Daily Inspo: Cultivating Joy

I was reading chapter six of "You Are Your Choices" and I was trying to find a quote that I really liked and I have to admit that I had a bit of a hard time. This chapter is all about making the "right" choices in life, which seems reasonable on the surface, but the problem is that I grew up in a system that pounded the idea of "right" choices so heavily into my brain that I became obsessed with it. I was so afraid of making a "wrong" choice that I constantly worried about making a mistake. This obsession truly did steal so much joy in my life.

So yeah, we're not doing that anymore.

I no longer see my choices as "right" or "wrong" but more in terms of what feels "aligned" with my values and goals. I no longer see them in black and white, nor do I beat myself up if I make a mistake.

I'm human and I'm simply not going to be perfect with choice-making.

So, I skipped chapter six and am moving on to seven, which is "Go After What You Love."

This one feels much better.

In this chapter, Alexandra talks about how the world is full of so many possibilities of things to love and that it's up to us to pursue different options to find what makes us happy.

It's not always easy to determine what those things are, but as we explore different things, we are more likely to find what lights us up.

She goes on to say that "sometimes we unveil what we love by admitting what we don't love."

I have definitely seen this in my life and have found it helpful to really pay attention to how things make me feel as I'm engaging with them. I try to ask myself questions about whether or not there is some social conditioning at play or if I really, truly love the thing I'm trying. There are times when I feel like I SHOULD like something because everyone else around me does and then there are times when I feel like I SHOULDN'T like something because everyone else doesn't.

It's all about paying attention to my own experiences and how I feel about them.

I try to keep a JOY LIST of the things that do end up making the cut so I can always remember what things actually light me up personally.

Alexandra shared this quote that I love:

"To know what you prefer is to have kept your soul alive." - Robert Louis

And I completely agree!

We don't have to love what everyone else loves. We just have to allow ourselves to find and discover what we personally love.

Here's to cultivating joy and trying things out as we go!

With love,

from Julia

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A note about inspirational quotes: I've noticed that inspirational quotes don't always apply to me when I'm in survival mode or other states of being, like in times of rest or when things are out of my control. This is why I always check in with myself before taking in the messages. If a quote doesn't feel applicable to me in the moment, I simply ignore it and remind myself that not everything applies to me all the time.

A note about my social values: I recognize that not every person has access to the resources needed to be able to cultivate a life of peace, beauty, and joy, which is why I will always support systems and people who are doing the work to move toward a world that supports the basic needs and rights of all people. I believe that "the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members." - Gandhi