Breakthrough To Joy
Sometimes we’re struggling, sometimes we’re not. Sometimes we doubt our capabilities, sometimes we think, “Maybe I got this figured out”.
A lot of what I share is to help you through the fear & doubting that comes with our life journey, but this article is for the opposite. The times when things are going well. See if you can go there with me, even if things aren’t feeling so hot right now.
When is the last time you’ve been in a good place? I’m sure you can remember a time when things felt in alignment. Maybe you met a new love, achieved a goal, got a raise at your job, or just felt an overall sense of ease & connection. Now think, how long did that feeling last?
If you’re like many, probably not too long. At some point, you may have thought, “Ok things are going well, so something is bound to go wrong.” Boom. You hit the glass ceiling of happiness, and sabotaged yourself to stay exactly where you were.
I’ve been catching myself wanting to do this recently. The past few months have been filled with incredible growth and success. It’s been exhilarating and gratifying, however, there have been moments of wondering, OK, When is this going to come crashing down? When will I mess something up, or get hit with that unexpected expense or sickness? It’s a feeling like if I don’t prepare for the next catastrophe, I’m making myself vulnerable to threat.
It’s a pattern of self-sabotaging behavior many of us have. Our survival instinct causes us to have negativity bias. Our physiology has evolved to always be on the lookout for danger. We feel like if we don’t anxiously worry, we’ll be caught off guard.
What if that changed?
I get that life gets hard, and suffering is unavoidable. But why suffer prior to the suffering? Why kill our joy to get to suffering faster? What if, during times of joy we looked to increase it, not ruin it? What if we said, “Hell yea things are great, and they can keep getting better!”
A mantra that’s been helpful for me is, “It can keep getting better.” That line has been a wake up call every time I try and dissect what’s wrong in my life. Consciously catching my self-sabotaging behavior has allowed me to keep the momentum moving forward.
What else has helped me? Gratitude.
Brené Brown did a study that showed people who felt the most joy in their lives all shared the common thread of thankfulness. What I've found also helps, is a compelling vision for the future. Whether that is a goal, a vision, or a dream.
Gratitude & vision have been a powerful multiplying factor in my life. They are what I hope to inspire in you, in my new meditation Breakthrough To Joy.
I hope it helps you collapse your limitations and see beyond what you think is possible.
Listen here: Breakthrough to Joy