation. Notice what happens inside you as you do this. What you’re experiencing may not be what you wanted or expected, but saying yes can empower you and give you the courage to handle whatever rests on your plate.” - Carolynn Hobbs

Carolynn Hobbs is the author of Joy, No Matter What. Maybe I should read her book?

What gives me joy and what holds me back from joy right now in this present moment are the exact same things. It doesn't make much sense to me either!!!