choosing happiness

Taking time to notice and appreciate all the beauty this world serves up has become a life-changing practice for me.  It pushes me to slow down, be present, and observe how the ordinary moments create something magical.

I never thought that one single jar and little slips of paper would bring me so much joy.  But it does.

My happiness jar catches the ordinary moments.  A smile from a stranger. The laughter of the security guard.  The way he looks after me. The text arriving in the palm of my hand from my niece.  

I never realized how many moments of joy swirled in my life until I took the time to write them down.  In appreciating them I have also begun to notice that more joyful moments keep flowing into my life on the daily.  These little moments fill me up with happiness.

I am grateful for the way the jar catches my heart
and nudges me to soak it all in.

I have tried many times to keep a gratitude journal but for some reason, I never followed through with it.  When I would miss a day the blank page would be staring me in the face and leave me feeling guilty for not writing anything down.  Rather than bring me joy the gratitude journal brought me down.

But with the jar, I never notice if a day unwritten about.  Even if I miss a few days the slips of paper continue to accumulate and this makes me smile.  Watching my jar fill up as the year progresses is divine.

I intentionally choose colorful paper but this doesn’t need to be done with anything fancy.  Whatever you can get your hands on works. What matters most is taking time to slow down.

I have been practicing this tradition for a few years now.  When I am feeling down I dig my hand in and pull out a piece of paper.  Reading over one of my happy moments brings me back to that time and knocks me out of my funk.  

At the end of the year, I pull out each one.  Reading every single happy moment from that past year.  I then tuck them away and begin again January 1st.

I invite you to begin your very own happiness jar.  You don’t have to begin on the first of the year. You can begin anytime!  Start now.

Grab a jar.  Any jar will do.  Find a piece of paper and tear it up into small slips.  I choose to cut a bunch of slips ahead of time to get me started.  It’s not enough for the entire year, but just enough to begin. I know that if I didn’t have these slips of paper to grab I wouldn’t write anything down.  So do what works for you.

Your life is filled with so many ordinary moments.  And it is these moments that create the exquisite life you are living.  Recognizing the moments, appreciating them, and really sinking into them makes them that much sweeter.  Not a day goes by where you can’t unearth one little slice of magic. Seek it out and you will find it.

My happy moment today is the laughter from the security guard as I tried to walk in the door at work.  The wind was blowing me backward and I was struggling with the door. It was such a funny ordinary moment and his laughter made it that much sweeter.  

What about you?  What is your happy moment today?

I invite you to sit down with your notebook and dig into the the life you desire. Because that is the life you are meant to be living. And there is no time like the present to begin stepping into that light.

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Are you struggling to unearth your happy moments? Do you wish you could feel more JOY in your life everyday?

You deserve to be living your best life. You deserve to be HAPPPY!

If you are ready for a big change and want to LOVE the life you are living, then Life Coaching is for you. There are different programs you can choose from and all will be personalized depending upon what you want to work on. Remember, you don’t have to do it all alone. In fact we can do more when we come together.

Step into your light and grant yourself permission to be unapologetically you and you unlock your inner happiness.

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