Okay, so here I go.
Starting tomorrow, September 4th, I am starting 30 Days of Happy. Over the next 30 days I’m choosing joy.
What does that mean? Well, let’s start with what it doesn’t mean first.
- It doesn’t mean that I’m going to be smiling all day long like a lunatic.
- It doesn’t mean that I’m going to pretend things are fine when they aren’t.
Here’s what it does mean:
- It means that I will look to joy every possible moment.
- It means that when obstacles or struggles come, I will do my best to find the positive side of what I’m walking through.
- It means that I will be seeking true joy, and not just momentary happiness, or a passing feel-good moment.
How will I do all this? Well, I’ve written out some everyday rules, or perhaps we can call it a checklist of sorts. It will be my daily regimen, so to speak. *
- I will wake up every morning and write down what I am grateful for.
- I will envision all the things that I long to see unfold in my life…the things that are already burning deep within my heart. And I will believe in them…even when I don’t feel like I can believe in them.
- I will exercise at least three times a week, because let’s just face it…Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. And happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t. Okay, I stole that last part from Elle Woods. But she speaks truth. I want to exercise because it’s good for me, and it makes me feel good. And I’m all about the well-rounded health approach. Exercise is a part of that! I want to keep this promise to myself.
- With every obstacle, hurt feeling, and down moment, I will look for the positive…not to be fake, but to change the way I think about the hard things in life.
- I will use my essential oils and supplements every day, because if you don’t know it by now, there is legit, scientific research out there about how essential oils can support emotions (check out google scholar or Pub Med…it may just blow your mind).
- I will spend more time with my kids, playing with them or reading to them. They need a Mamma who will play more with them! I’ve been pretty busy for most of their lives. I don’t want to be too busy for them.
- Unless I have evening workshops, I will stop working at 3pm every day. I need to set some time rules for myself, or I just keep working.
- I won’t get on my phone after 10pm unless there’s an emergency, because we all know these smart phones of ours can cause some serious stress.
- I will spend an hour a day reading something. I love to read, and sometimes I let the day get away from me, and I don’t read at all. Over the last three years, books have played a crucial role in changing my thinking about so many things…I have been profoundly challenged in so many ways, and the changes I’ve walked through have been beautiful.
- If I fail at being positive or joyful, I won’t beat myself up. And I won’t believe the lie that I have to start all over again. I will simply forgive myself when I am unkind to my joyful heart, pick myself back up again, and keep moving forward.
- This one’s a bonus number…love on others. Love on others a LOT. When the giving hurts, give more (thanks, Mama T, for that reminder!). Love, love, love.
I will share this with all of you as a way of keeping myself accountable…again, not to be beat up on myself if I don’t hit all the checkmarks. I just want to be bold and take a leap and do this thing. I’m hoping you’ll cheer me on and encourage me as I walk out these next 30 days. Why 30 days? I don’t know. It seemed like a nice round number, that’s all. I’m hoping that as a result of this challenge to myself, I will see my mind transformed in some ways. I tend to let things like hormones or other people’s attitudes get me down…I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t mean that I don’t want to allow myself to have a bad day here and there. I just don’t want to give in to sadness anymore when I have the ability to say no to negativity and offence. Does that make sense?
I have NO idea how this is going to go. But this all comes from a deep desire to trust my Father in heaven in BIG ways. I want to have a deep, childlike faith. I want to run into the unknown and crazy of life, trusting that He’ll catch me if I fall, and that He’ll cheer me on when I go hard after the dreams of my heart. I want to dance when I feel like it. I want to love on others every day because we were created to love. I want to give thanks in ALL circumstances, because like Betsie said (Corrie ten Boom’s sister), God doesn’t say to give thanks in good circumstances, He says to give thanks in all circumstances. She was a smart woman.
Okay, let the joy begin (or keep growing!)!
*I am giving myself permission to add to the list or take away as needed. I don’t want this challenge to be punishment or a checklist of “do good” items. I want to be kind to myself and give myself some flexibility.
