Moody Musings: Choose Joy

This summer, I stepped into a stage of my life that forced me to focus on my happiness and what it really meant to have true happiness. I found that everything that was exciting to and for me could be removed from my life at any time.

I was relying on temporary circumstances and satisfaction to determine my overall mood, and I immediately felt the effects of this crutch the second everything fell apart for me.

This slump pushed me into a phase that forced me to choose joy for myself, and while it has been a process, I am more resilient than ever when I encounter bad moments, days and circumstances.

Joy is a choice, and it’s making the choice to be happy regardless of the circumstance. Here’s how I did it.

I had to focus on my individual value. I was pinning my happiness on a certain kind of success and on certain people. If I didn’t have these things, I didn’t feel full. Once I dealt with this, I was not only able to swiftly move past situations and relationships that didn’t go as planned, but eventually, I wasn’t hit so hard from that loss or change in my life.

Recognizing your value is an inside job that doesn’t always get done overnight. It’s a process of spending time alone and learning to love and appreciate everything about yourself. I like to sit and write down positive things about myself. What are some of your favorite things about yourself? What are you good at? What are some of your best qualities?

Remind yourself and don’t forget.

I let go of the perception I had of my life with or without particular outcomes and stopped letting small things define entire stages of my life. This doesn’t mean you have to let go of dreams or big visions you have for yourself, but it means learning to adjust and to happily exist between reality and your dreams.

Once you get a sense of how freeing and stress-free it is to choose joy for yourself, you’ll become protective of your peace. An integral part of this process for me was deciding what was worthy of my energy and what wasn’t. News flash: a lot of things aren’t worth it.

Deciding what is worth your energy will come easily once you’ve recognized your value and let go of boxed-in ideas of success. This decision alone will clear you of a lot of unfortunate moments and allow you to choose and prioritize your joy.

Choosing joy is a conscious effort that you have to wake up and decide to do every day, but it’ll eventually become a habit worth picking up. Not only will you have control over your own peace and happiness, but you’ll become more positive and more productive throughout your days.